Why is Logan Square so cewl? (Chicago, Naperville: real estate, rent, amusement park)

[the invisible ghost]

I mean, why are businesses flocking there? I noticed that Chicago Diner, that vedge legend joint, has just opened a new restaurant there. And other stores are setting up shop there, too.

It's still so gritty looking. I actually like that aspect compared to the Naperville-esque banality that sets into former sketchy 'hoods. Witness Bucktown and Wicker Park.

[marothisu]

There's a lot of stuff that will be opening up there soon and this fall and it has been doing that for awhile. Not all of Logan Square is gritty and there's some newer construction there in parts and not all of Wicker Park or Bucktown is even close to Naperville. There are still some places in Wicker Park with an edge to it for sure.

But anyway, when you think about it, people have been flocking to Wicker Park/Bucktown for awhile. Logan Square is just right there, it's on a train line, real estate is still cheap compared to some other areas, people are moving there now with some sort of money, etc.

[Chicagoist123]

Originally Posted by the invisible ghost

I mean, why are businesses flocking there? I noticed that Chicago Diner, that vedge legend joint, has just opened a new restaurant there. And other stores are setting up shop there, too.

It's still so gritty looking. I actually like that aspect compared to the Naperville-esque banality that sets into former sketchy 'hoods. Witness Bucktown and Wicker Park.

Actually not all of Logan Square is gritty, some parts are quite the opposite. Logan Blvd is not gritty at all.

I think it's becuase it just has this real urban feel to it. Places like Lincoln Park feel too vanilla. Where Logan Square just feels more urban, more diverse, more REAL. Like Wicker Park and Bucktown feel. Places like Lincoln Park, Lakeview and North Center all feel to vanilla. Nice beautiful neighborhoods, but they lack a certain edge to them.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by the invisible ghost

I mean, why are businesses flocking there?

The same reason businesses flock anywhere: There's money to be made.

[Jesse69]

Logan Square is becoming more White instead of Hispanic.

[Attrill]

I don't think the "feel" has anything to do with it. It has to do with the changing demographics in sections of Logan Square.

Rising rents and property prices around the closer in Blue Line stops (i.e. Damen, Division) have been driving people further out along the Blue Line for more than a decade. This has resulted in an increase in gentrification in Logan Square (especially along Milwaukee Ave. and Kedzie). So - this means that the area has more residents with disposable income, and it can support more businesses catering to that crowd than it currently has. For the last 5 years most business that have opened have been packed from day one. Just look at Revolution Brewing, Longman & Eagle, Scofflaw, Boiler Room, Parson's, Reno, Jam, Cole's, Boulangerie, the Whistler, Dante's, 90 Miles, Telegraph, etc. Based on how much business these places are seeing it looks like there is plenty of support for more businesses in the the area. The fact that property prices are still reasonable compared to other neighborhoods helps a lot too.

[chet everett]

If "feel" includes the fact that overall the area is the right distance from other spots in the path of development, has the right mix of "pioneer" type gentification as well as more affluent "second wave" efforts, won't canabalize other businesses in Lincoln Park / Lakeview, and does not suffer from some of the "scale" issues of too wide sections of streets in Uptown / Edgewater then I do agree that "feel" is certainly part of the appeal. The same sorts of visual issues make different parts of Chicago wholly unappealing to young people -- think of the uniformity of drab WW II era bungalows in Brighton Park or Dunning, the lack of transit options (and abundance of semi-suburban ranches...) in Forest Glen, heck even the overly "secured" feel of condos / townhouses of "Central Station" between Grant Park and Praire Ave Disrtict...

Of course there are PLENTY of other spots in Chicago where land is MUCH cheaper but they do not have the right mix of features that mitigates risk nor do they have the "scale" that still allows non-deep pocket developers to have a go at things.

While personally I think the pace of change in Logan Square is dangerously close to being a local bubble, and the current boom has all the warning signs of a "fad" instead of a more sustainable "trend" there are apparently enough others that feel differently. I can't really blame some of the business owners either -- it just makes sense to "get in while the gettins' good". I hope that folks that need a "plan B" have an exit strategy if / when the bloom is off the rose...

[Vlajos]

Logan is here to stay. Lincoln Park and Lake view appeal to different people. I don't see cannibalization.

[thegrid]

I wouldnt be surprised if some of the "boom town" restaurants fail. Well, because restaurants fail all the time, anywhere.

But the rent in Logan is going way up, because landlords can charge higher prices and people are willing to pay. I dont think that movement will change anytime soon.

[chet everett]

It is not just resturants that fail, entire "developmment strategies" often see pretty remarkable reversals in fairly short window of time.

Years ago when the "indoor mall" boom was sort of nearing the period where the "fad" aspect was peaking there was a hugely misguided effort out in Bolingbrook that combined a crummy indoor mall with a crummier indoor amusement park. It opened in 1975 and was shuttered by 1980, pretty remarkable rate of failure -- Old Chicago - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Over the years anyone that has watched downtown / near north high rises stall out can list a whole series of mismanaged efforts.

Heck when it comes to "amusments" one could include a whole category of dumb ideas that have failed spectacularly in Chicago, many involving well funding companies like Disney, Viacom or various beverage concerns -- from a historic / aesthic standpoint I think many folks would be surprised how long ago some people tried to base a business on the same sorts of draws that drive young people to Wicker Park / Wrigleyville / Logan Square -- Midway Gardens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia