Gage Park

Gage Park is a pretty residential community with a lot of Chicago’s famous bungalow houses. The park itself is nice and big. The population was Lithuanian and other Eastern Europeans, but now is mostly Hispanic. There are a lot of Mexican restaurants in the neighborhood now serving tacos, sandwiches and ice cream. Elias Tacos is probably the best in the area. Nicky’s is a good BBQ place that’s been around forever.

Gage Park isn’t an overly exciting neighborhood, but it’s a nice area for families and affordable homes. It’s fairly quiet. It’s close to Midway Airport, and the Orange Line runs through the neighborhood on the way there. However, it’s not known as being a particularly safe neighborhood either. They’ve had some issues with gangs, etc. but I don’t think it’s the worst area.

Gage Park is a below average neighborhood. The crime rate, while not as bad as some areas, is higher than I would like, and frankly, there isn't a whole lot to do here.

I've been through Gage Park a few times, and the restaurant selection has mostly let me down. There are a handful of Mexican places, as the area is mostly Hispanic, and while some of it's good, nothing struck me as great or truly memorable. I do like Nicky's for Greek food, but that doesn't qualify the neighborhood for a visit.

The population is mostly lower class, which I think accounts for much of the crime, so the home prices and general cost of living isn't very high. That would be the one thing I really feel Gage Park has going for it. I wouldn't really consider living here unless money got really tight for a while. Otherwise, I'd spend a bit more to be in a neighborhood with more going on, and less crime.

This Chicago Community is home about 39,373 Hispanics. It is seven miles SW of the Loop and offers good transportation for getting around. It is surrounded by water on three sides. If it has a lot to offer to people who don't live there, it's keeping these things as secrets. It seems just an average sort of place, which is a lot to say today in the face of mounting crime and deterioration in other parts of the City.

The average household income is $38,625. Rents in 2008 were $656/month. Owner-occupied housing units are valued at an average of $132,400. The restaurants are mostly pizza places and Mexican restaurants.

This South Side area is not especially safe – there have been recent shootings (one outside the local high school in January), so watch your back in Gage Park. Overall, it’s not a place worth visiting if you only have a few days in the city, and it’s not a place where you would want to move if you could afford not to live here.

Gage Park is a working class neighborhood whose streets are mostly lined with bungalows of the sort that are pretty popular in the surrounding neighborhoods. They look okay from the outside, if not pretty standard, and the streets stay relatively maintained.

The population here consists mostly of working class Hispanic people, and there are nearly a million Mexican restaurants out here. There is at least one taco stand (that I know of) that lives up to expectations – Elias Tacos on South Kedzie Ave. In addition to Mexican cuisine, the area seems to stock plenty of car dealerships and auto mechanic shops, giving it a kind of industrial feel. It’s not a place where you want to be left alone after dark.