Irving Park and Portage Park (Chicago, Cicero: for sale, apartment, condos)

[pianogal34]

Considering moving to one of these neighborhoods next year. Have lived in Lakeview, which we loved, but looking for a bit more residential, yet still close to some good dining and/or neighborhood bars. Wanting a condo or home; sick of apartment life.
Any feedback would be helpful. thanks!

[tomcho]

IMO Portage Park has been slowly going downhill, especially south of the park(Irving Park Rd). The bars and restaurants are generally pretty limited in both areas. If you're looking in that area I'd focus close to Montrose and Cicero, where there is a blue line and metra stop.

[chitownperson]

Can't comment of portage park, but Iriving Park is a nice residential area. It's quiet, safe and you can get a decent sized condo for a reasonable price, especially in this market. There are a few good eateries area, but I think one of the benefits is that it's located in close proximity to Lincoln Spare and Roscoe Village. Easy access to downtown via the L, Lakeshore and 90/94. what park of Irving park are you considering?

[Vlajos]

Don't know much about Portage Park, but I concur with chitownperson regarding Irving Park.

[MannheimMadman]

Old Irving is probably the nicest part of the Irving Park community, IMHO. Tons and tons of beautiful homes there.

Also, if you do still want to be closer to the action, look at the section of Albany Park that snugs up to the river. These few blocks I live on are pretty clean and have some affordable condos for sale. Bonus for you if it's possible to find something between Sacramento and the River, as that is Ravenswood Manor.

[tomcho]

Originally Posted by chitownperson

what park of Irving park are you considering?

That's the key question as Irving Park is huge West/East from Kenton all the way to the river. I assumed west side of Irving Park because the OP mentioned Portage Park as well.

[pianogal34]

Honestly, not sure which part- guess i didn't realize how big IP is. Here's the thing. We've lived in the heart of East Lakeview, and now we live in the nw burbs (arlington hts)....we want something in between, both in style and location. We have family & friends in both Arl hts and East Lakeview, so somewhere in the middle is nice. Ideally, somewhere close to the Union NW Pacific Metra and/or 90/94 for getting to the burbs. (Our Lakeview to AH commute last year was a nightmare).
Not sure where are work will take us a year from now, so that's not yet an issue.
We are a 40-ish couple w/o kids, so while we've "settled" a bit , we do still like to have close restaurants and bars to enjoy (just not the craziness of Boystown).
So we are investigating any neighborhoods that fall along that Metra line and the highway (or at least somewhat close).
What about further SE- Logan Square/Wicker Park/Bucktown or further NW - Jefferson or Edison Parks?
I appreciate the tips- thanks again!!

[tonythetuna]

Irving Park has the edge in terms of dining options.

[Drover]

I would stick more to Irving Park (which is where I live BTW) than Portage Park. Better transit access, better bars and restaurants, better quality in housing stock, more new and rehab condo development. The "prime" part of Irving Park is the portion from about Monticello west all the way the Portage Park/Irving Park border and from Addison to Irving Park, and it gets progressively nicer (and more expensive and more SFH stock) from east to west. It wouldn't be difficult at all to drop a million bucks or more on a house in Old Irving Park. But for that much you'll get 3,000-5,000+ sqft on a double- or triple-wide lot.

[nidex]

Portage Park is going downhill compared to what it was 10 years ago. While it is still a safe neighborhood (at least to me, or anybody else accustomed to Chicago living), the presence of gangbangers and undesirables is slowly increasing. I know the 4 Corner Hustlers have a presence in the area, not too sure about who else is around regarding gangs. With that said, I love the neighborhood and find it to be a good place to live, whether you have a family or not. I would move back there in a heartbeat.

As far as dining and nightlife, there's a lot of stuff along Irving Park Rd. The Martini Club is between Central and Austin, and it sees it's fair share of patrons on a weekend. I've heard from people in the neighborhood that it's run by the "Polish mafia"- not sure if there's any truth to that or not, but they have some very attractive Polish females that work there and frequent the place. I believe there is still a Giordano's take out on Irving & Austin, and the taqueria on Irving & Central is very good; although I forgot the name. It's on the southwest corner of the intersection. There's also your typical corner stores in the area- 7 Eleven, Dunkin Donuts, etc. There is another restaurant, that I once again forgot the name of (I'm good for that), that has EXCELLENT Chinese food, and a $5 lunch special on top of it- very worth the money, you get a lot of food. It's on the south side of Irving Park Rd., right across the street from the Jiffy Lube, between Central and Austin. For breakfast, there's an IHOP on Cicero & Berteau, and a number of Polish food & liquors/delis in the neighborhood. There are also a number of neighborhood bars to check out.

Portage Park still has a decent sized Polish presence, but the neighborhood is and has been becoming more and more Hispanic. Take that how you will- there are plenty of beautiful houses to go around, if you're looking to purchase a home.

As far as transportation, you can catch the Metra at the Mayfair station on Montrose, just east of the intersection of Cicero. In the neighborhood of Irving Park, you can also catch the Metra on Irving Park Rd. where the Kennedy crosses over. This is also where the Blue Line has a stop.

Overall, Portage Park, I believe, is still a good choice for a place to live. Although I am partial to it, because I lived there for a period of time. Shopping is close- there's a Sears and Jewel at Six Corners. It's a decently dense neighborhood for the northwest side, and is overall quite diverse.