Berwyn YES or NO... fill me in!!! (Chicago, Oak Park: salons, apartments)

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by chisox74

??how is cicero/north berwyn?

How's West Town (Bucktown, Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, East Village, Noble Square, River West) (47% Hispanic)? Pilsen (89% Hispanic)? Albany Park (46% Hispanic)? Logan Square (65% Hispanic)? Usually, crime and gang activity tie more to income levels than race. I moved to Berwyn, like many people, because I didn't want a monocultural experience. I had enough of that growing up in Elmhurst. But some people do, and that's ok. It's just that when you draw blanket generalizations about certain people, you can come across as ignorant at best and racist at worst. You may not mean it that way, and believe you're just telling it like it is, but that's how people will percieve it. I also think Latinos, growing as rapidly as they are as home owners and immigrants, will be present in large numbers in most every suburbs within 10 years or so. You may have a hard time running from them and, at some point, will have to deal with them one way or other. I think the days of the 99% white suburb are numbered.

[ciceroguy]

Originally Posted by BRU67

If you live or lived in Berwyn and had a bad experience, that's unfortunate, but it doesn't reflect my experience. My experience has been very good in the town. If it wasn't, I'd move immediately, believe me. I don't tolerate problems relating to my family's safety very well.

You know I have been reading your post about Berwyn and I have to say it is pretty irresponsible for you to tell a person who plans on raising a family that there aren't major gang problems within the area. You almost sound as if you are on o'connors payroll. I've lived in the Cicero/Berywn area my entire life 30+ years. Your experiance doesn't reflect mine or anyones I've ever met. Berwyn isn't hell on earth but it is no where near the rose garden you make it out to be.

[BRU67]

Nope, haven't experienced major gang problems, sorry. Lived here going on 5 years now and haven't been the victim of a crime yet. I never said it was a rose garden either. Like many communities, there's room for improvement, including schools and economic development. I think I've acknowledged that in various posts. Of course, if people come on here and bash the community, and try to scare people into thinking it's full of gangs (which it isn't), then I doubt those issues will ever get fixed.

Unfortunately what I've been finding is that the term "gang" is very often a code word for "a lot of Hispanics or African Americans." I usually find myself taking issue with posts colored by bigotry. So if you take that as painting the community as a rose garden, oh well. I'll continue to do it.

[via chicago]

i have lived here for 23 years. I have never once felt uncomfortable, even walking down alleys at night. All I can say is I do find it amusing that OPs crime rate is higher, but yet somehow Berwyn is always the one taking the rap. We have never so much as had our garage broken into, or something stolen from our patio. Is it perfect? No, far from it. Yes there are gangs. There are also gangs in Wicker Park, Logan Square, and virtually any other place in the city.

I think the vast majority of people who say bad things about the town have never even stepped foot in it.

[GROVE2007]

I am Latino, and I would never move into CICERO, MAYWOOD, OR BERWYN. My friend who is also Lainto moved there and moved out within a year.. as she said, though we are latno, we have different values... that's the key word here/ values/ people dont care how their lawns look, how loud they are... no respect at all/ so I would look else where.. look into River Forest, Oak Park, ( great schols) or even the north shore area ($$$$) even in the dupage area..stay away from CMB

[janetp]

You should not take advice from people who do not LIVE in an area as to whether or not the area is good! So far, I heard from a racist who no longer lives here (thank God for that!) and some that never did. Nervy, I'd say. Glad they live somewhere else.
I have seen some pretty dramatic changes in the 8 years we have lived here. The park district is awesome if you're intested in reasonably priced lessons for almost anything you can name. THere's always something going on for the holidays. We live North Berwyn. I can't brag enough about the cleaniness of the area, and I can't tell you how many times my daughters and I have tasken a late night bike ride. Where are these gang members exactly? From time to time, a garage here does get "tagged", but when I have seen it, and it is more rare than common, it is a Cicero or Chicago gang who floats in from time to time. A simple phone call to the police department not only gets you a free removal, but they photograph and keep track of it as well. There is no problem here with gangs. Do we have some issues from time to time with taggings? Yes we do. Go look in Oak Park and Forest Park and Riverside. You'll see it there from time as well. Does that mean they have a problem? I'm sure we have gang members that live in the area, but they are by far, few and far between. We came from Ukranian Village in Chicago. 600k homes there, and you still have a big gang problem. We still have friends and family all over Ukie Village, East Village, Wicker Park, etc. Stuff happens there all the time, but you deal because of the perks the area has to offer if that's what you want. You cannot live so close to a big city like Chicago and not catch some of it. Get real. Why don't you try looking into the reports that are published monthly regarding our crime issues, and then judge for yourself instaed of taking anyone's word for it. Why don't you just go to the park Districts and see for yourself. Drive up and down the streets at night. Go to a community meeting. You will find most of us welcoming and very approachable. WE had a "problem " family across the street from us a few years back. I did exactly the same thing I did when I lived in Chicago. I got on the phone with the police till they got so sick of not being able to breathe, they left. Nobody is going to chase me out of my home, then and now. Together, we have done so much here in the past few years, it's incredible. I know most of my neighbors, and they always nod and chat. We went out for Halloween trick or treating, and it is fantastic. I swear to you, there were no problems, no tp's, no signs of gangs, no crap of any kind. Just a bunch of parents and tons of kids all over and it was really nice, as it has been for years. I have never lived anywhere where I have gone out for treating with the kids and had it be so pleasant! We always run into someone we know at the parks, at the school, at the store. I love it here. Do we need some more development? Yes me do, but on the whole, it's a nice place to live that is still affordadable. My property is worth twice what I paid 8 years ago. I'm sick of people who don't live here making judgements on this area. Our politicians are approachable. Our police commissioner rocks. Kushner has proved himself a force to be reckoned with as far as I'm concerned. Our parks districts are strong, our scouts are strong, our after school programs are strong. Oue elementary schools score very well, and our kids have gotten a quality education here. Our H.S. needs to be updated, but we are working on that, and we need more people in our community who will help to make it stronger here. Take a look inside and stop listening to these clowns who know not what they speak of.

[NYrules]

You may want to wait and see if public transit (CTA/Pace) to the area gets cut next week. If it does, then guess who is going to be sitting in the 290 parking lot if they move to Berwyn? Well, if all this talk of cutting public transit takes place like every news station in town is saying, I imagine we all will be sitting in parking lots all over the city as the roads cant handle the current traffic counts. Many things may quickly change in this region if all this plays out, so wait and see then make your decision on where to move. What is now a hour drive into the loop right now at rush hour like Berwyn currently is, may soon be two! I feel really sorry for those out in areas like Naperville. LOL! They will need to pack a lunch just for their drive in!

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by NYrules

You may want to wait and see if public transit (CTA/Pace) to the area gets cut next week. If it does, then guess who is going to be sitting in the 290 parking lot if they move to Berwyn? Well, if all this talk of cutting public transit takes place like every news station in town is saying, I imagine we all will be sitting in parking lots all over the city as the roads cant handle the current traffic counts. Many things may quickly change in this region if all this plays out, so wait and see then make your decision on where to move. What is now a hour drive into the loop right now at rush hour like Berwyn currently is, may soon be two! I feel really sorry for those out in areas like Naperville. LOL! They will need to pack a lunch just for their drive in!

I don’t know why Berwyn is now the place to avoid if there are CTA/Pace cuts. The cuts will be disaster for almost everyone in the region and will increase commutes across the City by encouraging (or in some cases forcing) driving. This is not something that needs to be happening given the state of geopolitical affairs and the condition of the environment. Why our State spends all this money on superhighways to encourage fuel and energy consumption, sprawl and the destruction of farmland and while inner-city and inner-ring public transit go to shirt, I haven’t the slightest. Sorry state of affairs this is. Get our priorities straight we must. Pull our heads out of our a--- before the Dark Side slaps us down we will.

It won’t help the Sprawlites either because, guess what? They have to drive on the same highways once they get close to the City. It’s all intertwined. If people who live in Naperville will have to pack lunch, people who live in Yorkville will have to pack lunch and dinner! And what will become of poor Sycamore, the next Big Thing apparently? I guess they’ll have to throw some bacon and eggs into the cooler too.

And an hour in rush hour from Berwyn? Eh, how about 25-30 minutes from Riverside and Harlem to the Government Center parking garage across from the Daley Center? That’s how long it actually takes me at 8 a.m. Two words for you young man – Lower Wacker. Experience its joys and speed Plus you’ll still be able to get to the Loop via the Metra from Berwyn anyway, which won’t be impacted by the cuts on the table.

[Utopian]

Which I probably would have never left except I no longer wanted to deal with winter -- and had a unique opportunity to sell my property to the expanding school district in 2001. My husband and I owned a comfy bungalow near 31st Street and Kenilworth Avenue (which is now a parking lot) for 9 years. All communities have some problems, but, as a previous writer mentioned, you will probably adjust well considering your experience in Wicker Park. If you're inclined to get bored, there's plenty to do in nearby Chicago, Riverside, Oak Park, LaGrange. And last summer, when I visited family in the area, I noticed some cool new places in Berwyn. My husband and I coined the phrase "so un-hip it just might be hip" to describe Berwyn to friends whom inquired why we lived there. Compared to our former neighborhood of East Rogers Park ('85-'92), Berwyn was nirvana, and I grew to prefer occasional boredom to street crime. If you move to Berwyn, I hope that you enjoy living there and are embraced warmly by the many interesting, lovely people whom we met, grew to love and were very sorry to leave behind.

[kleer]

Originally Posted by jenrik2714

So Hispanics make the town bad?

Glad I got the hell out of there 10 years ago and I'm only 21

English is the second language there, last time I drove thru (last year), I couldn't understand a single sign in any of the store windows