Bridgeport/Bridgeview (Chicago, Park Forest, Forest Park: apartments, crime rates, loans)

[rw2006]

Statistically, Bridgeview and Bridgeport seem to be very nice, clean, safe, diverse areas. In reality, is that true?

[Lookout Kid]

These areas are really different from one another. Bridgeport is a city neighborhood somewhat close to the Loop (well if you can call 35th Street close), and Bridgeview is an older suburb.

Bridgeport is the old South Side Irish neighborhood that spawned the mayors Daley, but it's now much more diverse. There are still older Irish residents, but there are also a lot of Latinos, IIT Students, and eve a few African Americans. It's much more diverse than it used to be. There is more crime than in many of the popular North Side neighborhoods, but it's generally a safe area. And there has actually been some development of coffee shops and art galleries there, as surprising as that might be. Nearby Pilsen is sort of spilling over in both its Latino influence and its art scene. And there has actually been a lot of new home construction there in the past few years.

I don't know nearly as much about Bridgeview, but I do know that it's an older working class suburb that has had some Mafia activity in the past (Bridgeview Bank got in trouble for making loans to mobsters). People I've talked to in the past think it's a bit of a dump, but that's second-hand information.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

These areas are really different from one another. Bridgeport is a city neighborhood somewhat close to the Loop (well if you can call 35th Street close), and Bridgeview is an older suburb.

Bridgeport is the old South Side Irish neighborhood that spawned the mayors Daley, but it's now much more diverse. There are still older Irish residents, but there are also a lot of Latinos, IIT Students, and eve a few African Americans. It's much more diverse than it used to be.

Don't forget it's also about 1/4 Chinese what with Chinatown being directly North.

[dmr37]

there is a strip club near 100th and Roberts rd. in Bridgeview

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by dmr37

there is a strip club near 100th and Roberts rd. in Bridgeview

which is primarily an industrial park.

I used to live in Bridgeview but moved out of Illinois in 2003...Bridgeview is a nice city to live in. You will probably find that property taxes are higher vs Chicago. Bridgeview has older and newer home stock and some apartments to choose from. Bridgeview has a great park district and I would advise you to find a home in that area if having access to a pool is important to you.

[snoylekim]

Bridgeview also has a high concentration of Middle Eastern First and Second Generation residents ..

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Bridgeport is the old South Side Irish neighborhood that spawned the mayors Daley, but it's now much more diverse. There are still older Irish residents, but there are also a lot of Latinos, IIT Students, and eve a few African Americans. It's much more diverse than it used to be. There is more crime than in many of the popular North Side neighborhoods, but it's generally a safe area. And there has actually been some development of coffee shops and art galleries there, as surprising as that might be.

Yeah, I was down there recently and was pleasantly surprised at all the new activity/storefronts/streetscaping going in along Halsted there. That stretch used to look pretty grim, but it's really coming up now.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by andrew61

Yeah, I was down there recently and was pleasantly surprised at all the new activity/storefronts/streetscaping going in along Halsted there. That stretch used to look pretty grim, but it's really coming up now.

Yeah, they have one of those cutesy overpriced, underperforming breakfast places down there now. I won't be back.

I got a MINT West Side Story soundtrack LP at Let's Boogie records at 33rd and Halsted the other day for only a sawbuck.

Andrew, are you Gravy Davy from Bridgeport?

[meatpuff]

Originally Posted by rw2006

Statistically, Bridgeview and Bridgeport seem to be very nice, clean, safe, diverse areas. In reality, is that true?

My favorite pair of similarly-named Chicago neighborhoods/suburbs is Forest Park and Park Forest. Because they just have the words reversed, but also because "Park" and "Forest" are so generic that they are used all over the area in neighborhood/suburb names.

And they have kind of comparable population totals and very similar crime rates and racial makeups. I checked. Separated at birth?

[mycrows]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Yeah, they have one of those cutesy overpriced, underperforming breakfast places down there now. I won't be back.

I haven't been in there yet, but the schadenfreude of my neighbors when anything goes wrong for the owners makes me really want to go.