Southeast Oak Park? Safe? (Chicago, Naperville: low crime, houses, safe area)

[tweetyful]

So... 8 carjackings in 1 month, burglaries, theft, tons of houses being sold.?. Gun shots coming from the Austin neighborhood could be heard at night all the way to Ridgeland. We moved to Oak Park about four years ago mainly for the schools but also to find a great community and awesome amenities, ie. parks and libraries.

We were looking to purchase a single family home, however, housing is super expensive towards center of town and we have concerns about buying close to Oak Park's perimeter. Some say Humphrey, Lyman & Taylor, both north and south are safe areas as are Rosell at North Ave & Wenonah at Madison. Any insights on these areas?

We have kids so safety is important and we don't want to be too far from Julian & OPRF though we've searched in the Brooks area also. It's so frustrating and overwhelming that we can't find a good home that does not have structural or other major issues, would accommodate all of us, (3 kids,2 dogs & 2 adults) & stay under budget. Our max is $465 (I know, not much &#128542 but we'd rather keep it at or under $450-

ALL comments and suggestions are welcome. Though we have seriously considered leaving Oak Park due to increasing crime (where we could afford housing) & school ratings dropping, we are finding it difficult to fall in love with suburbia out west. Help!. 🙂

[chet everett]

You have quite a "list", heck it might be a "box" -- the lid is the price, the walls are fear of crime, the bottom (line) is does your lack of love for other suburbs keep you from thinking outside the box???

Try LaGrange -- very vibrant core with extremely low crime and schools that are very well regarded -- https://www.redfin.com/IL/La-Grange/.../home/14056797
https://www.redfin.com/IL/La-Grange/.../home/14062508
https://www.redfin.com/IL/La-Grange-.../home/13296834

None of those are going to last long!

You want to take on a bit of project --FSBO but I have seen this house and it needs some updates, though the owner has some blind spots https://www.redfin.com/IL/La-Grange/.../home/14064632

[damba]

Originally Posted by tweetyful

So... 8 carjackings in 1 month, burglaries, theft, tons of houses being sold.?. Gun shots coming from the Austin neighborhood could be heard at night all the way to Ridgeland. We moved to Oak Park about four years ago mainly for the schools but also to find a great community and awesome amenities, ie. parks and libraries.

We were looking to purchase a single family home, however, housing is super expensive towards center of town and we have concerns about buying close to Oak Park's perimeter. Some say Humphrey, Lyman & Taylor, both north and south are safe areas as are Rosell at North Ave & Wenonah at Madison. Any insights on these areas?

We have kids so safety is important and we don't want to be too far from Julian & OPRF though we've searched in the Brooks area also. It's so frustrating and overwhelming that we can't find a good home that does not have structural or other major issues, would accommodate all of us, (3 kids,2 dogs & 2 adults) & stay under budget. Our max is $465 (I know, not much &#128542 but we'd rather keep it at or under $450-

ALL comments and suggestions are welcome. Though we have seriously considered leaving Oak Park due to increasing crime (where we could afford housing) & school ratings dropping, we are finding it difficult to fall in love with suburbia out west. Help!. 🙂

Doesn’t this repeat your other thread?

Seriously though- you and your family have to choose where you would like to reside, and the priorities which are yours and yours alone. We can only lead you to the water hole, you have to be prepared to take the first sip(!)

[ToriaT]

Personally I would not buy in south Oak Park....most of the houses are frame look like they would need a lot of maintenance and there have been crime problems there. Its a shame, I hope they get a handle on the crime. La Grange may be a good place to look or Brookfield. Also Berwyn has some homes but the schools are not at all up to Oak Park levels. It does not have the car jackings that Oak Park has experienced. Home prices are at an attractive price point and its close to Oak Park so you can retain some of the same social contacts. There are private schools you can utilize as well. The police are very good in Berwyn and very responsive which is important if you are living in an urbanized area. Just a thought.

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Berwyn/323.../home/14133951
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Berwyn/323.../home/14133951

[damba]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

Personally I would not buy in south Oak Park....most of the houses are frame look like they would need a lot of maintenance and there have been crime problems there. Its a shame, I hope they get a handle on the crime. La Grange may be a good place to look or Brookfield. Also Berwyn has some homes but the schools are not at all up to Oak Park levels. It does not have the car jackings that Oak Park has experienced. Home prices are at an attractive price point and its close to Oak Park so you can retain some of the same social contacts. There are private schools you can utilize as well. The police are very good in Berwyn and very responsive which is important if you are living in an urbanized area. Just a thought.

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Berwyn/323.../home/14133951
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Berwyn/323.../home/14133951

Agreed, but the vast majority of people w/three kids and arguably more strict housing budgets where they would really like to live cannot afford private school. Economically, it would make little sense. The numbers could go the other direction though with only one child. YMMV

[doodlemagic]

Originally Posted by damba

Doesn’t this repeat your other thread?

Seriously though- you and your family have to choose where you would like to reside, and the priorities which are yours and yours alone. We can only lead you to the water hole, you have to be prepared to take the first sip(!)

I agree, seems like OP has a vendetta against Oak Park.

Here's the thing, if you have kids and you want to live in Chicago or in an inner ring suburb be prepared to spend big bucks to live in a safe area with good schools. I wouldn't even necessarily say Oak Park is dangerous but it's a more urban environment than say Naperville which you referenced in your other thread.

Move out to Naperville or Plainfield and especially with the ladder you'll get a huge house in a safe some may say boring neighborhood but you wont be hearing any gunshots.

Every area has pros and cons. Living in Oak Park its a more urban environment and its gonna be a little pricer.

You mentioned your in Oak Park and would like to stay but also looking at Naperville, these are two very different places. I get the impression you want the best of both worlds, you want the safety of Naperville and the walkability and access to the city and public transportation and maybe the urban feel of Oak Park. Your gonna have to make a sacrafice in one area or the other unless you have big money and can afford to be in one of those super nice blocks in Oak Park.

I kind of commented on this in your other post but everytime I come out of Walgreens in Oak Park there's a homeless guy. I was at my buddies office in Oak Park the other day and there was a homeless lady pooping outside by the dumpster. Oak Park isn't unsafe but at the same time those are things your kids aren't going to see growing up in Naperville.

Thats not even necessarily a good thing or bad thing. Some parents feel Naperville is overly sheltered and would like their kids to grow up more in the real world, where as other parents love Naperville

[noid_1985]

Reminds me of an episode of Black Mirror “Archangel”

[damba]

Originally Posted by noid_1985

Reminds me of an episode of Black Mirror “Archangel”

Agreed, although they spell it ‘Arkangel’, I believe.

That said, the OP said her kid was robbed in the alley. If you actually have your own kids, you may at least pause to wonder if past any certain point, the drawbacks of any place possibly outweigh the potential benefits.

[TheTimidBlueBars]

I don't think it's helpful to mock the OP's concern for their own and their kids' safety. Crime is a very real issue and one reason the outer-ring suburbs of most metro areas are the fastest-growing parts, and as someone who's lived in Oak Park for over a decade, I have been worried at times about the uptick in carjackings.

The flip side is, this is a very recent phenomenon, I believe largely tied to one particular Austin gang's initiation rites, and it could die down just as fast as it started. Maybe it already has. It seems very premature to conclude this is just how Oak Park is now.

That being said, the easternmost few blocks of Oak Park, especially near or on major arterials like Chicago and Madison, have always been where the majority of the crimes occur. If you want to move but stay in the village for the schools, west of Ridgeland seems like a safer bet. I believe the houses near the southwestern corner, which are generally on pretty small lots, are not terribly expensive.

[noid_1985]

There’s probably 10 threads a year asking about the safety of Oak Park and most of the time people here say avoid moving to that side of town because of x,y,z. The eastern half of Oak Park is the same as it was 4 years ago, and the Austin community hasn’t changed much either meaning the OP probably heard gunshots when they moved in.