South side--has it changed? (Chicago, Bridgeport: real estate market, apartments, crime)

[averageperson]

The OLD reputation of the South-Side was that
it was high in crime, unsafe and lots of gangs?

Is this perception accurate today?

Has there been new housing, shopping centers,
entertainment venues in the last 3 years in the
South-Side?

Could someone be at the University of Chicago at 10PM
on a weeknight and be using public transportation
and be safe? That is near 55th street, I believe.

Obviously, safe is relative.
Would they have a high chance of being robbed
if they were on foot, using buses and trains?
THANK YOU!!!

I am a minority, so this thread is not intended
to be racist in any manner.

[chirack]

The issue with the southside is that it is a mixed bag. There are nice areas and very bad areas. There is shopping in some higher crime area and a derth of shopping in others. I am not sure about being out at night but the area around unversity of chicago is safe however you are not far from other unsafe areas and may neeed to travel through them to get there.

[chirack]

Ok if you want a sane commute to 55th street via public transit I wouldn't live any further north than belmont and preferably fullerton. South loop, Hyde park, chinatown, bridgeview(maybe...used to be big time racist to African Americans and although now mixed few live here) are good locations. Oak park the burb(maybe) but the commute might get a little long. West loop or near west side near the green line also good spots don't go west of ashland(and esp. western due to distance and bad areas) if on the west side.


South of 55th street presents problems with areas, although some are much better/safer than others.

Also you may want to live near the red line if you are on the northside.

[williepotatoes]

Unfortunately, the south side is Chicago's vast wasteland. Oh, it has it's highlights and it's gems, but economic stagnation and blatant decline abound. It's the huge wart on Chicago's face that is not polite to talk about. There are not enough microbreweries or happy, shiny, people to get the attention of the newsculture, so most people just know of the crime.

The mayor of Michigan avenue gives it lip service and it's political reps are docile puppies, hence no leadership, no plans, no progress.

Couple it with the west side and you have the whole picture of Chicago. A city not so world-class.

[It'sAutomatic]

Originally Posted by williepotatoes

Unfortunately, the south side is Chicago's vast wasteland. Oh, it has it's highlights and it's gems, but economic stagnation and blatant decline abound. It's the huge wart on Chicago's face that is not polite to talk about. There are not enough microbreweries or happy, shiny, people to get the attention of the newsculture, so most people just know of the crime.

The mayor of Michigan avenue gives it lip service and it's political reps are docile puppies, hence no leadership, no plans, no progress.

Couple it with the west side and you have the whole picture of Chicago. A city not so world-class.

Central south side + west side = the whole of Chicago? Then which city is the other 150 square miles?

[Southside Shrek]

There was a time when much of the South Side as pretty safe. Not today.

[Chicagoland60426]

The only area of the Southside that is booming are the Near Southside neighborhoods. That includes, Near Southside itself or the South Loop, Armour Square, Northern tips of Bronzeville, and Bridgeport. The rest of the southside is either stabilized(Hyde Park, Beverly, etc) or in blight(Englewood, Roseland, South Chicago).

[urza216]

No, the south side hasn't changed. The OP made the discovery that the entire south side isn't like Englewood. And instead of thinking "oh, I guess there's more to the south side than what I've heard about," he or she speculates that recent "changes" may have happened to the entire south side.

[chet everett]

Through the 1960s there were more high and mid income neighborhoods throughout the south side. Even into the late 1980s the money that flowed into Chicago from the upper level steel related jobs kept some folks on the south / southeast side very well isolated from the rioting that rapidly demolished the traditional west side areas.

Pockets of prosperity that went along with connected contractors working for firms that improved McCormick Place and built the Orange Line dotted areas from Bridgeport to Marquette Park during the earlier administrations of Daley...

The population loss and decline of some areas really picked up steam with cheap mortgages and lax standards that saw vast numbers of people relocate to new construction in the south / sw suburbs. In many cases the same forces that enabled them to move out allowed under qualified people to move from public housing or apartments to single family housing. The subsequent loss of employment and declining real estate market that accompanied the end of the music has seen these unfortunate souls left without much to rely on.

If Chicago does not rethink its reliance on the musical chairs game of insiders driving real estate redevelopment and adopt a more honest business friendly stance for all, the lack of employment options for vast stretches of undesirable portions of the city will have more and more of Chicago taking on a despressingly similar appearance to Detroit...

[williepotatoes]

Originally Posted by It'sAutomatic

Central south side + west side = the whole of Chicago? Then which city is the other 150 square miles?

You need to include the west and southsides to get the whole picture of Chicago. And when you do that it doesn't seem to be so world-class.