Armstrong Park (buying, store, housing)

[cajunlibra]

My partner and I are considering buying near Armstrong Park closer to MLK. What's this area like? We are white gay men interested in buying a fixer-upper. Is this area ok or should we avoid it? What's the 43rd street Greenline station like?


Thanks for your input. This site has been very helpful in the past.

[Drover]

Well, you'll be pioneers all right. Not many white people south of Pershing -- which also happens to be the approximate cutoff between the decent part of Bronzeville and the not-so-decent part of Bronzeville. Unfortunately you'd be in the not-so-decent part.

[xavier xerxes]

Good for risk obllivious types, which often times are gay people. Why?
Because usually they dont have kids (but yes this is not true for all gay people obviously). I think anyone who wants to invest in this area is got to have guts. But it is a good LONG TERM investment. The El stop at 43rd is pretty messed up. I drove around there once on a sidestreet a few months ago and a kid on a bike rode by and then behind my car slapped it with his hand and yelled "Welcome to my hood!!". There is a liquor store right by that EL stop, lots of bad loiterers. There is a nice old building at that el stop that may not survive unfortunately but is very cool.

BUT, the very north part of cottage grove is seeing some investment. So there is some promise. Driving around at night in the summer you will see alot of people loitering on the streets, it will give you the heebee jeebees.
43rd street is decent RIGHT BY THE LAKE. but I think it is a street that does show promise as it does have an EL stop and its by the Lake and some cool vintage buildings have survived white flight. Still alot of public housing around there.

[trainfan87]

You should have yelled back, "thanks for welcoming me!" lol