The "don't go north of Irving Rule" (Chicago: apartment, renting)

[Swandaddy]

I was just reading around some of the other threads here and someone mentioned this "don't go north of Irving Rule."

Preliminary initial reactions to this include "Why are certain people afraid to go north of Irving?" and "Thank God the Yuppies won't invade my neighborhood since they're afraid of it."

Nothing dead set has been formed in my mind about this, other than acute realization that this "rule" exists for some people. Thoughts? Discussions?

[Avengerfire]

So you live in Uptown right?

[jman07]

I agree with the dont go north of irving rule but only until you hit damen. All it is, is different blocks of neighborhoods. If your a young yuppy don't go north of irving. Its a bit of a different world there than lakeview. Dont go west of western either.

[Lookout Kid]

Only an idiot or newbie would have such a rule. Truly ridiculous. I will admit, I was slow to discover certain neighborhoods north of Lakeview when I first moved to the city, as was my wife. But some of Chicago's nicest and most interesting neighborhoods are north of Irving Park Road. I understand people wanting to limit their commutes, but being south of Irving doesn't automatically give you a shorter commute to the Loop than someone north of Irving.

[Drover]

I've never heard of a "don't go north of Irving" rule, probably because it's thoroughly preposterous.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Drover

I've never heard of a "don't go north of Irving" rule, probably because it's thoroughly preposterous.

Not really. When in Irving Park going north of Irving into Albany Park might not be the best thing in the world. It has been heating up again there.

[Drover]

There are still numerous very livable neighborhoods north of Irving Park.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Drover

There are still numerous very livable neighborhoods north of Irving Park.

Of course there are. But there are a handful that need mostly to be avoided for the most part. But you know that. I can't believe I even posted in this baited thread to begin with.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by Swandaddy

I was just reading around some of the other threads here and someone mentioned this "don't go north of Irving Rule."

Preliminary initial reactions to this include "Why are certain people afraid to go north of Irving?" and "Thank God the Yuppies won't invade my neighborhood since they're afraid of it."

Nothing dead set has been formed in my mind about this, other than acute realization that this "rule" exists for some people. Thoughts? Discussions?

Well, everyone knows that the only area of Chicago one can properly live in is bounded by Irving Park Road on the north, Roosevelt Road on the south, Lake Michigan on the east, and Ashland Avenue on the west. All the rest of Chicago is just a giant wasteland where no one dares to tread. I'm sure I read that some years ago on the Lincoln Park Trixie Society website or some such.

Seriously, however... When I first moved to Chicago back in 1995, and was looking for a place, I pretty much knew I wanted to live in or near Lakeview, near Boystown and all that... I used an apartment finder service and told my agent I didn't want to look at anything north of Irving, unless it was on Marine Drive between Irving and Montrose. I knew I wanted to live near the lake, and that north of Irving it was "Uptown", and that Uptown was "bad". To me at the time, Irving Park Road was the very edge of respectability. Of course, it was because I didn't really know any better back then.

Even today, I might advise a newcomer to town, especially a white yuppie type right out of college, who perhaps grew up in suburbia somewhere and is not used to living around a lot of diversity and doesn't want a lot of "adventure" while setting up in a new city, to start out renting in one of the more popular areas south of Irving -- Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Gold Coast and all that -- at least temporarily until they learn their way around the rest of the city and feel more comfortable with other areas, then decide where to go from there.

[chicago103]

These are one of these rules from 30 years ago before the age of gentrification and even then were a bit paranoid. I mean everything north of Irving? This evening I was at the German festival in Lincoln Square which is about a mile north of Irving and that are is just as yuppified as areas south of it today.

Most of these "rules" are probably rumors you can trace back to old city dwellers who now live in the north shore suburbs and rarely venture into the city today and just assume how they remember it in the 1970's still holds water today. Today's society is filled with people who have no clue what the hell they are talking about when it comes to cities and neighborhoods.