And they mean that in a good way.
It’s been ages (three whole months!) since anyone asked, “What’s the next hot ‘hood?”, so naturally it’s time to find out, and Time Out Chicago is on the case.
It’s not an open-ended question — you have just four choices, but at least you’re open to offer your reasoning in a comment field.
The candidates are:
- Albany Park (The next Lincoln Square)
- Avondale (The next Logan Square)
- Bridgeport (The next Pilsen)
- Uptown (The next Lakeview)
In case you missed it, Curbed’s poll from November had Pilsen coming out on top by a large margin, with Bridgeport and Humboldt Park tied for second.
You know what no one bothers to ask? What exactly is today’s hot ‘hood? (Or yesterday’s, for that matter.) I doubt there’s much consensus there, either. I know that over the past four years, I’ve seen friends and acquaintances shuffle around all sorts of neighborhoods, and I’d be hard pressed to identify one spot where everyone is moving or wants to be. For every twenty-something I know who’s bully on Pilsen or Avondale, there’s one who still prefers Lincoln Park or Lake View.
Joseph,
You actually know people who are bullish on PIlsen?
What do they see as the attractions?
Uptown is the next Lincoln Park. It has been ever since I first heard that claim – in 1978.
Joe:
I’m gonna generalize a lot here, but…
I’d say that the majority of people I know who have moved to Pilsen would identify themselves as artists, musicians, graphic designers, etc., and that neighborhood more than any other at the moment. Most are college-educated (some went to art schools, some to liberal arts colleges, some to state schools), a couple are pretty well off (not necessarily trust-fund kids, but close enough), and none work downtown (some wait tables, one works at a grocery store, most freelance).
A few examples: I can think of one couple who moved there from Wicker Park about six years ago, and have lived in lofts or converted storefront spaces ever since. I have two friends who moved into a full-floor loft on 18th Street last year after spending a few years in Wicker Park (one lived on North Avenue near Ashland, the other above a restaurant on Division Street). In these cases and others, everyone’s living with friends or significant others, usually in two- or three-bedroom apartments at what they perceive to be extremely cheap prices, at least compared to other neighborhoods that appeal to them. (Along with Wicker Park, these people have lived in places like East Humboldt Park, Ukrainian Village, and Logan Square, and that’s where a lot of their friends still live. These aren’t people who spend a lot of time thinking about Lincoln Park, and who won’t be in the market for a permanent, purchased home anytime soon.)
I don’t know — part of it might be the aesthetic, the sense that people of that age who are attracted to, for lack of a better word, the “bohemian” lifestyle are supposed to live in edgier neighborhoods. In that, I mean that they’re not living there solely because it’s what they can afford with hourly/infrequent wages, but also because there’s some cachet in being somewhere that’s a little rough around the edges, that’s dominated by a culture other than their own, but that they don’t perceive as being too dangerous. (I should add that almost all of these people live on or near Halsted or 18th, no further west than Racine.)
I think the other thing that defines a lot of these people is that they don’t feel trapped by the neighborhood, nor do they really seem invested in seeing it grow into anything more or different than what it is. When I see them, it’s usually at shows and bars and get-togethers on the north and northwest sides, not in Pilsen. They like the Skylark, they like Nightwood, they like Simone’s and Honky Tonk, but they don’t mind driving, biking, cabbing, or busing to other places. For the most part, Pilsen is where they sleep.
Also, its my sense that the artists among them aren’t moving down specifically to be close to a specific arts scene, so I doubt their choices will be swayed by things like gallery closures.
Every neighborhood can’t be gentrified like LP or LV.
There has to be diverse housing options for different income levels. Brideport should remain a place for lower middle class people. Where else in the city are the government workers going to go thats affordable/kinda safe? I don’t think they want to live in chatham/auburn gresham or englewood. Its so ridiculous how developers/ artists/hippies are trying to force gentrification on these ‘hoods. The housing prices in these places are way out of line. Those people are dreaming.
You heard it here first: “Hippies force gentrification”. Do we still call them hippies?
…and Albany Park never wins these things…whaaaa, whaaaa. The AP, in my experience, is still facing large home price reductions in central and western portions. I do not see any influx there of any demographic (hip or not) that would define a movement as “hot”. That said, the east portion around Kedzie is a good combination of cheaper housing, retail, grocers, and restaurants easy to all kinds of transportation etc.. It’s close to Lincoln Square and you can walk down gorgeous Wilson Avenue through Ravenswood Manor.
F/Y/I, futuredoc, Chatham is a very different place than Englewood or Auburn Gresham.
Lots of government workers live in Chatham, and more have aspired to live there over the years.
I grew up in the Bridgeport area in Chicago, but I was born and raised down south in
Tupelo MS, which was on my father side of the family; on my mother side of the family,
They were all born and raised down in the Bridgeport area. Which dates far back as the 1920’s, from my grandfather house over on 35th Street and Wallace Ave.
As a very young child, I really don’t recall very much of the area, because we moved away from the neighborhood years ago back in 1968. As of today, we all live over on the southwest side of Chicago a town called: Midway Clearing District, and we lived there now since 1968, due to the fact that Bridgeport was changing rapidly.
Bridgeport is now a very rough neck neighborhood, and the people who lives in the area, they don’t take kindly to strangers at all! The residences of Bridgeport area will give you a very mean dirty look! The last time that I was down there, was a few weeks ago I went with a friend from my church, we went to the SPRED Center Church over on Lowe Ave.
Every time when we do go down to the SPRED Center Church, the people had given us a dirty look! Every time when I do go there, I always get very bad vibes from the people. I feel that I’m not wanted and I feel that I really do NOT belong there.
As of right now, I will never ever darken there doorsteps ever again! Because I do NOT want have to deal with anyone who is unfriendly and unkind to strangers like me and others, to make us feel unwelcome. Because that is NOT love at All! It is hate, and hating towards others is NOT what the lord wants. I thought the bible says to Love thy neighbor, Does It?
There for I shall say again – “I Rest My Case! — Case Close!!!!!!!!!!……….
Bob M Smith,
I’ve been to Bridgeport often, and never felt the vibe you did. Case open.