Questions about Pilsen (Chicago, Columbia, Ashland: to rent, crime, how much)

[alexblake13]

So the time for me to move from the D.C. area to Chicago is drawing near and my boyfriend and I have found a place that we are interested in. We'd be renting a room in a house. The place is on 19th and Damen...I just want to know what the crime is really like there. A little bit of background on me; I am a 21 year old female transferring to Columbia this fall and am planning on moving to Chicago in July. I keep seeing mixed reviews of Pilsen and it's pretty confusing for an outsider like me. Any feedback is awesome. Thanks!

[long101]

I use to live a few blocks north of there, the area is not great. It is mainly a mexican community, but is changing. In that area there really is not a whole lot to do and it is fairly rough. The further East and South you can get in Pilsen the better

[surlycue]

^^Why do you say south? I am pretty familiar with the hood and don't see a whole lot of different between 21st and Halsted versus 16th and Halsted. Actually, if you live at 16th and Jefferson you could walk to downtown and UIC pretty easily which I'd think would be more desirable. Either way, where the OP is looking is definitely a crappier part of Pilsen. I'd recommend staying east of Ashland.

[Wildcatbonk]

totally agree w/ staying east of Ashland

[long101]

Originally Posted by surlycue

^^Why do you say south? I am pretty familiar with the hood and don't see a whole lot of different between 21st and Halsted versus 16th and Halsted. Actually, if you live at 16th and Jefferson you could walk to downtown and UIC pretty easily which I'd think would be more desirable. Either way, where the OP is looking is definitely a crappier part of Pilsen. I'd recommend staying east of Ashland.

My bad, I meant East and North. South in Pilsen on any street except Halsted generally gets worse the further you get.

[chet everett]

How much is it going to cost to rent a room in a house in PILSEN??? My goodness if that is anything more than $200 a month or so I would think you are getting royally taken advantage of....

[nana053]

Unless it has changed a lot, it's gang turf. Benito Juarez HS several blocks away where I taught had something like 30 gangs in the 18 block area surrounding the school. It was not bad during the day, but there were plenty of drive by shootings at night. I had lots of students who attended funerals for friends. This was in the late 80s and early 90s though, so maybe it has gotten better.

[imahydeparker2]

Nana053-- It has definitely changed. In the past couple years it's started to transform into the new Wicker Park, for better or worse. It's still a little rough around the edges, but quickly becoming a hipster-ville.

[long101]

Originally Posted by mshydepark

Nana053-- It has definitely changed. In the past couple years it's started to transform into the new Wicker Park, for better or worse. It's still a little rough around the edges, but quickly becoming a hipster-ville.

Wickerpark? No.