Is Pilsen Still Mexican? (Chicago, Cicero: rent, mortgage, home)

[bahiabrazil]

Im mostly referring to east pilsen? The area connecting to upper Bridgeport?

[marothisu]

The eastern parts of Pilsen aren't as Hispanic as the western parts but still pretty Hispanic - those tracts are pretty much all close to or over 70% Hispanic except for one which is 60%. The southern parts south of Cermak are over 80% still. Those areas of Bridgeport aren't as Hispanic either but still all over 25%.

I made a map for this awhile ago:
https://www.google.com/fusiontables/...l-8QQ#map:id=4

[NOLA101]

Pilsen is one of the most Mexican places anywhere in the Midwest.

So the answer is yes.

[NealIRC]

Originally Posted by NOLA101

Pilsen is one of the most Mexican places anywhere in the Midwest.

So the answer is yes.

You can ignore this guy, who cares about comparing the cornfield areas of the entire Illinois as a relative stand point?

Greetings, I happen to frequent East Pilsen, and I'm friends with an 18th-street chief, who's in charge of the gangs in Pilsen between Halsted and Ashland, age 59.

He tells me his neighborhood is being gentrified by White people, and therefore prices going up and getting more expensive.

I frequent West Pilsen also, and there's not much White people west of Ashland.

So, the closer and closer to UIC, the more White yes.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by NealIRC

Greetings, I happen to frequent East Pilsen, and I'm friends with an 18th-street chief, who's in charge of the gangs in Pilsen between Halsted and Ashland, age 59.

He tells me his neighborhood is being gentrified by White people, and therefore prices going up and getting more expensive...

I don't need "connections" to know that east Pilsen is being gentrified, mostly by white people. All I need to do is walk around.

[NOLA101]

Originally Posted by NealIRC

You can ignore this guy, who cares about comparing the cornfield areas of the entire Illinois as a relative stand point?

Why are you asking us to ignore the thread poster, and then you yourself respond to the thread poster?

And he didn't compare "cornfield areas of the entire Illinois". No one did that.

Again, the answer is hell yes. Pilsen is one of the most Mexican areas in the entire Midwest. It's probably one of the most Mexican neighborhoods anywhere outside of the SW U.S. There are maybe 4 or 5 neighborhoods in Chicagoland with similar or greater numbers of Mexicans.

There is some gentrification in East Pilsen, but if you look at the Census data, Mexicans dominate, and probably will for many decades.

[BleedCubbieBlue]

Yes, still VERY mexican. The thing is that a lot of those mexican residents own the multi family buildings that they live in. Unless they fall on really hard times and need quick cash, they probably wont be selling. They've lived there since at least the early 80's and have probably paid off their buildings. So now they live mortgage free and collect income from the other units in their buildings. The mexicans that are forced to leave are the ones that don't own and rent. More and more mexican owners are realizing that it makes more sense to stay in their buildings and rent 1 or 2 units to hipsters and make a decent return on their investment. So yes, it will remain majority mexican for a very long time. Humboldt Park is seeing a faster gentrification process because home ownership rates were lower among the Puerto Rican community there. In Pilsen most of the buildings are owned by mexicans, except for the majorsky properties.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by BleedCubbieBlue

Yes, still VERY mexican. The thing is that a lot of those mexican residents own the multi family buildings that they live in. Unless they fall on really hard times and need quick cash, they probably wont be selling. They've lived there since at least the early 80's and have probably paid off their buildings. So now they live mortgage free and collect income from the other units in their buildings. The mexicans that are forced to leave are the ones that don't own and rent. More and more mexican owners are realizing that it makes more sense to stay in their buildings and rent 1 or 2 units to hipsters and make a decent return on their investment. So yes, it will remain majority mexican for a very long time. Humboldt Park is seeing a faster gentrification process because home ownership rates were lower among the Puerto Rican community there. In Pilsen most of the buildings are owned by mexicans, except for the majorsky properties.

Money talks and BS walks. The laws of supply and demand are tough to fight. Right now a lot of students and professionals would like to live in Pilsen but it doesn't really have the housing stock to accommodate them at this point.

Developers and investors aren't dumb and know this. I've heard stories of them sending Spanish speaking agents to door to door in Pilsen to inquire about buying properties, which often have tiny rooms and are renting well below 1k/month.

If the price is right, these families will sell and move somewhere like Cicero or Berwyn where they'll get way more space, safer schools, and a nice little nest egg to go on top of it. Then the building they vacate will be gut rehabbed or torn down and a new cinderblock thing built in its place. The developer will then rent the units for $1,400-1,800 per month each to Hipsters and college students. Or maybe turn it into a SFH and flip it for $400-500k.

I cannot predict the future but I think this will reach a critical mass at some point during the next 5 years and then accelerate rapidly. If so, the Pilsen of 10 years from now probably won't be majority Mexican and won't resemble what it is today.

[NealIRC]

Originally Posted by NOLA101

Why are you asking us to ignore the thread poster, and then you yourself respond to the thread poster?

Ignore the thread poster's *post* - not the thread poster himself.

Originally Posted by NOLA101

And he didn't compare "cornfield areas of the entire Illinois". No one did that.

Right, you mentioned the Midwest, which is greater than Illinois. I decided to reduce that argument to Illinois. Outside Cook County Illinois is certainly very White.

Originally Posted by NOLA101

Again, the answer is hell yes. Pilsen is one of the most Mexican areas in the entire Midwest.

Again, why should comparing with the Midwest be a relative stand point?

Originally Posted by NOLA101

It's probably one of the most Mexican neighborhoods anywhere outside of the SW U.S. There are maybe 4 or 5 neighborhoods in Chicagoland with similar or greater numbers of Mexicans.

There is some gentrification in East Pilsen, but if you look at the Census data, Mexicans dominate, and probably will for many decades.

[NealIRC]

Originally Posted by Larry Siegel

I don't need "connections" to know that east Pilsen is being gentrified, mostly by white people. All I need to do is walk around.

Yes, you're right. When you inquire about groups A and B, you don't need both inquiries from A and B, only 1 of them.

If a cup of water were 70% full and 30% empty, you only need the water to say "We're 70% of the cup" or the gas to say "we're 30% of the cup."