Is East Garfield Park between Sacramento and Kedzie a bad area? (Chicago: apartment, renting)

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by JoeyPants

The address given by your source, everyblock include crimes committed on streets like Chicago Ave, Pulaski, Ohio, Ridgeway, etc.. EGP borders are fulton to the north and the park to the west. Only 2 addresses listed in your site fall within the boundaries. Here is a map of the area, notice the boundaries.

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webpor...FIELD_PARK.pdf

There is a difference between the "community area" boundaries and the actual neighborhood boundaries.

The neighborhood boundaries of East Garfield Park are Pulaski on the West, California on the East,Chicago on the North.

The Southern boundary is the Eisenhower Expressway (between Pulaski and Central Park), then Madison (between Central Park and Kedzie) and the Eisenhower Expressway again (between California and Kedzie.)

[ChiMack]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Mount Greenwood is a little higher than I'd expect. Must be young Harps having dust-ups in the taverns on Western.

someone told me there is a new section 8 house by 108th or 109th and whipple in mt greenwood

[Actual Resident]

Originally Posted by Drover

I love the completely self-absorbed view of "if nothing happens to me, then there must be nothing wrong with this neighborhood"...

Should I not base my judgements on my experience? Should I cull my knowledge from internet forumns instead?
I never said there is nothing wrong with this neighborhood. I never implied it either. I've made several concilatory statements, such as "we have our share of problems," or it's no rose garden, etc.
I don't think you should throw out my experience out of hand.

That said... I've looked back at some of the other strings and past posts, and I was pleasantly surprised to see some more even handed comments from some of you. I was especially surprised to see Lookout passing on a link and telling someone the link had insight from residents. So, cheers to you for that.

But the tone has certainly shifted. A statement from Lookout like "It's definitely not the worst ghetto in Chicago, but I don't think I would call it "up-and-coming" quite yet..." has a much different tone than, "it is a CRIME INFESTED HELL HOLE." Those are the kinds of statements that get under my skin. And, of course, let's not forget that this isn't just a spot on a map to me. This is where I live.

See ya. I've gotta do some work. Last night you guys had me so agitated I could barely enjoy my dinner... Not tonight.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Actual Resident

Should I not base my judgements on my experience? Should I cull my knowledge from internet forumns instead?

How about from the actual crime data?

Originally Posted by Actual Resident

I never said there is nothing wrong with this neighborhood. I never implied it either.

You certainly imply it when you derisively mock people's attempts to point out the very real problems in the neighborhood, especially compared to other, far safer neighborhoods in the city.

Originally Posted by Actual Resident

I've made several concilatory statements, such as "we have our share of problems," or it's no rose garden, etc.

Your "conciliatory" tone started with a personal attack against me that had to be edited by one of the moderators, and continued to be derisive, dismissive and mocking throughout.

Originally Posted by Actual Resident

I don't think you should throw out my experience out of hand.

I certainly can far easier than you can simply toss the actual crime data aside out of hand. The simple fact is EGP is one of the most violent neighborhoods in all of Chicago. People who want comparative information about the various neighborhoods throughout the city are entitled to know that. The fact that you have not personally experienced it does not change this fact. It does, however, greatly increase your chances of being a victim of it in the future.

Originally Posted by Actual Resident

That said... I've looked back at some of the other strings and past posts, and I was pleasantly surprised to see some more even handed comments from some of you. I was especially surprised to see Lookout passing on a link and telling someone the link had insight from residents. So, cheers to you for that.

That was me, actually. (You're welcome.)

Originally Posted by Actual Resident

But the tone has certainly shifted. A statement from Lookout like "It's definitely not the worst ghetto in Chicago, but I don't think I would call it "up-and-coming" quite yet..." has a much different tone than, "it is a CRIME INFESTED HELL HOLE." Those are the kinds of statements that get under my skin. And, of course, let's not forget that this isn't just a spot on a map to me. This is where I live.

The tone shifted when a smarmy resident came in here guns blazing making personal attacks against people who are simply trying to point out the neighborhood's crime and quality-of-life problems. You set that tone, so don't come crying to us about it.

[Lookout Kid]

Crime is the only issue with Garfield Park I am bringing up. I don't deny that there is some great historical housing stock, convenience to the Loop, and a wonderful conservatory in an Olmstead-designed park. It also appears to be sort of near the current path of gentrification, though Humboldt Park presents a major obstacle.

Whether or not East Garfield Park is "hell hole", I'll let people decide for themselves. But EGP is clearly among the most crime-infested neighborhoods in a crime-infested city, and to imply otherwise is just false. That alone could earn it "hell hole" status in many people's minds.

[PreviousWPNowEGP]

I lived in Roscoe Village, Bucktown, WP and now in EGP. I used to go to Rainbo in Wicker Park in the mid to late 80s and believe me there was no way I was going to walk around that neighborhood then. It was a destination point - you drive there and that was it. Most everything was boarded up on Damen and Miwaukee. North Avenue was still frequented by prostitutes and drug dealers even up to the mid 90s.

But from driving around the WP neighborhood, you can tell the quality of the houses. So I bought a building in the 90s. My family thought I was crazy.

We left Wicker Park in 2003 and moved to Garfield Park. Same thing, the architecture stock is amazing - the area was built in 1880s, part of the Burnham Plan, I believe. There's a lot of political history embedded in Garfield Park especially in the late 60s.

Of course, when you move to a neighborhood, one has to be wise and street smart. We chose a block that is pretty stable. We have dogs and we walk them everyday. Walking around further integrated us into the neighborhood. We know people who have lived in the neighborhood since the 40s, we know a retired piano teacher whose family was the first black family to move into the block in the 40s, we know kids who are probably gang members or drug dealers who ARE friendly and have helped us clean our block area, we know people who are new to the area helping to make it a safer neighborhood, we know people who were born in the houses that they live in now who try very hard to make a living. One thing I noticed about this area, that your neighbors will look out after you, just like in safe neighborhoods. That is if you try to even get to know them and be part of the community.

Nonetheless, It is not for everyone. It takes a certain kind of person to move here while it's still considered 'ghetto' by some if not most. But with the right combination of efforts from both old and new residents ("green" efforts have already started), Garfield Park will slowly and surely be a neighborhood Chicago can be proud of.

[hamh]

So which part of Garfield Park is considered as the relatively safe area? Personally I think Garfield Park has its good side, I love the Conservatory there and I love taking pictures on the flowers in there.

However, the drive to the Conservatory is kinda scary, I exited from 290 and the streets I passed by are full of old buildings with broken glasses, and people stared at you when you drove by. Is there any better route to go there so that I can skip the relatively bad area?

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by hamh

So which part of Garfield Park is considered as the relatively safe area? Personally I think Garfield Park has its good side, I love the Conservatory there and I love taking pictures on the flowers in there.

However, the drive to the Conservatory is kinda scary, I exited from 290 and the streets I passed by are full of old buildings with broken glasses, and people stared at you when you drove by. Is there any better route to go there so that I can skip the relatively bad area?

The "L" will drop you off right at the Conservatory, but the Green Line presents its own issues, I suppose. The Conservatory gets so much traffic that the neighborhood is quite used to people driving there from the Ike. I don't think you'll turn any heads doing this.

[ajolotl]

Originally Posted by ChiMack

someone told me there is a new section 8 house by 108th or 109th and whipple in mt greenwood

Bye "new section 8 house" do you mean an old house that was recently rented to a Section 8 tenant? Or is there actually a new tenement devoted to section 8ers? If just the former this isn't news. Section 8 people rent all over the city and cheap burbs, Mt. Greenwood included.

[PreviousWPNowEGP]

Originally Posted by hamh

So which part of Garfield Park is considered as the relatively safe area? Personally I think Garfield Park has its good side, I love the Conservatory there and I love taking pictures on the flowers in there.

However, the drive to the Conservatory is kinda scary, I exited from 290 and the streets I passed by are full of old buildings with broken glasses, and people stared at you when you drove by. Is there any better route to go there so that I can skip the relatively bad area?

It's best to take advantage of the boulevard system.
If you're coming from 290, your best bet is to take Independence Blvd. If you're coming from the North East, take Logan Blvd to Humboldt Blvd to Franklin Blvd to the Conservatory. When you veer left towards Franklin from Humboldt, notice the building on the right with the banners, that's the Chicago Center for Green Technology - a completely "green" renovated building. Then should you decide to take Humboldt all the way to Lake instead of turning on to Franklin, turn right on to Lake street and that will take you to "City Escape" the largest plant center in Chicago right now. The city have designated East Garfield Park as part of the "green corridor", encouraging landscapers and horticulture related businesses to take residence. Not to mention the Garfield Park - the oldest of the three Chicago West Side Parks.