Moving to Chi June 1

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by mendelman

...Using the term "urban hell" is terrible and very misleading. Austin is not the South Bronx of 1978...

...As for the locations she mentions...

The fact of the matter is Austin is in the top 5 worst areas in Chicago. Many argue it is the worst.

I have been in Austin many times. I have been called a cracker and much worse. I have been in fear of getting robbed and beaten more than a few times. Most of these times were in the middle of the day.

Oh and it is a he. He is a gay guy. It shows how much you have read this thread.

Good idea, send a white gay man to live near Austin!

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by NearWestSider

...But recommendations about staying away from North Riverside Mall are ridiculous and display the kind of ignorance I am talking about...

Keep in mind: These are North Siders. They do NOT know the West Side very well...

I have lived near Grand and Oak Park avenue for a few years so you are wrong.

I have watched over the years the northern part of Austin go from so-so to total crap.

I have been in Austin and Oak Park many times over the last twenty years-you are wrong again.

North Riverside mall is crap. I have worked there.

Must everyone here relay their entire life story to show if they are qualified to state their opinion on every subject?

[aragx6]

I think often it's easy if you've lived somewhere a long time to assume it's fine, but often transplants have a much lower comfort level when it comes to crime. Many of the areas you guys are arguing over would be fine for someone familiar with the city, but a transplant wants a good, safe base of operations ya know? I think that's what Avengerfire in particular is trying to get across.

[NearWestSider]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I think often it's easy if you've lived somewhere a long time to assume it's fine, but often transplants have a much lower comfort level when it comes to crime. Many of the areas you guys are arguing over would be fine for someone familiar with the city, but a transplant wants a good, safe base of operations ya know? I think that's what Avengerfire in particular is trying to get across.

You live in Westmont.

What would your reaction be if I said Westmont was a gang-infested, crime-ridden area? And since I USED to live in La Grange, I know that for a fact to be true?

You'd say I am full of it, and rightfully so.

His characterization of the North Riverside Mall as "crap" and the implication that it is dangerous is a complete, willful distorsion of fact. It has nothing to do with tolerance for crime, because it has nothing to do with reality.

The problem is not that he does not like North Riverside. He is entitled to whatever opinion he wants about it. The real problem is his reference to it as "crap". If I were to say his judgment was "crap", or that he was full of "crap", you'd almost certainly issue me a warning.

So is it OK for me to say that Westmont is "crap"? And if I do, is it OK for you to tell me I am making it all up?

As a moderator on this board, it is up to you to decide how much "crap" you are willing to put up with.

[aragx6]

First of all... I hate Westmont, so call it crap however much you like. If you called it gang-infested, I would post crime stats showing the inaccuracy of that.

There's absolutely nothing in the TOS that says you can't call a place crap (people do it all of the time). It may be opinion, but that's fair.

And honestly I don't care if you say his opinion is crap or he is full of crap and give fair reason for saying so. i.e. Here's the stats that make your statement inaccurate, or I have spent plenty of time there and haven't had a problem etc.

If you say "You're an [expletive deleted] and I hope you burn, then you get an infraction because that's a personal attack.

Your understanding of Avenger's reasons for saying Riverside Mall is crap is pretty unfair, not from a mod standpoint, just from a member of this forum. What you need to understand is, the OP came here looking for opinions and he got them. End of story.

[scongress1234]

Another germane point is that boundaries are quick drop-off points for "good" and "bad" areas in Chicago and suburbs, partly to do with density. For ex., Cabrini-Green was right next to the gold coast for years, with nothing but Lasalle st. dividing them. It's like a checker board, with good and bad mixed up all over, even within neighborhoods. So, to say an Area itself is bad doesn't touch on the finer granularities within. Some areas ARE bad everywhere though, mostly on the west side of the city, though even the west loop has gentrified to a large extent several miles west of the loop. The west side was site for the martin luthur king riots in'67, and to a large extent it has never recovered.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

The fact of the matter is Austin is in the top 5 worst areas in Chicago. Many argue it is the worst.

I have been in Austin many times. I have been called a cracker and much worse. I have been in fear of getting robbed and beaten more than a few times. Most of these times were in the middle of the day.

Oh and it is a he. He is a gay guy. It shows how much you have read this thread.

Good idea, send a white gay man to live near Austin!

I wouldn't call Austin the worst neighborhood in Chicago. Also relatively speaking, the blocks adjacent to Oak Park (from Austin to Central) are significantly better than east of Central. Nonetheless, I'd still advise newcomers to the area to put a bit of a buffer between Austin Blvd and their residence. Would I advise west of Ridgeland? Probably, all things being equal. For myself, I think I'd feel comfortable a few blocks east of Ridgeland, maybe to Harvey or Lombard, but of course everyone has a different threshhold.

A different reason for being west is that the downtown area of Oak Park with lots of the restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, and movie theater, is on the western end of town. Its a nice perk to be able to walk to these areas.