Wicker Park ground level apartment. How safe? (Lincoln: violent crime, neighborhoods)

[kckal]

Originally Posted by j33

Oh, I've seen plenty of them.

I didnt even think of rats.

I guess there is a reason why that apartment has been available this whole time...

[BR-ChiTown]

I actually live in a garden apartment near that same intersection, so I thought I would reply with the neighborhood busy-body report.

The neighborhood is very safe. My family walks and runs errands anytime of day or night without worry.

The worst incident was a bag snatching about 10pm two years ago, but the police caught the offender carrying the victim’s ID. The offender was from outside the neighborhood – lived several miles away. There was a auto break-in at 3am a few months ago, but that person was apprehended and is in jail.

There does seem to be a rise in burglaries in the last few months in the Wicker Park overall, so all of us neighbors are on higher alert and you should be on watch for that. The burglaries may be by a single burglar because they have all fit a similar pattern. They have been in the daytime when the residents were away at work, they move quickly, and they wear gloves. Police caught someone with burglary tools a few blocks away recently, so we’re waiting to see. This might be the downside of living in a neighborhood that has gentrified – the levels of police funding/staffing declined as the 911 calls went down and the crooks know there’s increasing amounts of nice stuff in all the houses. Still, it’s nothing worse than I’ve seen in my years in Lincoln Park and Lakeview.

To be expected, there are a steady stream of petty thefts from the nearby Jewel. One guy tried to rob the bank inside a few years ago early one morning, but there was no weapon involved. Upon leaving the building, the dye packs exploded, blowing a hole in the man’s paper bag and dropping packs of pain-stained fake bills on the sidewalk. There is a little bit of a problem with graffiti – things get tagged every month or so. There’s not a gang presence there, so i may even be artist-inspired from the area. At any rate, we call 311 and it’s cleaned within a couple days.

There is also a neighborhood soup kitchen a few blocks north on Paulina. That draws a stream of scruffy-looking people some evenings between 5:30 and 6:30pm. But in all my time in the neighborhood, I’ve never known a single incident to arise from any of those people.

A family on the corner of P and Beach has an older son (40’s?) with a mental handicap. They like to sit on chairs in front of their house when it’s warm. The family has been there a long time and are somewhat of a fixture in the neighborhood. Other than being especially quick to smile and say hello, there is no problem in that regard. I only mention it so you know not to form the wrong impression.

I glanced at some of the other comments regarding possible bugs and flooding. I'm sure it happens; in other neighborhoods. For what it’s worth, I’ve never heard of a unit like that in this neighborhood. I'm not aware of any flooding issues anywhere in this area -- we're not close the river or a floodplain. If you do find yourself in an situation that’s as bad as some people have encountered elsewhere – and I doubt you will on this block – do us all a favor and call the alderman’s office to help get your landlord strung-up and accountable for bringing things into compliance. If they don't, you have a legal right to withhold rent and/or break your lease.

[kckal]

thanks for the detailed info... helped a lot!

[trine3]

Personally, I would never rent this - way too prone to theft/break in. Not just in Wicker Park, but anywhere in the city. Nope.

[ToriaT]

That price seems high. My son just got a three bedroom one bath first floor (you go up stairs though) in a nice section of Logan Square off the boulevard. Its a former owners unit with remodeled kitchen and bath in a vintage building and includes a garage space for 1450.

[surlycue]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

That price seems high. My son just got a three bedroom one bath first floor (you go up stairs though) in a nice section of Logan Square off the boulevard. Its a former owners unit with remodeled kitchen and bath in a vintage building and includes a garage space for 1450.

No offense Toria but Logan Square and Wicker Park are apples and oranges. Wicker Park "safety" is comparable to Lincoln Park in most areas but Logan Square is still very rough around the edges. The closer you are the historic boulevards the better off you are but it is still not Wicker Park by a long shot.

[hank0604]

Originally Posted by surlycue

No offense Toria but Logan Square and Wicker Park are apples and oranges. Wicker Park "safety" is comparable to Lincoln Park in most areas but Logan Square is still very rough around the edges. The closer you are the historic boulevards the better off you are but it is still not Wicker Park by a long shot.

Agreed. Also, a three bedroom/one bathroom floorplan is considered in the real estate world to be "functionally obsolete." Basically, having three bedrooms with only one bathroom is not considered by many to be a very functional living space, so the price will go down. The same thing applies to houses in the suburbs that are built without garages.

[j33]

Originally Posted by hank0604

Agreed. Also, a three bedroom/one bathroom floorplan is considered in the real estate world to be "functionally obsolete." Basically, having three bedrooms with only one bathroom is not considered by many to be a very functional living space, so the price will go down. The same thing applies to houses in the suburbs that are built without garages.

Really? I grew up in a 3 bedroom house with one bath, and in a fairly large family.

[Avengerfire]

^ Yeah me too ^

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by BR-ChiTown

I glanced at some of the other comments regarding possible bugs and flooding. I'm sure it happens; in other neighborhoods.

Wrong. There is nothing special about Wicker Park in this regard. I lived in a duplex-down in Wicker Park and had issues with both. I know others in the same area with similar issues. It has nothing to do with rivers and flood plains, and everything to do with storm sewers and storms. And of course, sump pumps. And in one of our two flooding incidents, vandalism.