Garfield Park (Chicago, Augusta, Humboldt: real estate, 2013, crime)

[key4lp]

Garfield Park Conservatory is the largest one in the US. It is a treasure. I went there last year
and drove down Central Park off of Augusta and was taken back by what I saw. During the time
we were there during the day, there were several police cars and many arrests being made.
Since then I've been reading about the crime there, seems really bad. So now, Garfield Park is right up there with Englewood?

[marothisu]

So far this year? Yeah, it has the most homicides of any neighborhood so far in 2013...West Garfield Park, not EGP. However, I would say that Austin is just as bad as Englewood

[tompope]

Yeah, I'm not sure what you're asking, key4lp. Yes, the Garfield Park Conservatory is an amazing place, a great destination, and one of Chicago's true treasures. And actually the rest of Garfield Park itself is actually a wonderful park, one of the best in the city, and a worthwhile place to spend some time, at least during the day. But the surrounding neighborhoods on all sides have been very rough for a long time. There are and have been some signs of improvement and vitality there, but it's still a quite poor and rather violent place (by modern American standards, at least), and somewhere where few people would choose to live if they have other options. The neighborhood is actually kind of an interesting place to visit, with some very notable history and architecture. And as a visitor, as long as you use some basic common sense, it's generally acceptably safe, either by car, bus, el, bicycle, or even on foot. But I wouldn't want to live there, at least not without a great deal of thought and caution. None of this is new, though. Sadly, that's been more or less the situation in and around Garfield Park for decades now.

[Drover]

This is nothing new. Garfield Park (the neighborhood) has been a distressed, crime-addled neighborhood for decades now. If anything it's better now than it was 20 years ago but it's still not the kind of place you go to make an evening of it.

[key4lp]

I was just wanting to get some feedback from those familiar with Garfield Park & if what I was reading is true. I grew up
fairly close to GP and back then I think it was closed down. Our father usually took us to Humboldt Park. I've been there
several times and several years ago there was all this talk about the area around GP near the Lake St. el that was the
up and coming area (and no I wasn't a yuppie or investor who was looking into investing in real estate).
Since I grew up in the city of Chicago, I really miss it so every now and then we take a long drive to be there again.
I just wanted a little feedback about how the area is this year and how the conservatory is doing (it is an amazing place).

[snoylekim]

The worst things that have happened to the Conservatory recently were some damage from a hail storm 2 summers ago, and some drunk yuppies at a wedding uprooted some very rare plants. The hail damage was fixable.. Points about the neighborhoods surrounding the park are spot on ... explore carefully, but the park and especially the conservatory are still very well kept and are rare treasures for that part of the city ..

[key4lp]

I read about the hail damage and when we went they had temporary plexi glass. The staff were great and very
enthusiastic and proud of the conservatory. They said they raised a good amount of money. Too bad some drunk idiots
uprooted rare plants. Hope the conservatory was able to heal them.

[gomexico]

Originally Posted by key4lp

So now, Garfield Park is right up there with Englewood?

It's been an "iffy" neighborhood for the past couple of decades, best I can recollect. West Side crime doesn't seem to get the coverage as crime in Englewood and the South Side - but my sense is what's happening on the West Side isn't as devastating as what's been going on in Englewood. So, no ... not an apples to apples comparison ... yet.

[snoylekim]

Maybe that devastation already happened ..long ago .. parts of the West Side never recovered from the riots in 1968 , some Urban renewal efforts that proceeded that that took out ostensibly stable areas , and some areas that were never historically affluent to begin with ( although some Near West Side/East Garfield Park show signs of past opulence) ..I remember African American friends describing the difference between the South Side and The West Side with "..the South Side Brothers have jobs "

[ProgMichael]

From Business Week in March 2007. America's next hot neighborhoods:

America's Next Hot Neighborhoods | BusinessWeek

What a difference a recession makes...