Rogers Park - which blocks would you avoid, for safety reasons? (Chicago: section 8, crime rate)

[Bird4Prez]

Rogers Park is one of the most ethnically and financially diverse areas in the city. There are houses and condos with beautiful lakefront views, trendy coffee shops, a diverse selcetion of bars, and restaurants from around the world. There are also loads of subisidized housing, Nursing Homes (which in Chicago means a dumping ground for the mentally ill), and the occasional open air drug market. It is a really strange place. I have worked in the Howard St./Juneway jungle area for a few years and I agree with most of what the posters have said. It is the worst part of Rogers Park, but it can be avoided. Most of Rogers Park is relatively safe, but I wouldn't advise a young woman or male (especially if they don't have some street sense) to walk around late at night by themselves. They are not a daily occurence, but there are shootings in Rogers Park. It is the kind of place that will go months without a murder, but then have a weekend with three shootings and a few stabbings. It is unpredicatable. Having said that, If I didn't work here, I would definitely think about living here. The rent is reasonable and you can get anywhere in the city with the train. You can have Indian food one night and then Thai or Peruvian the next etc. Don't be paranoid, just be careful.

[Alacran]

Originally Posted by xavier xerxes

but I never not call the police when I see them.

What a buzzkill.

[themag62]

Agree. I have lived in and near RP for many years. RP is kind of a crazy quilt of OK areas and bad patches. West RP West of Western Ave is a different story and tends to be pretty safe and quiet, at least N of about Pratt.

Originally Posted by Bird4Prez

Rogers Park is one of the most ethnically and financially diverse areas in the city. There are houses and condos with beautiful lakefront views, trendy coffee shops, a diverse selcetion of bars, and restaurants from around the world. There are also loads of subisidized housing, Nursing Homes (which in Chicago means a dumping ground for the mentally ill), and the occasional open air drug market. It is a really strange place. I have worked in the Howard St./Juneway jungle area for a few years and I agree with most of what the posters have said. It is the worst part of Rogers Park, but it can be avoided. Most of Rogers Park is relatively safe, but I wouldn't advise a young woman or male (especially if they don't have some street sense) to walk around late at night by themselves. They are not a daily occurence, but there are shootings in Rogers Park. It is the kind of place that will go months without a murder, but then have a weekend with three shootings and a few stabbings. It is unpredicatable. Having said that, If I didn't work here, I would definitely think about living here. The rent is reasonable and you can get anywhere in the city with the train. You can have Indian food one night and then Thai or Peruvian the next etc. Don't be paranoid, just be careful.

[Larry Siegel]

Rogers Park is not safe in the sense that Lincoln Park, Lakeview, North Center, and Lincoln Square are safe. RP has been a magnet for urban pioneers seeking low rents and attractive buildings for decades, but the neighborhood still has not reached the tipping point of reasonably solid gentrification. I would not recommend it to a young woman when there are so many other options.

West Rogers Park is safer but doesn't have the lake views, coffee shops, etc.

[MannheimMadman]

Just so we're clear, we're referencing West Ridge when we say 'West Rogers Park', right? I like West Ridge because it's quiet, tranquil (for the most part) and close to Evanston. Yes, you miss out on rail service and being close to the lake, but it's still nice. And, there's a crazy hodgepodge of people living in West Ridge. When I'm out riding, I see Jews, Arabs and everything in between.

[xavier xerxes]

Originally Posted by Alacran

What a buzzkill.

Yep totally.

[xavier xerxes]

Originally Posted by Larry Siegel

Rogers Park is not safe in the sense that Lincoln Park, Lakeview, North Center, and Lincoln Square are safe. RP has been a magnet for urban pioneers seeking low rents and attractive buildings for decades, but the neighborhood still has not reached the tipping point of reasonably solid gentrification. I would not recommend it to a young woman when there are so many other options.

West Rogers Park is safer but doesn't have the lake views, coffee shops, etc.

Well depends on the person, I am seeing much more respectable people in the neighborhood. Some people like it. How will "solid gentrification" ever occur if young respectable women dont move in too? Some have more guts and find Lincoln Square, Lincoln Park, North Center (did anyone say that Rogers Park was in the same cache or league as these areas?), Lakeview either too far or too expensive. I have notice quite a few new respectable men and women in the neigbhorhood these past few years, atleast around Morse.

Safety? Depends, people go to those neigbhorhoods to cause trouble too, sure Crime in RP is higher but it is decreasing. There is a Positive Loitering movement as well that is saying NO to gang loitering. Graffiti is being covered

"Reasonably solid gentrification", I think it is reaching its tipping point.
Atleast around Morse, Why? There are more good people than bad. If you follow everyblock you will see that. Are there still pockets of bad? Yes but there are more pockets of good in my neigbhorhood.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by MannheimMadman

The Juneway Jungle is very unsuspecting. Go there by day and it's only a little sketchy. Go there at night and it's very different.

Yep - I used to be a youth outreach worker in Rogers Park, and ran evening programs to keep teens' evenings running along the positive end of things vs. the alternative. I had quite a few participants who resided in Juneway Terrace, around Howard, etc., and I would give them rides home after our activities. As a twentysomething white female, it wasn't the most comfortable place to be at night. I did overall really love living in Rogers Park, though. I never had a single bad thing happen to me...not even so much as a car being vandalized. I had the most humongous apartment I've ever lived in, and it was a great deal. I loved being close to the lakefront, and going and hanging out at the painted benches by Pratt beach and the breakwater and reading. This was a decade a go, when Morse in between Clark and Sheridan was still pretty sketchy, but the gentrification was beginning.

[chitownperson]

Originally Posted by xavier xerxes

Well depends on the person, I am seeing much more respectable people in the neighborhood. Some people like it. How will "solid gentrification" ever occur if young respectable women dont move in too? Some have more guts and find Lincoln Square, Lincoln Park, North Center (did anyone say that Rogers Park was in the same cache or league as these areas?), Lakeview either too far or too expensive. I have notice quite a few new respectable men and women in the neigbhorhood these past few years, atleast around Morse.

Safety? Depends, people go to those neigbhorhoods to cause trouble too, sure Crime in RP is higher but it is decreasing. There is a Positive Loitering movement as well that is saying NO to gang loitering. Graffiti is being covered

"Reasonably solid gentrification", I think it is reaching its tipping point.
Atleast around Morse, Why? There are more good people than bad. If you follow everyblock you will see that. Are there still pockets of bad? Yes but there are more pockets of good in my neigbhorhood.

XX, It's one thing to give advice on YOUR perception of crime and gentrification, but it's another thing to give a false sense that crime is not an issue and the lady will be fine, when this lady is obviously concerned about safety.

It's also a bit insulting to suggest that people who don't want to move to RP due to crime are gutless... Some people just don't want to have to deal with the level of crime in places like RP, and it has nothing to do with having guts... It's about the quality of life. And why should "young respectable women" be the guinea pigs for gentrification? Yes, if you can't afford to live in lakeview, then you have to live within your means, but there are affordable options in some of those areas you mentioned. Not everything in RP is such a great deal.

It's obvious that you have an agenda with making RP seem attractive... the next new whatever... and I understand it, as you own property there and probably want to feel like you jumped on the new boeing jet as oppose to Titanic... but let's keep YOUR perception and cheerleading in context, so this lady can get a more objective idea. How would you feel if she moved to RP and ended up being the victim of some crime in some area you painted as nothing to worry about?

[chitownperson]

Originally Posted by Bernie2002

I am moving to 6602 North Ashland Ave (between W. Devon and W. Pratt, bordering to the south and north respectively). I plan to bring my car, but I also plan to take public transit (from the Loyola Metra station) into downtown for my summer 9-5.

How safe is the area, in your opinion? Which areas/blocks would you avoid? What types of experiences, good and bad, have you had in the area? Is getting by simply a matter of good old-fashioned common sense?

I am a 26 year old black female (law student) and like to think that I am street smart, but I also have never lived in a major American city (only experience was in London, UK for a few months). I grew up in Little Rock, AR. I have gotten worried because I've heard about the shootings in Rogers Park lately...help!

Yes, there is more gun crime in Rogers Park compare to some other areas on the near north side, and it's a little hard to suggest what you'll be comfortable with as we'd need more comparables from your experience. London is a big city so you'd have to mention what parts of London you felt safe in. Also, gun crime in London is a non-issue compare to Chicago...

You could live in Rogers Park for a long time and be just fine, but you'd have to have the awareness, be able to judge situations and act accordingly, be proactive about avoiding types or places and situations before even getting into them.

How important is safety to you? Would you trade a bit of it for an easier commute? A little more space? If safety is on the top of your list, then my advice would be to error on the side of caution and try out an area with a lower crime rate rather than going with subjective advice from this or that internet persona. Also have a look at the types of crime... are they violent? Mostly property crime?...