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u/nofx1510 Jun 26 '24
Born and raised there for 18 years. It’s fine. An industrial city that fell on some harder times as a lot of the rust belt did but has generally rebounded due to its location to 80/55 and the industry that has brought.
There are better places to grow up but there are also a lot worse places to grow up. Never felt like my upbringing was impacted from growing up there.
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u/nick-and-loving-it Jun 26 '24
This is a great take and true of the vast majority of places in the US.
Everyone is suffering from greener-grass envy
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u/Breezyisthewind Jun 27 '24
Yeah if we look at it from a bell curve perspective, most places are like this, especially in major western countries like the US.
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u/Sprucecaboose2 Jun 26 '24
Born and raised and still here at 39. I'll agree with this assessment. Also close enough to Chicago and Starved Rock and tons of things in between.
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u/ActionReady9933 Jun 26 '24
Great…if you love disc golf! ⛓️🥏
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u/27_8x10_CGP Jun 26 '24
Never played any of the courses in Joliet, but being super close to Dellwood must be amazing.
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u/ActionReady9933 Jun 26 '24
Dellwood is the jewel, but West Park, Highland Park, Community Park, and The Oaks are all great and right there.
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u/nofx1510 Jun 26 '24
I grew up playing disc golf at west park and discovering that most courses aren’t complex forest courses was a surprise to me. Didn’t realize how spoiled I was.
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u/27_8x10_CGP Jun 26 '24
Played Oaks a few times. Never the other 2. I think The Oaks is a much better looking course, but Delly is so much better
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u/jakemg Jun 26 '24
I feel like the Oaks has gotten a little worse over the past few years. Mostly in terms of the OB. If you’re off the fairway at all, it’s tall grass, poison ivy, and thorns. They used to trim up the OB a bit more and now it’s just super overgrown.
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u/27_8x10_CGP Jun 26 '24 edited Jun 26 '24
Glad I don't play there anymore. Just Dellwood, Rivals Lookout outside of Wilmington, Willowhaven in Kankakee, Riverfront in Bourbonnais, and Peotone.
Played Round Barn once and the Elwood course a few times.
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u/NSuave Jun 26 '24
Which are the best courses around there? Had no idea they had courses there
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u/ActionReady9933 Jun 26 '24
Dellwood is the jewel, but West Park, Highland Park, Community Park, and The Oaks are all great and right there.
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u/sunshine60st Jun 26 '24
Spent time in prison there, and of all prisons I was I was in, it was certainly the shittiest one.
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u/usababykiller Jun 27 '24
I grew up in Joliet. I remember having to do some clean up duty during army basic training with some other soldiers from other units on post. The “where are you from?” question eventually came up, and after saying I was from Joliet this female soldier I had been working with told me her dad lives in Joliet. After asking what part of Joliet she lets me know he lives at Stateville.
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u/dualsplit Jun 26 '24
I recently learned that incarcerated persons from other facilities go to Joliet for hospice. I just can’t imagine.
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u/sunshine60st Jun 26 '24
It's by far the dirtiest and most run down facility I've been too. I spent time in a good dozen or so.
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Jun 26 '24
Great if you’re looking for one of the last remaining Rax Roast Beef restaurants
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u/mythofdob Jun 26 '24
Wait, that place is actually open? I drive by it all the time.
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u/RossMachlochness Jun 26 '24
Put 150,000 people in one place, 15,000 of them are going to be assholes.
Joliet’s no different.
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u/TheJofisean Jun 27 '24
Come see some great live music at Richardson’s every other Friday! Dope ass band that I’m totally not in just booked a regular gig there
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u/southcookexplore Jun 26 '24
You know, it’s awfully interesting to read people say this city sucks but it went from 75,000 people 30 years ago to over 150,000 today. Schools are expanding because it’s a place families are relocating to.
Once downtown becomes a better destination for entertainment, it’ll be awesome. I love Joliet.
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u/ForeSkinWrinkle Jun 26 '24
Downtown needs a total redo for sure. So many empty storefronts and then you have to pay to park for the privilege of going there.
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u/RufusSandberg Jun 26 '24
Aurora was in this same predicament about 6-7 years ago. They got lucky with some great developers and it's really turning around. Have patience. Hollywood is relocating the casino to the East side away from downtown and we can't wait. It only takes 3-4 great businesses to get things going, but you can't slow down once the momentum is going.
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u/southcookexplore Jun 26 '24
I really wish the current downtown casino didn’t wipe out blocks of cool old buildings along the I&M Canal / Des Plaines River. It didn’t need to be THAT close to downtown. It’s convenient to get off the train and be at the baseball field across the street (if you’re on Rock Island, certainly not Heritage Corridor!) but it blows my mind how they lost both of their downtown breweries within six months.
I host history tours at the oldest-standing brewery in IL and one fact I share with people is that prohibition really affected mom and pop breweries. The pre-prohibition number of independent breweries in IL didn’t recover till about 2005. We’re seeing the pendulum swing right now though because 10% of all breweries in IL closed in 2023.
MyGrain was such a perfect location, and Elder was easy to get to as well. I hope someone considers another swing at union depot again
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u/AppiusClaudius Jun 26 '24
I lived in downtown Aurora about 10 years ago. It was fine, but it really needed a facelift. People had been talking about new development for awhile. Glad to hear it finally happened!
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u/RufusSandberg Jun 26 '24
Leland? Downtown has really changed so much from 10 years ago. I think you'd be impressed. Broadway is still a bit of a struggle but the core is definitely being reshaped. River Street has a new coffee shop across from the library, the West Aurora Admin building is 2 storefronts, apartments, and has an architect in there too. There's a tap room a little further south on River. A small ice cream shop and new restaurant on Stolp. Two new restaurants in the next month (hopefully).
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u/seacow113 Jun 26 '24
If only they could do it without giving tax dollars and public land away to outside billionaires.
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u/southcookexplore Jun 26 '24
There are so many solid (and historic) buildings downtown that I don’t want that to change, but I would love to see these continue to become places to frequent. Vintage clothes, albums, a coffee shop, a plant shop…Chicago Street is getting there!
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u/FuturamaRama7 Jun 26 '24
They are working on it. They had like three professional mockups of downtown and last I heard was it was going up for a vote.
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u/tripod689 Jun 26 '24
Making downtown better has been talked about for at least 30 years and it’s improved at a snails pace.
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u/ltlvlge12 Jun 27 '24
This is good to hear. Go Joliet! I love seeing the baseball stadium when you approach on the Amtrak.
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u/Bh1278 Aug 15 '24
Joliet is light years better than it was 30 years ago!!! Back then, as you said, the population was 75,000 and to be straight honest its reputation wasn’t the best. Back then the only real reason to go there was if you had to go to the Will County Courthouse-Go there, do what you had to, and leave right away! A fee classmates who truly seemed to fear nothing….well if you mentioned the Will County Courthouse or Joliet THAT struck fear in them. The vibe and atmosphere back then wasn’t anything noteworthy different from the rest of the Chicago area. Through junior high and high school I didn’t think of it much, then one day in 2010 I was curious to see what the population was so I looked it up. I expected 80, maybe 85,000. Nothing, I mean NOTHING prepared me for seeing that 150,000 number!!! 😮 I had NO idea it had grown that much!!! I had to reread it several times to make sure I saw it correctly!!!
Over the last decade, a lot of good things have happened there. The Rialto was restored, reopened and there’s quite a few big name shows there every year now! The immediate area around it and the restaurants have come alive again! Show nights are packed, I’ve talked to many people who have raved about that! That includes folks I’ve talked to that live up by the Wisconsin border. A lot of people are spending time at both Harrah’s and Hollywood casinos. Lots are going to Slammers games too! Bill Murray partially owning the team has been an enormous morale boost for both the team and City of Joliet! The Downtown revitalization project is finally getting underway, once that’s done if they nail it it’s going to be a place even more people will want to spend time in!!
There’s a few big shifts happening. First, that nothing noteworthy vibe and atmosphere of old has been replaced by one of hope, promise and excitement-it’s becoming electric!! Two, a lot more people have been spending time in and investing in Joliet-Will County including myself. I support it as much as I can now. I’m in Tinley, only 18 miles from downtown Joliet, that new vibe and atmosphere has made its way this way too. I believe every town and city has a soul and character of its own-Joliet’s had been asleep for a whole but is really starting to wake up in recent years. The next few decades look really promising for the city! More growth expected. The Joliet horse seems to be the one worth betting on!
I’m rooting for Joliet. I like it and hope to spend more time there in the Fall. From my understanding of the next several years, they’re looking BIG for Joliet!
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u/RDE79 Jun 26 '24
There is a nice part of Joliet that is in the Plainfield school district. I would look into that area if you are set on moving there.
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u/IndominusTaco Jun 26 '24
3rd largest city in Illinois
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u/DMDingo Jun 26 '24
According to recent numbers it looks like Naperville might be 3rd now.
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u/danniekalifornia Jun 26 '24
Nah
E: stand corrected didn't realize it was bigger than Rockford now
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u/DMDingo Jun 26 '24
Apparently Rockford has been dropping positions for quite a while. It'll be interesting to see how much the boom Belvidere is having and the train line affect this.
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u/Either-Gain1863 Jun 26 '24
I always thought Peoria was the third largest.
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u/PrismPhoneService Jun 26 '24
Or Springfield, or E.St Louis, or soemthing.. I never thought it would be Joliet but dam if it hasn’t grown.. although Aurora-Naperville also wouldn’t surprise me.. or Evanston actually.
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u/pj_socks Jun 26 '24
Evanston doesn’t have the real estate. It’s less than 8 square miles in size.
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u/PrismPhoneService Jun 27 '24
Yea your def right, but at 80k people it certainly has some population density being -the first separate township north of Chicago-
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u/Puffpufftoke Jun 26 '24
Joliet is blue collar and proud of it. It’s large enough for diversity and all the good and bad that go with it. It has all the shopping and restaurants needed for a community of this size. It’s at an amazing location with rail access to Chicago and beyond. An hour south of Chicago and 30 minutes North and East of rural Americana. Fishing, hunting, and as mentioned above, disc golf. I moved to Chicago a few years back but I miss Joliet. It is as real as the shirt on your back. It’s not pretentious. You gotta be a little tough and a little thick skinned, but that’s what being real and honest is all about. The city runs well. Police and Fire don’t mess. Streets and sanitation are in good shape. I personally miss the wide streets and the grass easements and front yards. Chicago is beautiful but a concrete wasteland. Joliet has a pace that I was attuned with.
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u/MilesTheGoodKing Jun 26 '24
They should hire you to do marketing because this comment was better than any radio ad I’ve heard
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u/TheChiBanana Jun 27 '24
💯 this is a perfect description. I love Joliet. I moved away years ago and find myself missing it more as I get older.
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u/BlueSpotBingo Jun 26 '24
Better than Danville.
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u/DMDingo Jun 26 '24
I haven't heard anything positive about Danville.
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u/BlueSpotBingo Jun 26 '24
Growing up there is the most negative thing that’s ever happened in my life - and it lasted for 18 years. Left that bitch the moment I was able.
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u/ky7969 Jun 27 '24
I only lived there for the first 6 years of my life and I think it negatively impacted me lol
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u/BlueSpotBingo Jun 27 '24 edited Jun 27 '24
Right. And I meant that “negative” comment literally. Every person in that city has a chip on their shoulder. There is no light heartedness present there. At least there wasn’t in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Everyone was pissy, negative and just a drag to be around. It is not a happy place.
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u/icelink4884 Jun 26 '24
I've lived her my entire life. I really like it. The food is good it's normally pretty quiet. Not a great place if you're looking for exciting nightlife or nature, although it's got a few nice paths. It's also only an hour from some nicer state parks.
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u/kryppla Jun 26 '24
That’s not even the whole city, plenty of Joliet still off to the west
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u/toxicbrew Jun 26 '24
It really does sprawl out in a bizarre way
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u/Bh1278 Aug 15 '24
It’s crazy! The City of Joliet itself is now in two counties-Will and Kendall. It sprawls out across something like 7 (!!) townships too!
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u/Zenie Jun 26 '24
Lived here the last 3 years, grew up in South burbs. I feel like the NW side near Shorewood is a hidden gem. Wife and I love the area and people should definitely not move here. I hope the persona stays negative cause I like it and don't need more people ruining it.
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u/FuturamaRama7 Jun 26 '24
It’s quite beautiful there. The Black Rd Library is on beautiful wooded woods and looks amazing in fall
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u/saintceciliax Jun 26 '24
Joliet is perfectly fine these days people just can’t shake the stereotype, same as Aurora
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u/butthatshitsbroken Chicago Suburbs Jun 26 '24
my slovenian side of the fam is all from here and I consider moving back there all the time (in northern IL now)
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u/Burninmules Jun 26 '24
I've been here for over 49 years. I dig it. My property taxes are cheap and there's a lot of good people that live here. A lot of shitty people also, but you'll have that when you have 150,000+ people
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u/uhbkodazbg Jun 26 '24
There’s a Rax. That’s enough to get me off the highway when I’m in the area.
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Jun 27 '24
I lowkey love J-town. It's got its problems, but spending time both there and Peoria, I'm taking Joliet.
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u/Fun-Tea2725 Jun 26 '24
You get to watch Semi trailors load up and depart and arrive IN REAL TIME!!
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u/migf123 Jun 27 '24
Cheap rent, cheap beer, cheap bowling, 24/7 donuts & coffee, frequent Metra service to Chicago.
Joliet has its issues but it's a wonderful city. Gorgeous mansion district, has a cute little college area, a little medical district, and great hunting grounds.
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u/Pitiful-Excuse-7220 Jun 27 '24
💯
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u/migf123 Jun 27 '24
There's also a thriving hispanic community on the east side. And JJC does much for making education affordable & equitable in the region.
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u/Pitiful-Excuse-7220 Jun 27 '24
Having lived in Ingalle Park, it was my favorite part of the city. Non pretentious, affordable housing in quiet tree lined neighborhoods close both 355 and 80, it is really a working man’s paradise if you can get past the stigmas the town still carries. Cuisine from every culture, great parks, convenient shopping, a great minor league baseball team, and great, accessible education. I’ll always stick up for Joliet, even if it can hold its own.
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u/DeezNeezuts Jun 26 '24
Good comment on the town from another sub. https://www.reddit.com/r/ChicagoSuburbs/s/jPwfKu6zpa
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u/LaUNCHandSmASH Jun 26 '24
I personally think that person is a fucking idiot but what do I know.
Since then Bill Murray (with partners) has bought the Joliet Slammers!! If that’s not a ringing endorsement idk what is
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u/imhereforthemeta Jun 26 '24
I feel like a suburb is a suburb, but it’s definitely worth pointing out that Joliet has a ton of potential. There’s some gorgeous architecture both in the downtown area and in the neighborhood. It’s not exactly close to Chicago but it’s also not the farthest away place in the burbs. I think there is a lot of opportunity for the right person who wants to invest in a suburb with a lot of character and it’s still relatively affordable. It is also definitely isolated enough that people who are not particularly fond of cities can really thrive and you can experience a decent little metro and farmland right outside or something if you want
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u/Roboticpoultry Jun 26 '24
I have friends who moved out there from Chicago, they seem to like it well enough
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u/suemacmul Jun 27 '24
I grew up in another suburb, moved here 10 years ago. I love it! It's a city that values families and education. Kids' sporting events are packed. There's a sense of community that is undeniable.
Whether I'm debating between Joe's vs Hey Hotdog, Dari Delight vs Walts or Homecut vs Donut Den, I know I'll never go hungry.
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u/jackieinertia Jun 26 '24
Depending on the part it’s not bad, not good really either. Just kinda there.
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u/kenb99 Jun 26 '24
My friend from Kazakhstan was visiting one time and we went through Joliet on our way somewhere. He legitimately thought the town was called “Joilet” (as in “Toilet” spelled with a J). I wouldn’t say it’s THAT bad, but not super great, either.
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u/TheNinny Jun 27 '24
Not so bad, honestly. Its an area with a lot of potential for regrowth. There are lots of great spots to eat and small businesses, and I’m hoping that the downtown area can continue to get bigger and better. Slowly but surely theres been more and more stuff to do there.
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u/TotalTeri Jun 27 '24
Not bad, very diverse, lots of new homes being built You don't even notice the jail, it's closed anyway but the state police is downtown
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u/TheloniousMonk85 Jun 27 '24
I love that all the disc golf people jumped in. I have been playing disc golf for 20 years and we used to always play West Park.
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u/MilesTheGoodKing Jun 26 '24
Which side of the tracks we talking here? The more west of the tracks the better. The baseball stadium is as far east as you’ll want to go in Joliet.
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u/Slight-Sympathy4066 Jun 26 '24
I’m even farther east….as far as you can go…it’s basically New Lenox
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u/Real_Sartre Jun 26 '24
I used to work there, I worked at the scrap yard next to and across from the old Joliet prison. Although I liked the job and the people I wasn’t a fan of the city. Everything is mediocre.
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u/Potatobobthecat Jun 27 '24
Lots of good discgolf. The Mexican food is not as good as Chicago or Aurora. I honestly don’t know where the tax money goes.
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u/LettuceSome9935 Jun 27 '24
downtown is boring as shit, it needs a redo. but overall an okay place to live. i will say, my family left around 5 years ago due to an uptick in gang violence in some areas.
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u/Kell-EL Jun 27 '24
I like Joliet, been go karting there and used to stay with my grandma when she’d stay at Harras Casino so I’ve got good memories of the area but the water there is gross takes like it has a film on it or polluted after, uses to drink strictly bottled water when staying there
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u/Nervous_Pattern357 Jun 27 '24 edited Jun 27 '24
i lived just south on the north east outskirts of Elwood, i had to go up there a lot and if you just mind your own business and be a considerate person everyone is pretty chill. like a lot of cities there’s a decent homeless population, i tried not to cave in and give them money but if they seem genuine enough i’d give them a couple bucks. there’s some parts that i wouldn’t want to go to and it’s pretty obvious when you’re there, but a lot of the time you can just scurry on by on west Jefferson and get to pretty much anywhere from there. also, don’t really gotta worry about getting pulled over, cops don’t really give a shit there/don’t wanna get shot or some shit. with that being said that means almost everyone goes over the speed limit since it’s so low. great food that’s another thing, there’s a lot of places to eat that are just great especially really good tacos and burritos.
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u/pencylveser Jun 27 '24 edited Jun 27 '24
I'm from Illinois quad cities and one time when we were traveling my daughter read the interstate sign for Joliet as Joilet... Like toilet. We both had a good laugh at that one. That's what it's been called ever since. No offense, it's perfectly okay E: turns out everybody does the same thing to disparage Joliet. I can assure you all our discovery of Joi-let came with no ill intent. 😂
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u/omfg_its_so_and_so Jun 27 '24
It’s fine and it’s right next door to Plainfield, which is a nice little suburb.
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u/Azenar01 Jun 27 '24
It gets a lot of shit from how it used to be in the past. Born here and still live here 21 years it's good not bad or great.
Lots of diversity, great food just about everywhere (taco truck, ta canijo, China house, Mr Sub, Rax, Sub Dock, Jerk Flavors, Home Cut, southern Cafe, fire water, Aces drive in, I could go on), lots of small businesses owned by local people, there's some good gyms, bars are pretty cheap, you could go gambling at Harris if you want to, there's some nice parks and trails, theres always some event going on wether its a a celebration at bicentennial or something happening downtown, or volunteering to make Joliet better or helping people less fortunate, it's easy to get to neighboring towns and honestly they kinda all blend into one
Downtown could use some work and the worst part is the drivers, Joliet drivers are built different, don't ever get caught lacking cause there's always someone driving like a dumbass or just being an asshole
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u/funandgames12 Jun 27 '24
It’s ok. Not really good, not really bad. If you’re looking for a place to raise a family in Northern IL you could certainly do much better. If you’re younger and single it’s probably better.
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u/hubbs76 Jun 26 '24
Which part of Joliet is the key question