Top 5 Worst Neighborhoods in Chicago (Auburn, Hammond: home security, living, safety)

[Humboldt1]

Sukwoo,

Why is the crime in Oak Park, a relatively affluent suburb, especially in its western and northern parts, so high?

I suspect it has to do with some many haves living in close proximity to have nots.

Just as Logan Square is a split personality east and west of kimball, I see Oak Park as a split personality east and west of ridgeland. Both are not exact boundaries between good and bad as there are certainly a few good blocks west of kimball in logan and east of ridgeland in oak park.

[doublenickels]

You could compose such a list simply based upon crime stats. Other than that, you can't make an objective list because the areas are too disparate.

[JerichoHW]

I cant say worst neighborhoods but i will give my top 3 roughest:

1. Englewood
2. Austin
3. Altgeld Gardens "Riverdale"

[ManheimMadman]

To avoid traffic last night, my buddy and I got off of the Ike @ 25th, and caught that to Washington blvd. At 6PM, South Austin, West & East Garfield park had LOTS of activity going on. I have never seen so many people on porches or standing around street corners in my life. Maybe I'm crazy, but United Center area never looked as good as it did when I emerged out of those neighborhoods.

[Humboldt1]

I see that crap everytime I take division home from Oak Park. Ironically, most of the riff raff hangs out in front of a funeral home.

When I take madison downtown from pulaski in the mornings a couple times a week the same riff raff is in bed except a few drug addicts and drunks left over from the night before.

With the exception of East St. Louis that is one of the most deslate stretches I have seen along madison west of western.

Of course compared to East St Louis almost any area other than say Gary or much of Detroit is paradise.

On another note, Cragin/Hermosa continues to get worse with 3 being shot in their car and 2 dying in the 4400w block of wrightwood (2600n).

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

...On another note, Cragin/Hermosa continues to get worse with 3 being shot in their car and 2 dying in the 4400w block of wrightwood (2600n).

Belmont Cragin has been going down the tubes fast in the last 10 years.

I have been talking about this change for years, now it is really coming to fruition.

The communities of Portage Park,Mont Clare, and Dunning sadly are going to start getting more of this type of crap in the next couple years as well.

[Humboldt1]

Avengerfire,

I agree with you regarding Portage Park going downhill as crime spills over from Cragin/Hermosa. Just like in Melrose Park I have seen the demographics changing in Portage Park at the Ballys. This was long before my laptop was stolen from their parking lot (my laptop was replaced 3 days later at no cost to me other than 200 to fix the broken window in my car).

Portage Park has some nicer newer row homes near irving park but south of there it isn't as nice.

In the next 10 years many of the polish and eastern europeans will flee the area for areas like harwood heights and norridge.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

...In the next 10 years many of the polish and eastern europeans will flee the area for areas like harwood heights and norridge.

Many of them are already there. They moved in after many Italians and Greeks (as well as the others before them like Irish and Germans) have moved on to far west and northwest burbs over the last two decades.

The slavic europeans have a large presence in Niles,Prospect Heights,and Glenview now and most of them followed the traditional migrations patterns...

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

...I have seen the demographics changing in Portage Park at the Ballys. This was long before my laptop was stolen from their parking lot (my laptop was replaced 3 days later at no cost to me other than 200 to fix the broken window in my car).

When I was a kid and teenager we never saw hookers and gangbangers crusing down Cicero in Portage Park. Now you do. It is a shame.

The crazy thing is Belmont Cragin was decent 15 years ago still. Now it sucks the big one and is headed for ghetto status.

[Drover]

One thing that will keep southern Portage Park substantially Polish for years to come is that it's still receiving new immigrants. Old European ethnic neighborhoods didn't really lose their European ethnicity until after the immigrants stopped arriving en masse.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Drover

One thing that will keep southern Portage Park substantially Polish for years to come is that it's still receiving new immigrants. Old European ethnic neighborhoods didn't really lose their European ethnicity until after the immigrants stopped arriving en masse.

I dont think it is receiving enough to stem the tide of displaced persons from areas to the east of Portage Park. We shall see in the next couple of years...