Green Line/Garfield disaster zone (Chicago, Joliet: safe neighborhood, school, university)

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by RiverRise

I agree Chi-town Native. What I meant is, the city will make designations for marketing purposes. For example, all this "east/west" stuff. What is West Englewood? It has always been Englewood to my knowledge. These distinctions are made so that newcomers know what areas to avoid.

...to avoid and on the flip side of the coin, which ones are "safe."

The real question is where do the Realtor-Developer cabals and the City staff who give their blessing to these "new" neighborhoods overlap.

West Roscoe Village and West Bucktown are the two egregious examples in recent years on the north side.

I for one am pushing to see Roscoe Village renamed as "East Avondale," but I'm not gonna hold my breath.

[westender]

To get back on topic...

The preferred train into and out of Hyde Park is the IC/ Metra Electric. It's convenient to downtown and runs on a predictable schedule. The express bus lines are another alternative. But the CTA train/ el lines in that whole part of town have been sketchy since the 1960s.

The city is not going to expand those CTA lines (in fact the Jackson Park line used to turn east at 63d and run almost to the lake, but the city removed the last few miles of elevated track in the 1980s), nor are these lines going to relocate. The public transit service for Hyde Park is the existing commuter rail.

The neighborhoods west of Hyde Park, whatever you want to call it, may eventually improve, but not in the next 20 years. Many other neighborhoods will infill/ gentrify before the central South Side changes.

[Just1Fan]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Where's this coming from. Hyde Park is far from a sh*thole, so I can assume you've never actually set foot down there.

And the Green Line station that started this thread is not in Hyde Park, it's actually in the Washington Park neighborhood. Which might very well be a sh*thole...

Roger that. I read somewhere that about 4 blocks west of the Green Line/Garfield stop [at Garfield and State] lays one of the baddest neighborhoods, IN AMERICA.

[Just1Fan]

Originally Posted by MannheimMadman

Wrong. The Garfield Green line stop is decidedly in Washington Park. The actual park itself separates the two neighborhoods.

Spot on Madman. That's the way I see it.

[Just1Fan]

Originally Posted by RiverRise

Cook County Assessor's Office

This property is right near the green line stop. You can see it if you click the picture, actually. Notice what township it's listed under.

I'm sure half of you who post here have never spent any significant time in that neighborhood. Thanks but no thanks.

Your right. I stand corrected. I looked up Hyde Park Township [on Wikipedia] and came up with this:
Hyde Park Township, Cook County, Illinois - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It clearly states: Hyde Park Township is a former civil township in Cook County, Illinois, United States that existed as a separate municipality from 1861 until 1889 when it was annexed into the city of Chicago.[1] Its borders are Pershing Road (formerly 39th Street) on the north, State Street on the west, Lake Michigan and the Indiana state line on the east, and 138th Street and the Calumet River on the south.

Who would'a thunk it?

[Just1Fan]

Alright, that's it. I'm officially out of the "Hype Park boundary" argument. First, I thought the western boundary ended on the west side of Washington Park. Then, I read that Hyde Park township's western boundary was State Street. Now, I find that Hype Park neighborhood's western boundary is Washington Park.

Hyde Park Township, Cook County, Illinois - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It states: Today, the name Hyde Park is officially applied to the neighborhood from 51st Street (Hyde Park Blvd.) to the neighborhood around the Midway Plaisance or simply The Midway (between 59th and 60th). The neighborhood's eastern boundary is Lake Michigan and its western boundary is Washington Park. What gives?

[Just1Fan]

Originally Posted by TBideon

... after reaching Garfield, getting out, crossing that huge boulevard and waiting for the number 55 to go to Hyde Park in the dark was very unnerving, with two "gentlemen" selling drugs openly, at least when they weren't staring at me angrily.

First of all, it's not your neighborhood, so there's no need to play super cop. Furthermore, nobody laid a hand on you, so mind your business and let them do theirs. Hood politics 101: snitches get stitches.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Just1Fan

Alright, that's it. I'm officially out of the "Hype Park boundary" argument. First, I thought the western boundary ended on the west side of Washington Park. Then, I read that Hyde Park township's western boundary was State Street. Now, I find that Hype Park neighborhood's western boundary is Washington Park.

Hyde Park Township, Cook County, Illinois - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It states: Today, the name Hyde Park is officially applied to the neighborhood from 51st Street (Hyde Park Blvd.) to the neighborhood around the Midway Plaisance or simply The Midway (between 59th and 60th). The neighborhood's eastern boundary is Lake Michigan and its western boundary is Washington Park. What gives?

//www.city-data.com/forum/22585344-post25.html

Again, Hyde Park township is completely distinct from Hyde Park, the neighborhood.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by Just1Fan

Your right. I stand corrected. I looked up Hyde Park Township [on Wikipedia] and came up with this:
Hyde Park Township, Cook County, Illinois - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It clearly states: Hyde Park Township is a former civil township in Cook County, Illinois, United States that existed as a separate municipality from 1861 until 1889 when it was annexed into the city of Chicago.[1] Its borders are Pershing Road (formerly 39th Street) on the north, State Street on the west, Lake Michigan and the Indiana state line on the east, and 138th Street and the Calumet River on the south.

Who would'a thunk it?

People who live there, that's who.

I've known that Hyde Park Township was a vast piece of the south side for 40 years. Hyde Park, the *neighborhood* I lived in for 6 of those 40 years, extends from 51st to 60th or 61st, and from Cottage Grove east to the lake, a little over 1 square mile. The Green Line L stop is in Washington Park and it sucks. It will continue to suck since it is the middle of one of the worst ghettos in America (which is, sadly, very close to Hyde Park). While other ghettos seem to be shrinking or improving, this one hasn't improved one bit. There are urban legends about people buying the gorgeous rundown mansions on some streets in Washington Park and fixing them up. I have yet to meet one. North Kenwood and Woodlawn are improving, but not Washington Park. Don't go there unless you want to become a victim.

The Red Line is the best way to get to and from downtown once the IC (now called the Metra Electric) stops running.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by RiverRise

This is how some people live 24/7. If you want the privilege of being a U of C student and living in Hyde Park, it's something you have to deal with. Welcome to the real world.

That was uncalled for. It's called 'blaming the victim.'