How safe is Englewood?? (Chicago, Cicero: apartments, for rent, credit)

[CarmenSanDiego]

Originally Posted by TeacherMan

My wife and I will be relocating to Chicago from MI in August. I will be teaching for CPS on the South Side. She will be seeking a paralegal position. We are looking for safe, affordable housing, ideally in a multi-ethnic area.
We have heard about/been referred to many of the same areas:
- Hyde Park/Kenwood
- Bridgeport
- Bronzeville
- Pilsen
etc.

There seem to be a LOT of rental options in Englewood. (We would like a 2+ bedroom for under $1000/month.) However, no one seems to recommend that area. Is it not so safe?
Looking for some thoughts from those familiar with the city in general, and that area specifically.
(Also appreciate thoughts on: Chatham, Ashburn, Pullman, Woodlawn, Roseland, McKinley Park)

Thanks to Drover and j33 who have already provided some wonderful insight!

Looking forward to some further insight...
-TM

Children have been killed in drivebys while sitting in their own homes in Englewood. I say Englewood is the worst neighborhood in Chicago.

Hyde Park/Kenwood is a great neighborhood. Very ethnically diverse, great public transportation. Horrible parking - very congested area. You can probably find a rental 2-bedroom for under $1000. A lot of rental property is still present in this area because of the University of Chicago. In the city in general, however, rentals are being replaced with condos but a lot of condo owners rent their property out (usually for more than $1000). Pretty safe area.

I don't know what your race is but if you are AA I would reconsider Bridgeport. This neighborhood has a pretty bad reputation for being racist against AA's. This neighborhood is pretty large Irish Catholic. I've only driven through the area though, never actually gone any farther than White Sox stadium on foot, so someone else may have more insight. The rent is pretty reasonable in this area the last time I checked.

Bronzeville is a mixed bag. It is in the process of under going major gentrification. A lot of the housing projects have been demolished. There really isn't a lot of rental property here. Empty lots are being filled with condos in the price range of $200 and up. Also, a lot of the Grey stones along MLK Drive are being converted to condos as well. Some parts are worse than others - you can have one street that is quiet but when you turn the corner people are hanging out doing all sorts of questionable things.

The only thing I know about Pilsen is that it is majority hispanic/latino and more west than south.

Chatham and Woodlawn are pretty nice from what I hear - middle class AA's for the most part.

Chicago's public transportation is pretty good (although the CTA is going through some financial problems at the moment). Just because you will be working on the South Side, I wouldn't limit myself to only living on the South Side. Especially where diversity is concerned, you're not going to find much on the south side.

North Side neighborhoods like Edgewater and Uptown are a lot more diverse, are affordable, and IMHO offer better public transportation than the South Side so you can easily get to work in under an hour. On the South Side, you'll be pretty dependent on the bus because the only train line that services the South Side is the Green line and it by passes big gaps of areas.

HTH!

[NSH]

Originally Posted by CarmenSanDiego

On the South Side, you'll be pretty dependent on the bus because the only train line that services the South Side is the Green line and it by passes big gaps of areas.

HTH!

This is incorrect

The green, Red and Orange lines all run south, as well as metra sw service with stops in Ashburn, Metra Rock island service with stops in gresham Brainerd Beverly and Morgan Park, and Metra Electric service with stops in South Loop, Kenwood, Hyde park, South Chicago, Pullman, West Pullman, Hegewisch. East Side, Chatham
No Matter where you live in the city of chicago (with the exception of the far NW side you are never more than 35 minutes from downtown via public transportation.

[CarmenSanDiego]

Originally Posted by NSH

This is incorrect

The green, Red and Orange lines all run south, as well as metra sw service with stops in Ashburn, Metra Rock island service with stops in gresham Brainerd Beverly and Morgan Park, and Metra Electric service with stops in South Loop, Kenwood, Hyde park, South Chicago, Pullman, West Pullman, Hegewisch. East Side, Chatham
No Matter where you live in the city of chicago (with the exception of the far NW side you are never more than 35 minutes from downtown via public transportation.

I totally forgot about the Redline. Yes, it runs south to 95th. The orange line however is West bound and is useless for a South Sider. I've never used the metra. Seems like a waste of money if you are going from one in-the-city stop to another. It is more idea for suburban travel, IMO.

[NSH]

Originally Posted by CarmenSanDiego

I totally forgot about the Redline. Yes, it runs south to 95th. The orange line however is West bound and is useless for a South Sider. I've never used the metra. Seems like a waste of money if you are going from one in-the-city stop to another. It is more idea for suburban travel, IMO.

Again incorrect, the orange line runs to midway airport at 63rd and Cicero on the south side of chicago. I dare you to tell someone from Garfield Ridge that they do not live on the south side.

Metra service is quick and affordable (in some cases cheaper than CTA). There is absolutely no reason someone should not be using Metra service to get from his or her home to work whether your home is at 14th and Prairie (ticket price $1.35) or 115th and Oakley (ticket price $2.80). Anything else you need clarification on please PM me.

[CarmenSanDiego]

Originally Posted by NSH

Again incorrect, the orange line runs to midway airport at 63rd and Cicero on the south side of chicago. I dare you to tell someone from Garfield Ridge that they do not live on the south side.

Metra service is quick and affordable (in some cases cheaper than CTA). There is absolutely no reason someone should not be using Metra service to get from his or her home to work whether your home is at 14th and Prairie (ticket price $1.35) or 115th and Oakley (ticket price $2.80). Anything else you need clarification on please PM me.

LOL LOL LOL! Sweetie, I don't need clarifcation on anything but thanks for the offer...

If Cicero is what you call "south side" then so be it.

The original poster was asking about the authentic south side and Garfield Ridge ain't it. I'll compromise and give you Southwest. How about that?

[NSH]

Originally Posted by CarmenSanDiego

If Cicero is what you call "south side" then so be it.p

Cicero the town? Yes that is the west side
Cicero Ave? runs the length of the city from a southern Border at 87th Street to its northern Border at Devon. So you could live on the south side, west side or north side and still have a cicero ave address.

Stops along the Orange Line

51st and pulaski
49th and Kedzie
49th and Western (mcKinley Park)
35th and Archer (mcKinley Park)
Archer and Ashland (Bridgeport)
Archer and Halsted (Pilsen/Bridgeport)

Further clarification of CTA train lines is available here
CTA | Chicago Transit Authority - Train Schedules

[dawndeg]

it's one of the highest crime rated neighborhoods in chicago.

[TeacherMan]

Well, I guess we will definitely RULE OUT any possibility of living in Englewood!
We were in Chicago last weekend and looked at (i.e. drove by) some places in Bridgeport, Canaryville, and Hyde Park. All looked quite nice! Unfortunately, CPS is only going to give me 2 years of service credit (although I have been teaching for 7 years), thus, our budget has decreased somewhat. We are now looking for a 2 br for $800 or less (WE HOPE ). We are using the Chi reader, CraigsList, and the Bridgeport and HydePark local papers. Any other ideas?

So that we can STAY OUT of Englewood...does anyone know the exact boundaries of Englewood? (I am assuming someone out there might know..)

Thanks for all the help, and I look for more delightful and informative help!

-TM

[Drover]

It sort of comes down to this: if you want to live on the South side, you'll want to avoid the whole part of town that is south of 47th street, west of the Dan Ryan Expressway, north of about 83rd Street and west to about Central Park (the midway street between Kedzie and Pulaski). There are other parts of the South Side that should be approached with caution, but the part above encapsulates most of the really bad parts.

Also, a word on Canaryville: looks can be deceiving. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, NSH described McKinely park as about 80% white and yet there is a lot more drug and gang activity than one would expect of a mostly white neighborhood; and I opined that he was actually describing Canaryville and not McKinley Park. Canaryville used to have a substantial Irish organized crime element. Well, "organized" crime has become disorganized thanks to intense scrutiny and crackdown from the Feds. And for all its faults, organized crime did less to destabilize neighborhoods than the amateur freelancers that have stepped in to fill the vacuum. There are a lot of good people in Canaryville, but that neighborhood is really white-knuckling it right now to keep from destabilzing. The battle is on between the drug pushers and the residents who are trying to keep the neighborhood livable, and it's not clear who is going to win. IMO the major factor that has kept it from already going down the tubes is its proximity to Bridgeport.

And as desparate as CPS is to find and hold on to teachers, I can't believe they are only going to give you 2 years of service credit. Did they explain why?

EDIT: Here (broken link) is an excellent Sun-Times article on the current state of affairs in Canaryville.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by NSH

Stops along the Orange Line

51st and pulaski
49th and Kedzie
49th and Western (mcKinley Park)
35th and Archer (mcKinley Park)
Archer and Ashland (Bridgeport)
Archer and Halsted (Pilsen/Bridgeport)

Actually the southern border of McKinley Park is Pershing Road. the 49th/Western stop is in New City, almost Back o' the Yards territory.