Why are there so many threads trashing South Side and West Side neighborhoods? (Chicago: living in, vs)

[inspect2]

Crime stats speak for themselves. Nobody has made any racial slurs.

[Robbied]

Originally Posted by inspect2

Crime stats speak for themselves. Nobody has made any racial slurs.

I went to grade school on the west side, near jackson. My close friend lived on Parkside. Now, I wouldnt go near that neighborhood.
Has nothing to do with race.. just a very high crime area.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by BRU67

While I'm not a fan of the smug voyeuristic nature of these "Worst Chicago Neighborhood" threads we've been seeing as of late, it may not be a bad thing if people start saying enough is enough to the kind of behavior which prevails in those areas.

The "worst chicago neighborhoods" threads do serve a small purpose. It's good for people to realize that there is a big difference between a somewhat liveable neighborhood with too much crime (like Uptown or Rogers Park) and a totally violent urban hell hole (like Englewood or parts of Austin). Chicago outsiders don't know the difference, even though it's a HUGE one.

I guess my problem with the "best" and "worst" designations is that it only adds to the segregation and de facto redlining that occurs. People in Chicago really do draw a lot of their identity from their town or neighborhood, and it's a little out of hand. Why can't we have a mix of incomes living together anywhere in this metro area? What happened to towns or neighborhoods with people from all walks of life living together? The only places you see this any more is in some smaller towns. Of course no one with money wants to live in a high-crime area filled with the poor, but it seems like there is a happy medium that's largely ignored in Chicagoland (and in most other American urban areas).

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

What happened to towns or neighborhoods with people from all walks of life living together? The only places you see this any more is in some smaller towns.

Evanston, Hyde Park and Oak Park.

[Humboldt1]

Manigault,

All those areas are segregated by income, somewhat by race in Oak Park and Evanston. I don't know Hyde Park as well.

Oak Park as a whole is diverse, but poor and less white as you approach Austin, though there are some affluent blacks further west and north.

Rich people are not living next to poor people in those towns. I see mixed income housing as a bad idea for many reasons. This is why many developers would rather pay the city money for affordable housing than devote some of the units in their developments to low-income occupants.

This thread and ones like it is not voyeurism as I live in one of the neighborhoods that needs help. I can really only influence the blocks where I live or own property but hope that other landlords take a more proactive approach to keep the riff raff out. It makes good business sense and helps the neighborhood as a whole.

[Avengerfire]

Accidental bump.

[Robbied]

Oak Park..oh makes me thing of Frank Lloyd Wright..awesome

[Champion Willis]

Maybe coz most of the posters don't reside in that area and only hear negative things about them in the media?

[Avengerfire]

I don't need to live in these areas to pass judgment on them. The amount of time working in these areas over the years is enough to render a verdict.

[Venom]

I hate hip places.