Moving to Chicago - Thoughts on neighborhood please (Lincoln, Rosemont: 2013, apartments)

[Ryan92584]

Hi,

I'm looking for apartments in Chicago and found one that I really like. If anybody can tell me about the neighborhood that would be great. I looked at the crime rate and saw that robberies were high (but what major city isn't?)

3756 N Bernard St, Chicago, IL 60618

[marothisu]

Far, far, far from the worst neighborhood in town. Not the #1 best, but not bad. My friend used to live right around the corner from this and I never found it bad in the least bit. She never really worried either.

I also wouldn't call the crime rates that bad there. It's far from it. Here are the raw numbers and this is using 2010 population from the census, which is 53,359 people. The third column is which city between 60k and 100k in population are most similar to these rates (2011 numbers - United States cities by crime rate (40,000)

* 2002 | 111 robberies | 208 per 100k | Burlington, North Carolina
* 2003 | 156 | 292 per 100k | Sanford, Florida
* 2004 | 156 | 292 per 100k | Sanford, Florida
* 2005 | 114 | 213 per 100k | Marietta, Georgia
* 2006 | 144 | 270 per 100k | Port Arthur, Texas
* 2007 | 129 | 242 per 100k | Paramount, California
* 2008 | 130 | 244 per 100k | Paramount, California
* 2009 | 138 | 259 per 100k | Rocky Mount, North Carolina
* 2010 | 127 | 238 per 100k | Paramount, California
* 2011 | 146 | 274 per 100k | Port Arthur, Texas
* 2012 | 97 | 182 per 100k | Galveston, Texas
* 2013 | 64 thru 6/29/2013 --> Current rate = 128 by end of year = 241 per 100k = Paramount, California

You can explore the raw data from 2002-present here (says 2001, but 2002 is more like it). Irving Park's community area code = 16
https://data.cityofchicago.org/Publi...sent/ijzp-q8t2


By contrast, in 2011 Lincoln Park area (population of about 64,000) had a robbery rate of 234 per 100k and Lincoln Park is regarded as a pretty safe area with a lot of nightlife and young people, but also families, pretty wealthy people, etc. The rates I quoted above for the early 2000s are probably lower too because these areas actually lost population for the 2010 census.

[Ryan92584]

Thanks for the info Marothisu

[chet everett]

I agree that the relative level of crime in the Irving Park neighborhood that the OP's target apartment is in makes is far from the worst part of Chicago on the basis of crime. I would caution that Irving Park is not as convenient to nightlife and is more geared to quieter pursuits than other areas ...

The data that was posted about other parts of the countries is neither particularly useful to the OP, who indicated nothing of where they may be coming from, nor does it really make any sense whatsoever to compare entire cities with similar populations to the Irving Park neighborhood as the resources of Chicago have to be spread over the whole city and the small cities listed have no real urban issues... It would be more useful focusing on Chicago's other neighborhoods, ideally those with the sorts of lifestyle that might appeal to someone relocating here, or at least explaining the trade-offs of quieter parts of Chicago...

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The data that was posted about other parts of the countries is neither particularly useful to the OP, who indicated nothing of where they may be coming from, nor does it really make any sense whatsoever to compare entire cities with similar populations to the Irving Park neighborhood as the resources of Chicago have to be spread over the whole city and the small cities listed have no real urban issues... It would be more useful focusing on Chicago's other neighborhoods, ideally those with the sorts of lifestyle that might appeal to someone relocating here, or at least explaining the trade-offs of quieter parts of Chicago...

Actually yes it is useful. The OP said the he thought the robbery rate was high and then mentioned something about big cities always being that. I am showing the OP that the crime rate for this area isn't particularly high, but also the fact that there are small cities out there with similar rates. It humanizes it more and puts things into better perspective. It has nothing to do with "Well it's in a big city and other areas are adjacent to it." Whatever, he's wondering about the neighborhood itself and I gave him the data. The data comparing to other cities around the US is just as useful as comparing to Lincoln Park or any other neighborhood of Chicago. Last I checked, the OP thanked me for the information as well.

Yes, we don't know what the OP is looking for, but the OP specifically asked about Irving Park and this neighborhood.

[rparz]

Originally Posted by Ryan92584

Hi,

I'm looking for apartments in Chicago and found one that I really like. If anybody can tell me about the neighborhood that would be great. I looked at the crime rate and saw that robberies were high (but what major city isn't?)

3756 N Bernard St, Chicago, IL 60618

It's safe enough that I would live there, but it's definitely not a place you would call happening or hip. Think of it as more sleepy neighborhood with families as opposed to a place like wrigleyville that is bustling with people that are out having a good time.

[Ryan92584]

Thanks for all the info, I'm moving to Chicago with my girlfriend in 3 weeks from Las Vegas, NV and we are still looking for a place. We are looking to spend no more than $1,000/month on rent (preferarably a 1BR but studio isn't out of the question). She will be working in Rosemont so we would like to be within 30mins or so driving distance from there. We would also like a safe neighborhood within walking distance to the metra and some sort of nightlife. Any recommendation on areas to look at?

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Ryan92584

Hi,

I'm looking for apartments in Chicago and found one that I really like. If anybody can tell me about the neighborhood that would be great. I looked at the crime rate and saw that robberies were high (but what major city isn't?)

3756 N Bernard St, Chicago, IL 60618

I live in that general area. It's mostly a decent area; at least you're on the "right" side of Kimball.

There's a popular, small indie music venue (with attached pub) half a block away called The Abbey. Other than that it's not a particularly exciting neighborhood as others have pointed out; it's basically a quiet place to retreat to after taking in the nightlife in neighboring parts of town. There are a handful of decent places to eat and grab a drink nearby and a small community theater or two but nothing close to a critical mass. Of course, that's part of what makes living around here so affordable, and you can be in any number of nightlife districts in a matter of minutes. To me the tradeoff of affordability versus having to travel 2 miles or less to a nightlife area is well worth it, and that's a big reason why I live here and not, say, Bucktown.

Proximity to the Abbey can make parking a little tight on evenings when there's a decent show since there's no permit parking on that side of Kimball to prevent show-goers from parking on residential side streets. Get parked before 8pm and you should be OK for finding parking within half a block or so of your place.

Crime is not a major issue but it does happen. There have been gang turf skirmishes going on a few blocks north for a couple years now and occasionally it spills into our area. I wouldn't be spending a lot of time north of, say Berteau, late at night. In terms of crime that is likely to affect you directly, as always keep an awareness of your surroundings, stay out of the parks late at night, and don't be shocked if you wake up one morning to find your car vandalized or broken into.

[chet everett]

$1000/mo for a 1Br in Irving Park seems doable. The area is more affordable than places closer to the Loop. It is a decent enough compromise for a couple that needs to commute both to Rosemont and other parts of Chicago. Rents are going to be higher in more happening parts of the City, odds are commute to Rosemont will be worse and crime is also likely higher..

If one is OK with even a quieter part of Chicago one could consider Edison Park, which is even closer to Rosemont, it probably has lower crime rates, rents are about the same, nightlife options are perhaps a little fewer, but the ease of riding the CTA into hipper areas is somewhat of an offset...

Coming from LasVegas the relative ease of public transit ought to be a plus and perhaps data from some of the sub-metro LasVegas crime stats might be reassuring...

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Ryan92584

Thanks for all the info, I'm moving to Chicago with my girlfriend in 3 weeks from Las Vegas, NV and we are still looking for a place. We are looking to spend no more than $1,000/month on rent (preferarably a 1BR but studio isn't out of the question). She will be working in Rosemont so we would like to be within 30mins or so driving distance from there. We would also like a safe neighborhood within walking distance to the metra and some sort of nightlife. Any recommendation on areas to look at?

One of the major differences between Vegas and Chicago is the prevalence of public transit and also much more walkability. I think you probably meant El/Metro instead of Metra? Metro/El is the city train and Metra is the commuter rail mainly geared towards the suburbs (though there are a handful of stop within the city). Do you know where in Rosemont your girlfriend will be working? The Blue Line goes to Rosemont and at least from Irving Park, it's a 15-20 minute ride. So if she were to work almost next door, there may be no point in driving. $1000/month in Irving Park is doable. You may even get a 2 bedroom for that price - my friend's 3 bedroom was $1500/month total in that same area you're looking (that was last summer). There are some bars in the area, but there's not a ton of nightlife there. As others have pointed out, it's a quieter part of town. There is some good food in the area, but if you're looking for immediate nightlife, I'd look elsewhere.

On your budget, you may also want to look at an area like Logan Square (which is also on the Blue Line and not far from the freeway). There are a number of good places there (food and drinks) and while it is more hipster oriented, it's not 100% that. It's also a short ride on the Blue Line to Wicker Park which is a hot area for nightlife. A large handful of new restaurants and bars are also opening up in Logan Square this summer/early fall. There are already a bunch of places there like Longman & Eagle (which has a Michelin star and is kind of affordable - Longman & Eagle - Logan Square - Chicago, IL), Billy Sunday (Billy Sunday - Logan Square - Chicago, IL), Lula Cafe (Lula Café - Logan Square - Chicago, IL), Revolution Brewing (Revolution Brewing Co - Logan Square - Chicago, IL), Whistler (The Whistler - Logan Square - Chicago, IL), Telegraph (Telegraph - Logan Square - Chicago, IL), Rocking Horse (Rocking Horse - Logan Square - Chicago, IL), etc. The area is seeing a lot of growth lately even though some of these places have been there for years.

P.S. Blue Line also goes right into O'Hare Airport and it runs 24 hours/day.