Quote:
Originally Posted by lawfin
In concur. LS has been in the works for over a decade. I looked at apts near California and Milw in 1998...ended up in Uptown. Several of my friends who were priced out of WP by 1995 or so also moved to the "west" bucktown / LS area in the 1998-02 time frame a few became purchasers in the area after that.
Nowhereman is younger he was probably 10-12 years old in the 1998-02 time frame. It is understandable that a person who is not from here, did not grow up here and witness neighborhood transformation over decades that such a transformation would appear to be unthinkable merely 10 years ago. 10 years ago was 2002; I dated an actress / artist girl in LS who had many artist / hipster type friends in LS back in 2000 or so. The area then was very hipster / artist.....ie still affordable...not faux hipster like WP has been since the mid- late 90's. LS to me is roughly where WP was in about '95 maybe slightly earlier. LS developing at least in my mind was easily predictable, and the signs were present at least by the late 90's if not the early 2000's, no hindsight needed. It was edgy then; and still can be; but then so was WP in early- mid 90's by '98 -2000 WP had pretty much been emasculated.
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Lol, this whole line again?
I don't doubt there were white starving artists living in Logan Square 10 years ago, but I do doubt that the area was considered any more promising than Humbolt Park or Bronzeville is now. Hell, you just said you moved to Uptown then. Did you think Uptown had similar potential? If so, then you are 50/50 on your predictions because Logan Square has taken off while Uptown has continued to run in circles and develop in fits and starts.
Even so, we see the exact same "signs" you claim to have seen in Logan Square 10 years ago in places like Pilsen, Bridgeport, and Bronzeville right now. I am guess than any of those three areas might take off, but any combination of them may or may not end up doing so. Fact is I have many friends who are looking at places in those areas and moving there, so how is what I'm saying absurd? I'm not claiming Logan Square was Lawndale 10 years ago. I'm claiming it was like Humbolt Park or Pilsen (away from UIC) or Bridgeport or Bronzeville are now. It was just another affordable neighborhood with small elements of the upper classes moving in to take advantage of the prices. There was no way of telling it would be the next "big thing" or it would have developed in the 1990's and not the 2000's. In other words, if it was so obviously the next big thing, then why didn't it develop 20 years ago instead of over the last 10?
Finally, I think you and I have different definitions of what Logan Square is. I think you are imagining the California and Western Stops to be a true part of Logan Square. Those are the fringes in my opinion and often more akin to Bucktown or Wicker than Logan. Logan Square to me applies to the immediate surroundings of the square itself (maybe a 5 block radius) and everything South along the bolevards to Palmer. These areas were certainly NOT gentrifying 10 years ago (unless you count a few starving artists here and there as gentrification) as they are just beginning to gentrify now. I would know as I live there and am watching the transformation. The heart of Logan Square is not the wasteland to the South along Milwaukee, it is the Square itself and Milwaukee North to Diversey. Everything North of the square is still heavily dominated by hispanics and has almost nothing in the way of the businesses you would associate with gentrification. However, especially over the past 6 months, these buisinesses have begun creeping north from their original colony around Longman and Eagle and setting up along Milwaukee as well. But none of that was there 10 years ago because it's just getting there now. So no, I highly doubt you were standing outside of a bodega at Milwaukee and Diversey in 2000 saying "gee this is a hot neighborhood" because the area was kinda a shit hole then and is just starting to change in earnest now. I don't doubt that you might have been Western and Milwaukee and said "I bet this will be a nice area some day", but that's a different story.
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