[Dampyre]

Great. But if one believes in the basic economics of market capitalism, and I do, they would disagree with you. I don't doubt that many South and West siders have no desire to live on the North Side. But most people in general (including, of course, those moving to the city from elsewhere) absolutely do. There is a reason prices are higher on the North Side, and it is because there is more demand to live there.

And you're sort of the pot calling the kettle black with that last statement, Dampyre. You say yourself that you have no reason to ever go north of Division Street... why would I need to go south of Roosevelt? Both sides of the city have everything local residents need, and for anything else one can go downtown (that's the point of a downtown, is it not?). And Chicagoans on both sides of the city could care less about the suburbs, for the most part.

Most Caucasians want to live on the North Side. That's not neccessarily true with minorities although some certainly do. The North Side hasn't seen the rough times that the South Side has. It's more built up and didn't suffer at the hands of greedy landlords(white ones) who burned down properties for insurance money. There is a fair amount of construction going on here on the South Side. It's only a matter of time before it becomes built up again.

I may not have a reason to go to north of Divion but I often do. That's much more than I can say for people like you. As for suburbanites, yes, they do matter. There are over 5 million of them and many spend money here in the city. I'll admit that it's very rare for me to set foot in most suburbs, especially the northern ones.

 

[Chi-town]

^ Well, since most of the U.S. population happens to be white, my assertion that "most people" want to live in the North Side is accurate if one isn't hung up on race.

As for the last part; there is a reason for everything we do. If you go to the North Side, you have a reason for it. I've gone to the South Side, since summer: 1) biking down the lakeshore; 2) to see friends @ the UofC; 3) to take visiting family to the Robie House and UofC campus; 4) to check out new buildings @ IIT; 5) White Sox games; 6) visiting friends from school in Beverly. But for the most part, Chicago is a city where most day-to-day requirements can be satisfied within walking distance of home and everything else can be found downtown. How many Manhattanites ever go to Queens?

So, only people who live on the North Side work in the financial services field. Gotcha....

Most do; there are few upper middle class South Side neighborhoods.

 

[Dampyre]

^ Well, since most of the U.S. population happens to be white, my assertion that "most people" want to live in the North Side is accurate if one isn't hung up on race.



Most do; there are few upper middle class South Side neighborhoods.

Ok, wrapping this up one can come to this conclusion:Chicago is basically downtown and the North Side surrounded by two enormous ghettos and sprawl.

 

[Chi-town]

^ No. Chicago is three or more distinct parts that intersect downtown, but are relatively self-supporting otherwise. A glance at a CTA map will show this. But one still can't deny the fact that, overall, wealth in the city in concentrated in North Side neighborhoods near the lake.

 

[oshkeoto]

"Well, since most of the U.S. population happens to be white, my assertion that "most people" want to live in the North Side is accurate if one isn't hung up on race."

Chi-town, you can't have a reasonable discussion about the different populations of the North and South sides without talking about race.

And, here we go, a map of incomes in Chicago, showing that yes, most poverty is on the South and West Sides, and yes, most upper-middle-class neighborhoods are on the North Side, but also that the vast majority of the North Side is NOT upper-middle-class neighborhoods:

 

[Chicago3rd]

There was an article in the Suntimes Sunday paper or was it the Tribune yesterday. About how much more intergrated the neigborhoods have become in 20 years. It also said the same thing is happen in the surrounding burbs. But it did note that the biggest populace that tends to not want to segragate are African American both in the city and the suburbs. And we all know that the most segragated non-diverse neighborhoods are located in the south side.

My neighborhood....has heavy Germand and Eastern European right around me and just north is heavy Indian and to the Northwest Koreans.

People often forget in their narrowed bigoted statements that what makes Chicago fantastic is the "SUM OF THE ALL".

 

[ChicagoLover]

I'm surprised that the zip code that appears to include parts of the Loop is in the lowest income bracket. I suppose this reflects the lfact that very few people lived in this area, especially "back in 1999" except for people in South Loop SROs? I wonder whether continued interest in the central area by people with money will make appreciable differences in maps like these. Which expansion of the red will happen first?

 

[oshkeoto]

^ Well, I bet that green splotch at Cabrini-Green is red now.

 

[ChicagoLover]

oshkeoto, how much of Cabrini has been torn down, and do you or anyone else know the time table for the conversion of that property in the future?

 

[oshkeoto]

^ All but a handful--maybe half a dozen or less--of the highrises have been torn down. There is a timetable for the razing of the rest of them, and a plan for redevelopment, that I believe is supposed to become reality in a few years. The redevelopment includes some lowrise public housing, but much reduced from before.

 

[Dampyre]

But it did note that the biggest populace that tends to not want to segragate are African American both in the city and the suburbs. And we all know that the most segragated non-diverse neighborhoods are located in the south side.

There are quite a few segregated neighborhoods on he North Side. In fact, overall I'd say that the South Side is more diverse.

 

[oshkeoto]

"There are quite a few segregated neighborhoods on he North Side. In fact, overall I'd say that the South Side is more diverse."

If you take the overall population of the South Side, it may be more diverse than the North; but it's also much more segregated.