From the SE corner of Uptown to the NW corner is about 2 miles in a straight line. Even within a 1/2 mile square area of Uptown like Buena Park feels much different depending on the block you are on.

You have the highrises on Marine. The mansions on Hutchison. The center entrance six flats on Kenmore.

Whatever will get taxpayers buying and shopping in that section of Uptown is fine with me. The more the merrier.

I used to see real estate listing in my area say “North Lakeview” or “North Wrigleyville”. However, more and more agents and sellers have become comfortable with the name Buena Park in recent years. I NEVER see listing that say Uptown in Buena Park, but the rest of the neighborhood is becoming less afraid of that name. Maybe someday, with all of the new entertainment options in the heart of Uptown, people will use the name Uptown with pride.

I’m quite sure you’re right, but it’s still a slap to the people in Uptown – 98% of which I’m sure are not criminals – who are trying to work to rejuvenate the neighborhood. It sends a pretty bad message that the hard work of these folks is not recognized by the larger City.

I think the use of “Andersonville South” by real estate agents is used to put a face on a formerly desolate cooridor area for the lesser informed consumer… is fine. For instance, when marketing, your making a choice to associate the location and lifestyle with a popular Andersonville hot spot rather than Uptown. My experience is a larger market associates Uptown with east of Clark and also feel Andersonville is a more desirable location.

I don’t feel it’s an egregious attempt to re-name a neighborhood… like say the West Roscoe Village or West Bucktown debacles.

In a listing, I would just say “walk to Andersonville shops, restaurants, bars” rather than add the directional moniker.

It’s an issue of historical accuracy (hence, the boundaries that were set in stone for data tracking purposes), and to a degree, of respect for that history.

And obviously, the idea that a single institution or restaurant is going stretch said boundary is what I find ridiculous.

Take your Foster example – OK, you’ve got Swedish Covenant, Tre Kronor, and a few things out west. Then from there to Ashland you pretty much got nothin’ that you could say really represents a major Swedish mark on the City (Bowmanville is a whole other story).

IMO people that think neighborhoods are changing every year & that everyone should be dancing the happy speculator dance which always changes areas into “up and coming” or “hot, hot, hot!” neighborhoods don’t know what a neighborhood really is.

“Andersonville is not an official community area, and if you look at its history, your “official boundaries” are likely different from the boundaries that emerged organically when Swedes first congregated here.”

Just kind of proves my point for me. There’s no “Swedish connection” or explanation in terms of the Hopleaf (not that they care) or other establishments opening south of Foster & Clark.

I’d suggest that it a) waters down Andersonville’s cachet and charm by further making the history meaningless, and b) is kind of an unnecessary smack in the head to Uptown – if Uptown is improving and new places are opening in its borders (long established, btw, Uptown is no johnny-come-lately neighborhood), why not give Uptown some props?