Why is Logan Square so cewl? (Harvard, Madison: neighborhood, buying, schools)

[marothisu]

Logan Square will continue to attract residents with more money and it has been happening for awhile. This is no secret. I have a friend who owns multiple successful businesses in Chicago who decided to move from Gold Coast to Logan Square. I know multiple VPs and CEOs (CEOs of smaller firms) who have bought homes/condos in Logan Square.

Housing costs are rising, although they're still fine, things are gentrifying, etc. It's no different than any other neighborhood going through some gentrification IMO. There are very successful restaurant and bar owners who have decided to open up other locations in Logan Square. If you make it in the restaurant/bar business, you know what you're doing since many of them end up failing in the end. The businesses opening up in Logan Square are not really from first time business owners. Many are successful with other places in other parts of town.

[Aleking]

it jumped the shark last year

[chet everett]

Once towns like Skokie and Lincolnwood were THE place too...


Back in the "Gilded Era" places near todays Praire Ave Historic District were where Chicago's Barons made their homes.

There is nothing magic about short term success in either real estate or even a "hot" resturant, but even the best business people often close places -- Rich Melman Restaurant Habits What goes into those closed spaces is often a lot less ambitious place that often takes down the "hotness factor" many orders of magnitude. There is a Wildfire (which is a nice enough place, but there now eight of those in LEYE company as opposed to the "one and only" Eccentric back when River North & Oprah was so much hipper. Down the road when the fad fades for hip places in Logan Square or Wicker Park I suspect that there will be a progression of more "run of the mill" efforts ...

[BRU67]

With people starting to refer to it as "cewl" I too fear it's jumped the shark, from a hipster perspective anyway, LOL! As to why it's so darn cool, well, here's a link which might help explain that:

Let Me Google That

This well understood urban process will also shed light on what probably will happen there over the next 10 years. Hint -- it'll be more expensive but probably not as cool.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Once towns like Skokie and Lincolnwood were THE place too...

Skokie and Lincolnwood are about as hip as a Volvo station wagon. Oh wait....

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by BRU67

With people starting to refer to it as "cewl" I too fear it's jumped the shark

It's certainly not a good sign, that's for sure.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by BRU67

With people starting to refer to it as "cewl" I too fear it's jumped the shark, from a hipster perspective anyway, LOL! As to why it's so darn cool, well, here's a link which might help explain that:

Let Me Google That

This well understood urban process will also shed light on what probably will happen there over the next 10 years. Hint -- it'll be more expensive but probably not as cool.

Exactly, Logan Square will become more "gentrified" and less cool. The "hip" will move on to new less expensive neighborhoods. When I moved to Andersonville in the very early 2000s, people couldn't believe I would move that far north, they had never heard of it.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Exactly, Logan Square will become more "gentrified" and less cool. The "hip" will move on to new less expensive neighborhoods. When I moved to Andersonville in the very early 2000s, people couldn't believe I would move that far north, they had never heard of it.

We'll know we've reached that stage when neighbors start actively petitioning to reduce activities like this weekend's Brasil Fest, or Tour de Fat, etc.

It's not the first or second wave of gentrifiers that are the problem IMO, it's the ones who show up far later in the game who don't respect all the work that went in to improve the neighborhood before them.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

We'll know we've reached that stage when neighbors start actively petitioning to reduce activities like this weekend's Brasil Fest, or Tour de Fat, etc.

It's not the first or second wave of gentrifiers that are the problem IMO, it's the ones who show up far later in the game who don't respect all the work that went in to improve the neighborhood before them.

Exactly, the people with money to spend are the NIMBYs. And they come after an area has been taken over by the "hip".

[Irishtom29]

It's interesting that while in the past middle class people didn't give a damn whether they were cool or not for some time now the middle class has sought to redefine the concept of cool so thy can be cool too, thus the current notion (among some) that how cool you are depends on buying the right (expensive) stuff. But the sense of detachment, I don't give a damn attitude and contempt for middle class appearances that one needs to really be cool are impossible for those striving for conventional middle class success.