How safe is Englewood?? (Chicago, Chatham: for sale, 2010, apartment)

[mohammed wong]

to teacher guy, cps is the best for job security, my mom is in the system,
and i dont like suburbs schools, cuz they wait so long to think about tenure and then many times they ofcourse dont give it, cheaper for them,

cps is better in the long run and if you are still young its a better move,


Lets be more positive drover, i know its looks rough in areas like canaryville, but honestly do you think the forces of gentrification are that weak?
I think you underestimate them, its simply that time is starting to catch up with the worst neigborhoods that still have good housing stock,

gentrification has created this immense housing pressure, putting people into contact with others that they are unfamiliar with.

canaryville is the next bridgeport,
think long term,

this i dont know maybe the drug pushers will win mentality is just strange.
they wont, because money talks, and gentrification is like the great nothing

what has stopped gentrification so far?
public outcry?
nimbies?
journalists?
naysayers?
local hoodlums?
homeless?
drug dealers?
prostitutes?
pimps?

none. all fall to market forces.

[Drover]

You can worship in the Church of Gentrification if you want, but we are not going to gentrify every corner of the city. Canaryville may or may not be the next Bridgeport, which itself is not especially gentrified even if it is a safe and stable area. Not everyone wants to be an urban pioneer. Not everyone wants to live in an area that may gentrify some day but is riddled with drugs and gangs today. People who are considering moving into a neighborhood right now are entitled to know what is happening in that neighborhood right now, not just to sunshine BS about how it may or may not become the next __________________ (insert neighborhood here) some day.

[BRU67]

People saw gentrification happen in Wicker Park and Bucktown, the housing market exploded, and then everyone rushed off to mine their own gold in other parts of the City. I think at one point we had like 25 "next Bucktowns." Heck, Humbolt Park even went so far as to rename part of itself "West Bucktown." And it worked in some areas, simply by sheer force. If enough profit driven and well-heeled professionals decend upon an area, you're going to see some changes -- most notably increased property values. That, in turn, fuels the speculation even more.

But I think that this is going to come back down to earth as people realize that living in Humbolt Park day-to-day, for example, isn't always a picnic and they don't see the dramatic visual changes they expected after a few years roll by. I also don't think enough speculators exist to completely gentrify anything more than a few neighborhoods, especially without a housing boom to drive it. And even if they do, access to capital will be a problem. In the late '90s and early '00s, banks were throwing money at developers for virtually any project. Now, it's much much tighter.

I think by the end of the decade, we'll be able to distinguish the real gentrifying neighborhoods from the pretenders.

[TeacherMan]

Originally Posted by Drover

It sort of comes down to this: if you want to live on the South side, you'll want to avoid the whole part of town that is south of 47th street, west of the Dan Ryan Expressway, north of about 83rd Street and west to about Central Park (the midway street between Kedzie and Pulaski). There are other parts of the South Side that should be approached with caution, but the part above encapsulates most of the really bad parts.



And as desparate as CPS is to find and hold on to teachers, I can't believe they are only going to give you 2 years of service credit. Did they explain why?

EDIT: Here (broken link) is an excellent Sun-Times article on the current state of affairs in Canaryville.

First, TO ALL..THANK YOU!!! You are helping to "narrow down" our search for affordable, safe, housing in our "big move" (happening in August)!!!!

Second, if anyone has "connections" into housing options, listings, etc. in the Bridgeport area, PLEASE PM ME!!! I am using the resources I can find on-line, and picking up a Bridgeport local (i.e. community) paper when possible. But I know from experience, the BEST housing deals come from "someone who knows someone who has a place to rent."

Third, to the poster who encouraged me to pursue employment with CPS, thanks for the encouragement!

Finally, I have NO IDEA why CPS will only credit 2 years! My future principal fought for me on this issue (it translates to approx. $10,000 less in salary), but CPS HR informed her that this is a "strict policy"! Although I found this disheartening, it is not insurmountable, and thus will not dissuade us from moving to Chicago. It just might mean I have to find a second, part-time, job. If anyone has any insight into this, please feel free to share!

Thanks again...I look forward to reading the continued dialog!!

Sincerely,
-TM

[SC40]

Hi TM,

The best way to find an inexpensive apartment is driving around and looking for "For Rent" signs. Be sure to ask what utilities are included. Also, check craigslist if you haven't already. Thats where I posted when I was a building manager. It's free.

[prairiestate]

The southwest side will be your best bet, say west of Pulaski. It is simply the nicest area of the city for the price. The neighborhoods along Pulaski, from the Stevenson, down to around Marquette Road, are all fairly safe and reasonably priced. Those neighborhoods are becoming mostly Hispanic, but there is still a very large Polish population. The Orange Line is up near Archer. South of Marquette Road is Ashburn, with most of the residential areas south of 79th St. It's an attractive and reasonably safe middle class African American neighborhood, with Metra service to downtown. West of Cicero, along Archer, is Garfield Ridge, and along 63rd St. is Clearing. Still mostly white, with a lot of Polish immigrants in Garfield Ridge, and a rapidly increasing Hispanic population in Clearing. Check the local paper for apartments: www.dailysouthtown.com The southwest side almost never gets mentioned here, but you get a lot for your money in this part of town.

[prairiestate]

You know, it's kind of funny. There is so much debate here about whether or not a particular neighborhood is safe. However, there seems to be no dispute that if you move to Englewood, you'll probably be leaving in a body bag. Good to see we all finally agree on something.

[cvatasoiu]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

You know, it's kind of funny. There is so much debate here about whether or not a particular neighborhood is safe. However, there seems to be no dispute that if you move to Englewood, you'll probably be leaving in a body bag. Good to see we all finally agree on something.

there is no debate really, it's just plain not safe

[the_hungry_wanderer]

Originally Posted by cvatasoiu

there is no debate really, it's just plain not safe

How about during the day? Is it safe to walk the streets of Englewood before sunset?

[prairiestate]

Originally Posted by the_hungry_wanderer

How about during the day? Is it safe to walk the streets of Englewood before sunset?

ROTFLMA! (In other words, absolutely not)