safe affordable housing for female student in Chicago (Chatham, Sheffield: apartments, to rent)

[katelinbear]

So I am a 25 year old medical school student who will be moving to Chicago this October for 3rd year rotations at the Jackson Park Hospital in Chicago. The school has connections for apartments to rent in Hyde Park & also some in South Shore but now I'm being told by friends and other students that neither of those areas are safe to live in. I'm not sure where I need to live then because I'm not from this area at all, so I'm kind of at a loss. I'm originally from Georgia and don't really have any family there- so any advice would be greatly helpful.
I also have been told to bring my car, but I don't know if I really need it so my plan was to drive in & then use it as needed but stick with public transit if I can/need it. My other problem is I'm not able to provide furniture- I just don't have the ability to really transport it up there and so on, so I either need something around $600-700 so that I can rent furniture or have it furnished already (which seems impossible to find). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I honestly don't mind a studio- I figure it will cost less to heat- but a 1 bedroom would be nice also.

[SalingerBananafish]

Nothing wrong with Hyde Park. The neighborhood is actually one of the nicer ones on the South Side. It's just surrounded by not-so-great areas...

Otherwise, anywhere else you might consider (if Hyde Park is too 'dangerous') would be a pretty long commute. Hyde Park is actually a lone bright spot in an eyesore of a region.

Hyde Park might actually meet your rent price range for a studio. Ixnay the 1BD. Anywhere else decent in Chicago wouldn't. Unless you consider boarding a room with others.

[SCCP]

Hyde Park is fine. It isn't 100% safe to walk around every corner of the neighborhood at night, but it is fine during the day, and there is plenty of internal HP transportation provided by the CTA and the University of Chicago (I'm not sure if you would have access to the latter - maybe your school has an arrangement with UofC?).

Hyde Park's only downside is its relative isolation from Chicago's recreational hotspots, especially if you enjoy late night bars, restaurants, etc. Public transit to the north dries up around midnight.

If you don't want to use your car, you should strongly consider sticking with Hyde Park. Chicago has a good public transit system in general, but Jackson Park Hospital is not very accessible from the Loop/North Side (in other words, it isn't on an El line, nor is there a direct express bus). If you live in Hyde Park, on the other hand, you could take a bus directly down Stoney Island to the hospital. (Though if you work late night shifts, you might still prefer to drive). Parking in Hyde Park can be annoying, but it can be done on the street for free if you know where to look.

If you live farther north, I would strongly recommend driving. I would recommend South Loop if you had a larger budget (then Lake Shore -> Stoney Island to work), but you won't be able to find a decent place for one person for under $700 (plus free parking vanishes, pay parking is $150+). Moving north of the Loop would only increase your cost, at least until you get to a point so far north that your commute could be pretty onerous.

Sorry that I can't recommend more options. Good luck!

Update: I hadn't thought of the Metra earlier - it turns out that a line runs fairly close to the hospital (though it would still involve walking a few blocks through a neighborhood with a higher crime rate). You could use that as a potential public transit link if you really want to avoid driving and you want to live north of HP. I still see HP and/or living elsewhere with a roommate and driving as the best options, though.

[Prost]

If you don't plan on driving to the hospital, I strongly recommend living close to it. Your rotations can start very early and end late; possibly not conducive to the Metra schedule or your comfort level with riding the bus.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by katelinbear

The school has connections for apartments to rent in Hyde Park & also some in South Shore but now I'm being told by friends and other students that neither of those areas are safe to live in.

They're correct regarding South Shore, but not Hyde Park, which is pretty safe. I find it odd that anyone who actually knows it would say otherwise.

[katelinbear]

Yea. I started my search over again last night and discovered that it looks like most my options will have to include driving to the hospital anyways. There are no trains in really in the vicinity & the only other option is the bus system which I'm being told can be time consuming. I still am confused about the neighborhoods though. I was originally told that Hyde Park was unsafe & to live in South Shore, but then a few days ago I was told the opposite, so it's getting very confusing- there are just so many neighborhoods in Chicago & I want to make sure I'm somewhere safe. When I was searching, I did re-stumble upon an apartment I found in the very beginning but it's ~16 miles from the hospital (however I'm told it's in a safe location). Its on N Sheffield in the Wrigleyville, Lakeview neighborhood & according to google maps it's I can get to the hospital in about 25-30minutes. But I'm wondering how accurate that really is? I mean with morning rush-hour will it really be that quick? Also is it as safe as I'm being told? I was told that more people my age/things to do are in that area & it's a good safe place to live. Thanks so much for all your advice guys & please keep it coming!! I'm still looking, but if this one in Lakeview is really in a good place it's definitely in my top pics- it's already furnished & completely in my price range.

[marothisu]

Hyde Park unsafe? LOL No...it's one of the safer neighborhoods in Chicago. Do you know where in Hyde Park that housing is? Hyde Park is close to some shady areas so maybe it borders that or something. South Shore has a few decent areas but overall it's not incredibly safe on average. It's a no brainer for safety - Hyde Park over South Shore. Hyde Park down to Jackson Park Hospital, you can take the 28 bus which is probably 20-30 minutes down to there depending on where in Hyde Park.

As far as Wrigleyville goes, yes it's safe, but if you hit morning rush hour there's no way it's going to be only 25-30 minutes. I-90/94 is pretty clear south of about 31st or 35th street, but north of that, it can suck. In the mornings if you leave before 7 or 730 then it can be smooth sailing, but coming back...not until after like 7pm.

Really, I'd recommend to live in Hyde Park..you'll get sick of commuting over 30 miles via car everyday especially with traffic.

[SubconsciousMe]

Originally Posted by katelinbear

Its on N Sheffield in the Wrigleyville, Lakeview neighborhood & according to google maps it's I can get to the hospital in about 25-30minutes. But I'm wondering how accurate that really is? I mean with morning rush-hour will it really be that quick? Also is it as safe as I'm being told?

I work in Wrigleyville. I would say it is safe in that I've never felt unsafe there. However, due to your need to be close to Jackson Park, I would not personally recommend it. Taking public transit, it would easily be an hour. I don't drive here, so I cannot speak to the length of that travel, but I cannot imagine it being much/if any better.

[Bucktownbabe]

Originally Posted by katelinbear

I was originally told that Hyde Park was unsafe & to live in South Shore

Whoever told you that likely had the two neighborhoods confused with each other. Hyde Park is quite safe. (It's where University of Chicago is located, among other things. It's a very nice neighborhood.) South Shore may not be one of the absolute most dangerous neighborhoods in the city, but it's up there in the running. Many things with Chicago neighborhoods are debatable (as you'll see in this forum and elsewhere), but this isn't one of them. This is really quite a no-brainer as far as those two areas go. Take a look at any crime data to see for yourself.

[North Side Brandon]

Hyde Park is the safe bet. South Shore is real dangerous. Chatham and South Shore got many former CHA residents. You only image the impact on quality of life in both communities.