Is the Southside really that bad? (Chicago, Woodlawn: best suburbs, renting, school)

[Humboldt1]

In Portage Park, it isn't that bad, but certainly around Laramie and Waveland it has some challenges, mostly gang related. Many of the long-time Polish and Eastern European residents move out, going to Hardwood Heights, Norwood, and Edison Park. South of Addison (3600N) it slowly gets worse, all the way south to say Chicago Avenue (800N), where it become total ghetto and continues until Roosevelt (1200S) before getting any better. Austin is just a bad area that you don't want to be in. Cragin and Hermosa are not that much better. Galewood for the most part is better, especially as you go west, but this has more to do with Oak Park and Elmwood Park than anything else.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

Pray tell what is the point in voting in certain elections, especially the Presidential election given the electoral college. I haven't voted in an election since 1996 (they made us vote in the primary when I was a senior in high school). Coming from Indiana, which has sided with Republicans since Kennedy, though this year it could be a swing state, I never saw the point. Here in Illinois, Obama will win by a landslide. Whether he takes Illinois by 1 vote or 1MM, it doesn't matter as he will get all the electoral college votes.

The voter turnout in 2004 (even though it was the highest in years) was less than 61% of all eligible voters.

There is no way to know what would happen if that other 40% voted... but things could certainly change a lot.

[Careless]

Originally Posted by aragx6

^^That's exactly right! At least they voted for crying out loud!

IMO voting (even if it's for a moron) is far better than not voting at all!

So there's some benefit we get from people voting that more than makes up for the fact that they helped elect a particularly bad candidate info office?

Please, explain what it is.

[Avengerfire]

The Portage Park of today is not the Portage Park that existed when I was a kid. It is going down fast south of Irving Park. Cicero Ave is becoming what North Ave used to be (between the Expressway and Western) and what Fullerton is now (between Pulaski and Central.)

The only parts of Portage Park that might be worth buying into is the parts closest to the southern part of Jefferson Park, but even then you are taking a big risk.

[ManheimMadman]

Another one of those areas that doesn't look too bad, but really is at night eh? Like I said in my other post, I wasn't really too put off by where I was, but then again- things are different between night and day.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by Careless

So there's some benefit we get from people voting that more than makes up for the fact that they helped elect a particularly bad candidate info office?

Please, explain what it is.

The more people figure "it just doesn't matter" and the less informed and apathetic they become the more likely we as a country are to lose all power to correct ourselves.

Honestly, if you believe that you'd rather people not vote as opposed to vote for someone you don't like, then you're not really someone whose opinion I care to listen to anyway.

[Humboldt1]

Had less people voted for Stroger, he would not be in office. I would much rather have these people not vote that vote for candidates like that.

I do not vote and I am hardly ill-informed. I just understand the way the electoral college works. For local elections, I should vote but have not.

Okay, and getting back to topic, what is up with the south side? I know most of the shootings take place in Chicago on the south side, but up 13% is a lot.

Also, what happened in the 2800N block on Fairfield last night? I heard some 16 year old was shot in their house. Was this gang related? Clearly, not all of the problems of Chicago are confined to the south side.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

I would much rather have these people not vote that vote for candidates like that.

Then you should live in an autocracy run by yourself.

If anyone wanted more info on the little girl who was stabbed to death on the South side, there's a fairly lengthy article in the Sun-Times today: Mother speaks out about daughter's death :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State

[Iamme73]

I came on this board looking to get info about the Kenwood, and Bronzeville areas of Chicago.

Why do people give "opinions" about areas they don't even live in, and are clearly are afraid of?

It is a shame that a board supposedly about real estate "seems" to have so much of a racial undercurrent to many of the comments about which neighborhoods are good and which aren't.

I WISH posters would stick to what they know and stop giving "societal" analysis.

If you deem an area undersirable FINE why not state that instead of dragging "race" into the picture?

Calling areas "war zones" and the like is NONSENSE. You don't know what it is like to live there unless you do, and my guess is MOST on this board when speaking about southside areas or areas with more than a 30% black population have zero to little first hand experience outside of their racial fears, nightly news reports, and crime stats they CLING to in order to justify their "feelings".

There is SIMPLY a wealth of research that documents EXACTLY what happened in many southside neighborhoods.

Many people have extremely SHORT memories and very ignorant views.

Many people of caucasian descent FORGET the EXTREME amount of government assistance white families were given in establishing middle class neighborhoods and lives.

They forget NEW DEAL programs that made homeownership more of a norm for MILLIONS of white families who previously had NEVER owned anything.
They forget about the GI BIll that affording millions of mostly wm to go to college, they forget about the high way and transportation bills that made it possible for their to BE suburbs in the first place.

For the FIRST time in the starting in the late 40's, the 50's, and the 60's a LARGE middle class was established in this country in part BECAUSE of those programs.

Finally and most importantly they forget how those VERY things were DENIED to black people.

I understand that people don't care about history or facts when looking for a safe neighborhood and good schools.

I understand that MOST people simply aren't that knowledgeable
about history and certianly not racial discrimination.

But if you want to start casting insults and associating MILLIONS of individual human beings with crime, immorality, poverty, etc, on the basis of their racial heritage OR economic status, WITHOUT taking ALL the facts into consideration, that doesn't make you a person with an "opinion", that makes you an uninformed bigot AND part of the problem.

[Avengerfire]

It is a shame you are so ignorant yourself. You are part of the problem not the solution.