Uptown (Chicago, Glenwood, Sheridan: rentals, condos, houses)

[vcubergirl]

Hi! I read the sticky, but some of the threads are older, so I wanted to ask how the Uptown area is now. We are looking specifically near Carmen & Glenwood, Winthrop & Foster, and Sheirdan & Montrose a little farther south. It will be me and my husband and our large dog. I will be commuting to the Northwestern Hospital area. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[5Lakes]

Much of it's still a crappy freak show, but some areas are better than others. The heart of Uptown around Sheridan & Wilson or Sheridan & Lawrence is still sketchy.

Carmen & Glenwood - good area that is pretty much part of Andersonville.

Winthrop & Foster - not the best area, but not as bad as areas to the south. There is an Asian immigrant community near there.

South of Montrose - good area that is actually called Buena Park

[Avengerfire]

Stick with Carmen and Glenwood.

[vcubergirl]

Wow, does the 2 blocks from Glenwood to Winthrop really make that much of a difference? I know it can really change from block to block, but that's crazy!

[MannheimMadman]

Uptown is crazy like that. Heck, any neighborhood in Chicago can be crazy like that. My neighborhood is the same way.

[Chicago60614]

I live in Uptown. It's really a strange neighborhood, because the bad areas are pretty "crazy", the good areas are really nice, and they are smashed right next to each other.

It's not as violent as its reputation would suggest, it's more just literally insane people and tons of social services that draw in a very poor/drug addicted/vagrant population. That said though, the bad areas are fairly small, and strangely contained. I mean you can go 2 blocks and Uptown and it's like night and day. One area is nuts 24 hours a day, and another is perfectly fine 99% of the time. I live right south of Montrose, and have never seen any issues, and absolutely love the area. I cross the street at Montrose though, and it's totally like I'm in a different city.

The messed up areas are mostly from Malden to Clarendon, and from right north of Lawrence down to Montrose. Even that is pretty broad though, as there are areas in that section that are perfectly fine.

[5Lakes]

Uptown has large concentrations of subsidized housing, which could be a block over from a street that is mostly nicer condo buildings. In some cases you will have a new condo building next to a half-way house. There are a lot of vagrants, degenerates, and mentally unstable people wondering the streets in uptown. There are also yuppies that have moved up there because it's cheaper than the neighborhoods to the south. It makes for an "interesting" neighborhood.

This video was filmed in Uptown (in the worst part of the neighborhood)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qze204nRSCo

The Carmen and Glenwood address would probably best separate you from the less desirable aspects of uptown. Being north or south of Montrose is also like night and day.

[MannheimMadman]

Ah man, I love that video. It never gets old. I love when the camera gets all the action with the "Uptown: Chicago's most entertaining neighborhood" sign.

[chet everett]

I try to direct folks to parts of Chicago that have some pretty easy to understand patterns of development / solid buffers to protect ones self. The density of the "not in their right mind" folks in Uptown (which is somewhat intensified by the gentrified areas forcing out the social service agencies, half way houses and subsidized rentals) means that you really need to be pretty careful in "steering clear" of the unstable.

The near term, and probably long term, direction of Uptown seems unlikely to shift rapidly -- the surrounding areas what no part of the mess that the "do gooders" seem to foster, though the folks that have improved their blocks / homes in Uptown are not going to "cut and run" either.


I suppose I can sympathize with those that got a place at a bargain, put the time / money into fixing it up and want to see it move in the right direction, but when it comes to rents and such I just do not see a big enough discount to warrant the downsides...

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by 5Lakes

Uptown has large concentrations of subsidized housing, which could be a block over from a street that is mostly nicer condo buildings. In some cases you will have a new condo building next to a half-way house. There are a lot of vagrants, degenerates, and mentally unstable people wondering the streets in uptown. There are also yuppies that have moved up there because it's cheaper than the neighborhoods to the south. It makes for an "interesting" neighborhood.

This video was filmed in Uptown (in the worst part of the neighborhood)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qze204nRSCo

The Carmen and Glenwood address would probably best separate you from the less desirable aspects of uptown. Being north or south of Montrose is also like night and day.

Yeah, I was with a friend who was looking at condos, and he was looking in an area that was a little too close to the crap - around Magnolia/Leland. I was laughing because you have all the yuppies, some thugs hanging out on the corner, blond women pushing their oversized baby carriages around sipping on coffee, a drunk guy at 10am sifting through the garbage next to a happy couple planting a flower bed at the intersection. It was totally a little bit of everything.

The housing stock in Uptown is actually really nice for what you'd think (well aside from a few large buildings that are crap), but the crazy density of social services really brings out a messed up bunch.

I love walking in that area though. As long as you mind your business you'll be fine 99% of the time.