Overrated and Underrated (Chicago, Lincoln, Roscoe: income, live in, statistics)

[Venom]

Originally Posted by Drover

I am neither your "nikka" nor your "mate."

Cheerio ol chap

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Well, that's pretty much how these neighborhood boundaries were established in the first place. Saying they are now "official" is kind of silly, since the boundaries have very little to do with any sort of cultural or ethnic unity within a city enclave anymore.

Yep. The community areas were set up by University of Chicago sociology graduate students who walked around and asked people what neighborhood they lived in. Those responses were plotted, and boundaries were drawn based on this folk wisdom. This proved especially problematic in areas with many recent immigrants who didn't speak English, or in areas like the Near North Side with lots of little distinct enclaves, so those often got clumped together and assigned names. "West Town" is one such construct.

Notice, for example, that the map often divides areas along railroad lines. The freeway system hadn't been built yet (indeed, many of today's arterial roads like Western hadn't been widened yet); if you ask people today which is the bigger boundary, the Rock Island RR or the Dan Ryan, most won't even know where the Rock is. Yet that's where the community area boundary is drawn (hint: it's just east of the Ryan).

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by via chicago

Really anywhere that people are paying luxury prices to live somewhere that was originally built as a middle class/blue collar neighborhood.

Only now are people really starting to gentrify what were originally built as middle or working class neighborhoods: Pilsen, Bridgeport, Humboldt Park, North Center. (There are still fallen upper-class neighborhoods left to gentrify, too; I'm thinking South Shore and Austin.) Yet even much of Logan Square and Rogers Park and Bronzeville have what was built as posh luxury housing.

In any case, Chicago has a big leg up on other cities in this department; NYC, SF, LA et al long ago ran out of pretty houses to fix up and have moved on to attempting to beautify what were built as ticky-tacky boxes. At that point, the gentrifiers are better off just going with new construction.

[ERS-One]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

St. Ben's is not a neighborhood. It is a nickname just like "Wrigleyville" is.

My father was born in 1941 and raised in "St Ben's" and still refers to it as that, so for whatever that's worth....

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by paytonc

Only now are people really starting to gentrify what were originally built as middle or working class neighborhoods: Pilsen, Bridgeport, Humboldt Park, North Center.

I don't know about that. Weren't much of Lincoln Park and Lakeview originally built as middle or working class neighborhoods? I mean, many of the old houses in those areas now going for $800K don't look to me like they were originally intended for people in that kind of income bracket.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by paytonc

(There are still fallen upper-class neighborhoods left to gentrify, too; I'm thinking South Shore and Austin.) .

Austin was upper class? That's news to me. Working and Middle Class mixed together as I remember it with a really rich guy here and there, I lived there until 1970. Not that it didn't have some posher areas like around Austin Town Hall.

[icebergsyndrome]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Austin was upper class? That's news to me. Working and Middle Class mixed together as I remember it with a really rich guy here and there, I lived there until 1970. Not that it didn't have some posher areas like around Austin Town Hall.

I thought when it was originally developed it was a posh suburb. My knowledge stretches only as far as that WTTW documentary I saw or whatever it was so I'll defer to you.

[Hambo]

I think Wicker Park, Ukranian Village & East Humboldt Park are underrated! Close to the city, close to the expressway and tons of nightlif bar options. I think Chicago Avenue is on the come and Lakeview is tired and Uptown is too far away from the city. I appreciate the architecture up North, but lets not kid ourselves its a 40 minute plus commute to most parts in the loop. Not to mention that I've had several friends ty to sell condos in Uptown with no takers. Wicker park, bucktown is 20 minutes on a bad day. My two cents. But I'm a East Hubollt Park guy. I love being close to work and love that a starbucks isn't on my corner

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by Hambo

I think Chicago Avenue is on the come and Lakeview is tired and Uptown is too far away from the city.

Uptown ain't in the city? Man, I'm learning all kinds of things today.

[Hambo]

By the way I think roscoe village is entirely overrated. It was the place I loved 15 years ago. Now its a boring, been there done that, neighborhood with few dining options, bars and a farily lengthy commute 30 minutes to downtonwn. I remember several old timers commenting that historically Roscoe Village was considered cheap frame houses, but now I belive its way overpriced. Though a chi-chis, taco bell, or burger king may improve the dinings options on Roscoe!