Moving To Evanston...Safety Question (Chicago, Astoria: apartment, to rent, condo)

[altrocker2]

We are moving to Evanston, and I know that the Howard Street area is not the best...however we found a place close to it where the neighborhood seems okay, but we're not sure. We are moving from Astoria Queens in NYC and are going to be moving to Callan/Oakton area...we will be about 3 min to the south street stop on Callan. I usually don't have problems...i'm 6'3 and pretty large, but my girlfriend is small and will be by herself a lot...obviously, there is no such thing as a completely safe area, but this neighborhood seemed okay and callan doesn't connect directly to howard. We decided to take it because of its proximity to the purple line...we will be using the South Street Stop for the El and the Main St Metra stop...

[Calidreemer]

It sounds like you already have taken an apartment? I would just tell both of you to be careful in that area. Don't leave anything visible in your car, keep your car doors locked, and do all those things you would normally do to stay safe. Although Callan does not connect directly to Howard, I'm sorry to tell you it's not an area I would consider one of the better locations in South East Evanston. If you haven't moved there, I would suggest looking somewhere else, maybe East of Chicago avenue around Hinman, Michigan, etc between South Blvd and Main if you want to be South.

[rajanpa43]

My wife and I are actually planning on moving to Evanston as well. How would you say the area around Hinman and Kedzie is?

[rentier]

No place is perfectly safe and you always need to be careful, but I think around Hinman/Kedzie the main danger is rapacious landlords and tax collectors. For more detail look at the Police Dept's crime reports: City of Evanston - Police - Crime Statistics & Reports (http://cityofevanston.org/departments/police/reports/yearly.shtml - broken link)

[Chummy Waters]

Get your g/f a baglady/homeless person costume and a keychain pepper spray. Add some foul scent for real safety. They should leave her alone, and if not, she shoots them in the eye. Good luck.

[Calidreemer]

Hinman and Kedzie is fine. Lots of young professionals and families. There are homeless people though. My sister has a condo on Hinman and loves her neighborhood. Good luck to you!

[Archangel83]

Originally Posted by Calidreemer

Although Callan does not connect directly to Howard, I'm sorry to tell you it's not an area I would consider one of the better locations in South East Evanston. If you haven't moved there, I would suggest looking somewhere else

Thanks for the warning!
We've also been looking at the apartment to rent in this corner (Callan & Case).
The area looks nice at first glance.
However, who knows who comes over here from other blocks and what's happening during the darker part of the day.

[ChicagoMeO]

Callan and Case is way too close to Howard which i do not recommend. best to be north of South Blvd. there is a street called Juneway which is below Howard and thats called the Juneway Jungle which is best interpreted as major ghetto.