Inexpensive but safe: I'm looking at these neighborhoods

[tommy_407]

Originally Posted by glass_of_merlot

Lol, I was at Target in Uptown this morning and heard 5 gun shots. They came from the intersection of Broadway and Wilson. Other people heard the same thing and a bunch of cops where there.

But that's the first time I ever heard gun shots in Chicago. I like Uptown.

I live 2 blocks north of that Target in Uptown, yeah, you may have heard gunshots but that could also be a quick round up of several dumpster doors swinging shut. And if it was gunshots well you get what you pay for. I live in Uptown and agree strongly it is the best neighborhood for the OP in terms of action, red line access, proximity to amenities e.t.c. Logan Square is literally like Williamsburg Brooklyn Part XVII it's getting redundant to see nothing but endless enclaves of washed out hipsters living in Urban places.

Humboldt Park while not boring is just too far away from all the action IMO you have to be careful how far West you go in Chicago. I wouldn't want to live any further west than Ravenswood or Andersonville honestly after that it's like the frigging suburbs (except not as middle class or pricey) and many parts of the whole West Side look deserted and abandoned, and are disenfranchised IMO. This is not to say that there isn't tons of potential or architectural beauty out that way, but Chicago is just not as connected public transit wise to make many of these neighborhoods seem super attractive versus another city where there's potential in blight.

[glass_of_merlot]

Originally Posted by tommy_407

I live 2 blocks north of that Target in Uptown, yeah, you may have heard gunshots but that could also be a quick round up of several dumpster doors swinging shut.

No , it was gun shots for sure. Some details I didn't include. As I was walking by the suspected area I could even "smell it". At the moment I heard the shots I saw one woman starting to run in the opposite direction. I overheard one police officer interviewing a few witnesses.
I live not too far away myself so I know what you talking about regarding the dumpsters.

[tommy_407]

Originally Posted by glass_of_merlot

No , it was gun shots for sure. Some details I didn't include. As I was walking by the suspected area I could even "smell it". At the moment I heard the shots I saw one woman starting to run in the opposite direction. I overheard one police officer interviewing a few witnesses.
I live not too far away myself so I know what you talking about regarding the dumpsters.

The fact that you know exactly what I'm talking about regarding the dumpsters is great haha. I was outside on my deck/porch thing that everyone has and heard these dumpsters and said to a friend "there's them boys" and he said "nah, those are dumpsters you little *****". It's kind of funny when you post on CD, then you read that someone was just rite where you live a few hours ago. I can't wait for the day that I'm at a bar and someone exclaims "You! You're Tommy from CityData!".

I live right on Broadway and Wilson directly across from the Redline. When we go out, we just get lectured by everyone how horrible we are for living on that block and how dangerous it is. Although I don't want to admit it, I heard those gunshots too lol.

[sargeant79]

Originally Posted by glass_of_merlot

Lol, I was at Target in Uptown this morning and heard 5 gun shots. They came from the intersection of Broadway and Wilson. Other people heard the same thing and a bunch of cops where there.

But that's the first time I ever heard gun shots in Chicago. I like Uptown.

I lived on Agatite off of Sheridan when I was a kid in the late 80's/early 90's and used to hang out on Broadway and Wilson all the time. The neighborhood wasn't very good then and had it's share of gang problems, and I knew a lot of kids that got caught up in all that. I moved away in 1993 but spent a lot of time in the area again in the early-mid 2000's because my buddy worked at a recording studio just off of Broadway that my band at the time would use often, plus one of my best friends lived on Kenmore and Lawrence. Target wasn't open yet and they had just started to turn the old Goldblatt's building into condos. At that time, it seemed the neighborhood was getting more expensive but not really any better. Sounds like that may still be the case if you still have shootings.

That said, I really grew to appreciate that neighborhood once I was an adult. Really diverse, great restaurants and bars, you got the Riv and the Aragon for shows, and it is easy to get to if you rely on the train. Drugs used to be the main problem in that neighborhood and there used to be a relatively high number of homeless shelters in that neighborhood. As a result, you had a lot of folks who looked pretty ragged scaring off some of the more "upper-class" element, but it seemed more to me like the kind of neighborhood where you had to worry about your car getting broken into rather than a place you had to worry about getting shot. Probably an ideal kind of neighborhood for a "starving artist" actually, although I'd be surprised if it would be affordable to that population anymore.

[tommy_407]

Originally Posted by sargeant79

I lived on Agatite off of Sheridan when I was a kid in the late 80's/early 90's and used to hang out on Broadway and Wilson all the time. The neighborhood wasn't very good then and had it's share of gang problems, and I knew a lot of kids that got caught up in all that. I moved away in 1993 but spent a lot of time in the area again in the early-mid 2000's because my buddy worked at a recording studio just off of Broadway that my band at the time would use often, plus one of my best friends lived on Kenmore and Lawrence. Target wasn't open yet and they had just started to turn the old Goldblatt's building into condos. At that time, it seemed the neighborhood was getting more expensive but not really any better. Sounds like that may still be the case if you still have shootings.

That said, I really grew to appreciate that neighborhood once I was an adult. Really diverse, great restaurants and bars, you got the Riv and the Aragon for shows, and it is easy to get to if you rely on the train. Drugs used to be the main problem in that neighborhood and there used to be a relatively high number of homeless shelters in that neighborhood. As a result, you had a lot of folks who looked pretty ragged scaring off some of the more "upper-class" element, but it seemed more to me like the kind of neighborhood where you had to worry about your car getting broken into rather than a place you had to worry about getting shot. Probably an ideal kind of neighborhood for a "starving artist" actually, although I'd be surprised if it would be affordable to that population anymore.

Originally Posted by sargeant79

I lived on Agatite off of Sheridan when I was a kid in the late 80's/early 90's and used to hang out on Broadway and Wilson all the time. The neighborhood wasn't very good then and had it's share of gang problems, and I knew a lot of kids that got caught up in all that. I moved away in 1993 but spent a lot of time in the area again in the early-mid 2000's because my buddy worked at a recording studio just off of Broadway that my band at the time would use often, plus one of my best friends lived on Kenmore and Lawrence. Target wasn't open yet and they had just started to turn the old Goldblatt's building into condos. At that time, it seemed the neighborhood was getting more expensive but not really any better. Sounds like that may still be the case if you still have shootings.

That said, I really grew to appreciate that neighborhood once I was an adult. Really diverse, great restaurants and bars, you got the Riv and the Aragon for shows, and it is easy to get to if you rely on the train. Drugs used to be the main problem in that neighborhood and there used to be a relatively high number of homeless shelters in that neighborhood. As a result, you had a lot of folks who looked pretty ragged scaring off some of the more "upper-class" element, but it seemed more to me like the kind of neighborhood where you had to worry about your car getting broken into rather than a place you had to worry about getting shot. Probably an ideal kind of neighborhood for a "starving artist" actually, although I'd be surprised if it would be affordable to that population anymore.

I agree with your perception of Uptown. IMHO the neighborhood IS still (more or less) affordable considering it's amenities and location. This prevails once you compare Uptown rental prices with the immediate bordering neighborhoods. Now, factor in the entertainment district, the Red Line, being located on the Lake, and many different things to do and you get a bang for your buck.