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Is Uptown Chicago a safe place to live in? Found an apt..thats awesome .? |
Travel Info The place is cool but have no clue about the area around me..want to know if its safe at night to walk from the EL...havent heard that much about it..anything will help. Thanks Travel Tips It's an area in transition. It used to be a pretty run down area, basically Skid Row. There were a lot of shoddy housing, lower income families, etc. In fact there is still a big homeless shelter there on Broadway near Montrose. It used to be a big Native American population there, but now there's some of everything there: White, African American, African, Indian (both kinds), Latino, Asian... you name it. There are still a lot of low-income people living there (not that that's a bad thing), along with a lot of senior citizen residences. I won't lie. It can be a little shady in sections. There was a kid that got stabbed to death in his apartment not too far from the area recently (but on the other hand, there was no sign of forced entry, indicating that he knew the person that did it and probably let the person inside, so it's not like it was a really random thing). There have also been incidents of people being robbed, but that happens all over the city in all kinds of neighborhoods, rich and poor. It's Chicago, it's a big city. There is going to be crime. But like any place in the city, the key is not to make yourself look like a victim. Walk like you know where you're going, don't be afraid to make eye contact (walking with you head down afraid to look at anyone is a good way to get robbed). Don't be afraid to tell someone to bug off (you don't HAVE to talk to a homeless guy just because he ask you for money). Develop a "city attitude" and you'll be fine. But the neighborhood has been changing lately. Lots of condos and lofts have been built, particularly on Sheridan road near Lawrence. It makes for a strange picture: very expensive lofts right next to a soup kitchen. There's a new Target going up in the neighborhood, there is a Starbucks and a few boutique places on Wilson, the main street in Uptown and right by the main el station in the neighborhood (there's a shop that sells speciality TEA, for crying out loud!) . There's a huge Crunch gym on Montrose (basically the start of Uptown), a bunch of new bars, a couple of comedy/improv clubs, a huge swanky sushi bar, a Borders book store, two massive concert venues (The Uptown Theater and the Aragon), the famous Green Mill Jazz club. And it's not too far from the lake and the lakefront bikepath... There's a political battle going on for control of the neighborhood. the current alderwoman has the lower income people as her base of support, while the newer residents, the ones buying the lofts and stuff, feel she isn't doing enough about crime. so there's a lot of accusations flying back and forth about crime and conditions, etc. And there has been an influx of new residents from the public housing developments that have been torn down across the city. A lot of them have settled into neighborhoods on the north side, like Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park, etc. And yes, some of them have brought their gang activities with them. I suggest you take a little mini-vacation to Chicago and visit the neighborhood for yourself, during the day and night to see what it's like. I personally think it's pretty cool. I live not too far from the area, further north in Edgewater (which actually might be another good place to check out for apartments - cheap and not as crowded as Uptown). I've added some links about Uptown if you want to check it out. Good luck. Source(s): http://chicago.urban-history.org/sites/t... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/uptown,_chi... http://www.uptownchicagocommission.org/... http://www.chicagohome.com/nhdetails.cfm... Other Travel Tips I was born and raised in Chicago and I live in the suburbs now. I definitely would not feel safe walking in Uptown from the el ... especially at night ... but that's just me. Here is a good link specifically about Uptown to help you decide for yourself: http://www.uncchicago.org/crime_and_publ... Burbs are cool deerfield lake forest lake bluff ect. but the north side is where a lot of gays live. Its up 2 you. Stay away from waukegan north chicago and zion crime and drugs are high (thats where I live) I didn't live in Uptown (had a place in Rogers Park), but I knew people who did and used to hang around at all hours -- I never had a problem, and I think if you exercise a normal amount of caution like you would anywhere, you shouldn't have much to worry about. Take a friend with you, and go check out the area in the evening once before you move in, so you get an idea of what it's really like. That was a tip I got from a realtor once, it's a good idea. Yes Its not that bad,Im actually from the suburbs and I have been there its nice.the city is just to busy to me To be honest, Uptown is one of the least safe areas of the northern Chicago neighborhoods. I used to visit there often and had a friend who lived there. It's extremely ethnically diverse which is nice, but crime is high. That's why rents are cheaper there than in Lincoln Park, Lakeview or Edgewater. I also wouldn't recommend Rogers Park. If you look at the crime stats, I think you'll see tons of crime concentrated in Uptown and Rogers Park, and much lower rates in Lincoln Park. |
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