Polish Neighborhoods (Chicago, Niles, Hinsdale: high school, live in, restaurants)

[MILWCITY]

I currently live on Milw's Southside which is still somewhat Polish but I'm am considering moving to Chicago but I want to be around people who are like me and can pronounce my first and last name. I'm pretty familiar with Chicago and from what I've seen its the Northwest side that I should be considering.

Is there any other Polish Neighborhoods that I should know about or stay away from? Are the Russians good friends twith the Polish people like in Milwaukee as well?

[Mister Mappy]

Jefferson Park is the main Polish neighborhood on the northwest side. The Taste of Polonia was just held in the neighborhood over Labor Day weekend. Most of the northwest side neighborhoods have decent sized Polish populations, but get more Hispanic the further south you go. Avondale near Milwaukee & Central Park Aves is good example of this. (A good number of Poles, lots of Polish delis, restaurants, and stores, but with a good mix of Hispanics. It might remind you a small bit of where you are now)

The southwest side also has some Polish areas. Garfield Ridge & Archer Heights just north of Midway airport are the main SW side Polish areas.

Niles, a suburb just north of the city has a lot of Poles, too.

As far as Russians go, there aren't a lot of them here, a few Russian Jews in West Ridge, but that's nowhere near any Polish areas. There is a number of Ukrainians in the Chicago area, and for the most part the Poles & the Ukrainians get along.

[Chicagoaklandish]

Yup, Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Dunning, Niles,

Plenty of Russians, Ukranians, Lithuanians etc in Niles too, they get along well with the Poles from what I've witnessed

[MILWCITY]

What about Serbians as well??? In Milw we have a huge Serbian population and we get along up but what about down there?

[Mister Mappy]

There are some Serbs scattered about. The main Serbian area was on the Southeast side, but has since scattered into NW Indiana. We have more Croatians than Serbs, I think.

[Lookout Kid]

The only Serbs I know live in Hinsdale, strangely enough.

[Irishtom29]

These Poles and Ukrainians ain't getting along so well.


YouTube - "With Fire and Sword"

[Drover]

Chicago apprently has the largest or second largest Serb population in the U.S. but there still aren't enough of them that they form their own enclave. There are some Serbs scattered along the northwest side and you'll occasionally spot a Serbian restaurant here and there in Irving Park and/or Albany Park. There's also a big Serbian banquet hall somewhere in the south suburbs, can't remember exactly where.

The epicenter of Polish life in Chicago these days centers around Belmont and Milwaukee Avenues in a neighborhood called Jackowo. And by "Polish" I don't mean "second generation descendants of Polish immigrants who fled the ravages of World War II." I mean "may not exactly be here legally and still haven't quite mastered English yet." They'll be able to pronounce your name all right, but will you be able to pronounce theirs?

There is another Polish enclave on the Southwest side by Midway airport but who knows for how long. That enclave is more of the "first and second generation" variety and the ethnicity of the area appears to be giving way pretty rapidly to Mexican/Hispanic.

[Chinolala]

Originally Posted by Mister Mappy

There are some Serbs scattered about. The main Serbian area was on the Southeast side, but has since scattered into NW Indiana. We have more Croatians than Serbs, I think.

I think that they're are more Croats, but I could be wrong. Serbs are scattered throughout the burbs and city. There are a lot of Serbians between Lawrence and Irving and Elston and Kedzie. But as former posters said, Poles are heavily concentrated in Jeff Park, Niles, Belmont and Central, etc.

[Chicagoaklandish]

Also lots of Serbs in Niles but for some reason they're all mind-bogglingly rich, at least the ones I went to high school with.