Oak Park - Safe (Chicago, Maywood: apartment, crimes, homes)

[notfromchicago]

Hello All:

Thank you all for all the great responses and opinions on chicago and its urbs.

Well, I was wondering if someone could give feedback on how safe Oak Park area is to live for a couple.

I am looking to work in Melrose Park and was looking for a safe and decent place to live. My wife is planning on getting a job in city(downtown), so we would like to move to a place which is easy for us to commute. Our budget is anywhere between 900-1000.

Thankyou.

[Drover]

We've covered this topic a million times. Please do a search here and here and let us know if you have additional questions.

[prairiestate]

In other words, don't worry about. Oak Park is honestly 100% perfect for your situation.

[notfromchicago]

Thank you 'prairiestate' for your input.

One more quick question. How would you consider La Grange area?

thanks

[prairiestate]

The same, with much less grit and less crime, not that Oak Park is truly dangerous. If you want to feel like you live in the city, choose Oak Park, if you want to feel like you're in the suburbs, choose LaGrange. Oak Park does have the EL, so you don't have to wait 1-2 hrs. for Metra trains (off peak), and the EL runs a lot later, so it's easier to get into the city. There is also Metra in Oak Park. While the other poster may have been a bit abrupt, their advice was sound. Oak Park is very popular, and you should find almost everything you need to know already addressed on these boards.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by notfromchicago

One more quick question. How would you consider La Grange area?

More suburban in feel. Has a nice downtown with a good variety of local shops and chains. Some outstanding restaurants. Nice homes, but not cheap. Good schools.

[oakparkdude]

The village of Oak Park has a daily update of reported crimes. Check www.oak-park.us for the data and make up your own mind. Keep in mind the population of OP is about 52,000.

[mendelman]

Oak Park is quite safe, but remember it is essentially a "city" neighborhood, so you need to be in that frame of mind.

As for La Grange, the commute is going to be probably twice as long to anywhere in Melrose Park than in Oak Park. Plus if your job is around the North Ave corridor in Melrose Park, you should look for housing in the north end of Oak Park (north of Chicago Ave.). Your commute would be, practically, zero.

And for Oak Park, you can easily get a nice 2-bd apartment for $900-1000 a month, but if you can do $1200 you'll definiately be fine.

Welcome to the near west Suburbs. We're in the center of it all.

[NYrules]

Oak Park itself overall is safe, but some of the areas that surround the town aren't the greatest (ie; Maywood, Bellwood, Melrose Park, Chicago's wes- sayyyyeeeddd) I have commented on Oak Park before and got jumped so I'm not going to say my honest opinion here about the area the lines Harlem Avenue, but take a ride down Harlem from North Avenue south to about 22nd for yourself and you see what the area is like and see if you like it. If you do, then by all means the area is for you. I know there are some really nice parts of Oak Park though so I will say that. The Frank Lloyd Wright area is really nice.

[Drover]

Yeah, watch out as you're cruising down Harlem... you might get caught in the crossfire between the Oak Park Bond Traders on one side of Harlem and the River Forest Corporate Vice Presidents on the other. Vicious gang war going on right now between the two...