West Logan Square isn't getting any better

[Rick_Vaughn]

My two cents...I really don't see West Logan Square getting better anytime soon. I lived near Fullerton and Avers for about a year and couldn't wait to get out. Everything was just kind of dirty and nobody took pride in their neighborhood. People left garbage everywhere and it's not uncommon to see gang graffiti.

On top of that, there just weren't many options for things to do. For food, your only choices were Mexican and Latin-American and it was impossible to find a decent place to grab a beer. I shopped at a couple of the local grocery stores and didn't mind it, but don't expect to find a Jewel or Dominick's or any other mainstream grocery store anywhere close (I used to have to hop on the Blue Line to buy Mach 3 razors).

Safety wasn't particularly great either--my place got broken into once, although I'll admit that could happen in just about any part of the city. A pregnant woman also got clipped in a drive-by while trick-or-treating with her kids not too far from my apartment. By the time my lease was up, I didn't allow my girlfriend to stay over anymore.

I lived just under a mile from the Blue Line so it wasn't like public transportation was right outside my
door. You're also no where near the Lake, so you can rule out walking to the beach or hopping on a bike trail. As others have pointed out, the lake and access to the El are keys to gentrification. It's really not diverse either (just because 90% of the population isn't white doesn't make a place diverse if they're all from the same background).

All in all, I just don't think this area has much to offer in comparison to most any other Chicago neighborhoods. Personally, I think a neighborhood like Rogers Park is much better--a lot more diverse, right on the Lake, close to public transportation, more restaurants and bars to choose from and pretty comparable in terms of rent.