East Garfield Park: Is it Worth the Risk? (Humboldt: section 8, neighborhoods)

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by via chicago

^
That historically has not been the pattern however. Gentrification is usually the direct result of investment put in by artists, as these types of areas are usually abundant with cheap housing and ample work space. The "out of town" contingent usually follows 1 or 2 waves after that once the makeover is long a thing of the past.

The artists rent and help put the place on the radar, which is definitely the beginning of gentrification, but it's not until the speculators and investors come and buy up the property that the rif raff starts to get pushed out.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by via chicago

^
That historically has not been the pattern however. Gentrification is usually the direct result of investment put in by artists, as these types of areas are usually abundant with cheap housing and ample work space. The "out of town" contingent usually follows 1 or 2 waves after that once the makeover is long a thing of the past.

That's the narrative you always hear, but there are currently many partially-gentrified neighborhoods out there that were never popular with artists. Maybe that's why they are only partially gentrified...

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

That's the narrative you always hear, but there are currently many partially-gentrified neighborhoods out there that were never popular with artists. Maybe that's why they are only partially gentrified...

Well I reckon there are only so many artists to go around. Then you have to take into account the ones who live in "non artistic" places. The most dedicated artist I know has lived in North Riverside for the last 25 years.

[Damage Control Freak]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

That's the narrative you always hear, but there are currently many partially-gentrified neighborhoods out there that were never popular with artists. Maybe that's why they are only partially gentrified...

Seems to me like it's just one more aspect of the real estate bubble. When real estate was booming investors gambled quite a lot on what would be be next big think and sometimes they lost. I guess EGP is a prime example for that.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by aragx6

The artists rent and help put the place on the radar, which is definitely the beginning of gentrification, but it's not until the speculators and investors come and buy up the property that the rif raff starts to get pushed out.

I disagree. It is when the yuppies move in that the crime starts to get pushed out in most cases. Speculators and investors come after and in some cases at the same time as the yuppies.

[mgk1984]

I randomly came across this site looking for a website about a new loft conversion in that neighborhood and I must say that I'm beyond annoyed.
It sounds like most if not all of the people who have posted on this thread have never lived in this neighborhood.

I lived used to live in the grey stone apartments on the corner of California and Washington from 2007-2008. Granted it's not the best neighborhood in Chicago it's not the worst!

See below for my list of pros and cons.

Pros:
The area is up and coming and the rent is great
Non-permit parking
EL California stop (it's really not that loud and it doesn't run all night)
Proximity to the loop
Cabs will drive you home
the view of downtown!


Cons:
Cabs WILL NOT come pick up
In the summer time the kids are always playing with firecrackers
The fire station is less then a mile away and they ALWAYS drive on Washington to get to there destination
Dirty vacant lots
You need a car to access the grocery stores and Target (unless you take the green line to Roosevelt)


However, I will say that though I didn't have any bad experiences living there my roommate and her friend did get robbed in the alley at night(10:30pm ish). The teens that robbed them though got on the train at Ashland and kept staring at them. When my friends walk the 1/2 block to the back gate the guys were following them. BUT my friends did admit that they didn't pay any attention to their surroundings because they were chatting. When we called the police they came and drove my roomie around to look for the robbers. Just remember though that people get robbed EVERYWHERE in Chicago.

I know someone else mentioned that things are completely different in the winter than in the summer and that statement is 100% true. (I moved in Feb. 07)

Well, I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions that I can answer for you

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by mgk1984

...I lived used to live in the grey stone apartments on the corner of California and Washington from 2007-2008. Granted it's not the best neighborhood in Chicago it's not the worst!...

...Cons:
Cabs WILL NOT come pick up
In the summer time the kids are always playing with firecrackers
The fire station is less then a mile away and they ALWAYS drive on Washington to get to there destination
Dirty vacant lots
You need a car to access the grocery stores and Target (unless you take the green line to Roosevelt)...

East Garfield Park is easily one of the worst neighborhoods in the city.

FIRECRACKERS? Firecrackers?

Are you that dense? It was not firecrackers you were hearing it was gunfire!

LMFAO.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by mgk1984

I randomly came across this site looking for a website about a new loft conversion in that neighborhood and I must say that I'm beyond annoyed.
It sounds like most if not all of the people who have posted on this thread have never lived in this neighborhood.

I lived used to live in the grey stone apartments on the corner of California and Washington from 2007-2008. Granted it's not the best neighborhood in Chicago it's not the worst!

See below for my list of pros and cons.

Pros:
The area is up and coming and the rent is great
Non-permit parking
EL California stop (it's really not that loud and it doesn't run all night)
Proximity to the loop
Cabs will drive you home
the view of downtown!


Cons:
Cabs WILL NOT come pick up
In the summer time the kids are always playing with firecrackers
The fire station is less then a mile away and they ALWAYS drive on Washington to get to there destination
Dirty vacant lots
You need a car to access the grocery stores and Target (unless you take the green line to Roosevelt)


However, I will say that though I didn't have any bad experiences living there my roommate and her friend did get robbed in the alley at night(10:30pm ish). The teens that robbed them though got on the train at Ashland and kept staring at them. When my friends walk the 1/2 block to the back gate the guys were following them. BUT my friends did admit that they didn't pay any attention to their surroundings because they were chatting. When we called the police they came and drove my roomie around to look for the robbers. Just remember though that people get robbed EVERYWHERE in Chicago.

I know someone else mentioned that things are completely different in the winter than in the summer and that statement is 100% true. (I moved in Feb. 07)

Well, I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions that I can answer for you

You are beyond naive. East Garfield Park IS among the worst neighborhoods in the city. Did you ignore the crime stats that were posted?

Now, perhaps you could argue that the level of hysteria surrounding bad neighborhoods is overblown, and that the worst neighborhoods in the city aren't as bad as people think. But you cannot deny that East Garfield Park is one of the roughest, most crime-ridden, gang-infested neighborhoods in the City of Chicago. And in this city, that's really saying something!

[Drover]

Originally Posted by mgk1984

I randomly came across this site looking for a website about a new loft conversion in that neighborhood and I must say that I'm beyond annoyed.
It sounds like most if not all of the people who have posted on this thread have never lived in this neighborhood.

I lived used to live in the grey stone apartments on the corner of California and Washington from 2007-2008. Granted it's not the best neighborhood in Chicago it's not the worst!

See below for my list of pros and cons.

Pros:
The area is up and coming and the rent is great
Non-permit parking
EL California stop (it's really not that loud and it doesn't run all night)
Proximity to the loop
Cabs will drive you home
the view of downtown!


Cons:
Cabs WILL NOT come pick up
In the summer time the kids are always playing with firecrackers
The fire station is less then a mile away and they ALWAYS drive on Washington to get to there destination
Dirty vacant lots
You need a car to access the grocery stores and Target (unless you take the green line to Roosevelt)


However, I will say that though I didn't have any bad experiences living there my roommate and her friend did get robbed in the alley at night(10:30pm ish). The teens that robbed them though got on the train at Ashland and kept staring at them. When my friends walk the 1/2 block to the back gate the guys were following them. BUT my friends did admit that they didn't pay any attention to their surroundings because they were chatting. When we called the police they came and drove my roomie around to look for the robbers. Just remember though that people get robbed EVERYWHERE in Chicago.

I know someone else mentioned that things are completely different in the winter than in the summer and that statement is 100% true. (I moved in Feb. 07)

Well, I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions that I can answer for you

"It's not that bad, as long as you can look past the fact that my friends got assaulted and robbed and as long as you pretend that GUNFIRE is firecrackers."

[mgk1984]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

East Garfield Park is easily one of the worst neighborhoods in the city.

FIRECRACKERS? Firecrackers?

Are you that dense? It was not firecrackers you were hearing it was gunfire!

LMFAO.

Dense?!?! I literally saw the kids lighting them in the street!

Granted it is not the best neighborhood, I think that people over exaggerate how bad it is now.