Chicago life vs Detroit life (Oak Park, Humboldt: high crime, new construction, schools)

[us66]

Good investment for crappy areas here now means some guy from the suburbs comes into some inner-ring suburb like Eastpointe, buys several houses at about $30K, makes them somewhat inhabitable again, and then rents them out for $800-$1000 a month to someone either just abandoned a similar house a mile away or to a fleeing Detroiter. Until a couple of years ago, the housing market was much more stratified, like Chicagoland's, but with metro D's aging, often unremodeled housing stock not commanding much money anymore, there's no reason not to move up quite a bit. For example, I was looking at houses in Detroit a few years ago...nice '40s colonials and bungalows, northeast corner of the city...$120-$150K back then...now worth $40-65K now, if you can sell it. Many suburban areas are little different. My friend bought a tudor in Mount Clemens for $45K that had last sold for $130K.

As for the snow...My specific area gets a bit less than the vast majority of the metro. Go five miles north and ten west, and they get meaningfully more snow. The traffic reports mention ice in the western suburbs on the interstates, I'm doing 70 on a mostly clear road.

[Anthera]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

And while I'm not some ultra-left socialist who repeats things I hear in Michael Moore movies, I must say that I still don't fully trust people in commodity trading, despite the fact that I know they have their place in society, so I'm not sure how proud I am of that.

Without the stock and commodity exchanges how would the markets have liquidity?

Or did you mean the indiviudals involved?

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by Anthera

Without the stock and commodity exchanges how would the markets have liquidity?

Or did you mean the indiviudals involved?

Individuals involved.

[HumboldtParkRican773]

Plz don't compared the two.Chicago is one of the best citys in the world.The two cities are only 3-5 hours apart.All it takes is a quit trip to Chicago to see which is better.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by HumboldtParkRican773

Plz don't compared the two.Chicago is one of the best citys in the world.The two cities are only 3-5 hours apart.All it takes is a quit trip to Chicago to see which is better.

It would automatically be better if the city seceded from neighborhoods like yours. Its neighborhoods like yours that make people see the similarities. The antigentrification attitudes that your nieghborhood is known for is not altogether different from the political atmosphere of Detroit proper as a whole.

No offense. I'm just saying.

[HumboldtParkRican773]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

It would automatically be better if the city seceded from neighborhoods like yours. Its neighborhoods like yours that make people see the similarities. The antigentrification attitudes that your nieghborhood is known for is not altogether different from the political atmosphere of Detroit proper as a whole.

No offense. I'm just saying.

Look, Humboldt Park is beautiful. Nothing,....no neigborhood in Detriot will come close to Humboldt Park! Yes the west side of humboldt Park is ghetto but the vibe and ENERGY that Humboldt Park has is something that Detriot can only dream about! Humboldt Park is are community, i bet Detriot doesn't have a Puerto Rican neighborhood. Like i said it's are community and I'm not against gentrification, I'm against yuppies moving in and TAKING ARE FLAGS DOWN! Thats what i don't want. Plus no detriot neighborhood beats the urban city feel you get from humboldt park, They can only dream of being as urban as us. The last news that came out of Detriot was that the were going to demolish 30% of that city and i know not all of Detriot is ghetto, but at the end of the day, Chicago is the better city by far and you should be glad Chicago has humboldt park and not against it. It makes Chicago the diverse city it is!

Chicago vs Detriot? not really
Chicago vs New York, yea

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by HumboldtParkRican773

Look, Humboldt Park is beautiful. Nothing,....no neigborhood in Detriot will come close to Humboldt Park! Yes the west side of humboldt Park is ghetto but the vibe and ENERGY that Humboldt Park has is something that Detriot can only dream about! Humboldt Park is are community, i bet Detriot doesn't have a Puerto Rican neighborhood. Like i said it's are community and I'm not against gentrification, I'm against yuppies moving in and TAKING ARE FLAGS DOWN! Thats what i don't want. Plus no detriot neighborhood beats the urban city feel you get from humboldt park, They can only dream of being as urban as us. The last news that came out of Detriot was that the were going to demolish 30% of that city and i know not all of Detriot is ghetto, but at the end of the day, Chicago is the better city by far and you should be glad Chicago has humboldt park and not against it. It makes Chicago the diverse city it is!

Chicago vs Detriot? not really
Chicago vs New York, yea

Detroit does have a few Puerto Ricans but not many. It does however have a significant thriving Mexican community on the SW side of Detroit. Similar to Pilsen or Cicero from what I understand. Look up Mexicantown on wikipedia.

I love diversity, but I just don't care for attitudes of any individual people of any ethnic group that want to only hang out with their own. That to me is closed-minded, but thats just my opinion. Case in point, Cuba has a similar heritage as Puerto Rico, but the Cubans that have immigrated to the United States for the most part have assimilated into American culture, while still being proud of their heritage. Florida is a place to really see this.

I'm not saying that Puerto Ricans don't do that. Or that one group is like this or that. And I don't start a city-data.com fight, but I think that the way that Cubans have assimilated into American culture in Florida, but still cherish their heritage, can be a good example to many immigrant groups, that you can do both.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by HumboldtParkRican773

Nothing,....no neigborhood in Detriot will come close to Humboldt Park! Yes the west side of humboldt Park is ghetto but the vibe and ENERGY that Humboldt Park has is something that Detriot can only dream about!

Open your eyes. Humboldt Park is one pretty good example of a "Detroit-like" neighborhood in Chicago. It doesn't matter that Detroit doesn't have a large Puerto Rican presence... It's the gangs, drugs, violence, and abandonment that link these places.

[HumboldtParkRican773]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Open your eyes. Humboldt Park is one pretty good example of a "Detroit-like" neighborhood in Chicago. It doesn't matter that Detroit doesn't have a large Puerto Rican presence... It's the gangs, drugs, violence, and abandonment that link these places.

I do open my eyes and i love Humboldt Park. To me it's not a ghetto! I'm proud of what my Hood stands for and what it represents.I'm not ashamed, I was born and raised here! Yes, drugs, yes Humboldt park is the birth place of the Latin King Nation,Maniac Latin Disciples,Insane Spanish Cobras,Almighty Imperial Gangsters, ect.......I STILL LOVE MY HOOD AND I'M PROUD WHAT IT IS! Threw good times and bad times I'll never be ashamed of where i was born and raised! Abandonment? If you think Humboldt Park is abandoned you so wrong, as a matter fact it's one of Chicago's MOST DENSE neighborhoods,It's not abandoned, it's pretty crowded if you ask me!

http://cbrkelvinrealestate.typepad.c..._pr_flag_2.jpg
http://www.harakumaran.com/creativesolutions/hpnosevende/humboldtparknosevende.jpg (broken link)

I luv Humboldt Park! lol, Get your translaters.....

[Tex?Il?]

OK, hopefully I can put an end to this debate, when it comes down to it, from a historical perspective American society as a whole shares at least a little bit of the blame of the current shape of many of our inner cities, from demographic groups who were denied educational opportunities in the past to our economic system, which favors the best manufactured products possible the cheapest means possible.

Whether its almost entire cities like Detroit, or certain parts of cities like Chicago, arguing about the difference between Humboldt Park and SW Detroit is splitting hairs and gets people nowhere. The inner problems whereever you are, are linked to white flight (then middle class of all colors) and deindustrialization, which leaves low skilled people with less of a means to support themselves which leaves a few of those affected to choose the wrong decisions of drugs, crime.

While Humboldt Park is certainly not "abandoned" the official community borders as defined on wikipedia, does include abandoned areas to the west and south of the neighborhood. And that abandoned (vacant lots where there used to be railyards, factories, etc.) have everything to do with why there are problems of gangs and drugs in the more "lively and dense" parts of the neighborhood.

Check out these google earth street views in the official boundaries of the community area:

Plug them into maps.google.com

492 N Kilbourn Ave, Chicago, IL, United States

4476 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
Address is approximate

1408 N Kostner Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
Address is approximate

538 N Sawyer Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
Address is approximate

3870 W Ohio St, Chicago, IL, United States
Address is approximate

They may nothing compared to some of the abandonment of real rustbelt cities, or other parts of the south and west sides, but it does have everything to do with the social conditions of a neighborhood like Humboldt Park.