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As much as even I get fed up with the over blown reaction to news stories one does not have to be exactly a Sherlock Holmes of investigation to realize that folks want to play up the postives and ignore the negatives to drive up the price for properties they are selling / hope for price appreciation beyond what they've paid.
Several "red hot" northside areas have been noticeably absent from headlining grabbing stories of "Chicago's violence problem" and one need be not a crazed conspiracy theorist to understand why -- it is just the fact that many younger, hipper bloggers / business owners have a very large stake in these areas and their continued march toward Disneyesque levels of that perfect blend of "urban realism and post college consumerist nirvana".
In contrast the literal stink of the "Lower West Side" (driven in part by real differences in the ancient sewage and reversal of the Chicago River compared to the north side) is just something that mere window dressing will never completely eradicate...
Don't get me wrong, on a personal level I no more want all of Chicago to look like a Hollywood set of perfectly "managed grittiness alongside enlighted white collar professionals" than I want for it to decline, but to suggest that such a result is some kind of pre-ordained certainity is not just silly, it can end being dangerous and destructive. Folks have recently checked-in on these boards asking about the feasibility of moving into some spiffy renovated rental in a place like Washington Park and the response has been a uniform "not if you value safety / personal property / quiet". So to are those that "over sell" the current state of any of the still gentrifying areas -- the same sort of reckless optimism helped fuel the prices of the burst real estate that still has left lots of busted dreams for onetime home owners / investors.
If folks go into areas with some wildly inflated dreams of how fabulous things are the inevitable downturn is likely to hit them all the harder.
Jello-O, meet fork.
Good God... "preordained certainty?" "Wildly inflated dreams??" What the hell are you on about?? We're not talking about some wildly optimistic future vision laid out by developers and realtors looking to transform a present-day rough-and-tumble urban wasteland into some grandiose urbatopia. We're talking about what's going on in the neighborhood right now. It's hard to believe you were just there a week ago and utterly failed to recognize the plainly obvious transformation that is not "reckless optimism" but that is genuinely happening right out in the open. It's almost like arguing with someone who claims Cabrini Green is still a crime-ridden hellhole.
The relative improvements to the crime rate are certainly not the only thing ...
...that is a postive in Pilsen. There clearly are a wider range of dining options than even just a few years ago and there have been some improvements in shopping too.
That said, it is still a long long way from having the kind of more mainstream appeal of a place like Lincoln Square that really has always been much more conventionally mainstream in its commercial district -- I don't recall hearing any shop keepers converse in German or anything like that. Even Logan Square really does seem to have a much wider range of folks out and about. When you compare the housing stock in the two areas it is unquestionable that there are more nice masonary buildings up north and fewer of the frame homes as well as more appealing public street scenes along the tree lined north side boulevards. The benefits of these things are not just aesthetic but also provide for shade, durability / permanence, and noise suppression.
The underlying foundation of Mexican culture is still quite pervasive in present day Pilsen and some folks seem to be actively resisting any further incursions that diminish it. The degree to which the dynamics of not just the real estate market but also employment trends will work against such efforts to preserve "culture" is hard to assess. The funny thing is that it is probably now so pricey in Pilsen that a newly arrived immigrant from Mexico would be more likely to find an affordable place in downtown Aurora, Joliet, Waukegan or Elgin especially if they need a family sized rental. The sorts of isolation that some of these old industrial cities have from the rest of more healthy economy in adjacent suburbs is striking. It makes a lot of sense for folks with property in Pilsen to sell and relocate to an area where they very likely will get more from their money in maybe Elmwood Park, Cicero or Berwyn where they'd likely still have access to work via CTA. In contrast folks landing in O'Hare from Warsaw are still going to find plenty of affordable apartments in Avondale suitable for a young family as well as countrymen that will help them land appropriate jobs often in construction and learn the best places to converse / shop in Polish well also moving into the mainstream. Logan Square seems to have a better shot of more slowly allowing the non-post-college hold outs to better take advantage of longer term shifts that will likely see less overt resistence from activists that fear a political constituency slipping away.
Newly arrived professional immigrants to Chicago from the suburbs who just sold their homes and need a temporary apartment can't afford rent in Pilsen anymore lol! All kidding aside (and I am barely kidding), there's no way in Hades a recent immigrant could afford to rent there now, unless there's some sort of underground rental thing they can tap into. $1300-1700 will get you a small 2 bedroom with tiny rooms. I ran across a landlord trying to get $1,500 for a small 1 bedroom. You may be right about hostility couched in "keeping it real" but I suspect at the end of the day money's gonna talk and BS is gonna walk over there. The cat's out of the bag.
I definitely see why many are leaving there for the suburbs. You can rent a whole house in Berwyn for what an 800 sf 2 bdr would cost in Pilsen. Buying, you'd pay 100k less for something bigger and in a better school district.
Newly arrived professional immigrants to Chicago from the suburbs who just sold their homes and need a temporary apartment can't afford rent in Pilsen anymore lol! All kidding aside (and I am barely kidding), there's no way in Hades a recent immigrant could afford to rent there now, unless there's some sort of underground rental thing they can tap into. $1300-1700 will get you a small 2 bedroom with tiny rooms. I ran across a landlord trying to get $1,500 for a small 1 bedroom. You may be right about hostility couched in "keeping it real" but I suspect at the end of the day money's gonna talk and BS is gonna walk over there. The cat's out of the bag.
I definitely see why many are leaving there for the suburbs. You can rent a whole house in Berwyn for what an 800 sf 2 bdr would cost in Pilsen. Buying, you'd pay 100k less for something bigger and in a better school district.
I am not really saying the efforts to "preserve the cultural heritage" are pointless, just that I can't blame the folks that are moving away. And I also don't think there is anything wrong with that anymore than there is nothing wrong with spots on the north side growing increasingly desirable.
I am not really saying the efforts to "preserve the cultural heritage" are pointless, just that I can't blame the folks that are moving away. And I also don't think there is anything wrong with that anymore than there is nothing wrong with spots on the north side growing increasingly desirable.
Not to mention silly. Berwyn is a very desirable place for a young family from a City 'hood like Pilsen. Those leaving do not feel pushed out by any stretch. Look closely at those doing the "preserving."
Immigrants have been bypassing the city for a long time now. They are going to where the jobs are and more often than not, that means the suburbs. They go to the manufacturing jobs that still exist in those areas. The people that are trying to "hold on" to Pilsen are the renters that want to stay in their current homes but cannot afford to pay the rising rents. Those lucky enough to own are cashing in and buying in more affordable areas of the city or in suburbs. And anyone that still believes Pilsen is the Mexican cultural mecca of Chicago is about 20 years behind. Little Village has been and will continue to be the Mexican go to neighborhood in chicago, and it is in no danger of gentrification. The crime/poverty will hold rent prices down for a long time in LV. The people making noise in Pilsen are the 1st and 2nd generation Mexican-American hipsters that are unemployed and want to continue renting for cheap in their hood. But soon enough they'll have to follow their parent's basement to the far southwest/northwest side of the city or to Berwyn/Cicero/Bolingbrook.
Immigrants have been bypassing the city for a long time now. They are going to where the jobs are and more often than not, that means the suburbs. They go to the manufacturing jobs that still exist in those areas. The people that are trying to "hold on" to Pilsen are the renters that want to stay in their current homes but cannot afford to pay the rising rents. Those lucky enough to own are cashing in and buying in more affordable areas of the city or in suburbs. And anyone that still believes Pilsen is the Mexican cultural mecca of Chicago is about 20 years behind. Little Village has been and will continue to be the Mexican go to neighborhood in chicago, and it is in no danger of gentrification. The crime/poverty will hold rent prices down for a long time in LV. The people making noise in Pilsen are the 1st and 2nd generation Mexican-American hipsters that are unemployed and want to continue renting for cheap in their hood. But soon enough they'll have to follow their parent's basement to the far southwest/northwest side of the city or to Berwyn/Cicero/Bolingbrook.
I'm not sure that's 100% fair. Maybe that group is part of it but I bet there's more non-Hispanic students driven by white guilt and an overall feeling that they're "taking" something wonderful from someone else. People who don't know enough to understand what they're talking about.
In truth though, for a working class person with a family, the suburbs are 1,000x better than anything in the City. Unless your kid has enough ability to test into a magnet school or has parents with enough money to get into an area served by a school like Nettlehorst, you are persona non grata in the City.
One thing I'm adjusting to living in Chicago is the lack of any discussion whatsoever of how to help the less fortunate. Everything is about gentrification and rising property values, which to my ears sounds like a thinly disguised desire that poor people go somewhere else. In a place like Berwyn, there are people genuinely concerned about giving the less advantaged a quality education and a great place to live. There was even an earnest attempt at a large tax increase in Berwyn to give an elementary school substantially more money. About $1,000 per year per household (!?!) And not for a magnet school either but to give more money to the majority low income student body for better facilities and more teachers. Yea, it failed, by a big margin, but still, the heart was there, and good luck seeing any such kindness in the City, much less from the developers snapping up properties in Pilsen.
Anyway, end of rant. I just wanted to make the point that families leaving the City may not be such a bad thing in the current political and social climate.
Pilsen is (has been gentrifying) for a while. The pink line provides good access, but the area that has been developing is the Halsted street corridor, which is a short bus ride or kinda of a long walk to the 18th pink line.
It will not become Logan Square. The housing stock is so much different that Logan Square. The east side of Pilsen and the west side of it are a little bit different, but if you are paying 1500 for a small two bedroom in either spot, you're doing it wrong. 1500 should get you a solid, well amenitied 3 bedroom, unless you are looking for brand new construction with exposed brick walls, or some beams and timber to make you feel better about yourself or whatever.
The fact is, most of the housing stock here is small and compact and has had renovations done in a piecemeal fashion. This will be one of the things holding it back. Developers will have to come and gobble up houses and spend substantial amounts of money to get them to the levels of equal rentals up North. Feel free to disagree and discuss.
Maybe developers will take a bath financially on this, because there is not enough money to sustain those kind of rentals down here. Until salaries (not jobs) rebound from the recession, housing stock here will remain cheap, unless Pilsen becomes a vanity/status thing. In which case, all those same people who moved in with the arts will just move out of the city, or to Bridgeport, or farther Southwest in Pilsen, along with the families.
Pilsen is (has been gentrifying) for a while. The pink line provides good access, but the area that has been developing is the Halsted street corridor, which is a short bus ride or kinda of a long walk to the 18th pink line.
It will not become Logan Square. The housing stock is so much different that Logan Square. The east side of Pilsen and the west side of it are a little bit different, but if you are paying 1500 for a small two bedroom in either spot, you're doing it wrong. 1500 should get you a solid, well amenitied 3 bedroom, unless you are looking for brand new construction with exposed brick walls, or some beams and timber to make you feel better about yourself or whatever.
The fact is, most of the housing stock here is small and compact and has had renovations done in a piecemeal fashion. This will be one of the things holding it back. Developers will have to come and gobble up houses and spend substantial amounts of money to get them to the levels of equal rentals up North. Feel free to disagree and discuss.
Maybe developers will take a bath financially on this, because there is not enough money to sustain those kind of rentals down here. Until salaries (not jobs) rebound from the recession, housing stock here will remain cheap, unless Pilsen becomes a vanity/status thing. In which case, all those same people who moved in with the arts will just move out of the city, or to Bridgeport, or farther Southwest in Pilsen, along with the families.
I may have been doing it wrong, by looking on Craigslist and even trying to use a broker who knew the area. Who knows? Yes, there was cheaper stuff but the quality of the building and size of the rooms diminished rapidly as you went down in price.
There were a lot of spaces that seemed chopped up, with very small bedrooms being kind of a trademark. You will need to spend $1,500 or more to get a reasonably large 2 bedroom (1,200 SF+) that's not a total dump and that has rooms of livable size in that 'hood, at least east of Ashland.
Again, this is just from what I saw in a relatively limited time, as I gave up and moved a couple miles north to Tri-Taylor. I found a bargain there, and it's closer to the L and downtown, and doesn't feel as dense as Pilsen did. And the strip of bars and restaurants on Taylor between Ashland and Racine is outstanding.
I live in Pilsen and absolutely love it. I am not shy about this fact. I like the fact it is not as dense, as I work close to Wrigley Field, the density can be a bit much for me at times and it's nice to come home and get away from it. The building I am in houses 2 bedrooms for $700-$800, depending on size of unit. Since I have to have a car for work, we pay $30 for a parking spot. Are the bedrooms smaller? Sure. But it's a compromise for us, so we can save money. We have the best landlord, who lives in the building, and cannot forsee moving any time soon.
To each their own.
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The relative improvements to the crime rate are certainly not the only thing ...
All kidding aside (and I am barely kidding), there's no way in Hades a recent immigrant could afford to rent there now, unless there's some sort of underground rental thing they can tap into. $1300-1700 will get you a small 2 bedroom with tiny rooms. I ran across a landlord trying to get $1,500 for a small 1 bedroom. You may be right about hostility couched in "keeping it real" but I suspect at the end of the day money's gonna talk and BS is gonna walk over there. The cat's out of the bag.
