Why is it that most major US cities has a "bad side" that always
happen to be in the south? Chicago, Boston, LA, Hartford,.. all has a
poor dangerous side that is in the south. NYC is propably the only
exception with the bad sides (Bronx) being in the north. Is it related
to routes of transportation or warmer weather or immigartation stops?
Thanx

This is a misnomer when it applies to several cities. Historically,
Chicago neighborhoods had a strong ethnic character. The current
"South Side of Chicago" was at one time heavily Irish and German. As
those groups assimilated, post WW II, the migration of the black
population from the American South became the successor group. The
West Side of Chicago, once Polish and Italian is now more Hispanic.
Milwaukee WI. still maintains neighborhoods N., W. and S. that are
predominantly Polish and German.

Developers in Chicago are busy turning neighborhoods near the Loop,
S., W. and N. into expensive condo's and townhouses. Around Hyde Park
and the U. of Chicago, on the "South Side", the same development is
occuring.

The folks in East Los Angeles, East Vancouver and East St. Louis
probably have no idea what you're talking about.

Don't forget that the bad part of the Bronx is the South Bronx.  Much
of the rest of the borough is actually nice.

This probably does not relate to the situation in the States, but
since you ask about weather being a possible factor:  In the
northwestern part of Europe, the prevailing wind is from the west, and
it has been propounded that the "better" neighborhoods developed
upwind of the stench of the towns in earlier times.

Most cities grow north unless there is a natural barrier such as a
lake etc. Even NY in you example grew from the tip of Manhattan.
Therefore as the new and more upscale properties were in the northern
parts the southern areas tended to turn into the ?bad? part of town.

The previous comment reminded me of this related question:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=529783

A theory, briefly:  most early settlements in the northern hemisphere
were on a body of water, preferably on the north shore to face the sun
and water, thus they tended to have to grow to the north and along the
shore, those who could afford to do so seeking more space, leaving the
crowded older area for those who couldn't afford to move and to
newcomers.