Chicago segregated (Lincoln, Oakland, Woodlawn: fit in, neighborhoods, live)

[jeremyw90]

Man, Chicago is the most segregated city I've ever seen. Only the South Loop has a good flow between Middle Class Blacks, Whites, and international. The rest is straight North: White, South: Black, Latino: SW n NW, Asians: trying desperately to fit in with Whites (as they do almost everywhere else in America), Indians: purely in the burbs.

Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, River North: TOTALLY White. With the only presence of people of color in those areas being raggedy Black winos n bums on Chicago Ave, and Division. Sheesh man that **** sucks.

[tompope]

Originally Posted by jeremyw90

...so you're NOT interested in the topic...just an amateurish, nonsensical response? hmm, ok.

What kind of a response were you looking for? Your original post didn't ask a question or solicit any specific answers or feedback. And it wasn't a very original or profound observation, so I doubt you'll get a lot of substantive replies to it.

Yes, Chicago is an extraordinarily segregated city and region. That has been noted and demonstrated countless times over the decades, both anecdotally and statistically. Actually, the segregation has actually lessened over the years, and Chicago is a lot more racially mixed and tolerant than it was 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 years ago. But as you said, it's got a long ways to go. The example of the South Loop that you cited is an interesting one, in that the racial integration there has a lot to do with the fact that it's essentially a brand new neighborhood. Of course, it isn't really new, and it's actually one of the oldest parts of the city. But it had deteriorated to the point that it was basically empty by the 1990's, with very few (legal) businesses or (legal) residents remaining in the area, and just a lot of empty buildings, crumbling historic architecture, and homeless people. Then in the mid-1990's it started re-developing, and now it's been transformed into a booming hot spot for residential and commercial growth. And interestingly, that growth has followed some of the patterns associated with new, boomtown developments, as seen in places like some of the Sun Belt cities, rather than the standard Chicago model. That, plus the fact that it's close enough to the Loop for white people to feel comfortable there, yet close enough to the historically African-American strongholds on the South Side for black people to feel comfortable, has led to it being one of the most racially integrated parts of the city. And more of that kind of thing will surely happen. But out in the outlying neighborhoods, old paradigms die hard, and the racial divides are still deep and will be around for a long time.

But, like Alacran is getting at, there actually is quite a bit of integration amongst various non-black racial and ethnic groups in Chicago, especially on the Northwest Side, and to some extent in other areas. Much of the Northwest Side is a mix of Hispanic people of various ancestries, non-Hispanic white people, Asian-Americans with backgrounds from all across Asia, and lots of other groups. There are just very few African-Americans. The sharpest divide in Chicago nowadays tends to be between the black neighborhoods and the non-black neighborhoods. There are all sorts of historical and cultural reasons for that division, and it is gradually starting to erode, but it's an awfully stubborn pattern.

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by jeremyw90

Man, Chicago is the most segregated city I've ever seen.

Visit Hyde Park, Oakland and Woodlawn. It will increase your knowledge and possibly disprove your hypothesis.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by jeremyw90

Man, Chicago is the most segregated city I've ever seen.

Swell.

[jeremyw90]

Originally Posted by Manigault

Visit Hyde Park, Oakland and Woodlawn. It will increase your knowledge and possibly disprove your hypothesis.

Hyde Park's not bad. Academic enclave. Kinda far from the action in the city core though. No reason to really go there.

[jeremyw90]

Originally Posted by tompope

What kind of a response were you looking for? Your original post didn't ask a question or solicit any specific answers or feedback. And it wasn't a very original or profound observation, so I doubt you'll get a lot of substantive replies to it.

Yes, Chicago is an extraordinarily segregated city and region. That has been noted and demonstrated countless times over the decades, both anecdotally and statistically. Actually, the segregation has actually lessened over the years, and Chicago is a lot more racially mixed and tolerant than it was 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 years ago. But as you said, it's got a long ways to go. The example of the South Loop that you cited is an interesting one, in that the racial integration there has a lot to do with the fact that it's essentially a brand new neighborhood. Of course, it isn't really new, and it's actually one of the oldest parts of the city. But it had deteriorated to the point that it was basically empty by the 1990's, with very few (legal) businesses or (legal) residents remaining in the area, and just a lot of empty buildings, crumbling historic architecture, and homeless people. Then in the mid-1990's it started re-developing, and now it's been transformed into a booming hot spot for residential and commercial growth. And interestingly, that growth has followed some of the patterns associated with new, boomtown developments, as seen in places like some of the Sun Belt cities, rather than the standard Chicago model. That, plus the fact that it's close enough to the Loop for white people to feel comfortable there, yet close enough to the historically African-American strongholds on the South Side for black people to feel comfortable, has led to it being one of the most racially integrated parts of the city. And more of that kind of thing will surely happen. But out in the outlying neighborhoods, old paradigms die hard, and the racial divides are still deep and will be around for a long time.

But, like Alacran is getting at, there actually is quite a bit of integration amongst various non-black racial and ethnic groups in Chicago, especially on the Northwest Side, and to some extent in other areas. Much of the Northwest Side is a mix of Hispanic people of various ancestries, non-Hispanic white people, Asian-Americans with backgrounds from all across Asia, and lots of other groups. There are just very few African-Americans. The sharpest divide in Chicago nowadays tends to be between the black neighborhoods and the non-black neighborhoods. There are all sorts of historical and cultural reasons for that division, and it is gradually starting to erode, but it's an awfully stubborn pattern.

THANK YOU for such a lucid and enlightening post sir!

[jeremyw90]

I live right between the Gold Coast and River North. And yup, as SOON as you cross Lake St...TOTALLY White, and only White.

[skipcromer]

Originally Posted by jeremyw90

Where the hell is the Northwest side moron?

Do you need a compass?

[jeremyw90]

Originally Posted by jdiddy

It's statements like this that keep me coming back.

Ok, I should say, who the hell cares about the Northwest side? I moved here 5 months ago. Observing this city with fresh eyes.

[Drover]

This thread rules!