Apartment in Suburb for Student? (Chicago, Oak Park: low income, crime rates, houses)

[NYrules]

I would have to second Homewood/Floosmoor and Glenwood as well as Matteson. All those towns have the Metra running right through them. Also I would suggest Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park, and to be honest you can find some really nice older apts right near Midway airport that will alot of times allow pets. Those buildings are privately owned and I'm sure that you could work out some sort of agreement with the landlord/lady and see what he/she has to say about bringing a dog with you. You also may want to contact the school to see what listings they have for housing. Typically universities will have connections they can hook you up with.

Anyhow, here is a link to help you get started. :: Classifieds ::

lastly, familiarize yourself with this map. It means pretty much everything for you in the burbs if you are going to rely on mass transit. Metra - Metra System Map

If you bring a car, then you are free to go where ever. But, sorry Steve, forget Naperville and areas pretty much west of about Harlem Ave.. Maybe Rte 45 at a max. Traffic is a nightmare in the Chicago metro area at rush hour, esp this winter with all the snow we had and that will not make for a fun experience in Chicago of having to wake up at 5 am to make it to your class on time.

[oakparkdude]

The commuter rail system in Chicago (Metra) is organized as a hub and spoke system with the hub being downtown Chicago (Loop). This is ideal if you work in the Loop since it allows you to live anywhere (north, west, south) and commute to work easily. Unfortunately, if you don't work in the Loop, the only convenient option is to live along the same radial line as your workplace.

Hyde Park, being about 8 miles south of the Loop is inconvenient to all the Metra lines except the metra electric which runs through HP on its way to the Loop. Living along any other metra line requires a transfer downtown, adding to the length of your commute.

Since many employees at U of C prefer to live in suburbs far from the metra electric route, the U of C subsidizes a shuttle bus service (CTA bus 192 (http://transitchicago.com/maps/bus/bus/192.pdf - broken link)) which picks up commuters arriving in the Loop on some of the other metra lines and takes them non-stop to Hyde Park. Unfortunately, this adds 30 minutes to your train commute.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by floridafemme

I don't understand how so many of the UChicago students/faculty are comfortable living in Hyde Park.

Hyde Park is fine and I'd certainly never call it gang-riddled or anything like that. It's a perfectly acceptable place to live if you are willing to deal with the realities of urban living. Many UofC students grew up in cities so they are used to this.

[cdc3217]

You can also look in BLue Island, which is served by the Metra Electric, however it is on a offshoot branch that has less trains (none on Sunday) coming through than the main line that goes down to Homewood/Flossmoor. Its about a 30 minute ride.

Also, be aware that its about a 2/3 mile trip from the Metra Electric train station to the U of C campus, so that adds travel time.

Here's the website for the commuter train.

Metra - Welcome to Metra

[floridafemme]

Thanks to everyone for all your help. Having never lived in a big city this process is daunting to me, but all of your good advice is making this much easier for me!

[floridafemme]

aragx6 brought up a good point though- I have mostly been hearing that I shouldn't want to live in Hyde Park. Does anyone think living in Hyde Park would be better than living in a suburb? It seems like not commuting would be great, but I want to feel safe wherever I live.

[emmi605]

Hyde Park is an amazing part of the city. Diverse and full of culture. You have to watch yourself anywhere in the urban area. I'm sure there is security in the apartment buildings and other college students around. That would be the best choice in my opinion!

[NYrules]

I'm NOT trying to sound racist here so please don't jump me and call me a racist, but to best sum up Hyde Park; it is basically a little "white island" that is surrounded by african american communities, with the exception of the water off to it's east. In that case you might just have to deal with fish and the occasional dead body floating on by. j/k

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by NYrules

I'm NOT trying to sound racist here so please don't jump me and call me a racist, but to best sum up Hyde Park; it is basically a little "white island" that is surrounded by african american communities, with the exception of the water off to it's east. In that case you might just have to deal with fish and dead bodies occasionally. j/k

I don't think you're racist. I just think you're wrong. There are as many black people living in Hyde Park as there are white people, with a percentage of Asians also.

[aragx6]

I would suggest spending time in Hyde Park in order to decide if you are comfortable there. Everyone has a different comfort zone as far as security goes. The neighborhood is really quite lovely, and it sure would make for an easy commute.

Hyde Park is an urban area and as such there are crimes perpetrated there. Most of the crime is minor in nature (car break-ins, muggings etc.) and these things happen everywhere (I live in the Western suburbs and someone's car got broken into in my apartment complex)

My suggestion: Don't rule Hyde Park out as a possibility until you've spent some time there (including at night) it will probably make meeting people much easier as well. Meeting people in the burbs if you don't have kids in school is really hard!