1900's West 51st, Chicago, 60609 - Crime Rates/Safety (Cornell: real estate market, 2013)

[SS108]

Hello,

I am new to Chicago and have been staying in the South Loop for a few months now. I am looking to purchase an existing business which is located in the 1900's on West 51st, zip is 60609.

If anybody has a moment could you tell me about the relative crime rates/safety of this area , is it considered a decent area in the South Side, perhaps just the opposite? Is it ok during the daytime, at night?


Thank you. Much appreciated.

[Alacran]

Crime is rampant

[tompope]

Originally Posted by SS108

Hello,

I am new to Chicago and have been staying in the South Loop for a few months now. I am looking to purchase an existing business which is located in the 1900's on West 51st, zip is 60609.

If anybody has a moment could you tell me about the relative crime rates/safety of this area , is it considered a decent area in the South Side, perhaps just the opposite? Is it ok during the daytime, at night?


Thank you. Much appreciated.

Yeah, unfortunately, SS108, that area around 51st and Damen is a pretty rough place these days. I actually used to have family who lived very close to there, right near Cornell Park, and it wasn't all that long ago that that was a stable, quiet, working-class neighborhood. But it underwent a substantial decline in the 1970's and 80's, and nowadays it's a place that few people would choose to live if they have other options. It's too bad, and I think that that area actually has some potential for improvement or even gentrification someday if and when the economy and the real estate market ever improve, so it could be a worthwhile place to try to do a little long-range investing since property is so cheap there. Realistically, though, any such turnaround is a long ways off, and it may never come at all.

But you're not talking about living there anyway, and as a place to buy a business it may be perfectly fine (as long as the business itself is okay). You should certainly have no trouble just going to work there during normal business hours, and even taking a little walk or drive around the neighborhood during the day. It is an area where you want to be a little more careful at night, though. And depending on the nature of your business, you'll definitely want to be very sure to lock up everything good and tight overnight, and make sure that your security system is operable. Just out of curiosity, what kind of business is it? None of my business, of course, but I was just wondering.

[SS108]

Originally Posted by tompope

Yeah, unfortunately, SS108, that area around 51st and Damen is a pretty rough place these days. I actually used to have family who lived very close to there, right near Cornell Park, and it wasn't all that long ago that that was a stable, quiet, working-class neighborhood. But it underwent a substantial decline in the 1970's and 80's, and nowadays it's a place that few people would choose to live if they have other options. It's too bad, and I think that that area actually has some potential for improvement or even gentrification someday if and when the economy and the real estate market ever improve, so it could be a worthwhile place to try to do a little long-range investing since property is so cheap there. Realistically, though, any such turnaround is a long ways off, and it may never come at all.

But you're not talking about living there anyway, and as a place to buy a business it may be perfectly fine (as long as the business itself is okay). You should certainly have no trouble just going to work there during normal business hours, and even taking a little walk or drive around the neighborhood during the day. It is an area where you want to be a little more careful at night, though. And depending on the nature of your business, you'll definitely want to be very sure to lock up everything good and tight overnight, and make sure that your security system is operable. Just out of curiosity, what kind of business is it? None of my business, of course, but I was just wondering.

Thank you so much for your response. I signed a confidentiality agreement so unable to disclose the nature of the business. Its a 9 to 5, 5 days a week business if that helps. Again though, thanks for your thorough response.

[tompope]

Originally Posted by SS108

Thank you so much for your response. I signed a confidentiality agreement so unable to disclose the nature of the business. Its a 9 to 5, 5 days a week business if that helps. Again though, thanks for your thorough response.

Okay, respect for the confidentiality agreement.

Anyway, yeah, if it's just a matter of going to work there 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, you should have no trouble. You can drive and park there, or even take the CTA bus or ride your bicycle from the South Loop without a problem. You just probably wouldn't want to live there. As I said, it's kind of an interesting area, with a lot of heritage. It's in tough shape at the moment, though. One issue is that the neighborhoods just south and east of 51st and Damen are almost all African-American, while the areas to the north and west of there are predominantly Mexican-American. So, there's been a history of some racial and ethnic friction around there as a result, criminal and otherwise. But if you're coming in from the outside, and don't have any ties to the community, there's no reason for anyone to give you any trouble. Use commonsense procedures like you would in any urban area (lock everything up tightly at night, don't leave valuables in your car, don't start trouble with gangbangers, etc.), and you'll be fine. And hey, you might actually like the area. There's a lot of interesting history and architecture in that part of the South Side, and I think it can be kind of a fun area to explore, particularly the Back of the Yards neighborhood (the area to the north and northeast of 51st and Damen). If nothing else, you can certainly get plenty of tasty and inexpensive Mexican food and soul food right around there.

By the way, if you're interested in data about crime rates around the 1900 block of West 51st Street, or anywhere else, there are lots of resources online to get the data. In Chicago, a good place to start often is the Chicago Police Department's CLEARMAP website, here: http://gis.chicagopolice.org/CLEARMap/startPage.htm Obviously, that kind of data can be useful, although it also has limitations. But it's probably good to at least be aware of it if you're interested in learning about crime in an unfamiliar location.

Hope this helps, and best of luck!

[SS108]

Originally Posted by tompope

Okay, respect for the confidentiality agreement.

Anyway, yeah, if it's just a matter of going to work there 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, you should have no trouble. You can drive and park there, or even take the CTA bus or ride your bicycle from the South Loop without a problem. You just probably wouldn't want to live there. As I said, it's kind of an interesting area, with a lot of heritage. It's in tough shape at the moment, though. One issue is that the neighborhoods just south and east of 51st and Damen are almost all African-American, while the areas to the north and west of there are predominantly Mexican-American. So, there's been a history of some racial and ethnic friction around there as a result, criminal and otherwise. But if you're coming in from the outside, and don't have any ties to the community, there's no reason for anyone to give you any trouble. Use commonsense procedures like you would in any urban area (lock everything up tightly at night, don't leave valuables in your car, don't start trouble with gangbangers, etc.), and you'll be fine. And hey, you might actually like the area. There's a lot of interesting history and architecture in that part of the South Side, and I think it can be kind of a fun area to explore, particularly the Back of the Yards neighborhood (the area to the north and northeast of 51st and Damen). If nothing else, you can certainly get plenty of tasty and inexpensive Mexican food and soul food right around there.

By the way, if you're interested in data about crime rates around the 1900 block of West 51st Street, or anywhere else, there are lots of resources online to get the data. In Chicago, a good place to start often is the Chicago Police Department's CLEARMAP website, here: Chicago Police Department CLEARMAP - Crime Incidents Obviously, that kind of data can be useful, although it also has limitations. But it's probably good to at least be aware of it if you're interested in learning about crime in an unfamiliar location.

Hope this helps, and best of luck!

Thanks again, really valuable info. Sent you a PM.

[doublenickels]

One of the worst.

[Bird4Prez]

I saw this post a while back and kept forgetting to post in response. According to Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed .......this year, 60609 was the 18th most dangerous zip code in the US and the second most dangerous in the city. The Near Westside zip code on Lake St. between Western and Damen was the most dangerous in the city and country for per capita crime. I love every bit of this city warts and all, but it would take me an awful lot to invest in that area with the way things are now. Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.
25 most dangerous neighborhoods 2010 - DailyFinance

[SS108]

Thanks for all the responses. Much appreciated.