Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician
Based on what Marothisu is observing, and a sense that I’m getting, Chinese people even of good means are actually choosing to invest in and build homes in the “Chinese corridor”. I mean, I just don’t see a big concern about them decamping to the suburbs en masse when they reach a certain stage, as long as LL and the crew keep crime and riot related activity under control.
This is not to say there aren’t a lot of Chinese/Koreans and others out in the burbs. Even our little sprawly neighborhood in Libertyville (including our next door neighbor) has a decent number of them. They are most concentrated in the NW area like Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, etc. Probably a ton in western regions like Naperville environs as well, but those places are so damn far away that I can’t comment from personal experience.
That whole dynamic is very different from Indo-Pak people. As a whole you just aren’t seeing them take roots in the city in masse and creating a whole “Desi corridor” like the Chinese are. They may conduct commerce at Devon but the American dream is in the burbs. Even the huge growth in the central area has mostly been young techies, young couples, etc. Few are sticking around after that.
The reason is cultural. Indian cities are crowded, dirty, full of homelessness and stray dogs, etc etc. There continues to be a preference for new construction and a lot of space because of that. Hence the burb preferences.
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Bridgeport, McKinley Park, Brighton Park, Armour Square, Archer Heights, Douglas, and Lower West Side increased by 7001 Chinese people between 2010 and 2018. This isn't counting the ~5500 growth downtown next door or the almost +1600 in Lincoln Park, Lakeview, West Town, and Logan Square (over half of that just in Lincoln Park), or the almost +1400 of Kenwood, Hyde Park, and Woodlawn.
And yeah, totally cultural. There are obviously many Chinese in the suburbs but I think you'll find less of the "I must have a big house and big yard" idea amongst Chinese in America than some other groups. At least as far as my wife says, they like cheap real estate and have no issues trying to improve an area as far as aesthetics, schools, etc go. Chicago just needs to continue marketing to some people - cheap housing, still a nice city, many nice paying jobs, etc. At least as far as the data goes until 2018, there's been a good uptick.