How are the west burbs in Chicago? (Cicero, Wheaton: low income, renting)

[mattywo85]

Its less of a drive to Chicago and Naperville and Downers are more expensive, yes

[Lookout Kid]

There are some very charming older suburbs to the west, including Oak Park, River Forest, Riverside, LaGrange, and Hinsdale. Many of the "working class' western suburbs are underrated, like Berwyn, Elmwood Park, and River Grove. Some western suburbs are truly better avoided, like Maywood and Bellwood.

[gardener34]

I post this to all transplants thinking of moving here: WHERE are you going to be working?

That is #1 thing you should consider before moving somewhere. Chicago metro area is big and the traffic and roads are crushing full and slow. If you work in the western burbs or in the city itself I would consider near west... but otherwise, consider something remotely close - within 15 miles or so of your job if you can. You don't want to move to the western burbs when your job is in Gurnee as that could be a 2 hour commute each way in bad weather.

Near west: Cicero is OK - like living in an urban city - Berwyn is better. Also check out Hillside and Berkeley for reasonable rents. Although check out any apartment complex carefully before moving in.

[Lookout Kid]

Cicero is known for two things: Corrupt government and Hispanics. Crime is high for a suburb, but lower than in a bad city neighborhood. Personally, I'd avoid Cicero as a place to live--though there is some great food there.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Cicero is known for two things: Corrupt government and Hispanics. Crime is high for a suburb, but lower than in a bad city neighborhood. Personally, I'd avoid Cicero as a place to live--though there is some great food there.

IMO, the only good thing about Cicero is the Speedway. And Im not talking about the gas station, either.

[johnm68]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

IMO, the only good thing about Cicero is the Speedway. And Im not talking about the gas station, either.

No offense, as I suspect your quote was kind of tounge in cheek, but obviously, you've never been to Freddies on 16th Street, or Klas on 22nd, or any of the terrific Mexican restaurants all over town. 22nd Street is still a thriving commercial strip--I get my bike tuned up there, and theres' a number of other businesses that I patronize.

Cicero is a working-class city of 80,000 people. It has some seriously rough areas, particularly around Grant Works, but that's to be expected--and its always been like that. Given its proximity to Chicago, and its solid housing stock, I think it can be a good value for some folks. I also don't think its nearly as bad as people make it out to be.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by johnm68

No offense, as I suspect your quote was kind of tounge in cheek, but obviously, you've never been to Freddies on 16th Street, or Klas on 22nd, or any of the terrific Mexican restaurants all over town. 22nd Street is still a thriving commercial strip--I get my bike tuned up there, and theres' a number of other businesses that I patronize.

Cicero is a working-class city of 80,000 people. It has some seriously rough areas, particularly around Grant Works, but that's to be expected--and its always been like that. Given its proximity to Chicago, and its solid housing stock, I think it can be a good value for some folks. I also don't think its nearly as bad as people make it out to be.

Mark my words, Cicero will gentrify one day. It's definitely got the goods -- solid housing stock, great location, a CTA system that's better than most Chicago 'hoods, including "L" stops, some interesting hippish businesses (e.g. Freddy's and Xni-Pec), and a ton of history and character. Not to mention the fact that there's bukoo industrial land to develop with new stuff. And of course it's cheap!

This community needs to try to appeal to artists and students and get things rolling.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by johnm68

No offense, as I suspect your quote was kind of tounge in cheek, but obviously, you've never been to Freddies on 16th Street, or Klas on 22nd, or any of the terrific Mexican restaurants all over town. 22nd Street is still a thriving commercial strip--I get my bike tuned up there, and theres' a number of other businesses that I patronize.

Cicero is a working-class city of 80,000 people. It has some seriously rough areas, particularly around Grant Works, but that's to be expected--and its always been like that. Given its proximity to Chicago, and its solid housing stock, I think it can be a good value for some folks. I also don't think its nearly as bad as people make it out to be.

It might have been a little tongue-in-cheek, but I still strongly dislike Cicero. The problems there will not go away anytime soon, and I doubt any strong gentrification will occur. Who knows, I may be wrong. But today? I dont think many would ever want to Cicero over, say, Bucktown.

[johnm68]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Who knows, I may be wrong. But today? I dont think many would ever want to Cicero over, say, Bucktown.

True. However, I don't think Bucktown and Cicero are competing with one another from a demographic perspective. I never see Cicero truly gentrifying; however, I think it can become the stable working-class suburb it was in the past. Again, its location and housing stock are strong selling points. I could also see it becoming a popular location for Hispanic artists, musicians, etc--relatively inexpensive housing, great transportation, and proximity to the culture of the city might make it an attractive proposition for people in the arts.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by johnm68

I could also see it becoming a popular location for Hispanic artists, musicians, etc--relatively inexpensive housing, great transportation, and proximity to the culture of the city might make it an attractive proposition for people in the arts.

Therefore it would only be attractive to Hispanics Id imagine (as it obviously has been the last 20 years). A German artist would probably want to look elsewhere Id imagine, especially from a business standpoint.