What is Oak Park like? (Chicago, Naperville: best suburbs, apartments, rental)

[Marie1249]

Hello,
I'd like to find out as much as possible about Oak Park. For example,
What are the demographics?
Is it safe?
What is the economic condition?
What's the employment situation like? Where do most people work?
What are the schools like?
How does it compare to affluent suburbs like, Lake Forest, Winnetka, Evanston, etc.?

The more info you can provide, the better.

Thanks.

[Mister Mappy]

IMO, Oak Park is probably one of the best suburbs in the Chicagoland area. It's has a pretty good mix of people, and is pretty safe. The eastern part that borders Chicago isn't as safe, but not too horribly bad (There is spillover crime from Chicago.) Oak Park-River Forest HS is a good school, as are the elementary schools. There a some nice shopping districts such as Lake St, and the Harrison St Arts district. Also, there's a relatively liberal vibe.

I would think most people in Oak Park would work downtown since it is well linked by 290 & public transportation. Oak Park & Evanston are very similar except Oak Park doesn't have the lake or a major college. It's not as well-to-do as the rest of the North Shore.

All in all, though, Oak Park is a truly nice place.

[oakparkdude]

There's this website called city-data that has all sorts of useful demographic, crime, employment, and commuting info. You should check it out.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Oak-Park-Illinois.html

[Marie1249]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

There's this website called city-data that has all sorts of useful demographic, crime, employment, and commuting info. You should check it out.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Oak-Park-Illinois.html

OK, OK-- I know the statistics, but I just wanted a better flavor of the place from people who actually live in or know it.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Chinolala]

I love Oak Park! It's more like a big city neighborhood than it is a suburb. The schools are good, the location is really good. 25 minutes on the Green Line to downtown Chicago. However, I can get to Lombard in rush hour in 40 minutes as long as I take streets and avoid the Eisenhower. Not a bad option if you're going to work in Lombard, Westchester, Oak Brook and parts of Downers Grove and Westmont or the Elmhurst area. Nice walkable downtown with lots of eateries, a movie theater, shops, parks, etc. More diverse than most any suburb and it slants liberal.

[Shrimps]

After months of research, we decided on Oak Park and moved here this summer. We are very happy with our decision. The houses are beautiful, people friendly, schools are good and parent involvement outstanding.

On the other hand, it is NOT a suburb where you can leave your car unlocked on the street. Car break-ins, along with bike thefts, are a real plague, especially on the east side of town. However, if you use common sense you will be OK. Some of my neighbors have had problems in the past, but in almost every case it involved leaving something valuable in the car: laptops, cellphones, spare change (OK, this is not considered valuable ) Also, it not a good idea to leave your bike unattended, in some areas even a lock does not help.

I should mention that I live one block from Austin Blvd, but in a area (between the West Suburban Hospital and Lake St) that is really safe compared to other far east areas of Oak Park. At least this is what I hear from the policemen I sometimes chat with.

[oakparkdude]

Most of the crime in OP tends to be against property (thefts). Crimes against persons (robbery, assault, etc) are less common but do occur at a rate higher than you'll see in Naperville. Lookout Kid posted a great table showing the crime in Oak Park is pretty comparable to desirable Chicago neighborhoods like Lincoln Park. Now, is this level of crime acceptable to you? Only you can answer that question.

I'd investigate local resources to get a better idea of the criminal activity in Oak Park.
Check out the crime maps at the Oak Park Police website: Oak Park, Illinois Village Departments -- Police Department

Crime blotter at Wednesday Journal: www.wjinc.com

[oakparkdude]

Not to focus only on crime, but its generally the first concern for people considering Oak Park.

We've lived here for a bit over three years, and are quite happy with our decision. We love the older homes, ethnic diversity, walkable neighborhoods, and excellent public transit and schools. I'm particularly happy with the downtown area, and will be even happier when Trader Joe's opens in a few months. I live on a block of single family homes and pretty much everyone is a white collar professional of one type or another. Many (most?) commute to offices in the Loop which makes the geographic location of Oak Park so desirable for them.

Unlike more exclusive towns such as River Forest next door, OP also has a significant amount of condo and rental properties which have a different demographic profile, obviously.

[Lookout Kid]

I love Oak Park. I've had family there for years, and now have many friends and acquaintences who live there. I think the posts have been good here so far, but want to point out a few things that others haven't mentioned yet

On the positive side, it's more than just the Ike and the Green Line that connect to Chicago's Loop. The Blue Line has multiple stops in Oak Park, and there is a Metra stop on the west side of town. People often focus on Ridgeland and the Ike as the major dividers in Oak Park, but I would add that Madison Street is a major shifting point in the village. Lots north of Madison are much larger, and therefore have higher property tax bills, even for similarly sized houses. The areas south of Madison have smaller lots with homes closer to the sidewalks, and this makes it feel more urban. Washington Blvd. and Austin Ave. are two streets that are dominated by apartment buildings for the most part, and therefore contain most of Oak Park's low-income population. Many of these apartments have been converted into condos in the last decade.

On the negative side, property taxes are very high in Oak Park. There is little tax base outside of residential areas since most Oak Park businesses are small businesses. City services are traditionally quite good, the schools are good, and the parks are wonderful, so you do get some return on your high tax bill. Streetscaping is becoming more common in commercial districts, and that isn't cheap.

[oakparkdude]

Aside from the schools and parks, the library system is quite good as well. Of course, we have the high tax bills to prove it.