Yes, again. Another "where will i fit in?" Question! (Chicago: 2013, to buy)

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by BornRaisedInSouthDetroit

Bridgeport and Beverly are areas that have caught my attention, although Beverly more so to buy and I'm definitely notet jumping in sight unseen as a buyer.. if this pans out I'll rent a year, do some exploring and whatnot and then make the move to sell my houses in Detroit for a down payment on a place with more long term potential.

I keep going going back and forth on maybe i do want the full "urban" experience.. trains to work/most meals out, etc etc but i dont know that the novelty wouldnt wear off and i would crave a more residential neighborhood, but with easy access to urban amenities.. i dont know the areas personally but from what ive been told NOT driving to work will NOT be a viable/wise option so ill never ditch the car altogether, but that is also probably a bit of the "motor city" in me... either way, this will be an exciting "experience".

Yeah, definitely a good idea to rent for a while to feel out the City and determine what you like. Good luck with whatever you decide!

[Lookout Kid]

There's a whole string of suburbs where "the blue collar people are moving to"... Places like Roselle, Hanover Park, Bartlet, and Carol Stream. They are moving there not just from the city, but from inner-ring suburbs that have become "too diverse" for their tastes, like Berwyn, Elmwood Park, Melrose Park, and Hillside. The suburbs I mentioned are not my favorite places, but definitely retain that "blue collar Chicago neighborhood" feel in terms of the people who live there.

Old-school white Chicagoan blue collar folks are leaving the city in droves if they aren't tied to recent immigrant communities or in city jobs with residency requirements. But Jefferson Park and Beverly remain quite liveable areas, and might be good suggestions.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by rzzzz

Honestly that describes a lot of places in Chicago. You can get $1 domestics in Bucktown, Logan Squre, Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville, basically anywhere. A 28 year old single person without any interests besides cheap drinks sounds like every Chicagoan I've ever met.

REALLY?! That doesn't sound like any of the Chicagoans I know.

Originally Posted by marothisu

Okay now that's very offensive..

Yeah, that is very offensive.

[BornRaisedInSouthDetroit]

its super offensive and i honestly missed the entire post last night so i was just gonna leave it as water under the bridge. Not to beat a subject to death but how about comparisons between Bridgeport and Beverly specifically? Both are pretty near my potential job, Bridgeport being RIGHT there...

Also just to clarify, I dont want to confuse my using the term "working class" to mean racist. Im not, but i totally get where the connotation comes from, as i suppose its the same here and everywhere.. but i just read a super unsettling article about Canaryville, which is basically exactly where id be working and seems very near to Bridgeport, and im sure (at least i hope) that a lot is sensationalized by the media and internet trolls wanting to make a race war out of everything.. but commenters were mentioning "white housewives screaming racial slurs from their porches at black kids forced to walk through their neighborhoods to get to school" and what not, that is NOT AT ALL what i mean by wanting a "working class environment", I just mean i dont care much about the hipster takeover, i dont like a lot of pretentiousness and have respect for those who arent afraid to get their hands dirty to make a living i guess..

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

REALLY?! That doesn't sound like any of the Chicagoans I know.



Yeah, that is very offensive.

I took it as a joke, but if it wasn't it's stupid.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by BornRaisedInSouthDetroit

its super offensive and i honestly missed the entire post last night so i was just gonna leave it as water under the bridge. Not to beat a subject to death but how about comparisons between Bridgeport and Beverly specifically? Both are pretty near my potential job, Bridgeport being RIGHT there...

Also just to clarify, I dont want to confuse my using the term "working class" to mean racist. Im not, but i totally get where the connotation comes from, as i suppose its the same here and everywhere.. but i just read a super unsettling article about Canaryville, which is basically exactly where id be working and seems very near to Bridgeport, and im sure (at least i hope) that a lot is sensationalized by the media and internet trolls wanting to make a race war out of everything.. but commenters were mentioning "white housewives screaming racial slurs from their porches at black kids forced to walk through their neighborhoods to get to school" and what not, that is NOT AT ALL what i mean by wanting a "working class environment", I just mean i dont care much about the hipster takeover, i dont like a lot of pretentiousness and have respect for those who arent afraid to get their hands dirty to make a living i guess..

Personally I agree the race thing does get overblown by folks on the interwebs and the media but does not change the fact that all kinds of hostile attitudes have shaped various parts of the city and broader region.

The shifts that some neighborhoods are still experiencing based on not just race but economics are pretty drastic. I would not recommend Canaryville to any one -- too much uncertainty / downside.

Bridgeport does not seem to be picking up hipsters as fast as Pilsen and I suspect it never will, the transit fascination that seems oh so important to hipsters is just better in Pilsen than Bridgeport and that won't change.

Since the OP really does not seem likely to need / want to take transit I really do think Beverly is nice option for them. It has enough local bars and nice solid old-school city workers / cops that he'd probably be very safe and even fit it. It would be interesting on nights when he might want to watch a Redwings game in Blackhawks bars. Nobody will care about the Bears or Lions for a while...

[BornRaisedInSouthDetroit]

I'm a "she" LOL, so maybe i should have mentioned that as it "may" change things as far as safety?

Although I would totally be up for a Wings game in a Blackhawks bar and keep some "recently injured" optimism for our Lions.

[jonnynonos]

Beverly is more suburban compared to Bridgeport. Bridgeport is adjacent to Chinatown and not all that far away from the South Loop; it's a much more inner city neighborhood. Beverly is as far from the city core as some suburbs, or close to it.

And I think your public transit optics for getting downtown there suck.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

Beverly is more suburban compared to Bridgeport. Bridgeport is adjacent to Chinatown and not all that far away from the South Loop; it's a much more inner city neighborhood. Beverly is as far from the city core as some suburbs, or close to it.

And I think your public transit optics for getting downtown there suck.

You mean Beverly, right?

[Atlanta_BD]

Intersting, I was born and raised in Beverly and never drove when I lived there. I had no problems getting where ever I need to go by transit in Beverly. It has a few bus lines, with most of then ending at the red line station at 95th and Dan Ryan. It also has the Metra.

Maybe it was the part of Beverly I lived in. I also never considered Beverly suburban. I mean it is 13 miles from downtown but the trains gets you there in no time.