Moving to Chicago -- how is McKinley Park? (dangerous, trendy)

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Take away money and the gangs will still shoot at each other out of an immature sense of respect/disrespect and an immature sense of manhood. Idiotic juvenile pack behavior with easy access to guns.

Take away the money and the supply of guns will decrease somewhat, although never completely.

[North Side Brandon]

Mckinley Park a good bet going forward because of the Orange Line which has two stops in Mckinley Park at 35th and Archer and another at 3000 S Ashland. Being West of Bridgeport is also a good thing. Generally I like everything North of Pershing East of Western and West of the tracks East of Halsted going forward. Back of the Yards to the South and Brighton Park to the West are rough and have alot of gang activity.

[jonnynonos]

Maybe. West Bridegeport is affectionately called Scumport by natives, though. It's not exactly buttressing the best part of Bridgeport. But who knows.

[Fishroll23]

Originally Posted by Drover

Yeah, that's really the question: is McKinley Park going to become more like Bridgeport or more like Brighton Park? The good news is it has a physical barrier between it and Brighton Park. But really, all it would take to go in either direction is a good nudge.

So 5 years later, what do you guys think of Mckinley Park nowadays? It is noticeably cheap. The area from the 35th /archer stop down through the park is pretty nice.

[Drover]

Basically the same. There's still some buffer between it and the "desirable" part of Bridgeport so it's not experiencing any price creep (as you've noticed). No noticeable uptick in serious crime either. If I had to bet money, I'd say the neighborhood will get better before it gets worse because of the assets in its favor (L access, a great park, adjacent to an up-and-coming neighborhood) combined with the physical barriers shielding it from the declining neighborhoods to the west and south. All in all, still a very solid value if you're OK with a sleepy, no-frills neighborhood.

[MajorThom]

The only thing wrong with McKinley Park, IMO, is that it's kind of boring and residential, with most of the retail being of the big box, strip mall, and chain variety. It's almost suburban in that sense, despite its proximity to downtown. I agree with Drover regarding the pluses of el access and the park, but it's going to have to become more mixed-use and walkable before it gets any significant gentrification spillover from Bridgeport or Pilsen, and I don't see that happening anytime soon.

[MannheimMadman]

While I agree with you, some people see the fact that it's boring and residential as a good thing.

Heck, even Bridgeport feels that way sometimes.

[marothisu]

It's not an exciting place - it has a few good food places but it's not bad for a residential type of area.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by MannheimMadman

While I agree with you, some people see the fact that it's boring and residential as a good thing.

Heck, even Bridgeport feels that way sometimes.

Absolutely. I don't think that young families are all that concerned about the latest trendy restaurant/watering hole. "Boring and residential" implies that it's quiet and crime-free, and what's not to like about that?

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by MajorThom

The only thing wrong with McKinley Park, IMO, is that it's kind of boring and residential, with most of the retail being of the big box, strip mall, and chain variety. It's almost suburban in that sense, despite its proximity to downtown. I agree with Drover regarding the pluses of el access and the park, but it's going to have to become more mixed-use and walkable before it gets any significant gentrification spillover from Bridgeport or Pilsen, and I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Agree. I don't see any major gentrification in places like McKinley Park, at least over the next five years. If we have a 1990s style boom again, it could be a candidate because Pilsen and Bridgeport would be likely to catch fire in that scenario.