compare Mckinley park, Bridgeport, Logan Sq. and Humboldt park (Chicago: section 8, transplants)

[chickaboo]

does anyone have any insight on these comparisons?

Mckinley Park vs. Bridgeport
vs.
Logan Sqare vs. humboldt park

These are the areas that's in our price range and ok distance to our downtown commute.

we are not big on night life, but would like have to restaurants close by. Bridgeport is blocks away from chinatown so that's a plus.

I've heard great things about Mckinley Park that it has one of the most gorgious park in chicago. how is humboldt park compare to mckinley?

Safety is also very important. I've heard there are safety issues around Logan Sq., is that true?

Thank you so much for your help!

[Humboldt1]

Chickaboo,

As far as parks go, Humboldt Park is my favorite park in all of Chicago, with beautiful landscaping. As far as parks, go Garfield Park is nice too, but the best conservatory in Chicago, way better than Lincoln Park's. However, both Humboldt Park and Garfield Park are in rougher neighborhoods. Garfield Park is especially bad. Let's be real folks, it is folks hanging out on corners and selling drugs. I drive thru there sometimes after work, playing Garth Brooks just to get a reaction from the folks standing on street corners. I will rejoice when that riff raff is forced out of the city, though it may take another 20 years.

Logan Square is definitely nicer to Humboldt Park, though western parts of Logan and Humboldt Park are about the same. East of Kedzie, maybe Kimball you need to be careful in Logan Square. In Humboldt Park, definitely stay north of Grand and as close to north ave as you can. West of Pulaski it gets real bad. Humboldt Park is 48% Hispanic and 46% black and 6% white as of 2005 estimates. The hispanics and few whites all live north of division. South of division it is almost all black. DO NOT go south of division unless you are looking for trouble or to buy drugs.

Logan Square has its problems too, but not nearly as much as western Humboldt Park (between pulaski and viaduct near Kilpatrick). Diversey is the northern border of Logan and is not great but not nearly as dangerous as southern and western Humboldt Park. East of Kimball and perhaps Kedzie is not great but okay, though you do need to be careful as there is still gang activity. Bloomingdale is the dividing line between Logan Square and Humboldt Park.

East of Humbolt Park, the park, is west town, though many refer to it as Humboldt Park (there is no west bucktown or west wicker park). This area is similar to Logan Square to the north, though with more gang activity, especially between division and north, hence the extra blue lights just east of the park.

I don't know a whole lot about McKinley Park, but Bridgeport is fine. Good, blue collar community becoming yuppified to some extent. There is no comparison between the landscaped grounds, lagoons, gold domes, and beaches of Humboldt Park and Garfield Park. Again, these are the crown jewels of the Chicago Parks. I just can't wait until the riff raff is removed from these areas so they can return to their former glory. Humboldt Park is already well on its way, though caution still needs to be exercised. I run there in the evenings, but only on the perimeter.

[chickaboo]

Thanks Humboldt1!

[Phl_Gd]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

East of Humbolt Park, the park, is west town, though many refer to it as Humboldt Park (there is no west bucktown or west wicker park). This area is similar to Logan Square to the north, though with more gang activity, especially between division and north, hence the extra blue lights just east of the park.

I would urge you to consider East Logan Square in the area described as East Humboldt/West Wicker bordered by Division, North, Western and California.
In regards to the latter neighborhood, I slightly disagree with Humboldt1, living in this area for several years now as Lakeview transplants, there is not a dramatic increase in gang activity here compared to the environs. Yes, I am sure there is some level of activity and you see the tags in some alleys but due to Chicago Police significant operations the last two years, anyone who lives here will tell you that there has been a dramatic turnaround. Aside from the consistently improving blocks around here, a precipituos drop occured after there was a major sweep that netted 29 perps in the 1500 block of North Rockwell last August and due to the nature of the operation, these guys are not getting slaps on the wrists for misdemeanors. Since then, things have been dramatically different. Talk to most who live here and they can give an account of the transformation we have seen in the past few years. Not perfect by any means yet but there is good upside here.
About the 'blue lights', there are two (2) inside the blocks I refer to. One is part of the mandated school security (in this area) at Hirsch and Washtenaw and the second is on Potomac and Washetenaw where there is a concentration of section 8 (Bickerdike and HHDC housing). I'd stay away from Washetenaw in general. There are a cluster of lights on Division and Western for Clemente HS and a couple on the 2600 block of Division attributed to the school as well. Look east of Rockwell and you will have access to the paek as well as shops on trendy Division as well as Bucktown.

Not sure about Bridgeport and McKinley but whereever you decide, make sure you visit the area on a nicer day, look at the newer constructions in the area as well as their occupancies. Talk to folks who live in the area who may have been at a similar decision point. Good Luuck

[shooz cuz]

About the 'blue lights', there are two (2) inside the blocks I refer to.

This may be a silly question but what are the "blue lights"? I've seen them mentioned in this forum a couple of times but have yet to figure out what they are.

[Humboldt1]

Not a silly question.

In Chicago there are two types of camera lights.

"Blue lights" are camera lights that flash blue in high crime areas to discourage gangs and overall criminal activity. Upon the sound of gunfire they can zoom in. Blue lights are very effective in reducing crime on the corners in which they are placed. Unfortunately, the criminals are well aware of the camera lights and just one or two blocks over out of range of the camera. You also see these lights outside of some high schools as some riff raff tend to hangout outside of the schools.

Another camera light are the ones you find at busy lights, which flash when people run red lights. They are more about revenue than safety for Chicago. Last year alone over 300m tickets were issued at 90 dollars each. There are signs announcing photo enforced intersection before the intersection. I was personally issued 3 tickets in 2 years, all for not completely stopping before turning right on red (per my tickets I was going 8, 10, and 12 mph)m. Either way, I always stop completely at intersections before turning right on red now.

Hope this helps.

[Drover]

McKinley Park is a straight-up working-class neighborhood. And I don't mean that as a euphemism for "the 'hood" unlike those who are too squeamish to call the 'hood what it is. I mean, it's a neighborhood of people who work for a living, generally more with their hands than with their heads. It's a little tattered on the edges and the housing stock could use some spit-shining and updating. The violent crime rate for the last year has been about 50% below the city-wide average, which isn't bad by Chicago standards but might make a first-time urban dweller a little nervous.

Bridgeport is immediately to the east of McKinley Park. It's nicer, cleaner, tidier and there's more money there. It's a traditional "city employee" neighborhood (cops, firefighters, streets & san workers, etc.) so it still has pretty deep blue-collar roots. But it's starting to get a little expensive and there's talk that it's becoming the next "artist neighborhood" which means it will also be the next neighborhood to gentrify. I really don't see it yet, but maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. It's a lot more ethnically diverse than McKinley Park: about 45% white, 30% Hispanic and about 25% Asian, mostly Chinese. The heart of Chinatown is immediately northeast of Bridgeport and there's a lot of population spillover into Bridgeport. (McKinley Park by contrast is about 80% Hispanic.) Crime is generally lower in Bridgeport vs. McKinley Park, especially east of Morgan Avenue. The strip between Halsted to the west and the railroad tracks to the east is the golden part of Bridgeport.

One final note: Humboldt1 advised to watch out east of Kedzie in Logan Square and I don't know why. It's actually west of Kedzie that's the really iffy part.

[Humboldt1]

Drover is correct. Logan Square is better east of Kedzie. West of Kedzie it is rougher.

[drummercycle]

and yeah bridgeport really is becoming the art neighborhood. a casual drive through might not show it, but there's a lot going on. those crazy lumpen kids are doing a lot of stuff for 33rd and wallace, that's for sure.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

East of Humbolt Park, the park, is west town, though many refer to it as Humboldt Park (there is no west bucktown or west wicker park). This area is similar to Logan Square to the north, though with more gang activity, especially between division and north, hence the extra blue lights just east of the park.

Strictly speaking, that's correct; the Chicago Community Area of Humboldt Park is entirely west or south of the park (mostly west), and is about 1/2 Hispanic and 1/2 black. But the area east of Humboldt Park is often called East Humboldt Park and is mostly white with a Hispanic minority and quite nice. It is not completely safe, but is looking more and more like a yuppified Near Northwest side neighborhood every day. Some Realtors(TM) call it West Wicker Park or West Bucktown, and since it has no specific neighborhood name, those might catch on; others call it West of Western or "WOW."