North Berwyn? (Chicago, Waukegan, Cicero: apartments, rental market, condo)

[LouieWasHere]

I am ready to make an offer on a house on East Ave, just north of Cermak. I've read good things about South Berwyn, not so good things about East Berwyn, and not much about this area.

I consider diversity a good thing - as long as the area is safe. Grew up in Waukegan - and find some of the less-diverse burbs a little dull.

I've read posts that Berwyn is moving in a positive direction, and that it is moving in a negative direction. Hope the positives are right! Beautiful town!

Any input on North Berwyn would be great. I work north - so South Berwyn is quite a hike for me.

[prairiestate]

Both are kind of true. In some respects, it's moving in a positive direction. You can buy a beautiful home at a reasonable price, there is some new condo development and a lot of conversions. So, it's becoming popular with young professionals and young families. There is a lot of community pride, and it seems most people who live there really love their town. Retail and restaurant development is stagnant, though. I know chains often have a bad rep, but they do kind of signal that a town has arrived. Starbucks, Panera, Jimmy John's, you won't find anything like that in Berwyn. Oak Park has everything you want, and it's close by on a map. However, it can be a long, slow drive. Schools are acceptable, but not great. Crime and gang activity is a bit of problem, especially to the northeast. However, the Berwyn police are finally admitting there is a problem, and they are starting to devote extra resources to keeping the problem from growing. It's kind of a curious mix of people in Berwyn. It's about 1/2 Hispanic, it has one of the largest gay populations in the Chicago 'burbs, and it still has a lot of old world Czech and Polish grandma's. It's really a pretty funky and independent town. There are some rough spots now, with development being a bit stagnant and a bit of crime. However, as people get priced out of Oak Park, Forest Park and even Brookfield, they're going to start looking at Berwyn. That, combined with the intense community pride and involvement, means that Berwyn will probably have a bright future. I lived in Berwyn for a couple of years, and moved elsewhere for a number of different reasons. However, I am now starting to think seriously about moving back there. I really like the town, and think that it may be the next hot growth spot.

[BRU67]

I moved to Berwyn from Oak Park about 4 years ago and I'm very happy with the choice thus far. It's an exciting community to live in, no doubt about that. A young and very vibrant community. Prariestate described it pretty well, though I would "temper" his lack of development comments a little bit. It's true that national chains are largely absent but there are several solid independent restaurants and bars -- Olive or Twist and Sevilla's, for example, were recently featured on CLTV's Metromix and are great hangouts. There are several others which I've listed in other threads.

Generally, the chains are not "trend setters" and tend to wait until a community is rather far along in the "gentrification" process before they start coming in. I think as the demographics continue to change and more young professionals move here, they'll start to appear, though hopefully not so many that it kills the character of the community.

North Berwyn sometimes gets an unfair bad rap, perhaps because of the large concentration of apartments, particularly near Oak Park Ave. between 16th St. and Cermak Rd. The rental market hasn't been good anywhere over the past 5-10 years and that has brought its share of problems, though not so much that I'd be afraid of it. Recognizing this, the community just contracted with the Oak Park Regional Housing Center to set up in Berwyn and market the city's rental stock to encourage more diversity (and higher income levels) among renters. If you haven't heard of the OPRHC, it has been very effective in Oak Park since it was formed in the early 1970s and helped stop the "white flight" in Oak Park which was creeping in from Austin. The city also just passed a pretty strict rental license ordinance, and the police have been much more proactive lately. That too should help.

Overall, I think North Berwyn would be a solid choice, particularly the neighborhood of well kept Chicago Bungalows on the "Gold Coast" (roughly Harlem to the west, Clinton to the east, 22nd to the south and 16th to the north). As Prarie said, prices (and taxes) are very reasonable and the upside should be good. It's only a matter of time before people en masse discover the benefits of the town's diversity, housing stock, and convenience.

[LouieWasHere]

The house I'm considering is on East Ave, just north of Cermak. A little outside the north Berwyn area mentioned here. Think I will spend Saturday checking out the neighborhood and town in general.

Thanks to both who offered some advice!

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by LouieWasHere

The house I'm considering is on East Ave, just north of Cermak. A little outside the north Berwyn area mentioned here. Think I will spend Saturday checking out the neighborhood and town in general.

Thanks to both who offered some advice!

There's some nice bungalows over there too. Good news there is you're a block from Sevilla's. Be sure to check that out. Also, it's a very quick bus ride to the Blue and Pink lines at 54/Cermak. Good luck!

[prinsessa]

I don't think that is a bad area. I live in Cicero not to far from there (walking distance). There are a lot of little stores and restaurants on Cermak. We like to take walks along Cermak on days when it isn't too warm or cold. I have never felt unsafe around here.

[ciceroguy]

Originally Posted by LouieWasHere

I am ready to make an offer on a house on East Ave, just north of Cermak. I've read good things about South Berwyn, not so good things about East Berwyn, and not much about this area.

The area you are talking about is east Berwyn, North east berwyn. The very worst part of town.

[mdz]

No, East avenue is between oak park and ridgeland, I wouldn't consider that east berwyn

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by ciceroguy

The area you are talking about is east Berwyn, North east berwyn. The very worst part of town.

Some people think that is the worst part of town because of its proximity to Cicero. That really isn't the case though, and you're right by Freddy's to boot . If there is a "worst" part of town it's Oak Park Ave. between 16th and 22nd St. Many apartments concentrated over there. I wouldn't say it's horrible and unlivable but it's definitely where we see the most police activity.

And MDZ's right -- East/Cermak is nowhere near north east Berwyn. That's more central Berwyn.

[janetp]

We live North Berwyn, and are very happy here. Most everyone is very friendly and approachable. We came from Chicago, and never knew so many of our neighbors in al the time we lived there. It's a different atmosphere here. I am well involved in this community, and why there are some crime issues here, it is relatively low compared to most places. It's growing here, and only for the better. My property value has doubled in 8 years, so we are "on the map" so to speak. More and more of us get involved in our community every day, and that only makes us stronger. Together, we have done much to make this a pretty good place to call home. I'm not much of a "night-lifer" anymore, but I really get a lot out of our park districts. Music, dance, martial arts, and the pool passes get you into every pool and everything is very affordable. The houses are nice, and it's a well kept area. WE ride our bikes all the time in the area, and it's so nice when people smile and say hello because they have seen you a few times before. I know people on many different blocks in my area with very little effort. It's pretty friendly for the most part. We have never had a problem. We took down bushes that ran along the side and back of our back yard a few years ago to put up a fence. An alley runs alongside us as well as the back of the yard. It took us a few weeks to put up our new fence, as we built it ourselves instead of buying the pre-made panels. We had all of our lawn funiture (and we have lots!) our grill, an outdoor sink, all weather wicker, etc, and not once did anyone bother anything we own. It was open and exposed for weeks. THat must say something about our crime! I think I'll stay.