Gentrification speading from Core: South Side & West Side

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by Larry Siegel

...the lakefront south of 47th Street being almost completely gentrified already. It's called Hyde Park, or Hyde Park/Kenwood, or the University of Chicago. (Farther west, there does seem to be a line at 47th.)

There's no line in the sand; since the 1970s gentrification on the north side jumped over Halsted, then Ashland, then Damen, and now Western in some places - all no-go areas at one time (yes, Halsted, seriously). In Logan Square it is even west of Kedzie.

But most gentrifiers will want to be close to the lake, and South Side land is cheap, so gentrifiers can go where the pastures are greenest. I think that development will spread south along the lakefront into South Shore, and north to close the gap between Kenwood and McCormick Place (this gap is mostly closed already), before it spreads west.

I remember when I moved here 20 years ago it was just starting to hit Ashland, everything west of that (well not everything of course) was pretty drab and ungentrified. Now Ashland is very hot from Division all the way up through Andersonville.

I moved to Irving Park area last year and go back and forth on Addison and Irving all the time. I've noticed that Addison is pretty much refreshed/gentrified and nice all the way from Wrigley out towards the Expressway and beyond. There use to be a dropoff around Western, but with all the housing around Lane Tech on Addison and the new Target at Sacramento with a ton of new nice housing around that I've noticed it's pretty solid all the way through. Not yuppie land or totally changed between Western and the expressway, but a any vacant areas have been built up and there's a ton of infill going in here and there and everywhere.

On Irving I've noticed a big push now around the river and along Western out towards California. West of California there is some nice infill housing going up in those side neighborhoods, but Irving itself is a bit drab still.

[frimpter928]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

I remember when I moved here 20 years ago it was just starting to hit Ashland, everything west of that (well not everything of course) was pretty drab and ungentrified. Now Ashland is very hot from Division all the way up through Andersonville.

I moved to Irving Park area last year and go back and forth on Addison and Irving all the time. I've noticed that Addison is pretty much refreshed/gentrified and nice all the way from Wrigley out towards the Expressway and beyond. There use to be a dropoff around Western, but with all the housing around Lane Tech on Addison and the new Target at Sacramento with a ton of new nice housing around that I've noticed it's pretty solid all the way through. Not yuppie land or totally changed between Western and the expressway, but a any vacant areas have been built up and there's a ton of infill going in here and there and everywhere.

On Irving I've noticed a big push now around the river and along Western out towards California. West of California there is some nice infill housing going up in those side neighborhoods, but Irving itself is a bit drab still.

Haha, that Target is NOT new, it's been there for more than 10 years now. I believe it opened in 2004. I used to cut through that Target to walk to school (Lane Tech) and I graduated in 2004. So it's been around for a long time now.

But overall yes that area is really gentrifying. Elston is turning into an interesting area between Kedzie and Belmont. The owners of Parachute just opened another super trendy restaurant across the street from Chief O'Neils, they are adding a Dark Matter coffee shop on Elston and School. Then they are also coverting two former warehouses into some cool looking restaurant spaces on Elson just south of Roscoe. Take a drive and you will see what I am talking about.

Add to that First Ascent which opened two years ago right by Kedzie and Elston, which is bringing a different type of population to the neighborhood (yuppies and white people). I work out there and the crowd there you would think are all from Colorado or SoCal.