City of Neighborhoods: Why do you live where you live?

By JoshMogerman in Miscellaneous on Feb 13, 2011 8:00PM

What does the neighborhood you live in say about you? That is a question popping up all over the place in a variety of ways lately as the City faces a significant change in leadership.

Are some neighborhoods more “Chicago” than others? If you live in Edison Park or Mount Greenwood, should we assume you work for the City? You would guess that from the Sun-Times’ coverage of the renewed discussion over our town’s restrictive residency rules for city employees that has bubbled into the Mayoral race.

If you are from Back of the Yards, do you consider suburbanites out of touch snobs? Gary Chico clearly does, which opens up a good conversation about neighborhood and class perceptions in today's Mary Schmich column in the Trib. This week's Reader feature on segregation brings the issue to an even deeper level. Both imply that those living in grittier parts of town have more perspective on our communities’ needs.

Look, we've gone a long way from the stark, iron-clad neighborhood borders that Studs Terkel described in Division Street: America where you could literally be clobbered for walking down the wrong block. But this is still a "city of neighborhoods." As we think about our coverage, we ask you, oh deeply knowledgeable and proud Chicagoistas, why do you live in the 'hood where you reside? Does it color your perception of folks from other neighborhoods? Or is the issue overblown? Do tell, do tell.