Nightlife Hot Spot, where next? (Chicago, Addison: transplants, crime, big house)

[UrbanCheetah]

So I hung out this past weekend in Logan's Square new nightlife "district". Basically I am talking about the strip of Milwaukee between California and Fullerton. I was shocked to see how busy it was! It seems like Logan Square has now become a destination for nightlife. It also seems like it spreading down Milwaukee up to Kedzie.

It's crazy to think how 5 years ago there wasn't practically any nightlife on that strip, and now it seems to be RED HOT. I guess you could of said that same thing about Wicker Park back in the 1990s. My question is where do you think the next big nightlife neighborhood will be. Right now the main ones seem to be Lakeview, Lincoln Park, River North, Old Town, Streeterville, West Loop, Wicker Park and now Logan Square. I would say Uptown, Ukranian Village, and Bucktown to a certain extent are nightlife hot spots but not at the same level as the other ones listed.

So which neighborhood do you think will be next? What parts?

I think:
Avondale - Borders Logan Square and we are starting to see some bars opening up. Lost Lake is technically in Avondale, and there are a few more opening on Belmont just west of Kimball. I think Milwaukee north of Diversey might become a hotspot and I also think Belmont from Kedzie to California has potential.

Pilsen - Pilsen has some nightlife, but not quite there. I can see more and more bars and restaurants opening up the neighborhood.

South Loop - As more people move in I can see more places opening up.

[IrishIllini]

The South Loop has a ways to go before it's competing with River North and the West Loop, but it'll definitely pick up. Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Sq. has also picked up quite a bit.

[5Lakes]

I tend to agree with you. It will probably expand from Logan Square into Avondale along Milwaukee. Milwaukee Ave. in Avondale has great bones as a commercial corridor.

I could also see Armitage between Western & Kimball becoming a big destination area.

[UrbanCheetah]

Originally Posted by 5Lakes

I tend to agree with you. It will probably expand from Logan Square into Avondale along Milwaukee. Milwaukee Ave. in Avondale has great bones as a commercial corridor.

I could also see Armitage between Western & Kimball becoming a big destination area.

Yeah those are the only reasons think it will happen in Avondale. Great bones near Diversey and then booming Logan Square is right there. Also Belmont between Kedzie and California has some great bones.

I totally forgot about Armitage. But I think western would be a stretch as it's pretty residential from California to Western. But there is a lot of potential between California and Kedzie on Armitage.

Also, depending on what they build when they tear down the industrial buildings, Elston between Addison and Belmont has some potential. It's already becoming somewhat of hot sport for restaurants as you have places like Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Chief O'Neils and Parachute bringing in a lot of people into the neighborhood. 50% of that strip is industrial buildings, that I am sure will get knocked down, and could bring in some nightlife.

Plus it seems like diagonal streets in Chicago have a knack for nightlife, Clark, Lincoln, Milwaukee. Elston isn't there yet.

[green apple]

Hahahaha. Welcome to two years ago sis... lol. Logan Square has been the hotspot for quite awhile now. The crowd has been outrageous there on weekends since at least 2012. I hope it isn't about to transition to its lame Wicker Park phase since I'm not done hanging out there yet.

In my esteemed opinion, Pilsen is coming up next. The secret's out on the low rents and relatively acceptable crime in the area, the gentrification is already starting.

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by green apple

Hahahaha. Welcome to two years ago sis... lol. Logan Square has been the hotspot for quite awhile now. The crowd has been outrageous there on weekends since at least 2012. I hope it isn't about to transition to its lame Wicker Park phase since I'm not done hanging out there yet.

In my esteemed opinion, Pilsen is coming up next. The secret's out on the low rents and relatively acceptable crime in the area, the gentrification is already starting.

You make fun of someone for saying Logan Square has changed and then break news that gentrification in Pilsen is "already starting?"

It's been slowly gentrifying since the mid-2000s if not earlier.

[green apple]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

You make fun of someone for saying Logan Square has changed and then break news that gentrification in Pilsen is "already starting?"

It's been slowly gentrifying since the mid-2000s if not earlier.

Yes, and since it's still trying to make way with efforts from almost 20 years ago, I'd say it's not quite there yet, wouldn't you? It's obviously not managed to hit its tipping point yet... but it finally appears that things are beginning to catch a little speed there.

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by UrbanCheetah

So I hung out this past weekend in Logan's Square new nightlife "district". Basically I am talking about the strip of Milwaukee between California and Fullerton. I was shocked to see how busy it was! It seems like Logan Square has now become a destination for nightlife. It also seems like it spreading down Milwaukee up to Kedzie.

It's crazy to think how 5 years ago there wasn't practically any nightlife on that strip, and now it seems to be RED HOT. I guess you could of said that same thing about Wicker Park back in the 1990s. My question is where do you think the next big nightlife neighborhood will be. Right now the main ones seem to be Lakeview, Lincoln Park, River North, Old Town, Streeterville, West Loop, Wicker Park and now Logan Square. I would say Uptown, Ukranian Village, and Bucktown to a certain extent are nightlife hot spots but not at the same level as the other ones listed.

So which neighborhood do you think will be next? What parts?

I think:
Avondale - Borders Logan Square and we are starting to see some bars opening up. Lost Lake is technically in Avondale, and there are a few more opening on Belmont just west of Kimball. I think Milwaukee north of Diversey might become a hotspot and I also think Belmont from Kedzie to California has potential.

Pilsen - Pilsen has some nightlife, but not quite there. I can see more and more bars and restaurants opening up the neighborhood.

South Loop - As more people move in I can see more places opening up.

Interesting question that just cuts back to the same question -- how many more hipsters/young people are going to keep flocking to the city?

You assume it's got to top out at some point, but who knows when that will be.

Gentrification seems to be spreading from the already gentrified neighborhoods in virtually all directions, currently, but I would agree it will most likely most strongly continue up the Milwaukee corridor.

Young/trendy people want to be around those kind of neighborhoods and the neighborhoods are relatively affordable.

But who knows. I personally didn't really see the West Loop becoming the hottest spot in the city. The rents there now are in some cases higher than downtown.

Kind of nice that so much of the city is so desierable, as long as we all don't get priced out!

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by green apple

Yes, and since it's still trying to make way with efforts from almost 20 years ago, I'd say it's not quite there yet, wouldn't you? It's obviously not managed to hit its tipping point yet... but it finally appears that things are beginning to catch a little speed there.

Yeah, well, once the trendier restaurants move in it tends to really help. I think it's just a TBD if anything south of Roosevelt really takes hold like Wicker Park, West Loop etc.

It just depends on if young people keep coming to the city in greater numbers. So far, they appear to be, and more transplants appear to be trying to stay and raise families in the city.

[green apple]

I don't know... I think Chicago might always tend to skew toward young professionals just because once people decide to have families they often choose to move to the suburbs. We have tons of reasons for tons of transplants, but it doesn't seem like people want to stay once they have a family. I'm partially biased because I work with a lot of families/pregnant women, but like clockwork, the family stays in the city during the child's first few years and use a lot of that time to find some big house out in the burbs, a move coinciding with the growing child's needs. That suits me just fine, by the way, but then again, the young professional hip environment suits me and my needs currently. We'll always have students funneling through the city, but how long do they stay? I think, anecdotally, many of our permanent transplants are from neighboring states that don't really have a big city.

That being said, I have a hard time seeing the Avondale area as latching on to the popularity of Logan Square... I mean it would make sense for that to happen but there doesn't appear to be much of it actually happening. In the last few years I haven't seen any businesses or social attractions coming up there to capitalize off its proximity to Logan. And maybe part of that is because it IS one of the more family oriented neighborhoods? I lived in Avondale for a few years and there seemed to be a greater prevalence of families than singles there.

I hate to say it, but it also seems like to me the city's racial dynamics are playing into the question ("what area will gentrify next?"). Avondale is primarily hispanic and polish, two communities that both have a pretty solid cultural identity in-group. And being too near areas that skew as "heavily black" seems to stop gentrification cold, otherwise south loop wouldn't be as boring as it is... I can think of no real reason why south loop hasn't seen a boon comparable to west loop except that it gets too close to the black neighborhoods.

I would say the Humboldt Park/60651 area looks better for gentrifying than Avondale.