Reviews & Comments
Chicago, IL
North Mayfair neighborhood -
5/7/2007Please note the following is a comment about only one portion of the 60630 zip code area:
My home neighborhood in Chicago, North Mayfair, should be highly considered by anyone who wants to live in a historic bungalow district. We are one and have a lot of great bungalows on the market right now. While I do not entirely approve of our alderman, she has brought a lot of infrastructure improvements to our neighborhood. A new retail development is going in at Lawrence and Pulaski with that famous bellweather indicator, Starbucks. New steetscaping has taken place on both the main and residential streets throughout the area. Our neighborhood park, Gompers, is one of the most beautiful in Chicago and includes both a lagoon and a restored wetland (with part year resident blue heron). We are also right near exits for I-94 and not very far from I-90 so this is a good location for reverse commuters. The portion of the area composed of single family homes (generally the northern 2/3 of the neighborhood) has ample parking and we do not require permits except for one small area near a forest preserve.
This is generally a low crime rate area with a lot of cops residing here. However, it has a great amount of ethnic diversity so one need not feel one has to move to an all white neighborhood to get away from crime. We have white, Asian and Hispanic residents all in decent numbers and while there are not many African-Americans, they do have a presence here and would certainly not feel unwelcome. Regardless of ethnicity, almost everyone here takes great pride in their homes and strives to maintain and improve them. We have many beautiful gardens, as well.
The main drawback compared to other neighborhood is that this is not "el" country. Niether the el nor Metra are within walking distance. That has kept house prices down till recently as downtown commuters have avoided moving here. Now, as fewer and fewer folks can afford decent North Side areas with el access, our area has become much more interesting. Plus houses have not become overvalued like Irving Park, two neighborhoods to the south.
So if you are looking for a vintage bungalow, Tudor or Georgian and want to get in on an area with great potential consider us.
North Mayfair is one half square mile bounded by Lawrence Avenue (4800N) on the south, Foster Avenue (5200N) on the north, Pulaski Avenue (4000W) on the east and Cicero Avenue (4800W) on the west. It is distinct from the Mayfair nei
Chicago, IL
Lived here for 25 years, thinking about moving awa -
3/18/2006I am a native of the northeastern United States who has lived in Chicago for 25 years. There is a lot I like about this city, but much I do not care for as well. I am 50 and as I approach retirement I am beginning to think a change of scene would help. Here are some comments. As I am gay, one has to do with the gay community here, so straight folks can ignore that one. Also, I can't really speak to jobs, as I am not looking to change at the moment. One further comment: The high murder rate here should be disregarded if you are not a young African-American/Hispanic male. For the rest of the population, murder and general crime is about average.
Pluses
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Lots to see and do in the city, especially in summer.
Great restaurants with lots of food at prices more moderate than elsewhere
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (greatest in the country).
More pro sports teams (if you like that) than almost any other town.
Ability to fly to almost any major city in the US without changing planes.
Some of the best architecture in the country.
High city investmentment in infrastructure. Very attractive cityscape is resulting from this.
Good commuter rail service to suburbs.
Good housing stock with lots of solid older homes in the city and near burbs.
Very active and creative theater scene.
Minues (more, that is why I am thinking about leaving)
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Really extreme climate variations combined with pollution and allergens.
Surrounding area (and we are talking about a 300 mile radius) is really boring.
Horrendous traffic a la Los Angeles/Atlanta/Bay Area. Much worse than NYC.
Residents, regardless of ethnicity, are not very well educated and there are fewer PH. D.'s/artists/intellectuals per capita than many smaller cities. People tend to act like "urban rednecks", even white collar people.
Housing somewhat high but not appreciating as fast as more desireable areas of the country - move out and you may have to trade down if you want to go somewhere good.
Very high realiance on property and sales taxes leading to inequitable school and municipal funding in Illinois; high property taxes as a result
Really awful public schools, except in very expensive suburbs.
No oceans, mountains, national parks or really scenic areas nearby. Forget Illinois' tourism ads. If you are from the coasts or the Rockies, you'll find the reast of the state incredibly boring.
Gay community is large but very provincia
Chicago, IL
Education -
9/12/2005I have lived in Chicago for 25 years though I am not a native. I find Chicago to be a wonderful city in many ways -- great architecture, sense of place, nice restaurants, good housing stock, transportation hub.
However, during my time here I have noticed that the residents, regardless of race or ethnic background, seem awfully stupid. The statistics on your site bear this out. Chicago has a much lower percentage of college graduates than many other cities.
In addition, as time goes on the population seems to be getting worse rather than better in educational achivement.
If someone were to ask me about moving here and the housing level was affordable to them, my first question would be whether they are seeking a city with an intellectual life. If the answer is "yes", I'd advise them to go elsewhere.
As I approach 50, I am beginning to plan for the last portion of my life and am seriously considering moving from here because I do not feel folks are very intelligent or have interesting things to say. I have noticed in my travels throughout the US that people in other places seem to be considerably brighter, so it goes beyond statistics.
There are three main reasons why Chicago lags so much in this regard: (1) Public shcools are really bad and school funding is highly inequitable. (2) Those residents
from upper economic statuses who attend better schools tend to move out of Illinois. The Chicago Tribune has run stories about this phenomenon. (3) Employment base of Chicago is still heavily manufacturing oriented.