Market Conditions: This Chicago Neighborhood is Among the Most Popular in the Nation
The New York Times reported on some recent Zillow data that has everyone all abuzz.
A new study by HouseFresh examined average daily search traffic for more than 108,000 active Zillow listings in the 100 largest U.S. metros as of Oct. 25, 2022. The company, which specializes in air purifiers, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, initially pulled the data for a proposed study comparing air quality and real estate preferences, but it was inconclusive. What remained was a list of neighborhoods ranked from most to least popular based on average daily visits to local listings. This week’s chart shows the 20 most popular on the list.
You can see the complete chart and NYT article here.
At #1 on the list was Northeast Dallas at 36,113 average daily views. #2 was the Hollywood Hills at 32,216.
But Chicago had one entry in the top 20 and it might not be the neighborhood you would have guessed.
#9 of the 20 most popular neighborhoods from the Zillow data was Lakeview at 20,465 average daily views.
This data was as of last year, as of Oct 25, 2022. That’s when the market was frozen, and little was selling. Yet plenty of people were looking at Lakeview real estate.
As the NYT article points out, some of the average daily views were likely not actual home buyers. Plenty of people like to look at real estate in various “fantasy” cities and locations. Hence, Hollywood Hills, which the NYT points out has a median home price of $2 million, is probably just a lot of people who are looking for fun.
La Jolla in San Diego is #4 on the list and the Upper East Side is #5. Both are extremely expensive and desirable neighborhoods. Are those dreamers and lotto players too?
But is the same true for Lakeview?
Are those Lakeview real estate watchers simply looking for fun, as we do here at Cribchatter, or are they future buyers?
Lakeview is getting more average daily views than even New York’s Upper West Side, which was 14th with 17,304 average daily views, and Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, coming in at 17th with 16,823 views.
Currently, the inventory remains near all-time lows in Lakeview. As of the evening of Apr 16, 2023, there were just 210 properties on the market.
There were also 243 properties under contract.
Yet, apparently, the neighborhood is getting over 20,000 daily average users looking at real estate. And that’s just from the Zillow app and doesn’t include Redfin.
Due to the low inventory, some properties are going under contract almost immediately. I’ve been hearing stories about multiple bids on many this spring.
I was going to crib on this 3-bedroom fee simple townhouse at 3522 N. Pine Grove. We have chattered about this complex before (it’s the picture above).
It was built in 1944 and has 16 units surrounding a central courtyard.
It came on the market at $425,000. It has just 1.5 baths and there’s no parking. You have to park on the street or rent nearby.
It went under contract within 2 days.
Is Lakeview simply too popular of a neighborhood to see prices fall in this cycle? And what does it say about Chicago that one of its neighborhoods made the top 20 even given the negative publicity during the last few years?
Mariah Dell at Compass has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit B: 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, townhouse, no square footage listed
- Prior sale before 1987
- Sold in March 2019 for $370,000
- Listed in April 2023 for $425,000
- Contingent within 2 days
- Assessments of $83 a month (includes exterior maintenance, lawn care, scavenger)
- Taxes of $7575
- Central Air
- No parking
- Fee simple townhouse
- Bedroom #1: 12×15 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 10×10 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 9×10 (second floor)
- Living room: 15×21 (main floor)
- Dining room: 11×12 (main floor)
- Kitchen: 10×12 (main floor- has vinyl floors)
- Family room: 15×21 (basement)
- Laundry room: 18×12 (basement)
Kitchen flooring isnt Vinyl
Looks like some TH in Lombard
Using a N=1 to base your proclamations on is a questionable strategy
The last time I was in La Jolla, was having lunch and a classmate from my first firm in Chicago strolled in with her family. Small world. As a dreamer and a lotto player, I’d spend about a month a year in north SD county once our kids were out of the house. So I can see it being a “fantasy” location for lots of folks. Not so sure about northeast Dallas.
Given how the market has been, if the current contract on this place stays alive, and it doesn’t close at above list, then this place was clearly underpriced. Sure seems like it is. It looks pretty crazy now, but it wouldn’t take much to really improve it.
Purely anecdotal, but I’ve noticed my mortgage clients who are in the lower brackets are having a helluva time getting offers accepted. Constant multiple offer situations. Think people buying under $400k…
On the other hand, the buyers purchasing say around $700k – $1 mill+ seem to be getting offers accepted easier.
No data to back it up, but what I am experiencing.
“Purely anecdotal, but I’ve noticed my mortgage clients who are in the lower brackets are having a helluva time getting offers accepted. Constant multiple offer situations. Think people buying under $400k…”
Whats the average FICO score in each cohort?
Also seems like (Based on a N=1) the credit reporting agencies arent f’ing around with opening new credit lines
Depends. I’d say jumbo buyers tend to almost always be above 740… much harder to get a jumbo mortgage without a 720+. Many jumbo lenders won’t go below 680.
I’d say the lower price points are usually 680-740, but some have upper 700s.
My point though was there just seems to be way more competition at the lower price points.
“Prior sale before 1987”
Jun-73, $32k. + CPI to Mar-19 = $184k. Boomers really did get the much better side of the resi trade.
“Whats the average FICO score in each cohort?”
The credit standards have been the same for the last 10 years, since they were reformed after the great financial crisis. There are plenty of people with FICO scores high enough to qualify for homeownership in Lakeview.
“My point though was there just seems to be way more competition at the lower price points.”
Of course. As I said months ago, the buyers in Chicago will move down to be able to afford the monthly payment with rates above 6%. That means those that were looking at $600,000 will now look at $450k to $500k etc. Biggest number of buyers are middle class so it’s not surprising that that is where you are seeing the most competition among buyers Russ.
“Not so sure about northeast Dallas.”
The NYT article indicated that Northeast Dallas being #1 has nothing to do with it being a fantasy. Those are likely real possible buyers looking. Median home price is under $500k. It’s still affordable.
But where does that put Lakeview? Is that a fantasy or is that real possible buyers like Northeast Dallas?
Lakeview has a lot of 20 and 30-somethings. Do they love it enough they want to buy a condo there? There has been little condo development over the last decade.
“Kitchen flooring isnt Vinyl”
It says vinyl in the listing.
Boomer? You really think the prior owner was a boomer? If they bought in 1973, could have been Silent Generation. Hard to know. Either oldest Baby Boomers who are now 78 or Silent Generation.
According to HouseFresh, here are the most viewed neighborhoods and the least viewed in Chicago on Zillow:
#1 Lakeview: 20,465
#2 Gold Coast: 11,170
#3: Lincoln Park: 10,578
#4: Streeterville: 10,374
#5: South Loop: 8,592
#1 West Woodlawn: 101
#2 Chicago Lawn: 102
#3 Oakland: 125
#4: Stony Island Park: 170
#5: Heart of Chicago: 192
Interesting what isn’t in the top 5 most popular: West Loop. I expected to see more people tracking property in that neighborhood.
“If they bought in 1973, could have been Silent Generation.”
They could have been Lost Generation, too (except that we’d probably have read about the 120 yo woman living in Lake View). The average person getting married in 1970 was a boomer (23-m; 20-f), this could have easily been a starter home, then kept as a rental bc it is fee simple.
The specific indivduals wasn’t the point–these folks appear to have been greatest generation.
Doubled their money in real dollars, with minimal updates–who is doing that now?
“The average person getting married in 1970 was a boomer (23-m; 20-f), this could have easily been a starter home, then kept as a rental bc it is fee simple.”
Oldest boomer would have been 28. So we really have NO idea if it was one of them or the Silent Generation who had been renting in the 1960s.
You do realize that it took several years to buy after marrying in the 1970s because you still had to have the downpayment which was 20% back then. Unlikely to be someone who was 23 years old getting out of college, in the first job, and buying that year. It’s no different than today when Millennials, and now GenZ, wait a few years after marriage to buy.
But, sure, it could have been the 27-28 year old oldest boomers buying this. But the boomers get blamed for a lot of things when, frankly, it just wasn’t them. I don’t understand why everyone isn’t blaming the Silent Generation for cleaning up on housing. They benefited even more than the Boomers and will leave behind vast wealth simply from being homeowners.
Silent Generation is 79-95 or thereabouts. It’s the President of the United States, Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi.
These owners were the Greatest Generation, you say? Wow.
It’s been 50 years. We won’t know “who is doing that now” for 50 years. Too much will change. In the 1970s, Lakeview was working class. What’s the working class neighborhoods of Chicago today? Maybe buyers should look there.
“It’s no different than today”
Ok, boomer.
Given that we are now discussing who owned this townhouse 50 years ago, it seems that the bears have been defeated, at least as far as Lakeview is concerned.
Prices are not going to fall this year in Lakeview. There’s simply not enough inventory for it to happen.
Additionally, many people on this blog don’t live in Chicago and forget just what a big, dynamic city it is. It’s a true destination for many people for work and play. It’s the only affordable large city and that’s going to be very attractive the next few years.
“Additionally, many people on this blog don’t live in Chicago”
This is my semi-annual, and admittedly futile, reminder that one’s domicile does not necessarily give a person any special expertise as to the real estate market in that area nor is it so much as a prerequisite for merely forming opinions with respect to that area.
“Given that we are now discussing who owned this townhouse 50 years ago”
They also owned it 4 years and 1 month ago.
’19 pp + CPI = $439k.
They’re nothing for competition, and they still priced below their purchase price in real terms–nevermind transaction costs. Not really a seller’s market, is it?
My then 22/24-year-old parents bought their first house (new construction 3/2) in 1974 for $32,000 Shreveport, LA. I think it sold in the late 2010’s under $200k. Not quite the same return as this Lakeview place. My parents sold the house before 1976.
The neighborhood where I grew up! Glad others see how great it is but wish there were more availability now that my wife and I are finally thinking of moving back.
Regarding Baby Boom pricing in the neighborhood: My parents bought a condo-conversion 4-bedroom in a 1920’s courtyard in East Lakeview for $45,000 in 1975- equivalent to $225,000-$250,000 today. Equivalent unit in same building recently listed for over $500,000. Indeed, that generation had it good.
I should mention my parents were baby boomers. Early baby boomers, but both born after WW2. They got some help from their folks with the downpayment, I believe.
“Glad others see how great it is but wish there were more availability now that my wife and I are finally thinking of moving back”
Dan #2 Why come back?
Crime continues to be up.
Tax burden keeps increasing.
Population going down…et al.
“Dan #2 Why come back?”
Because it’s one of America’s great cities? Anyone who lives in Chicago knows what it was like here last week, with those 80 degree days. Many of the sidewalk cafes rushed to open. Everyone was eating out late into the night, enjoying the mini-summer. The city was humming again. People out at the bars enjoying Wrigleyville even when the Cubs aren’t in town. Lincoln Park Zoo packed.
There’s nowhere else like Chicago.
“Not really a seller’s market, is it?”
Did you look at the interior pictures? Apparently not.
You can have nearly zero inventory but that doesn’t mean you can list something that isn’t updated for whatever you want. Chicago buyers have always been discerning. This isn’t San Francisco or LA where you are desperate and have no choice but to buy that house with the ancient kitchen. There’s more choice in Chicago, even with low inventory. Buyers will wait on the sidelines.
But given that this townhouse went under contract in 2 days, yeah, I’d say it was a seller’s market alright. They priced it exactly correctly.
“Chicago buyers have always been discerning.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFIQ-1SUZnw
Chicago is literally Lake Woebegone
“But given that this townhouse went under contract in 2 days, yeah, I’d say it was a seller’s market alright. They priced it exactly correctly.”
Unless it closes at OVER the list price, then no, they did NOT price it correctly. If it closes at or below list, then the BROKER is happy, but the seller left money on the table.
“I’d say it was a seller’s market alright”
They priced it below their purchase price, in real dollars, and are paying the Buyer’s agent (at the ask) $10,000 (along with perhaps $20k for their agent and other costs), further eroding their return.
It’s alwasy possbile to sell something quickly at a loss–just a question of how big a loss you can stomach in order to achieve the quick close.
iTs OnLy a NuMBeR
“They priced it below their purchase price, in real dollars, and are paying the Buyer’s agent (at the ask) $10,000 (along with perhaps $20k for their agent and other costs), further eroding their return.”
Since when does making money, or making the CPI, indicate when it’s a seller’s market or not?
Bullshit.
It doesn’t. Seller’s market is inventory less than 3 months. We are still at that. Average market time is 2 weeks. How many times do we need to discuss that Chicago’s real estate market has appreciated 1% to 3% a year for like 100 years? If that’s under the CPI, then that is under the CPI.
But I don’t dispute that they will not “make” much money here unless there were multiple offers and it sells for over ask. This is the danger of buying real estate that you don’t intend to own for a decade or more. There are a lot of fees involved, from your attorney, to title and mortgage fees, to your realtor etc. You have to own long enough that you see appreciation to pay off those fees or, yes, you are taking a loss.
Additionally, you really don’t start paying down the mortgage in any meaningful way until about a decade in. It takes time in Chicago to build equity unless you get lucky and had bought in a hot neighborhood.
Real estate is a long term game in Chicago. Caveat emptor.
I agree with Sabrina – summer in Lakeview (and Chicago) is a wonderful thing. I miss being down there. Our son, who’s in his early-20’s, recently moved to a rental in Fulton Market and he loves the vibe.
Chichow,
If you hate Chicago, why are you on this site? I can understand pointing out that the city faces many problems, no one would deny that. But I think most people here love the city and want it to succeed. I hate boring cities like Omaha and would never hang out on a blog discussing Omaha real estate, so I can’t quite figure out why you’re here unless it’s to be a troll.
Dan #2
“If you hate Chicago, why are you on this site?”
Well firstly, I would like to know what other straw man arguments you have in the pocket
https://www.ebay.com/itm/195557591720
I don’t hate Chicago. Both you and I stated that we lived / experienced the John Hancock
I do feel that Chicago as a livable city now is not as good as back when under Daley ?over a decade ago with the understanding that the Daley way is not forever forever sustainable
Perhaps you can consider reviewing posting history
the daley sentence is terribly grammatically but WP keeps chewing up the comment. Sorry
point being is Daley and early Rahm I feel were better times
“Unless it closes at OVER the list price, then no, they did NOT price it correctly. If it closes at or below list, then the BROKER is happy, but the seller left money on the table.”
——————————
You assume that the broker gave fair and honest comps for the initial listing and didn’t buy the listing from some sap of a homeowner to keep the competition out. Lower the price 30 days in, while the owner is still locked in to a 4 or 6 month listing agreement.
“point being is Daley and early Rahm I feel were better times”
—————————————-
Daley got the “political feel” right but was a fiscal disaster. Rahm kept the financial ship afloat for as long as he could and then jumped when he realized he couldn’t muscle through the sacrifices needed to get the City stable. Lightfoot got through the first year on her political honeymoon, and then survived on federal covid money.
Johnson will crater the city financially by compounding the “you don’t have to pay” mentality Lightfoot cultivated.
“Since when does making money, or making the CPI, indicate when it’s a seller’s market or not?”
I somewhat get that you want to use TOM as a benchmark for whether or not its a HAWT ™ sellers market, but shouldn’t tight supplies drive prices higher?
If not why?
“what other straw man”
This one, chichow:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/145036366903
ooga booga!
“Daley and early Rahm I feel were better times”
Was better before Chicago became ‘useful’ for national polticial wedge purposes.
Agree with Anon. Conservatives love to use Chicago as a punching bag. And when violent crime/mass shooting happens in Republican-led states, always some excuse.
I wasn’t making a straw-man argument, and I didn’t have any memory of the poster’s Hancock days.
I still say this is a site to discuss the pros and cons of various Chicago homes and neighborhoods. Someone who jumps in and says, basically, the hell with Chicago why live there, is not being a constructive participant in the site and I believe is purposely trying to tick people off.
Dan #2
“If you hate Chicago, why are you on this site?”
“I wasn’t making a straw-man argument”
A straw man argument, sometimes called a straw person argument or spelled strawman argument, is the logical fallacy of distorting an opposing position into an extreme version of itself and then arguing against that extreme version. In creating a straw man argument, the arguer strips the opposing point of view of any nuance and often misrepresents it in a negative light.
citation: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/straw-man-fallacy/
Google is your friend
Hancock
https://cribchatter.com/want-to-live-on-the-top-of-the-world-a-2-bedroom-at-175-e-delaware-in-streeterville/#comment-460615
Dan #2
“I still say this is a site to discuss the pros and cons of various Chicago homes and neighborhoods.”
Google is again your friend
https://cribchatter.com/want-new-get-a-lake-facing-2-2-for-1-19-million-211-n-harbor-in-lakeshore-east/#comment-1201587
—
dan #2
“Someone who jumps in and says, basically, the hell with Chicago why live there, is not being a constructive participant in the site and I believe is purposely trying to tick people off.”
Ad hominem
—
Have a nice day
apologies for the multiple posts – the WP settings I guess to prevent spam used to not allow multiple links in one comment.
Anon:
“Was better before Chicago became ‘useful’ for national polticial wedge purposes.”
Chicago – in isolation – was still better regardless of the labeling from the National Media. A City of Big Shoulders that just worked. The difference now is that the city doesn’t work as well.
slight tangent: How is that 94 Roadwork affecting yah?
Dan #2
https://cribchatter.com/market-conditions-this-chicago-neighborhood-is-among-the-most-popular-in-the-nation/#comment-1244483
genuinely speaking: you never answered the question
“slight tangent: How is that 94 Roadwork affecting yah?”
It hasn’t been that bad.
“Someone who jumps in and says, basically, the hell with Chicago why live there, is not being a constructive participant in the site and I believe is purposely trying to tick people off.”
The ironic thing is that they don’t even live in Chicago when they are saying this. And haven’t for decades. Lol.
Why does someone live in New Orleans? It’s now the murder capital of the US again and they aren’t even able to pick up the garbage. Yikes. At least Chicago is mostly working (and I say mostly because parts of the CTA still stink.)
Every major city is going through things right now. The pandemic crushed all of them. But Chicago is working better than most of them. And the architecture and neighborhoods are just so beautiful.
“Daley and early Rahm I feel were better times”
Daley? Really? He nearly bankrupted us. But I did like his beautification efforts. The flowers on the median on Stony Island when you’re going to the Skyway was always a nice touch.
Rahm only got elected because we were desperate for someone to turn around the financial situation. I knew he could do it (and did). I wasn’t expecting to get a Riverwalk out of it but it helped that his buddy was in the White House and could funnel money here.
“Rahm kept the financial ship afloat for as long as he could and then jumped when he realized he couldn’t muscle through the sacrifices needed to get the City stable.”
Disagree. Rahm completely stabilized the city financially in the 8 years. He did his job and it was time to leave because he’s not warm and fuzzy enough to stick around for “social” issues.
Lightfoot didn’t survive at all. Isn’t that the point? She was always in over her head, but I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. COVID crushed all the big city mayors. Most didn’t even run for re-election. I’m surprised she tried. I wouldn’t have wished that on my worst enemy. Really tough job. And then we had the riots/protests during it all too.
Johnson isn’t going to “crater” the city financially. Anything he does has to be approved by the City Council. Remember how “progressive” Lightfoot was when she took office? By the end, she was getting the billion dollar casino project approved, looking at big redevelopment of Michigan Avenue, was willing to close streets to traffic to help save the restaurants, brought a massive NASCAR deal, got the Democratic National Convention, and was pushing through the LaSalle Street Corridor project. Who would have thunk it?
I don’t see how you say she had a “you don’t have to pay” mentality when all of us ARE paying through some of the highest property taxes in the nation.
“Our son, who’s in his early-20’s, recently moved to a rental in Fulton Market and he loves the vibe.”
I love the vibe there too Dan #2. I’m trying to convince one of my kids to move over there so I can hang out and experience it vicariously, but, alas, they can’t afford it right now and they like being able to walk to Wrigley.
“brought a massive NASCAR deal”
Juice ain’t worth the squeeze on that. Everyone (who lives in the city and ever goes downtwon in the summer) is going to *hate* it.
“How is that 94 Roadwork affecting yah?”
In from ORD is tough at certain times (no, I won’t tell you my alternate routes here), otherwise–minor. Not going to the office regularly tho, either.
“Juice ain’t worth the squeeze on that. Everyone (who lives in the city and ever goes downtwon in the summer) is going to *hate* it.”
This might be the shortest lived experiment in sports history.
Asscar & the City better hope that theres a lot of corporate support or this is going to a complete mess
“Disagree. Rahm completely stabilized the city financially in the 8 years. He did his job and it was time to leave because he’s not warm and fuzzy enough to stick around for “social” issues. ”
—————————
Read Lightfoot’s first headlines — Rahm left her with a $700 million structural deficit. Rahm could muscle some bucks at first, but he know that he didn’t have what it took to close that kind of gap
“Johnson isn’t going to “crater” the city financially. Anything he does has to be approved by the City Council.
. . .
I don’t see how you say she had a “you don’t have to pay” mentality when all of us ARE paying through some of the highest property taxes in the nation.”
———————————–
You’ve got at least 6 “democratic socialists” on the city counsel who have to be appeased.
As for not paying, Lightfoot — and Johnson’s continuing — no-boot policies for parking tickets, gave red light scofflaws a pass, and won’t turn off water service for non-payment. Moratoria for evictions have been extended well past any medical need, landlords be damned, and the cops have been explicitly told to not bother with shoplifting cases — the most literal “no pay” mentality you can have. Then there is the guaranteed income experiment Lori is trying.
What other way to describe the mentality the pols are fostering is there?
Daley and early Rahm I feel were better times
Lived in the city since Eugene Sawyer was mayor and I have to disagree.
Would I rather live in 1993 Chicago or 2023 Chicago? (1993 was 4 years into Daley’s tenure)
Pros for 2023:
1) Crime is lower (yes, really)
2) CTA service is better (yes, really)
3) More of the city has fun, interesting restaurants, bars, cafes, shopping. In 1993, Ukrainian Village, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Logan Square, Avondale, Albany Park, Uptown, Edgewater, Andersonville, Rogers Park, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Bronzeville were all either a) high crime areas or b) sleepy suburban like residential neighborhoods. South Loop, West Loop and Fulton Market were completely off the radar for nightlife (except Greektown)
4) Streetscapes and bike infrastructure are improved
Pros for 1993
1) I was in my 20s
2) Lakefront was WAY less crowded
3) Bloomingdale trail was still kind of a cool kids club that most of the city didn’t know about.
4) Real Estate was cheaper (but interest rates were higher)
2003 vs. 2023 looks different (2003 was the historical low crime-wise)
2013 vs 2023 different still – more areas of the city were desirable, but crime had started to tick up pretty significantly.
All in all, I give the edge to 2023, but the mid-2010s were pretty great in the city.
So your lifestyle/preferences are the same in your 20’s as 50’s?
IMO Bucktown in the early 90’s not sleepy and I wouldn’t call it high crime (Yeah property theft, but not carjackings, armed robbery, etc)
“Bucktown in the early 90’s not sleepy”
Which “Bucktown”? Bucktown Truther version, or evolutionary Bucktown.
So your lifestyle/preferences are the same in your 20’s as 50’s?
Huh? No, but I still like going to new restaurants, lounges, coffee shops, etc. (Difference is, I am home by 10 PM; not starting my night at 10 PM). I still like riding my bike and exploring different neighborhoods via CTA and on foot. I still like walking/jogging on the lakefront. Where in my assessment do I include anything that only impacts people in their 20s?
IMO Bucktown in the early 90’s not sleepy and I wouldn’t call it high crime (Yeah property theft, but not carjackings, armed robbery, etc)
There was a pretty intense gang war in Bucktown from the late 80s through mid 90s and a lot of shootings.
“a lot of shootings”
Also my recollection.
Just because the hipsters weren’t getting shot doesn’t mean there wasn’t a crime problem, JU!
As an east Loop resident, I am not looking forward to Nascar at all. It’s not the event itself, but the entire month it will take to setup/takedown. I am not decided as to whether I will leave town for the event yet. I leave town for Lollapolooza and may also have to leave for ‘Mexican Independence Day’ if the city does not do anything about it.
Which “Bucktown”? Bucktown Truther version, or evolutionary Bucktown.
All the shootings/stabbings were south of Armitage.
“Also my recollection.
Just because the hipsters weren’t getting shot doesn’t mean there wasn’t a crime problem, JU!”
Dont recall it being too much of an issue in the 90’s (Say 95) and away from Western
Were there hipsters in the 80’s and 90’s?
Dont recall it being too much of an issue in the 90’s (Say 95) and away from Western
In 1995, there were 827 murders. A non-fatal shooting or stabbing was not going to be reported in the Trib, SunTimes or local TV. Bucktown residents didn’t have a facebook group or nextdoor to post about the 40 kids fighting in the alley and someone getting shot/stabbed/beaten. So, if you didn’t actually know one of the homeowners on that block, you would never hear about that particular incident. But it happened all the time. You might hear about 1 or 2 crimes, but there were dozens more that you knew nothing about.
(This is why, for the last 20 years, while crime has been going down, people’s perception has been that it’s going up)
“I leave town for Lollapolooza and may also have to leave for ‘Mexican Independence Day’ if the city does not do anything about it.”
Do you leave for Polish independence day too Lauren? Don’t they all gather in Grant Park too? Isn’t there a parade? I always see the cars driving around with the flags.
There are a LOT of events in Millennial and Grant Parks. Seems like more than in any other park. It’s a lot for the neighborhood.
“There was a pretty intense gang war in Bucktown from the late 80s through mid 90s and a lot of shootings.”
Yep. Wicker Park too. All throughout the 90s. I’ve recounted here how I had friends buy one of the old mansions on Hoyne in the early 1990s for like $200k. It needed massive amounts of work. The gang wars were bad in the neighborhood. Nightly shootings. Lots of burglaries. Those conditions remained for the entire first decade. They stayed through it all.
From the Chicago Tribune in Dec 1992:
It has never taken much to spark trouble among gangs, but there has been a recent jump in gang-related violence in several Hispanic neighborhoods on the West and Northwest Sides, where statistics show shootings increased by as much as 80 percent in November 1992, compared with November of last year.
Anonymous gunfire punctuated even more afternoons and evenings.
”It was just crazy,” said the 40-year-old woman, who asked that her name not be used. ”It was out of hand. On Election Night, we were having guests for dinner, and I thought, `I can`t have people over when there`s shooting every 30 minutes.` ”
All three police districts covering the Logan Square and Humboldt Park neighborhoods reported increases in shootings for November 1992, compared with November 1991.
In the Shakespeare District, there were 53 shootings last month, compared with 29 in November 1991. The Wood Street District reported 39 shootings in November 1992, compared with 16 a year ago; and in Grand Central, the number jumped to 51 last month, compared with 33 a year ago.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-12-20-9204250847-story.html
“You’ve got at least 6 “democratic socialists” on the city counsel who have to be appeased.”
Nah. You have to appease the ones who supported Vallas. That’s how he gets anything passed. Lori had this same hope. Of course, she had one of the worst relationships with the aldermen ever.
Johnson has made smart choices about his Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff. We shall soon see how it goes. I’m sure Pritzker has also given him an earful down in Springfield. The city is dependent on the state in many ways.
“Read Lightfoot’s first headlines — Rahm left her with a $700 million structural deficit.”
Nah. Rahm righted the ship. It was painful, but it had to be done. And he was the right politician to do it because he wasn’t warm and fuzzy and didn’t pretend to be. We all knew the reality of our financial situation. He had to raise taxes, and did. The city, and pensions, are much more stabilized now. It’s hard digging out of a deep, deep hole. But Chicago is doing it. It sucks, but we’re doing it.
Get the casino open and operating. It’s a key component.
By the way, I’m not saying that Lightfoot didn’t have to continue with the hard financial decisions. She did. Did anyone think we could dig out of that hole in 8 years? No. Same with the state. JB has us on the right track but it’s going to take a few more decades to really climb out.
“Asscar & the City better hope that theres a lot of corporate support or this is going to a complete mess”
Duh. Lightfoot is a lot of things, but she’s not dumb. Show me the money! Yes, it will have a lot of corporate support. Will bring thousands to the city for multiple days. All hotel rooms booked.
It’s a 3 year deal JohnnyU. It won’t be the “shortest lived experiment in sports history.”
By the way, I’m pretty sure that the Shakespeare District hasn’t seen 53 shootings in a single month in a long, long time.
“Do you leave for Polish independence day too Lauren? Don’t they all gather in Grant Park too? Isn’t there a parade? I always see the cars driving around with the flags.”
Nope. Polish Independence Day is a fun parade! Non-drunk families simply having have good time without creating a ruckus. I love seeing all the weird Polish-American groups that make no sense. Such as the Polish Ski Club of [suburb] and the Polish Ski Jumping Club. The latter carry their skis through the parade! I love it. One of my favorite things about living in the Loop are all the random cultural parades of various sizes. My favorite was the Lion’s Club 100th anniversary parade in 2017 that featured members from around the world in cultural dress.
Taste of Chicago was fine, Gospelfest is great, marathon is fantastic. Beyond the car noise, I actually don’t expect the NASCAR crowd to be too bad.
Lollapalooza…intoxicated, obnoxious toddlers from the suburbs who forget who to use a cross walk. I know many people in the loop who leave for it.
I hope an organized parade celebrating Mexican and other Latin-American independence days would calm the evening crowds. I’d probably attend the parade. They need to do it on State, not Columbus because the State parades feel like they are a part of the city and dead like Columbus.
“All the shootings/stabbings were south of Armitage.”
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Bucktown did have shootings, but primarily it was drug dealing in the alleys and gang tagging. No gang members loitering openly on the street corners (the dealers were usually discrete).
The violence was mainly in the no-man’s land between Bucktown and Wicker Park, and in Wicker Park itself. There was still industrial activity in that area, so fewer people to complain about the gangs.
“the Shakespeare District hasn’t seen 53 shootings in a single month in a long, long time”
Shakespeare annual total of (reported) ‘shooting incidents’:
2021 = 63 (3555, citywide)
2022 = 36 (2832 citywide)
Auto theft and robbery up a lot from pre-pandemnic, and burglary down–probably because more people are home during the day.
“Shakespeare annual total of (reported) ‘shooting incidents’:
2021 = 63 (3555, citywide)
2022 = 36 (2832 citywide)”
Dang. Hard to remember what the 1990s were really like in many neighborhoods. 53 shootings in a single month there.