What is crime REALLY like in Chicago? (Grant Park, Humboldt: crime rate, safe neighborhood)

[EAGLEFALCON]

My fiance and I have viewed a nice high rise apt within Lake Meadows. Sweet view + apt setting is nice. This is seemingly on the tip of South Side in Bronzeville area off 33rd St. There are many bad reviews about living in South Chi and some say certain areas are fine. Can someone from the area please give us some real details on the area as far as safety, perception, and ability to make it safely in to the complex. Is this a good or bad area? Don't want to move from out of town to an area where my fianace would be at risk while in an elevators in our unit or going to get groceries. The community is claimed to be "perdominant black community" which is fine with me, however, unaware of any racial tension in certain areas where my race may be miniority or unexcepted by others whom are "perdominant." Not looking to move to an area where we are not wanted so to say.

Looking for your knowledge of the Lake Meadows or Prairie Shores Apts area. Please let me know. Moving there soon...

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by EAGLEFALCON

however, unaware of any racial tension in certain areas where my race may be miniority or unexcepted by others whom are "perdominant."

Are you not black?

[HeyItzKenKen]

Originally Posted by Tinawina

My husband and I are thinking about relocating soon, and Chicago is on the radar.

This is not the more typical crime question. I'm not really asking about stats. Both my husband and I are originally from New York City, so we are both used to city life in general. I an not too worried about overall crime rate... there are good and bad places to live no matter where you go.

But not all cities are the same IMO. Most of the time, if you don't interact with or live near drug dealers you are fine. Still there are cities where the incidents of random crime are pretty high, and if you are moving around the general area (late at night or other) you have a higher than normal chance of being robbed at gunpoint, raped, or having you car broken into, something like that over the course of living there for years. In other places, crime of that sort is largely restricted to a few specific neighborhoods (Boston was a lot like the latter), and if you didn't live or work in the "bad" parts you didn't really have to worry about that too much, just taking the regular city life precautions were enough.

So is Chicago one of those places where everyone knows someone who has been the victim of a crime, no matter where they live? Do people have to move far away from the city to feel okay?

Or really what I'm asking... is there a general feeling of being unsafe in Chicago? Do you hold your breath until your family is all in the house at night? We have 2 young kids, and we both like to be out and about with them. I also want to feel okay with letting the kids go off with their friends when they are old enough. If me or my husband work downtown and have to come home late (say, on the train) will the other spouse have to worry? I don't know if I'm saying this right, so if anyone needs me to clarify I will be happy to.

Thanks for any help you can give me on this.

Your safe generally in the suburbs. The ghettos of Chicago however..... Better watch out. Dont let people who werent born and raised in Chi-town lie to you.

[HeyItzKenKen]

Originally Posted by tonythetuna

read one of the 541 crime threads in the forum.

lol!

[skorch101]

My wife and I spent about a year in Chicago living in Edgewater. We never felt unsafe. We never heard of any crime in the area. Not to say it didn't occur, we just never heard about it. Sure, there were homeless people in the alleys that we saw sometimes and questionable people walking down Broadway, but overall we felt safe. We lived at Catalpa Gardens - corner of Catalpa and Broadway. 1-2 blocks to the Bryn Mawyr red line.

[HeyItzKenKen]

Originally Posted by skorch101

My wife and I spent about a year in Chicago living in Edgewater. We never felt unsafe. We never heard of any crime in the area. Not to say it didn't occur, we just never heard about it. Sure, there were homeless people in the alleys that we saw sometimes and questionable people walking down Broadway, but overall we felt safe. We lived at Catalpa Gardens - corner of Catalpa and Broadway. 1-2 blocks to the Bryn Mawyr red line.

Thats because Edgewater isnt a ghetto.

[skorch101]

Originally Posted by HeyItzKenKen

Thats because Edgewater isnt a ghetto.

I was simply responding to the OP. Thanks for clarifying...

[Tinawina]

After really delving into Chicago research for the last few weeks on several sites, and talking to some real life people, I have to say the city sounds fine. People on here make it out to be the most miserable place on earth. Somthing about this site draws and amplifies the tendency to complain, complain, complain about the place you live. Heh. Oh well.

But, this site has been helpful, so thank you to everyone that responded.

Anyway, after researching it is pretty clear that if you don't want to experience crime in Chicago, do what you would do anywhere else... don't involve yourself in the drug trade or associate with those who do, don't live near the drug trade, and don't make yourself an easy crime target wherever you go. And if anyone in your family has mental health problem, get them some help. Chicago does not look to be a particularly dangerous place as far as big cities go if you have some sense.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Tinawina

After really delving into Chicago research for the last few weeks on several sites, and talking to some real life people, I have to say the city sounds fine. People on here make it out to be the most miserable place on earth. Somthing about this site draws and amplifies the tendency to complain, complain, complain about the place you live. Heh. Oh well.

But, this site has been helpful, so thank you to everyone that responded.

Anyway, after researching it is pretty clear that if you don't want to experience crime in Chicago, do what you would do anywhere else... don't involve yourself in the drug trade or associate with those who do, don't live near the drug trade, and don't make yourself an easy crime target wherever you go. And if anyone in your family has mental health problem, get them some help. Chicago does not look to be a particularly dangerous place as far as big cities goes if you have some sense.

Parts are unsafe for certain. But if you look at the stats, most crime is drug related and in certain areas. Many, many safe neighborhoods exist in the City.

[jwaiter]

"What is crime REALLY like in Chicago?"

It's like people takin your stuff out of your home while you're at work, and people takin your stuff out of your car, or stopping you on the street an takin the stuff in your pockets, or people killin you, or just hittin you really hard with a bat, stuff like that.