Oak Park vs. Evanston (Chicago, Highland Park: high schools, college, stores)

[johnm68]

I'm pretty sure the Woodfield area contributes to Schaumburg's crime as well, but that doesn't explain the higher rate of burglaries there.

It could be that thefts from stores after hours (that is, theft accomplished by gaining illegal entry to the premises) are considered burglaries, rather than theft. In other words, if Micky Mope steals something from a store during daylight hours, its theft. If he hides in the mall until the store is closed and then steals something, its a burglary.

[Lookout Kid]

It could be "burglary from a motor vehicle" as well. I think that's included in the numbers. I know Oak Park has many burglaries from motor vehicles parked on the street, and would imagine that Woodfield has LOTS of these crimes.

[awerne]

Originally Posted by adele115

In the sun-times there is an article here: Man's body found in Oak Park Dumpster :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State
about a man's body that was found in a dumpster face up near a grocer in Oak Park (near Jewell on Roosevelt I believe). Don't read much like this in Lincoln Park

If you are searching for disturbing news your going to find it, no matter what town. For example, here is the latest in LP: Bullets found on DePaul campus :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State

I would not judge the degree to which a town is safe based on what you discover from the news. Talk to people that live there, and base your decision off of personal accounts, not the shock-appeal news stories. I have never had a problem living in Evanston at Grand Bend at Green Bay and Emerson. I knew this area prior to moving there very well and I always felt safe and secure. I would recommend maybe visiting specific locations where you will be spending most of your time (i.e. your new neighborhood, local stores, schools...) to get a feel for the area.

Good Luck!

[adele115]

Originally Posted by awerne

If you are searching for disturbing news your going to find it, no matter what town. For example, here is the latest in LP: Bullets found on DePaul campus :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State

I would not judge the degree to which a town is safe based on what you discover from the news. Talk to people that live there, and base your decision off of personal accounts, not the shock-appeal news stories. I have never had a problem living in Evanston at Grand Bend at Green Bay and Emerson. I knew this area prior to moving there very well and I always felt safe and secure. I would recommend maybe visiting specific locations where you will be spending most of your time (i.e. your new neighborhood, local stores, schools...) to get a feel for the area.

Good Luck!

I agree one will find what one looks for, though that doesn't diminish the realities of where Oak Park is located and the spillover crime involved - it is a reality. That being said, to reiterate, my biggest concern is the bike theft issue especially where kids are being stopped while riding. It appears to be more prevalent in Oak Park than Evanston or in the better northside neighborhoods in Chicago. I feel Oak Parkers are preyed upon specifically regarding this issue. I know the crime stats are hard to interpret with specifically bikes. With any stats, one needs to an analysis of variance to determine factors that hold constant to determine the true INTERPRETATION of the raw data. As I mentioned earlier w/ Oak Brook, while it is an extraordinarily safe community, the mall gets a lot of theft that drives up the crime rate. So do Chicago northside areas w/ a lot of sports bars. That's not to say that from a raw data perspective Oak Park is on par w/ these other areas re crime, but a true analysis and interpretation of the data would tease out various factors. Anyhoo, I appreciate all the comments. Both Oak Park and Evanston are great areas with unique strengths and weaknesses. As are many Chicago hoods! Most long time fellow Oak Parkers I've spoken with indicate the crime has NOT gotten worse, while the development HAS gotten better (I can attest to this: Harrison Arts D, Marion St Mall, Library, etc) so it's not a competition, but rather a personal decision based on multiple factors.

[Lookout Kid]

Adele, I think it's fine to leave Oak Park if you're not comfortable with the level of crime there. But from what I've heard from Evanston residents and what I've learned from the stats, Evanston will probably offer more of the same. And the public high school isn't as good, if that's a factor for you.

You could always look in Park Ridge or LaGrange... I know, I'm not crazy about them either.

[Ibrake4Snakes]

Originally Posted by adele115

I currently live in Oak Park but am considering relocating to Evanston for a job on the north shore. While I love all that is great about Oak Park, there is really a crime problem. While many find ways to justify/rationalize the issue, there are hundreds of bike thefts each summer, and more brazen assaults happening during the day. One wouldn't know this if they didn't read the local papers and visit the police website crime maps. I'm wondering, while I know Evanston also has crime issues, and I've read many posts here...HOW BAD IS IT?? I could go further north but find Wilmette/Winnetka etc to be less interesting to me. Thanks!

According to Illinois State Police reports, Evanston's UCR Part I (serious) crime rate per 100,000 for 2006 (2007 not published yet) was 4,234.7, whereas Oak Park's was 3983.7. Looks like Oak Park has roughly 6% less serious crime than Evanston. Also note that Evanston stats dio not include crimes on Northwestern property, as they report separately. Thus, Evnaston crime is likely higher than the number quoted above.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Ibrake4Snakes

Also note that Evanston stats dio not include crimes on Northwestern property, as they report separately. Thus, Evnaston crime is likely higher than the number quoted above.

I would guess that this changes the crime rate considerably!

[hsw]

Suspect local police and schools anywhere do their best to "dress up" any stats...

Proximity to poor people increases odds of crime...

And public schools that include poor, non-education-focused kids often have kids beating up/robbing other, esp more studious, kids....some young criminals are rather precocious in their targeting....perhaps they inherit/learn some skills from their accomplished parents...

[adele115]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I would guess that this changes the crime rate considerably!

One thing about the Evanston crime map that stands apart from Oak Park's is the "shots fired" category. Regardless of the crime problem in Oak Park, we dont' seem to have as much (if any?) problem w/ shots fired. That being said, both communities have strengths and weaknesses so I am no longer looking for comparisons really. As both have crime issues due to proximity to problematic areas of the city, it really seems to be a wash. It seems if one really wants to get away from potential crime, one should go further out into suburbia, or to exclusive parts of the city, each choice being a personal decision. I love Oak Park, Evanston is great (though I don't live there), and the city is great. What can you do...

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by awerne

If you are searching for disturbing news your going to find it, no matter what town. For example, here is the latest in LP: Bullets found on DePaul campus :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State...

Did a crime occur here? What is so disturbing about finding intact bullets somewhere?I dont think this analogy is very good.