Avondale- up and coming...safe? (Chicago, Park Ridge: rentals, condo, crime)

[leogal13]

Looking at a condo at Belmong & Kimball in Avondale. Not familiar with the area, will be moving to Chicago from the NW Suburbs. Any information on this area, positive or negative will be greatly appreciated.

[Drover]

Avondale is kind of a pit, and a bit of a gang-infested pit too. Gang activity seems to have tapered off a bit as of late, but you never know when it's going to flare back up. I'm personally not a big fan of Avondale, though I find myself there pretty often by virtue of living in an adjacent neighborhood. I don't really see it as much of an "up and coming" area, though pockets of it are fairly well-kempt. But a lot of it just seems grimey, and the Kimball/Belmont area is no exception. If your heart is set on that area, I'd look about 6 blocks south in Logan Square. This is one instance where a few blocks can make an eye-opening difference.

[jdiddy]

There has been a lot of redevelopment on Belmont the last few years. My familiarity with the area is due to the blue line stop at Belmont and Kimble, where I've waited for the Belmont bus at all hours of the day and night. I've never really noticed any suspicious/criminal activity. The pros are that you're right by the 24 hour Belmont bus and the 24 hour Blue line. The cons are that there isn't much retail in the area and the commercial strips leave a bit to be desired in terms of appearance.

But, if you mean 'up and coming' as in a safe, stable neighborhood, it looks to be trending in that direction. If you're expecting it to become the next 'hip' neighborhood, I'd look somewhere else.

[chet everett]

Right with jdiddy on this. Not hip. Low on the "exciting place to live" scale. Not high on the "easy to get to downtown or out to 'burbs" scale (but not terrible). Just seems like sort of a "blah" place all around. Not exceedingly attractive to families. No "special situation" (like exists for rentals near Midway or potentially places in the path of something like a new road or the an Olympic site.) Just average City area.

I would not be in kind of hurry to spend money on any kind of property in that area. A condo there would have to be HUGELY discounted to have any appeal to me at all. Even in terms of what sort of a rental property it might become I would not be confidant that any kind of solid tenant would be attracted to the area...

[Drover]

Well, I will disagree on the "not high on the 'easy to get downtown or out to the burbs'" assessment." Both the Blue Line and the Kennedy run right through the neighborhood, making it fairly easy to get to downtown or to the suburbs.

[Chicago60614]

I was gonna say, with the subway stop there, it's pretty quick to get downtown. I've spent time in the area, and while it's not exciting, I found it generally safe and decent.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Drover

Well, I will disagree on the "not high on the 'easy to get downtown or out to the burbs'" assessment." Both the Blue Line and the Kennedy run right through the neighborhood, making it fairly easy to get to downtown or to the suburbs.

Key qualifier: but not terrible.

I know where that blue line stop is and I know where the Kennedy on ramp is and there is nothing that makes those any better/worse than any other. In recommending an area like Edison Park that has Metra AND CTA AND Kennedy AND Milwaukee Ave/Northwest Hwy into the City OR out to the burbs it would rate higher for couples that may have to commute in opposite directions...

[Drover]

Avondale has all of these things too. The Kennedy. Milwaukee Avenue. Two CTA stops. Metra stations both 1 north and 4 blocks south of the "official" Avondale borders.

[chet everett]

I forgot how close those stations are together are down there and I was just on the line out to Park Ridge so you got me. Still think if you want to make good time out to the 'burbs its a better bet to live out past Lawrence, that makes big difference. Coming into from the N/NW I think the Kennedy gets to be hell past Harlem most nights...

[Lookout Kid]

I agree that Avondale is very "blah". It just doesn't have the charming architecture of a lot of nearby neighborhoods. It's a little bit "up-and-coming", but has a long long way to go. And crime is an issue there. There was a story in the news a few years ago about a young upstanding guy in his 20s who was murdered in his alley in Avondale. He heard some people breaking into his garage, went out to shoo them away, and they killed him. Nice story, eh? The coverage featured a lot of neighbors talking about gangs and Avondale crime.

Avondale is not a ghetto or even close to one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. It's probably safer than many other early gentrifying neighborhoods, like East Garfield Park and Humboldt Park. But it's still a little rough.