“You’d be crazy to pay this much for ANYTHING in the Edgewater ghetto.”
“Why would someone build this in the ghetto neighborhood known as Humboldt Park? No matter how you dress it up, this neighborhood is not and will never be hot.”
— The first is Jane’s comment on our post about an Edgewater condo for less than $400,000, and the second is Jane’s take on Humboldt Park in response to our post on an artist’s loft there.
Any guesses on where Jane lives? Hello, Jane – are you there? Readers want to know which neighborhoods are up to your standards.
Jane is probably a 14 year old boy from Lockport.
1975
“You would be nutz to buy in that ghetto Lincoln Park area”
1985
“You would be nutz to buy in that ghetto Lakeview area’
1995
“You would be nutz to buy in Bucktown/WickerPark/Uptown
2000
“You would be nutz to buy in Kenwood/Oakland”
I could add many more examples.
Actually I think “Jane” is channeling Joe Zekas. If Joe were an overly tall crossdresser.
Happy Memorial Day everyone.
Remember those who died serving this Republic. For just causes and unjust causes. For great Presidents like FDR and human turds such as GW Bush.
Little off on the numbers Pirate. People were going into those neighborhoods much earlier than that. But I think there is some validity to what Jane’s saying, though it can’t be said with such a sweeping indictment. There are very good areas of Uptown and Humboldt. There are also very bad areas. I’d be curious to see where Jane is from and what is up to par in Jane’s world. For some reason (and please, don’t ask me why, could just be the name Jane), but I imagine Jane looking and sounding a lot like Jane Curtin when she’s playing a b-tch. Please, no Kate & Allie jokes!
irishpirate,
When I moved into the eastern stretch of Lincoln Park in 1974 it was already affluent and settled. Not so for all of Lincoln Park, I’ll concede.
Here’s a more relevant example:
1975 – you would be nuts to buy in the Uptown ghetto.
1985 – you would be nuts to buy in the Uptown ghetto.
1995 – you would be nuts to buy in the Uptown ghetto.
2005 – you would be nuts to buy in the Uptown ghetto.
2015 – you would be nuts to buy in the Uptown ghetto.
Joe,
One place I bought in 92 in Uptown is worth more than 3.5 times what I purchased it for and put into it.
I must be nutz.
Enjoy the weekend.
Chuckles,
I didn’t mean the “years” I put in as definitive. Your right people were buying in those areas expecting great appreciation well before those dates. I just put it down as a very rough approximation of the beginning of the years where those hoods had spectacular appreciation.
Someone like “jane” will not only see the glass as half empty she will deny the glass exists. It is not all that difficult to predict areas that will get better than average appreciation.
The only time I have been surprised in the last 30 years is with what happened/happening in large parts of the south side. Say from 2200 south to Woodlawn or even South Shore.
Believe me I wish I sold everything I had, including my soul, and purchased vacant lots around 1999 in those areas.
Oh well where is Satan when you want to sell your soul. I guess he was too busy with Blago to find me.
irishpirate,
I think I’d need to be paid more than that to live in Uptown.
Joe,
Joe Joe,
The pure evil joy I bring to your life by setting you up for such comments! As Royko was quoted as saying “bring on the hate”.
You’re right Joe. Nothing has changed in 30 years here. Same empty lots, no condos, no new construction, no huge drop in crime rate. It is exactly the same as shown in “The Hunter” in 1980 with Steve McQueen.
I should be scared to live here. I guess my pea brain does not allow me to have the sense to move to Lincoln Park. God, if only I could transport myself back in time to 1977 and live at Lincoln and Fullerton………oh joy, oh rapture. It would be better than dying and going to heaven, the heaven part is unlikely in my case, and finding Jerry Fawell seated at the right hand of God and to the left of Ronnie Reagan.
Oh well.
Joe…how are you defining “Uptown?” It’s a joke among the residents that NOBODY (except maybe some bag ladies) actually lives in “Uptown.” They live in “Margate Park” or “Buena Park” or “Sheridan Park” or “East Ravenswood” or “North Lakeview” or “South Edgewater”…you get my drift, right? The name “Uptown” has been so stigmatized, rightly or wrongly, over the last several decades that in order to get the point across that this district actually includes some very people-friendly neighborhoods the Realtors and civic associations have had to revive or invent different designations for areas within “Uptown.” For myself, if I could afford it I would love to buy one of those beautiful vintage houses in Sheridan Park – just a few blocks from the soon-to-be-revived Uptown Theatre.
Jane doesn’t sound like a fool…
Jane here. My idea of a decent neighborhood is one where I can walk home from work without fearing an assault by hoodlums. And I sure as hell wouldn’t sink $500,000 into a poorly done condo conversion in a neighborhood that doesn’t meet the aforementioned criteria. And as mortgage standards continue to tighten, not very many other people will either. Nobody will pay cash, or even 20% down, on an overpriced ghetto condo. They only do it with 100% financing interest-only no-doc loans.
Jane, Jane, Jane,
Please, please, please, stay far away, so we intelligent thugs won’t verbally assault your lilywhite innocence.