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Old 01-11-2008, 01:38 PM
 
Location: Texas!!! It's hot but I don't care :)
559 posts, read 1,461,602 times
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I am thinking about relocating to Chicago. I was looking up some apartments but since I have no idea what streets are safe to live on, I really don't know what to look for. I don't want to live in a suburb, but would like to live in a safe area where I can travel by myself at night and generally not be afraid to walk outside my front door. I don't care which area this is in, I just want to know the safest streets/areas that are in Chicago. I grew up in the West/SouthWest, places like San Diego, L.A, Tucson, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas...so I really know nothing about states further north. Any information is greatly appreciated!
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Old 01-11-2008, 02:04 PM
 
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Chicago has 77 "Community Areas", and they kinda sorta mirror the dozens of neighborhoods that make up Chicago. It's often hard to generalize about an entire neighborhood, but there are many many safe choices. I live on the North Side and am more familiar with the North Side neighborhoods, so I apologize for my lack of knowledge about the far South and Southwest Side. And of course, safe is a relative term when you're talking about a big city. But here are just a few of the "safer" neighborhoods, and the list is far from exhaustive (you can look at Wikipedia for the exact location within the city):

Gold Coast
River North
Streeterville
The Loop
The West Loop (eastern part)
The South Loop
Lincoln Park
Old Town
Lakeview
Buena Park
North Center
Roscoe Village
Lincoln Square
Ravenswood
Andersonville
Wicker Park
Bucktown
Irving Park
Jefferson Park
Portage Park
Mayfair
Budlong Woods
Bowmanville
Sauganash
Hyde Park
Beverley
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Old 01-11-2008, 02:07 PM
 
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Check out all of the other threads on this page about neighborhoods. This topic has been covered pretty exhaustively. For the most part, the safest areas are neighborhoods like Edison Park and Saugunash that are almost indistinguishable from inner-ring suburbs. They're border neighborhoods. Good for families. Maybe not the "urban" lifestyle you're looking for.

If you want city life in pretty safe areas, you might want to start on the North Side. Personally, I like the North Center/Lincoln Square/Roscoe Village area. Basically the Lincoln Avenue corridor from Lawrence down to Belmont or Wellington. Other folks here will recommend Lincoln Park or Lakeview or the Gold Coast. Just check your pocketbook, figure out your budget, and come hang out in the city. you'll get a feel for where you want to end up.
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Old 01-11-2008, 02:53 PM
 
Location: Chicago
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There are literally thousands of miles of streets in Chicago and well over 100 different neighborhoods, so it's not terribly useful to ask for a general list of which are safe. You might be better off telling us what kind of neighborhood you prefer (young/hip/nightlife versus quiet/family-oriented), how long a commute time you can tolerate, where you'll be commuting to, and what your purchase/rental budget is (excluding utilities). That would greatly help us narrow down our recommendations. If you don't know where you'll be working yet, that can be an issue. We'd hate to recommend a neighborhood only to have you get stuck with a 2-hour commute to the complete opposite side of the area.
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Old 01-11-2008, 03:20 PM
 
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The point of my post was to illustrate that this question is difficult to answer by showing a really long list of safe neighborhoods--and to show that there are a LOT of safe neighborhoods in Chicago. Chicago is not like many other large American cities that only have a handful of safe neighborhoods.
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Old 01-11-2008, 11:25 PM
 
Location: Texas!!! It's hot but I don't care :)
559 posts, read 1,461,602 times
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Well I'll have a two income household so rent isn't a big deal, preferably nothing more than $1200 a month. My fiance and I are post-college professionals without jobs in Chicago at this point. We'd like a neighborhood focused more on people our age, mid to late 20s. I like night life, but nothing too rowdy. I want a quick commute by train, I don't want to use my car if I don't have to. Anything longer than a 30 min commute is too long. Um..hope that narrows it down. Lol. Hopefully I'll be working at a hospital downtown.
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Old 01-12-2008, 12:12 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,687,747 times
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Roscoe Village/St. Ben's, West Lakeview
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Old 01-12-2008, 12:12 AM
 
Location: Chicago
15,585 posts, read 27,421,704 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by etjaipleure View Post
Well I'll have a two income household so rent isn't a big deal, preferably nothing more than $1200 a month. My fiance and I are post-college professionals without jobs in Chicago at this point. We'd like a neighborhood focused more on people our age, mid to late 20s. I like night life, but nothing too rowdy. I want a quick commute by train, I don't want to use my car if I don't have to. Anything longer than a 30 min commute is too long. Um..hope that narrows it down. Lol. Hopefully I'll be working at a hospital downtown.
You ask the world do you not? Your wishes are much too specific and for the most part impossible to satisfy on all counts.
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Old 01-12-2008, 12:34 AM
 
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I'd say Gold Coast, Streeterville, Lincoln Park or South Loop, depending on the size apartment you seek. A one bedroom at your price range wouldn't be a problem; for a 2 bedroom, you'd have to search and negotiate. South Loop isn't as safe for walking at night as the first three (gets deserted after 8 p m), but has good train (CTA train) access. A 30 minute train ride on the Metra line would get you out to the suburbs. Actual "downtown" would be Gold Coast or Streeterville. Many medical people live in Streeterville, near Northwestern Memorial Hospital. All are walking distance or very short cab, train or bus ride to "downtown" addresses.

I'm not too familiar with the areas north of Lincoln Park, but there are apartment buildings on Sheridan Road north of there, north of Hollywood, and it's a bus ride to downtown....no real walking distance errands there, though. If you have no car, I'd stay in the four neighborhoods above if you like them.

You could start with Fullerton (or Belmont, further north) on the North, Lake Michigan to the East, Clark to the West, and 15th to the South. There are many apartment buildings in that area.

Good luck!
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Old 01-12-2008, 12:36 AM
 
1,006 posts, read 1,551,005 times
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Forgot. Old Town also good but I wouldn't go west of Wells Street. Check a map with neighborhoods.
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