Buena Park/ravenswood (Irving, Ashland, Montrose: mover, homes, high school)

[virtualstatic]

Anyone familiar with the area? nice/avoid?

[Drover]

Buena Park and Ravenswood are two are pretty close to each other, but aren't quite contiguous. Buena Park is a little bit of a mixed bag. In the southeast corner of Buena Park you'll find some grand, spectacular homes. Studs Terkel lives in that part of Buena Park. So does former IL governor Jim Thompson, who is still a fairly influential mover-and-shaker in state political circles. Broadway Avenue pretty much marks the western border of Buena Park. The Broadway corridor can be a little bit touch-and-go. Even 3 years ago, most of the Broadway corridor through Uptown (especially through Buena Park) was a pretty dangerous spot. The area has been slowly gentrifying and the process has really taken off in the last couple of years. But the Wilson Red Line stop (about 2 blocks north of Buena Park's northern border of Montrose Avenue) is still one of the most problematic in the city with frequent muggings at or near that station. The Broadway corridor becomes less problematic the closer you are to Irving Park Road (the southern border of Buena Park), but keep your wits about you anyway.

Ravenswood is generally understood to be the corridor between Ashland Avenue to the east and Damen Avenue to the West, from about Montrose up as far north as Foster Avenue. That whole corridor is, on the whole, quite safe, quiet and decent. One notable trouble spot is the corner of Foster and Damen. Fine during the day, but there's a gigantic high school on that corner with an even giganticer park that little thuglets like to lurk in. The convenience store on that corner gets robbed on about a monthly basis. Avoid that particular area at night while on foot. Otherwise, you should be A-OK in Ravenswood.

[virtualstatic]

Thank you very much, actually found an apt near the wilson stop, however I will now reconsider. Thanks!