Thoughts on Avondale? (Chicago, Addison, Lincoln: apartment, lease, crime)

[intoflatlines]

New member here, first post!

I did some reading on here about Avondale and it seems like it's kind of a shady neighborhood. I found a great apartment at Lowell and Cornelia and I'm wondering what your opinion is of that area. I do not plan on walking anywhere late at night. I plan to walk North to the Addison bus and sometimes south to the Belmont bus. I'd also like to know if I'd have to really worry about my car being stolen/broken into on the street (it has a car alarm at least).

Honestly, the immediate area seemed pretty safe during the early/mid evening hours with kids out in the streets playing, but I'd like to know any experiences anyone's had with that area before I sign the lease and get locked in for a year. Thanks in advance!

[Intergalactic]

Lowell and Cornelia is in the Kilbourne Park neighborhood and the Irving Park Community Area.

City-Data has this page http://www.city-data.com/neighborhoo...hicago-IL.html which you can use the pull down menu to discover various demographic parameters. Choosing median rent and clicking on the census tracts is illuminating, especially after one has looked at some of the other demographics.

[intoflatlines]

Hm, so I'm mistaken when I thought it was in Avondale? I'll check out that link, thanks. Any other thoughts are appreciated!

[Intergalactic]

You can use this website to investigate the crime levels:
Crimes › 3 blocks around 4300-4331 W. Cornelia Ave. › Burglary | EveryBlock Chicago

I tend to use burglary and robbery as metrics, since homicides are too rare to make valid statistical comparisons. Burglaries and robberies are the most dangerous stranger-on-stranger crimes, as they can quickly escalate to homicides.

[Milwaukee City]

Avondale is my kind of neighborhood, although I prefer portage park I would have no problems living in Avondale.

[intoflatlines]

Thanks for the info. Are those numbers dangerously high? I don't really have much to compare to..

[Avengerfire]

Lowell and Cornelia? No thanks.

[Drover]

That's right near Schurz High School, and a lot of the students there are straight-up reprobates. That said, I don't know that any of them will have much occasion wander down your block. I personally would not have much reservation about living there -- it's probably not much different from where I live now (I live just under a mile away from there). Not sexy, but not total 'hood... just a very middle-of-the-road area. If you have a high enough risk tolerance to live in Chicago in general, you should be OK there.

[Avengerfire]

A mile can make a BIG difference in the city however.

[Drover]

I realize that but I'm also pretty familiar with the area over there. It's just not that bad. Not pretty, not crime-free, but still basically quiet and stable by urban standards. I don't mean this judgmentally as I recognize that everyone's risk tolerance and aesthetic tastes are different... but if you can't tolerate living there, then Lincoln Park and/or suburbia is a better bet for you.