[Eric in the Ozarks]

Blue Island once was a working class industrial community with foundries, manufacturing and a big old Clark Refinery. Confiscatory taxes led to an abandonment of this base and the jobs that employed thousands. In the 1970s, a friend who took a job as a math teacher in BI schools told me he needed a police escort coming and going inside the school. The working class Poles, Germans and Irish abandoned BI and others moved in.
In the 1990s, the Clark Refinery was a run down hulk that suffered a fire nearly every week. The owners couldn't afford reasonable maintenance so it was sold to new owners.
Within a year of the sale, a major fire burned into a control system which dumped tons of catalyst fines into the atmosphere. The cat fines still cover the neighborhoods and roof tops on Blue island.

[KeyLargo]

Foreclosures in Blue Island

Located in Cook county IL and Chicago's South Suburbs - Cook County, Blue Island has 5,649 homes.

80 out of 5,649 (0.014%) homes have been foreclosed upon in 2011. http://chicago.blockshopper.com/cities/blue_island/foreclosures/about

The most expensive foreclosure sold for $111,000 on October 5, 2006 and the least expensive foreclosure sold for $15,500 on March 4, 2011. The most recent foreclosure sold for $26,000 on March 4, 2011.

[A. Patriot]

Within a year of the sale, a major fire burned into a control system which dumped tons of catalyst fines into the atmosphere. The cat fines still cover the neighborhoods and roof tops on Blue island

Enquiring minds want to know:

Term Definition

Catalytic fines extremely hard and abrasive particles of aluminium silicate found in fuel as a result of its use as catalyst in crude oil refineries employing catalytic cracking process; can cause excessive wear in engine parts

[nodumbblonde]

Thanks for the info. I never know if liberals honestly think their tax policies work or if they’re just so power-hungry they don’t care.

[prairiebreeze]

We used to have a friend that ran a pizza joint in Blue Island. He made fantastic pizza and served it up free once a month to those of us who came to music-jam at this place.

I was always glad this was an afternoon deal....no dark streets to drive down in BI.

Then our friend sold that place, the pizza wasn’t nearly as good and the new owners weren’t interested in promoting music enjoyment so the thing ended. Fun while it lasted though.