wpsouthpaw500

I absolutely love living in Tri-Taylor and I have every reason to believe that its going to be "the next big thing" neighborhood in Chicago. It has everything that my wife and I were looking for in a place to live and eventually raise a family.

Location - The location is great for a lot of different reasons. Being on the near west side makes it easy to get pretty much anywhere. The Blue Line and Pink Line are nearby which makes it an easy train ride to get downtown, to O'Hare, or to any of the hot spots off of the Blue Line (Greektown, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Logan Square, etc.). The 12, 60, and 157 bus lines also make it easy to get downtown or straight into the UIC, the South Loop, and University Village. Being just a few blocks off of the 290 makes it simple to get anywhere by car, whether going west into the burbs or to the circle to shoot north or south. While it's not really part of Little Italy, the great restaurants and bars on Taylor Street are just a few blocks away. Being right next to the Illinois Medical District has its benefits too...like having a pet ER within walking distance.

Diversity - Tri-Taylor is one of the few Chicago neighborhoods that I've been to that is actually diverse...in pretty much any way that you could imagine. It's a racial melting pot because its the intersection of Lawndale and Garfield Park to the North and West, Pilsen to the South, and UIC/Little Italy/University Village to the East. The housing is mixed too. There is a relatively even distribution of condos, 2 or 3 flat apartments, and single family homes. The ages of the homes range from the absolutely gorgeous Victorian rowhouses/brownstones/greystones from the 1880's to brand spanking new houses and condos that are popping up everywhere. The people of the neighborhood are from all different age ranges and professions too. There's a mix of old-school folks that grew up in the neighborhood, young professionals, families, and UIC students. I've noticed that there are also a lot of public service types that live in Tri-Taylor, like cops, fire fighters, teachers, doctors, nurses, etc.

Gentrification - When we first started looking at buying our house in Tri-Taylor, we looked in the spring time when the weather was first starting to get nice, which meant it was construction season. As we walked and drove up and down the blocks in Tri-Taylor, it seemed like each block had at least a handful of different houses being renovated or new buildings being put up. Tri-Taylor is definitely on the up and up. What makes it even better is that prices are still reasonable. As far as crime goes, it's a safe neighborhood, as far as Chicago is concerned. We've talked to neighbors that have lived here longer than us and we always hear about how much it's cleaned up over the past 10 years or so. That being said, there is obviously still some crime, but mostly drug related or an occasional burglary or robbery. As long as your smart about where you are, when you're there, and who you're with, there really aren't any concerns. Bottom line is that Tri-Taylor is a good neighborhood that's only going to get better, I've even seen it on a few lists for being a new hot neighborhood in Chicago.

Amenities - Because of the nearby Illinois Medical District, Tri-Taylor is packed with great lunch places...Ferrara's (where Lemonheads were first made), LuLu's, Granddaddy's subs, Bacci's and Damenzo's pizza, and many more. Claremont Park and Livingston Field are very new and feature a dog park, playground, Bacci Ball courts, and a soccer/baseball field. There are a lot of other little businesses on Taylor and Western that make living here convenient, like dry-cleaners, dentist's office, barber shop, etc. The only things that Tri-Taylor really needs are a couple of nicer dinner places and a more upscale bar (although Rick's Bar and Simpsons are fantastic if you like a good Dive Bar).