Berwyn YES or NO... fill me in!!! (Chicago, Cicero: for sale, high crime)

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Crime in Oak Park and River Forest has been up this summer, like everywhere else. But overall crime in both communities is much lower than it was in the 80s and 90s. Oak Park has less than HALF the crime it had 20 years ago.

Yes, and Berwyn's crime rate and index crimes in 2006 were lower than they were in 1996. I posted that in an earlier thread. It definitely wasn't all roses here in the past.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by BRU67

Yes, and Berwyn's crime rate and index crimes in 2006 were lower than they were in 1996. I posted that in an earlier thread. It definitely wasn't all roses here in the past.

People are really forgetting what crime was like in the 80s and early 90s. It was MUCH worse back then in most of the near west suburbs.

[BRU67]

Heh, if you listen to some folks, Berwyn was one small step below Hinsdale in '82, back when Uncle Rico could throw the pig skin a quarter mile Somehow, I highly doubt that's correct.

[bungalowdweller]

Originally Posted by BRU67

Heh, if you listen to some folks, Berwyn was one small step below Hinsdale in '82, back when Uncle Rico could throw the pig skin a quarter mile Somehow, I highly doubt that's correct.

Pretty close, Bru. Most "outsiders" never knew how much money there was in Berwyn. . .and in Cicero for that matter. South Berwyn and the Gold Coast was where the money was and I mean "MONEY". The folks that lived down there had their hands in the development of Oakbrook. Their kids lived in Hinsdale.

In Cicero the money was along Austin Blvd north of 22nd. There was ALWAYS money down here as well as political clout. That's why Ronnie Reagan and other pols appeared in the parades down Cermak Road and had lunches at Klas restaurant whenever they were in town. Cicero was good for at least 5,000 Republican votes and had the oldest Republican organization in Illinois. Berwyn, although having a Democratic mayor, was also a reliable Republican stronghold.

There's ALOT that most people don't know about Berwyn . . .and Cicero for that matter.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by bungalowdweller

There's ALOT that most people don't know about Berwyn . . .and Cicero for that matter.

This I will give you, and that's really a shame, and something that has to change. If you're right on the past demographics, it's too bad the powers that be didn't seem to notice the aging population and take steps to attract more young professionals and others who could have carried on that tradition. That's happening now, thank God, but, for awhile, Berwyn was definitely a "secret," and there was no reason to keep that "secret."

[Lookout Kid]

I'm always surprised when people talk about Cicero in the same vein as Ford Heights or Harvey. Clearly things aren't as bad in Cicero as they are in these two towns! I generally feel quite safe in Cicero during the day. It's moderately sketchy, but nothing like Ford Heights or Harvey!

[Humboldt1]

I agree with Lookout in that Cicero is way better than Ford Heights or Harvey, especially during the day. 2 weeks ago I went to see Burn After Reading at the theater in Cicero. Though the crowd was solidly African American and some Hispanic, the screen where I watched had a couple dozen Hispanics and half a dozen whites, not a single African American, though the theater was 75-80% black. They had 4 screens dedicated to Tyler Perry's latest film.

Clearly, blacks from the city come to Cicero to watch a movie, which makes sense as it is a decent theater and the nearest nice theater would be the Austin theater on Central and Grand, also a nice theater, but shady crowd.

I made a bet that my date (Mexican girl) would not have her purse searched as we walked in. We were the only couple to not have our purse searched. Having lost the bet, she has to sing karaoke next time we go out. Apparently, they have a problem with people bringing in food and drinks to that theater.

With the prices they charge at theaters for food and drink I can hardly blame them and this is something I would do occassionally in college as there was a Walgreens across the street from the Esquire theater in Richmond Heights when I was an undergrad in St. Louis (This is for you aragx6).

Cicero has a nice theater, but I could do without the crowd, loud and obnoxious. I filled out a survey and I was the only "Caucasian" to fill out the survey of 20 or so names I saw on the list. My date did not feel comfortable with me being in the theater and usually has us go watch movies over by the "nice white people in Countryside", her words not mine.

Bru,

I have to admit Berwyn has some decent parts, especially over by Riverside. I have a friend who lives near 35th and Harlem, not a bad area at all with regards to the housing stock and just the people I saw around there. It is certainly much nicer than anything I have seen in Cicero, especially as you approach the city, though the parts of Berwyn that border Cicero are not so great.

[BRU67]

The southwest part of Berwyn is the most affluent and has the best homes of any part of the city, including some beautiful super-sized bungalows in the Proksa Park area that have been in national magazine spreads. Maple Ave. between 28th and 32nd is amazing.

Wouldn’t necessarily call the eastern parts near Cicero terrible. Those areas are mostly made up of blocks and blocks of flat faced brick bungalows. They don’t have the fancy octagon or round fronts, stained glass windows, ceramic tile roofs, or snazzy waffle bricks like the bungalows in the west part of town but these blocks look pretty cool in their own right -- like a well-kept working class big city neighborhood, not unlike the part of Astoria, Queens in the beginning credits of “All in the Family”

And those areas, humble as though they may be, are better than the bland town home complexes you see in the ex-burbs, IMHO. At least you get your own yard and garage, and a durable piece of Chicago history. Plus, you can get one of these places for $150k in this market. Wish I had some extra money lying around! I’d consider picking one up as an investment. As Lookout says, Cicero isn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I’d be less concerned about crime in east Berwyn than I would in a 500 square foot studio condo you’d get near Austin in east Oak Park for the same money.

[linicx]

I lived in Berwyn when I could buy homemade sausage and Italian ice. I loved it. I thought it was an awesome place to live because it was peaceful and I had great neighbors. I don't know what it is like today.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by linicx

I lived in Berwyn when I could buy homemade sausage and Italian ice.

You still can
Gina's Homemade Italian Ice in Berwyn
Best Italian ice I've ever had, bar none.