It's the "United Park Center" neighborhood in the Windy City, and a new report from Walletpop.com names it Numero Uno on that website's list of the Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in the United States. And if you happen to wonder what that means, here's a little taste, just to wet your beak: The website reports that if you so much as walk down a street in this neighborhood, your chances of being the victim of a crime are one in four. Just think about the poor dude tasked with delivering the mail down there! As the linked story from the local NBC affiliate says, if you plan to stray into this neighborhood, "keep your belongings close and the pepper spray handy." Gee, ya think?
But alas, does any of this come as any real surprise? It seems to me that Chicago has been notorious for its bad neighborhoods for decades. The late musician Jim Croce was talking about "the south side of Chicago being the baddest part of town" back in the early 1970's when he introduced the world to Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.
Then in the 1980's, the badass One Man Gang terrorized professional wrestling rings throughout the country. And from where did OMG hail, you might ask? Well, from none other than Halsted Street in Chicago -- a neighborhood immediately east of the above-described "United Park Center" neighborhood.
So there's really nothing new here. I've been to Chicago a number of times, and (apart from its slimy political culture) it's a great city. Just know the neighborhoods to stay the hell out of, and you'll be fine. And if you are dumb enough to wander into those neighborhoods, watch out you don't leave "looking like a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone."
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Chicago-most-Dangerous-Neighborhood-in-America-104278813.html?dr
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