East Garfield Park, is it all that bad? Do you see potential? (Chicago: rental, limousine)

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by eevee

Most importantly, no one is having a "good time" living in EGP. It's a neighborhood with very few amenities beyond CTA access (and really just the train, the buses are bad), few shopping options outside liquor stores and corner stores, few green spots to enjoy (Franklin Blvd is a nice spot to walk down, but just barely), no fun hangouts like a bar or club or even a coffee shop, and literally little to appeal to the sort of long term renter you'd likely want. This is especially true south of Lake. I left EGP, and Illinois as a whole, after living in this area killed off any remaining joy I had left for living in Chicago. Living in EGP is pretty soul crushing: the filth, the poverty, the drug dealers, the overall lack of anything pleasing. Again, people living in EGP don't hang out in EGP, they just live there behind locked doors and barred windows.

I'm glad you got out of there.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

Call me crazy but I guess growing up around that means that a certain point I want to not be surrounded by it. I guess some people like the thrill of living in the hood and more power to them.

Thrill? No. Convienence, amenities, and street life which comes with living in the city? Yes. Judging from the demographic inversion going from the suburbs to the city, as well as traffic into the city on the weekends, I'd say more and more people are willing to put up with some urban issues to live here, because in their minds those are outweighed by the benefits - in places like Pilsen and South Lawndale anyway. But not in really troubled areas like EGP, which offer few benefits beyond cheap housing.

[OyCrumbler]

Originally Posted by beaniemac

housing in tri taylor is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive than in EGP. whatever you're gonna get in EGP, you won't get anything comparable to in tri taylor.

You can't have everything though. The other considerations put out were Bronzeville, Bridgeport, Pilsen, McKinley Park, and Little Village. Tri-Taylor, especially west of Western, is somewhere on the higher side of that range isn't it?

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by via chicago

i date someone in LV, so ive spent a fair amount of time in the area over the past couple years. i dont prance around at night with my phone out, but at the same time you shouldnt be doing that anywhere in a big city. again, my general take is that businesses=vitality=people on the street=general safety. LV is filled with mom and pop stores and a lot of active street life. there are children playing on the street. the homes are generally well maintained and occupied by long term working class families. there are lots of restaurants and food options and culture in LV. there are bakeries. citizens are engaged with local politics. there are festivals and parades in the summer. storefronts are occupied. basically, it is a fully functioning neighborhood even if it dosent specifically cater to your own tastes.

there is zero street life in EGP. there are no businesses aside from liquor stores, storefront churches, and funeral homes. EGP is a failed neighborhood and has been for decades. the differences between the two are quite stark.

My observations exactly, and I live right by it. The area might intimidate some people used to all-white suburbs but it is a vibrant, functional and relatively safe area. Most parts score high on walk score, transit, and bikeability and get a B to C crime grade on Walkscore.com.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by BRU67

Thrill? No. Convienence, amenities, and street life which comes with living in the city? Yes. Judging from the demographic inversion going from the suburbs to the city, as well as traffic into the city on the weekends, I'd say more and more people are willing to put up with some urban issues to live here, because in their minds those are outweighed by the benefits - in places like Pilsen and South Lawndale anyway. But not in really troubled areas like EGP, which offer few benefits beyond cheap housing.

I suppose. Good thing the city is big and offers much better choices than LV even with comparable rents.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by via chicago

south lawndale/little village is really not all that bad. i mean guess it depends on you tolerance and yea theres a gang presence, but its generally working class Mexican families and retail corridors are lively. north lawndale is much more depressed.

Would a non-Hispanic feel any hostility from folks in that area? That's what I'm wondering about.

[beaniemac]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

You can't have everything though. The other considerations put out were Bronzeville, Bridgeport, Pilsen, McKinley Park, and Little Village. Tri-Taylor, especially west of Western, is somewhere on the higher side of that range isn't it?

I don't think I'd want to live in tri taylor west of western.

of the neighborhoods you mentioned, I'd pick bronzeville because it's the most affordable with lakefront, bus/train access within a short distance of downtown.

I have driven thru mckinley park many times, but I've never really hung out there. it looks OK. pilsen is nice, but it's starting to get pricey. especially the closer one gets to halsted.

I'm not really familiar with little village, but it's not close enough to the expressways for my liking plus I'm black. which is also why I'd never consider bridgeport either.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by andrew61

Would a non-Hispanic feel any hostility from folks in that area? That's what I'm wondering about.

I have heard.

[AberdeenSOX]

I would throw my hat into Mckinley Park on this one. Affordable, walkable, good transit. Adjacent to Bridgeport and crime levels are reasonable.

[Tonytime224]

first off I want to thank everybody for all of their insights. Everybody comment was appreciated and I came to a decision that maybe East Garfield Park can wait a couple years. I am interested in South Lawndale, McKinley. I want to hear more about those areas if you guys don't mind. What made EGP attractive to me was the transportation options. But now with South Lawndale having Lagunitas in the distance, Riot Fest, this could begin an upward trend right? What's crime like there? Crime to me is shootings. Theft happens everywhere, so I tend to ignore that not that it's a bad thing and plus I have a nice 12 gauge if anybody wants to step on the wrong property