What Are The Bad Sections of Chicago? (Cicero, Berwyn: homes, safe neighborhoods)

[bolden]

. . . Of course. Anything that is the opposite of this is a bad area.

Originally Posted by Drover

Downer's Grove is typical middle-class white-bread suburbia. Good area.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by bolden

. . . Of course. Anything that is the opposite of this is a bad area.

Why absolutely, because as everybody knows and as I very clearly state in the post you quote, it's an absolute either/or proposition!! Everyone knows that when you praise A, it logically follows that you mean A is good to the thorough exclusion of B through Z!

Don't put words in my mouth, chum.

[Tribal]

MarquettePark and j33 sounds like you guys have been around Chicago area for awhile. It sounds like Northside and Southside have good and bad things about them as well as places. I think what mic62888 and gilmona1 were trying to ask can you narrow it down a bit. Is there certain parts of Northside or Southside that ones needs to watch out for? The reason I say that is MarquettePark said I believe Southside is like Detroit. Well I have lived in Detroit Fenkell and Burt rd , Grand river and McGraw and Rosedale Park are not that far apart. But vastly different places to live one your pretty safe to walk your dog, kids, cats what ever. The other a touch worse and Fenkell and Burt rd run down and falling down building and biker crews that run though there. Not the kind of place mic62888 and gilmona1 would want to try living in the first time out of the chute. If they were deciding to move to the Detroit area. MarquettePark if Northside is a near perfect, tolerant, utopian, multi cultural enviroment to live in, where knowledge and arts reign supreme. Then want make the Southside wild? Ah think I am screwed now I like parts of what you said about the Northside but I like a little wild too. Ahh what to do now lol. My son just moved to Chicago so far he likes it. He lives around the Fullerton and Kimball area. A few blocks down from Fullerton I was there this past weekend all in all not a bad area. I am probably moving to Chicago myself here shortly. Gilmona1 what is safe is a weird thing what you think is safe someone else may not. Someone can see a cop roll by 3 times in a day and think omg this is a bad area and the person next to them may say are you joking this is heaven. So what is safe to you? Then you just may have to pay the extra money to live there.

[Tribal]

well mental note gotta love it when your in a hurry and copy paste and it leave the hash marks nad everything sry all

[cpdgis]

Go to CLEAR Geographic Information System . Use the Crime Summary and look at Violent Crime or Public Violence by Census Tract for the Past 365 days. That will give you a clear indication of where the more violent areas of the City are located. You can check on addresses using the Zoom To Address feature at the bottom and clicking on a Census Tract number in the right-hand table will display some information on population and economic indicators for that Tract. You can also view the data by Ward, Community Area and Police Beat & District.

[isjeepin]

I will tell you like it is. I am a single white female who has been a social worker in the city for 15 years. I have been to all the bad and good neighborhoods for work. I have been all over the entire metro area for that matter and know the city well. I may offend people but it is the truth. I would never live on the southside or the westside if I were you. On the westside, drug dealers will run up to your car when you drive down certain streets. Stay north and stay East of California Avenue. Avoid East Rogers Park if you can. I live in East Lakeview. Aside from the occasional rapist (which you will never get away from anywhere) crime is very low and no gangbangers on corners. You will pay to live in the these areas though. Lincoln Park is the most desirable neighborhood to be in here and very expensive. Be prepared to live in shoe box if you are not well off. Lincoln Park is the next neighborhood south of Lakeview. Then there is the Goldcoast and downtown, which are very very very expensive but very desirable to live in. Congestion? why even mention it. This is a given in the city of Chicago. Parking issues are the norm here.

For the suburbs, anything directly south of city southside East of 57-stay away. West suburbs to stay away from- Maywood, Bellwood, Cicero, Melrose Park, Stone Park, Broadview, Hillside. Oak Park, well people like it because it is very diverse but it is way to close to the westside for me. Southwest burbs, starting at Oaklawn going south and west are good (generally west of 57). Dupage Co (west suburbs) is mostly affluent and nice. Northwest burbs all pretty nice but some of them have their bad parts as city section 8 is being displaced out to some of them. Look out for Hanover Park and Streamwood especially. Mt Prospect, getting kind of icky, as well as Des Plaines Addison and Bensonville. Any burbs directly north (referred to as the northshore) are affluent and nice up to Lake Bluff. Now Evanston, the first north suburb, is getting kind of funky too. It hugs the city on the northern border.People like it because it is very diverse, but I have spoken to cops in my work there who said Evanston is getting worse. Also very expensive in Evanston. Forget Waukegan, Zion and North Chicago, which are very far from city and totally crummy.

I hope I have helped you!

[87vertgt]

Originally Posted by MarquettePark

Fact, Northside is smaller than southside,

Fact, Northside has higher prices than same items in the Southside

Fact, Northside has all "yes all" the best bars, clubs, live theater, Cubs, Art, Museums,

Fact, Northside being smaller (size) has substantially more people, cars, congestion

Fact, Northside has more violent crime (checked google and US Census Websites)

My Take

The northside of chicago, to an outsider can best be described as a super sized version of North Hollywood CA, Palo Alto CA, Cadilac MI, or Hoboken NJ, I really dislike the north side of chicago, because of its lack of breathing room, typical brick bungalow/single family homes on a regular city block, are few and far between. Streets are narrow and have little or no parking, unless you want to pay, or walk. Newbies to the area will notice almost everything costs more versus southside, Chicago in general has higher prices on everything unless your from Los Angeles, New York.

We can all agree that all Chicago Public Schools suck with the exception of Whitney Young, Jones Commercial, Morgan Park, Bogan, and Lane Tech.....

The Southside

The southside of chicago can best be described as super sized version of Spokane WA, Detroit MI, Baltimore ME. Southside is younger than the northside, neighborhoods are unfortuneately grouped by race primarily, and wealth secondary. Residential buidings taller than 100 feet, dont exist, majority of homes, have parking, grass, cleaner air, wider streets and substantially more breathing room.

I have learned not to get to riled up, when I see someone bashing the Southside, I have learned over the years, being a Cable Guy, why we dont get along too well, I have lived in both parts of town, and when I resided in the northside my overall quality of life and health declined, and day to day life situations were more difficult and stressing. Living on the southside is better than the northside especially if your low on funds and want to own instead of rent, there is an open and unrestricted feel to this area.

I may get banned or edited for these next remarks, allow me to apologize first if I offend or upset anyone

The City of Chicago and its alleged bad areas, are only bad, if you know some important details, from the person describing "A bad area"\

If you are White, above the age of thirty, married or single any income, The entire southside is bad,

If you are Hispanic any age, any income, married or single, The entire southside is the American Dream come true

If you are Black single or married, over the age of twenty five, middleclass income or higher you already know you own the southside, and let me say thankyou for allowing me to live in your southside

If you are employed or soon will be employed by the City or County, you must live in the southside otherwise you will be uncool and laughed at

If you are Gay, the entire southside is very bad for you.

If you are an artist, musician, or actor, the entire southside is very bad for you

If you are an enviromentalist, tree hugger, and lover of nature the entire southside is heaven for you and welcome........

If you are a young black college student the entire southside is the mecca of African American History, and the birthplace of some of the most respected and influential black leaders of our century

If I skipped any particular demographic, or cross section of American populus, its because you or they dont live here..........

In closing, when moving to chicago, a handy tip for discovering the truths and falsities of a particular area of the city, search by zipcode, ask find or bribe a Chicago Cop for info, ask find or bribe a Cable Guy (Me) for info, You would be amazed how informative and honest Southsiders are, if properly motivated

I have posted several articles on what is considered the best area of Chicago, zip 60655 60643 southside of course, do a search using my handle on this site

wow...nice write up.....

[misstee]

stay away from back of the yards, englewood, roseland anything low income.

[aragx6]

Wow- so to hell with the person who actually had a question right? It's more fun to ***** about inconsequential crap like this?

Here are some neighborhoods you might see a lot about but I would still consider only for the adventurous at heart:
Garfield Park
Humboldt Park
Anything in the southside that's not within only a few blocks of the UC/Hyde Park area

[pallygirl81]

[quote=discotillyoudie;1261434]

Originally Posted by pallygirl81

I live in the Gold Coast and am a single black female.




Avoid the West Side at all costs. This area is truly scary.

i live in little italy on the west side, and it is absolutely amazing. Isn't wicker park,bucktown and uk village all on this part of town too? I really like all of these areas, and i am a 21 year old female.

In my post (the one you quoted from), I gave my opinion about Wicker Park, Buckton and the UK Village.
They are not considered the West Side. Ask the dwellers in the 'hoods. . .