Tell me about Cicero (Chicago, Rockford: apartment, rentals, condo)

[concerned resident]

i wonder if Bru67 was police officer in Berwyn, would he have the same liberal and blind eyed attitude. Berwyn and Cicero have gone down the drain. They are infested with low income section 8 housing and If your kids dont speak Spanish, they better learn or they will have a hard time making a good number of friends in the community. Also, with the recent gentrification emerging in Pilsen Little Village, which was gang infested and still is, many Pilsen residents relocated to berwyn and Cicero- and with this movement came the La Raza, The latin Kings, The Spanis Cobras- and the list goes on and on. Bru67 must not walk the streets of these 2 towns after dark.

[mattywo85]

Lets put it this way it may be "up and coming" but as of right now its a dump.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by concerned resident

Bru67 must not walk the streets of these 2 towns after dark.

No, I have a daytime job. At least Elmhurst will be a close commute for you with I-290 and all

[kimbercutes824]

Originally Posted by gardener34

And Berwyn has a hospital - Mcneal.

Yeah but MacNeal sucks! We always prefered Loyola! But Macneal was there for emergency's like when I hurt myself a had to get stitches a few times.

[kimbercutes824]

Here is my take on Cicero....

I think that it has potential and its improving but its not there yet. I totally agree that its a great location and affordable. Though I havent been back since 2004. It will always have a special place in my heart.

My background I lived in Cicero from when I was born. I basically lived here my whole life expect for living in Berwyn for 3 years.
I have lived in many different neighborhoods in Cicero ( 13th and 49th,14th and 59th ct, 31st and 50th ct) and south and north Berwyn. I moved from the area in 2001. My parents moved there from Bridgeport from my uncles suggestion in 1979 or 1980 because of the great location to the city but the much afforable living.

I will always love Cicero and the Chicago-land area. Though I lived in Berwyn for a few years I do not acknowlege it for making me who I am today. Cicero will always have a special place in my heart. I love it and proud to be from there but there is the crime and gangs issues. But that is going to happen with a town surrounded by Chicago on the East,South and North side.

The bungalows,culture and the history of Cicero are what make Cicero special. Other Things that I miss is Cozy's corner, Tasty's are other Cicero food joints.
I never had to drive there I would walk or take the Pace bus. I was a young teenage girl and I would walk 8 blocks or so to the Target (among other places) from 31st and 50th court.

I would love to move back to the area but in general Illinois is a very expensive place to live. But all in all I love it and would say if you were going to move in a certain area of Cicero I would move to South side near Morton College and 35th st.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by George - CPA

I lived in Cicero, IL from about 1956 through 1972 ... Cicero was mainly blue collar with mainly ... a good hard working American that keep is home and property up.
... The (sub)division I live in is only home owners; however, the city I live in has the highest percent of subsidized housing (e.g., Section 8) in Lake County, IL. ...
There are low-life groups within all major groups: I just wish they would stop moving into cities I chose to buy a home in.

You seem to be overlooking the fact that towns with lots of pople w/o good jobs will not make as good a place to buy a home as towns with people that are hard working / earning good salary...

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by George - CPA

I lived in Cicero, IL from about 1956 through 1972 – 4th grade through College; it was a great city then. Very little crime and you could walk the streets safely 24/7. The percent of Hispanic living there then was under 5%, and there were no blacks, and there were no Hispanic gangs roaming the streets painting graffiti all over public buildings and private garages, and shooting out school windows and no one double parked on main streets. Cicero was mainly blue collar with mainly Polish, Czech, and Italian. One of my neighbors was Hispanic and a good hard working American that keep is home and property up.

My sister bought a three-flat in Cicero in 1976. My Mom lived on the third floor, my sister and husband, and my nephew on the second floor, and a renter in the basement. My sister had to sell the three-flat after Hispanic gangs began shooting out windows at my nephews middle school.

Berwyn, IL was slightly wealthier than Cicero, but also a great place to live then. My high school sweetheart lived there.

Cicero is now 78% Hispanic and a cesspool for gangs, crime and drugs; you could not pay me enough to live there now.

I am not a racist, and my best friend in San Antonio is Hispanic. I lived in San Antonio, TX for 9 years and have many Hispanic friends. I was best man at his wedding. He feels the same way I do about the low-life Hispanics that are destroying city after city, e.g., Cicero, Berwyn, Waukegan, Zion…. My current neighbors and friends next to my home on my immediate right and left of me are black. The division I live in is only home owners; however, the city I live in has the highest percent of subsidized housing (e.g., Section 8) in Lake County, IL. And, my current city is also being destroyed by Hispanic and Black gangs; we will be moving as soon as I can unload my house.

There are low-life groups within all major groups: White, Black, Hispanics, etc. I just wish they would stop moving into cities I chose to buy a home in.

Whenever someone says "I am not a racist but...", I say, "eh." And no, your Hispanic friend does not help.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by George - CPA

Cicero is now 78% Hispanic and a cesspool for gangs, crime and drugs; you could not pay me enough to live there now.

If someone paid me to live in Cicero, that would be amazing. Rent free AND regular payments in my pocket? Would it be enough to pay other bills and have a decent expendable income? I could kick back and not work. What a sweet deal! Talk about the American dream!

[BRU67]

I second that. I'd definitely live there if you paid me!

[Peer79]

Originally Posted by BRU67

Well, maybe we can put in an hte alie of 14 pastry shop and spruce up our image a bit, heh. Yes, the town definitely gets a bad rap, and I think all of us know the real reason why. It has nothing to do with crime. That is, as they say, a subterfuge. No sense getting upset about it though, it is what it is. Good news is that we’re years past the white flight stage and those left are generally folks who view diversity as a positive. The ignorant panicked element that’s starting to surface in Elmwood Park left a long time ago, leaving us with a better community, IMHO. There are many young and motivated residents (Hispanic, white and black) working to improve the schools, encourage business development, proactively address crime, market the community outside Berwyn, etc. It’s a fun place to be right now, with a lot of energy and a sort of “us v. them” mentality.

Hopefully we can help reform some bigoted attitudes by our actions and results. I think in 10 years, people are going to be very surprised by Berwyn.

You know, I came across this post from 2008 and I felt that there was some truth to it. As a long time resident of Elmwood Park, you are correct, there is a certain element of panic that has spread to some in the village. However, I would say that as a society we are past the days of white flight, which has generally prevented a mass exodus further west by residents of EP. One positive consequence of this panic has been a greater attempt by the village officials to improve the village. An opposition party (IMO driven by the panic you speak of) was formed, and has been pressuring the village officials into instituting new reforms: licensing of multifamily property owners, a vacant building maintenance ordinance has been passed, a general improvement in the 'scenery' (streetscape) of the village, more festivities, and greater code enforcement of rundown properties.

I have always felt that there were similarities between the towns of EP and Berwyn. Although EP is a small town, the neighborhoods improve as you go west (away from Harlem), and that is where the superior bungalow (brick) housing stock is located, much like Berwyn. There is an over-abundance of multi-family buildings in both towns which tends to attract that criminal element. I will say though, that the 'boringness' of EP is somewhat of a saving grace. There is no large shopping mall located in EP (like Harlem and Cermak in Berwyn) which seems to provide a place to congregate for riff-raff like in Berwyn.

And I would also like to state the obvious, some of that panicked element in EP and Berwyn is due to the neighborhood becoming 'less white.' In my mind, a law-abiding, blue collar or middle class Hispanic is fine, just like the blue collar or middle class ethnic whites that characterized these towns in years past. That is the cause of some of the panic for some.

To get back on topic though, I generally think the future will work out fine for towns like Berwyn and EP. However, although Cicero does have some redeeming qualities, I think the challenges it faces are greater than Berwyn or EP, and it will be tough to shed some of its crime issues and over-abundance of low income residents.