Beverly? (Chicago, Chatham, Downs: high crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[ChicagoBound2009]

I am moving to Chicago very soon. I've heard that Beverly is a fantastic place to buy a home...and provides more bang for the buck than in, say, the north side of town. Any opinions from Chicagoans about the area? Too far or inconvenient?

[mlogan0301]

Originally Posted by ChicagoBound2009

I am moving to Chicago very soon. I've heard that Beverly is a fantastic place to buy a home...and provides more bang for the buck than in, say, the north side of town. Any opinions from Chicagoans about the area? Too far or inconvenient?

If you look at the first thing on the Chicago forum, that says read this first. You will probably find a lot of information about Beverly. I used that resource a lot while making my transition between Delaware to Chicago. It is very helpful and should be of great use to you. Good luck with your search.

[ajolotl]

I agree with that assessment. When I was house hunting Beverly was the only place in Chicago where I actually felt like what I was getting decent value for my money. The homes and setting are absolutely beautiful and the sense of community is something from another era. Prices are reasonable -- more like 250K up to 1M+. Downside is that the businesses aren't anywhere near on par with what one finds on the north side. There are a few exceptions though, and in any case I can get to the south loop in 15-20 minutes outside of rush hour.

It's not perfect but it was a very good compromise for me, given needs and financial constraints.

You can PM me if you want details. Also you might want to check out www.beverlymorganpark.net
It's a pretty comprehensive web site on the area.

Originally Posted by ChicagoBound2009

I am moving to Chicago very soon. I've heard that Beverly is a fantastic place to buy a home...and provides more bang for the buck than in, say, the north side of town. Any opinions from Chicagoans about the area? Too far or inconvenient?

[Avengerfire]

//www.city-data.com/forum/chica...-shooting.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/chica...southside.html

//www.city-data.com/forum/chica...hyde-park.html

[Drover]

Inconvenient to what?

If you want to live anywhere near the happenin' nightlife, then yeah, Beverly is pretty inconvenient, and that's a pretty big part of why it's a bargain compared to similar North Side neighborhoods. If your only interest in heading north is to get to work in the Loop, then Beverly is pretty well-served by Metra.

[mel2000]

Beverly is a south side island of calm surrounded by high crime areas. I do not recommend someone unfamiliar with the city's south side moving there until they become experienced enough to map out a safe plan of daily entry and egress.

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by mel2000

until they become experienced enough to map out a safe plan of daily entry and egress.

[prairiestate]

Originally Posted by mel2000

Beverly is a south side island of calm surrounded by high crime areas. I do not recommend someone unfamiliar with the city's south side moving there until they become experienced enough to map out a safe plan of daily entry and egress.

I'll second this.

What an inane, if not insane, statement. First, Beverly is hardly surrounded by high crime neighborhoods, it's not like Hyde Park. Hyde Park is bordered by some areas where shootings can happen on an almost daily basis. The areas directly south and west of Beverly are quite safe. To the east, and especially to the north, are fairly stable, reasonably safe working to middle class neighborhoods. Crime is an issue there, but it's not even close to the Wild West environment of some neighborhoods. I drive down main roads like 95th and 87th to the Dan Ryan with no problem, as do thousands of other people. I've even stopped to go shopping in Chatham, around 87th and the Ryan with no issues, and I'm white. Here's a good rule of thumb, if you drive through an area with lots of burned out buildings and vacant lots, the odds are probably good you'll eventually run into trouble spending a lot of time there. Other neighborhoods, you can usually at least drive through them without much chance of running into trouble. The rougher areas surrounding Beverly fall into the latter category. I wouldn't go for a stroll through those neighborhoods, but they are reasonably intact.

Nobody around here spends their weekends planning an escape route from Beverly so they can buy groceries, nor do they need to be accompanied by an armored tactical military unit to do so.

[ajolotl]

Have you ever actually driven east down 99th street in Beverly to the I-57 ramp? Let's see, it's about a mile maximum. There are a bunch of houses, a gas station, you cross some tracks, then over the highway, hang a left and drive along a pretty spiffy residential district with one-way streets and lanterns, cross halsted and then get on the ramp. Does that really scare you? That is either incredibly paranoid or totally wussy? Thousands and thousands of women with their kids do it every day. I've never once heard of anything even coming close to happening to anyone.

Originally Posted by mel2000

Beverly is a south side island of calm surrounded by high crime areas. I do not recommend someone unfamiliar with the city's south side moving there until they become experienced enough to map out a safe plan of daily entry and egress.

[Avengerfire]

Missing girl from Beverly

If anyone has any information please contact the authorities at (312) 747-8274

"...Molly Bansley was last seen in the vicinity of 9500 South Damen Avenue, according to an alert from the Calumet Area Special Victims Unit.

She is described as white, 5-foot-4 and 110 pounds with an olive complexion, shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing blue jeans, a white zip-up hoodie, a blue print shirt and may have been carrying a black or brown backpack..."

Beverly neighborhood girl, 13, missing - Chicago Breaking News (http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/04/beverly-neighborhood-girl-13-missing.html - broken link)