Where should a 22 yr old live in the city? (maintenance, suburban)

[b0nb0n]

Originally Posted by Mister Mappy

Also, where off the Division Ave strip did your boyfriend live, and how long ago? It's gotten a lot better in recent years.

He lived on Division and Wollcot and this was last yr.
Anyway thanks for the comments, those that actually responded with something other then "live in the burbs" since I've stated thats not an option considering im 22 and spend most of my free time in the city and technically I live in the city now just in an area thats too far away from the nightlife.
Like I said in my original post I've lived in Ravenswood until i was 12 or so but that area doesnt interest me now, its nice but there's not much to do there for someone my age, its more family oriented... although I guess the brown line is right there by Lincoln Square and I would be close to the hair salon I go to
Anyway, I understand what everyone is saying that the city has crime,and well so do the burbs believe it or not...its funny my parents moved out of the city so I could go to a good high school and escape some of the crime and then a kid gets stabbed to death by a gang right in front of my new high school haha...Anyway, I'm mostly concerned about people breaking into my condo and things like that so I'm gonna look at some sky rises in LP and on Lake Shore Dr. since they are more my budget anyway and its harder to break into a place with a front desk then it is into a smaller building with no reception/security.

[Mamama Mia]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Wicker Park and Bucktown do have a touch more crime than Lincoln Park and Lakeview (the stats back this up), but the incidents you described happening to your friend are also quite common in LP and LV. All you have to do is ride the Red Line north to see how common vandalism is in Lincoln Park (half the buildings are tagged). If you want to maximize your safety but still live in a hip neighborhood on the North Side, I'd recommend the Ravenswood/Lincoln Square area. It's quite a bit safer than Lincoln Park, actually. But your commute will be significantly worse.

My daughter has lived in Bucktown for three years, she likes the "feel" of the neighborhood and we enjoy the close proximity to shops and good restaurants.
While there seems to be more commercial (and some residential) development along North Avenue, the crime rate has begun to rise again. We have had our car windows smashed in (along with a string of at least five other cars that we know of) while visiting, she has had her car stolen and broken into twice. There are increased incidents of tagging, their condo building has been vandalized more often than I can remember and the condo assessments have risen to cover the damage. More shady looking people are just hanging out at the park or in alleyways than we had seen previously. I do understand that no neighborhood is without problems.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by ajolotl

Right, I wish I had spent my early twenties in downtown Skokie.

I was being faucetous. Besides, thats what those geniuses invented things called cars for... For people to be able to live in areas without things like; vandalized/stolen cars, bums passed out in doorways, robberies going on right below you, and the occasional dead body or two behind your building, yet when one wants to experience the wonders of the city, just hop on the Edens for a nice 30-40 min drive into the Loop in the comfort of their own car for a night out on the town and then when they're done, get back in their car and go back to the area where they live where all the scum of the city is absent.

[aragx6]

^^ Where they're statistically more likely to die in a car accident than murdered in the city.Good move.

[Mister Mappy]

I'll take "crime-ridden" Bucktown any day over "safe" Northbrook. (You can substitute Elmhurst, Naperville, Glenview etc.....)

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Mister Mappy

I'll take "crime-ridden" Bucktown any day over "safe" Northbrook. (You can substitute Elmhurst, Naperville, Glenview etc.....)

Absolutely. Though I wouldn't live on the ground floor over there again. My wife and I have both lived in Wicker Park off and on over the years, and we didn't have much crime trouble until the area was mostly gentrified. Weird. Though several of my friends were mugged there in the 90s when the area still felt "edgy".

The cop who responded to our break-in mentioned that the area is targetted by West Side criminals because (1) many are familiar with it or grew up there, (2) it's widely known that people have lots of money there, and (3) proximity to West Side nastiness.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by aragx6

^^ Where they're statistically more likely to die in a car accident than murdered in the city.Good move.

But dying in a car accident isn't that bad or even tragic. Its normal. It happens everyday. Its as American as apple pie. It barely deserves a blurb in the back page of the newspaper. Murder, on the other hand, gets plastered on the front page of the paper (especially if the victim is white).

[aragx6]

^^Isn't that the (sad) truth.

Most of us are probably lucky enough to not personally know someone who has been murdered, but I suspect the vast majority know someone who has died in a car accident.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by aragx6

^^ Where they're statistically more likely to die in a car accident than murdered in the city.Good move.

I never said anything about being killed in the city and if you could read you would have seen that. I said, not SEEING things like bums in your doorways, vandalized cars, and the occasional dead body or two. Notice, no mention of being killed? Learn to read before jumping people.

[ToriaT]

Lincolnparker wrote: Does your son love Hollywood Beach?

Nope. I don' t think he's ever been there.