Mckinley Park (Chicago, Oak Lawn, Berwyn: section 8, foreclosed, townhome)

[FAReastcoast]

I've driven through McKinley Park quite a bit lately looking at investment properties, and noticed the area is becoming very Chinese. Does anybody have any thoughts on the neighborhood, specifically, Ashland to Damen; Archer to Pershing, and where you see it going in the future?

Thanks!

[OyCrumbler]

We should convince the Chinese to move east, southeast, and south from Chinatown. How can that be done?

[jwaiter]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

We should convince the Chinese to move east, southeast, and south from Chinatown. How can that be done?

Plant stray dogs and cats.

[NealIRC]

The rival gangs argue with each other on Facebook, compared to other places like Back of the Yards where they shoot each other, so.

[OKParker]

It is becoming more asian. It is a great neighborhood in terms of the people & safety. It has just OK housing stock & has horrible amenities.

[Vlajos]

I like it a lot. Definitely becoming more Chinese.

[Slats Grobnick]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

We should convince the Chinese to move east, southeast, and south from Chinatown. How can that be done?

The migration patterns have been set already. Chinese will move along archer westward and the Mexicans will also move archer westerward and south, towards Garfield Ridge, Lyons, Brookfield, and Oak Lawn

[emathias]

Originally Posted by FAReastcoast

I've driven through McKinley Park quite a bit lately looking at investment properties, and noticed the area is becoming very Chinese. Does anybody have any thoughts on the neighborhood, specifically, Ashland to Damen; Archer to Pershing, and where you see it going in the future?

Thanks!

I like McKinley Park. It's hard to say exactly what its future holds, but when a Chinese friend of mine was looking for a house or townhome to buy about four years ago I advised him to buy in either McKinley Park or Bronzeville. He found what he wanted in Bronzeville, but looked seriously at several places in McKinley Park that seemed to be primarily marketing themselves to Chinese speakers.

I think it will eventually become a higher-rent area because it has that nice park, good transit access and not bad highway access. And it's pretty intact. Immediately west of it, Brighton Park, seems to be struggling, though, so it may be a little bit of two steps forward, one step back for a while still, although Brighton Park, too, has some good features so eventually I expect that part of the SW side to become a nice, solid park of the city. I just don't have any sense of what the timeline will be - 20 years or 70 years?

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by emathias

...I just don't have any sense of what the timeline will be - 20 years or 70 years?

...the biggest threat to areas of Chicago that are "improving" but are sandwiched by rougher areas is the fiscal disaster that is brewing. The relative attractiveness of more well established areas on the north side will likely INCREASE for some folks if / when the City deals with an actual collapse of its lifeline to the bond markets as smart investors would see relatively quick profits. In contrast, the much less desirable areas on the S/SW side that really compare poorly in terms of amenities likely would rapidly fall in value and simply stay at the bottom of things. This is not unlike the sorts of problems that have been seen in some of the older suburbs were older industrial features have just gone vacant. The desirability is nonexistent -- why live in McKinley Park when things are better in every way for families that seen the value in Berwyn???

[TBideon]

Let's face it, if we could get more Asian people to fill in these depleted working class and warzone neighborhoods in the south and west sides, Chicago would be one hell of a better and safer city. I say give a million visas or green cards free of charge to Asian and Indian immigrants, with all bank-owned, foreclosed, or eminently domain seized properties gifted to our new neighbors. Empty lots too. Give them Section 8 housing and boot those that abuse such programs. Would be great to have that culture and morals and hard work, ethical values overwhelm the endless, generational s-hitshow that goes on there currently.