Chicago, IL

[strangertimes]

Hi! I'm going to be a female international student at UChicago this Fall (the CIR MA Program) and am looking for potential flatmates to share an apartment together for the 2012 - 2014 academic year. PM me if you're interested - there are some great apartments out there, and I'm hesitant about waiting for graduate housing to place me.

[wonniex]

I've really been enjoying this thread, so thanks for all the insight, everyone.

Anyone know anything about E Madison Park near UChicago? Was placed in grad housing this morning and have been Googling, but if anyone has anything to say about safety? I had my fingers crossed for a larger apartment around Kimbark, but I think I'm now in closer proximity to grocers, and right up against the Metra.

Hi dispositif,

The apartments along Madison Park are nice. I will be moving into one of those at the end of August. I was initially also going into move into a Kimbark apartment right off Nichols park, but it's too big for just me. I actually prefer the Madison park location, even though I have a dog and Nichols park looks perfect for her, I'm sure it gets lonely and dark at night. I am originally from Chicago, but have lived in Hawaii the last 7 years, and now I'm back for family and graduate school. The Madison Park apts are a good location because they're on Hyde Park boulevard and the Metra and buses to downtown are walking distance. Along Madison Park side it's private parking and really pretty landscaping, and the maintenance guy said people bring their dogs to play with each other. Hope you accept it, I'm sure I'll be running into you!

PS: the grad housing on Madison Park is also one block over from Obama's home, it is barricaded and only resident traffic can go through. When he's in town, you really don't have to worry about safety - there will be Secret Service everywhere.

[dispositif]

Hi dispositif,

The apartments along Madison Park are nice. I will be moving into one of those at the end of August. I was initially also going into move into a Kimbark apartment right off Nichols park, but it's too big for just me. I actually prefer the Madison park location, even though I have a dog and Nichols park looks perfect for her, I'm sure it gets lonely and dark at night. I am originally from Chicago, but have lived in Hawaii the last 7 years, and now I'm back for family and graduate school. The Madison Park apts are a good location because they're on Hyde Park boulevard and the Metra and buses to downtown are walking distance. Along Madison Park side it's private parking and really pretty landscaping, and the maintenance guy said people bring their dogs to play with each other. Hope you accept it, I'm sure I'll be running into you!

PS: the grad housing on Madison Park is also one block over from Obama's home, it is barricaded and only resident traffic can go through. When he's in town, you really don't have to worry about safety - there will be Secret Service everywhere.

I texted my family to forward them the information about the secret service, and they all about died laughing after all this worrying about having to walk 1.3 miles, mostly along Woodlawn, from my apartment to my building on campus. Not that safety isn't still a major concern, but it's still so funny in light of it all.

I eventually started guessing it was silly to have even posted, thinking it was unlikely anyone who knew of the area would read the post, but this is fantastic to hear! I was all about those apartments off of Kimbark and S. Ridgewood (hardwoods, clawfoot tubs, and a park view? Yes please.), but I think I was placed on Madison Park after all my requests to be put in a "safe" building, and close to stores and transportation, etc. Thanks so much for writing!

But I did accept, and I'm so glad to hear of someone else opting to move in there. It's so hard to know what you're looking at, solely going on things like Google Map's street view and a few quickly-snapped photos of the interior. Hope to see you around!

[butterfingers2010]

To follow up on my last post, I ended up using Apartment People ( a finder service) in Chicago and found the perfect place! In spite of all the bad reviews on Yelp, I found them to be very helpful and professional, not to mention they saved me a lot of stress and headaches. I would highly reccomend them to anyone relocating to Chicago because they can drive you to multiple apartments in a short period of time and you can also complete all the necessary paperwork the same day. Only two days later, my application was approved by the landlord and the lease was signed and ready to go. Admittedly I did end up getting an apartment on the higher end of my price range, but it's ideal for me and I feel like I'm getting a lot for my money. If you do go with a finder service, be aware that they will ask for one month's rent up front as well as any application fees the landlord has. The one month's rent basically serves as commission that they get from the landlord for providing the service (since it's free for you, Apartment People has to get paid somehow). Anyway, I am very happy with this service and feel a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I know not everybody has good experiences with this, but it's at least worth a try if you're relocating and going to be in the Chicago area to look at apartments.

[kekbatter]

By grad housing, do you mean the residential services at UChicago? have they already begun to send out placements? I thought those weren't out till August.

Yeah, housing that is administered by U of C. There are plenty of apartments to choose from and they are most likely cheaper than grad housing (like I said I was an undergrad so I don't know much about graduate student costs), so if any of y'all are staying for a number of years, don't be scared of apartment hunting. The apartments are better quality and more affordable.

[kekbatter]

I was wondering if anyone else here has had success in finding a Chicago apartment while living out of state. Also, just needed to vent a little here, because I am VERY frustrated...

I will be moving to Chicago in September for grad school. I currently live about three hours away and work a full-time job, which basically only allows me to go apartment hunting on weekends. With that said, it would be preferable if I only had to take one weekend trip, since it's kind of a long drive. Anyhow, so far the vibe that I have gotten is that Chicago apartments turn over at the last-minute and that they turn over quickly. This makes me very, very nervous, as I do not like the idea of having to wait until the last-minute before moving to find an apartment, nor is that very feasible for me. Ideally I would like to find a lease ahead of time. As in, NOW, or at the longest, by the beginning of August. I'm not willing to sign a lease for a place I've never seen before. I would, as a last resort, but I really would rather not if at all possible. So far what I am seeing in hearing is that apartments are not advertised for rent until a month or less before the lease begins. As I said, this makes me extremely nervous. Where I'm from it's the norm to apartment hunt about 3-4 months in advance, so this is all very strange to me. You would think that landlords would like to be guranteed that their apartments are always full so that they get as much money as possible. Case in point: a friend of a friend is moving to Chicago this week. She was not able to find her apartment until last week. I really do not want this to be me!

What listings have you guys been using to find places? This might be too late or you might already know of these, but I'll send these resources to anybody out there who feels hopeless:

http://marketplace.uchicago.edu/

This is a common listing website for apartments and furniture. New posts daily. Click on "Apartments" to get started.

http://www.uchicagoapartments.com/

A newer and more organized centralized listing for places in the Hyde Park and Kenwood area. There are more empty apartment/new lease listings on this site than "roommate" listings, so it's got more of a mature vibe. Here you have the opportunity to list yourself as someone seeking a place. This is a great resource, definitely take advantage of it.

http://www.macapartments.com/

This property mgmt company almost has a monopoly on Hyde Park apartments. You can pick from a diverse array of apartments all over the neighborhood. I rented through Mac for two and a half years and it was a smooth process. They get a bad rap because some of their ooglier units don't get enough attention, but they also will drive you to different apartments after consulting with you on what you're looking for. Very good resource if you are visiting Chicago and need a short amount of time to find a place. You can find apartments super close to campus or not so close. If you're worried about distance, remember that there is transportation that can get you all over the place (including night shuttles, umbrella services and whatever).

http://www.chicagorentals.com/

TLC is another leasing company that owns a handful of buildings in the neighborhood. When I was looking for my first place, I checked out some of their buildings. They almost always have vacancies and their buildings are in nice areas. Some of the units look pretty good, some look OK, some are meh. You will be at least 1 mile away from campus if you rent through TLC.

http://chicago.craig...xAsk=&bedrooms=

This is an obvious one. I have never really used Craigslist when searching for places in Hyde Park, but it's useful for other areas. As with all Craigslist listings in any city, double check everything. Make sure the apartment is actually in Hyde Park (and an ideal part of HP). Google maps is your friend.

http://www.domu.com/...partment-search

Another wonderful resource. Specify "Hyde Park - Kenwood" as your neighborhood and create filters depending on how many rooms you're looking for and how much you're willing to spend. The best thing about HP is there are a ton of studio apartments, so if you don't have a roommate you can definitely find some worthy candidates here.

My main piece of advice: don't give up. You can definitely find an apartment (or even a cheap sublet) for the year from out of state. I subleased my apartment to someone from Wisconsin and it all went super smoothly. You'll have to contact a LOT of people just because that's how things go, but in my experience, there are more people searching for roommates and tenants than there are people willing to fill rooms.

Also, Chicago (Hyde Park, even) has a ton to offer in terms of the array of apartments. There are huge units available and they will cost you much less than other metropolitan areas. I'm gonna be attending grad school in Baltimore and after over a month of searching for a reasonably priced place, I still have nothing. Chicago is awesome. Contact a million people, set a day or weekend to visit the neighborhood and meet landlords in person, and secure a place. I believe in you guys!

Edited July 28, 2012 by kekbatter

[kekbatter]

On 2/15/2012 at 11:59 AM, newleaf said:

@Purpledinosaur and @Dorinda and anyone considering UChicago

I had the lovely experience of being at Uchicago the last academic year. It is a tremendously beautiful place academically. It ends there. I lived a block away from campus in student housing.

I had my apartment complex broken into twice

2 people shot and killed within a block and a half of me...within a week. (Gang related, no students hurt)

My license plate almost ripped off across the street from campus

My car keyed...3 times

My car broken into (nothing to steal in it...haha bitches)

Although the university hires the second largest private police force in the country, I would submit that they are largely inept. The one and only time I used a police car drive-along to escort me, I was literally ditched by the officer after she followed me for all of 2 blocks, had to call HQ, and filed a formal complaint (I am not the type) and the officer was disciplined for potentially compromising student safety.

On the notion of random crime, kids are held up at gun point occasionally, stuff goes missing on campus often, break-ins are common, and girls get fondled at night. And sometimes in the day. As a girl, I did have a few close calls. Walking as a group doesn't help, even groups get attacked sometimes with random violence. Last year there was a group of like 5 students who were attacked and a few went to the hospital.

The school does everything it can to protect students, and there is a very convenient shuttle system that makes it so that the majority of kids don't have to walk after 4 pm. Those routes are set and come often. There is also a point-to-point shuttle system that operates. It was the subject of a shitload of ire last year and a bunch of people formally complained to the university with stories that they would call the shuttle, and 45 minutes later the shuttle would roll up. Or not show up at all. If you're super interested, google "uchicago safe ride".

There is a good grocery store with great produce (hyde park produce), and a lot of relatively shitty restaurants that charge about 20% more than they should. The food on campus is OK.

I was only there for a year so I was happy to make the most of it. The crime and stuff is more an inconvenience than a a serious threat to safety because its basically people wanting money, and the intellectual environment is so luxurious and stunning, it made it worth it for me. Visit it, check it out, and see if you think it will be worth it for you.

I went to U of C and lived in Hyde Park for four years, and I have to say that this is a bit of an exaggeration -- or at least, a focus on all of the negative things that could ever happen. I won't lie, Hyde Park is surrounded by some of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago. But crime is all over the city and you need common sense to avoid being a victim. Sometimes people are unlucky (wrong place at the wrong time), but a lot of times, people assume that they can walk a couple blocks at 2 AM with nothing happening. Hyde Park becomes very empty at night, so this is not a good idea. If you absolutely must do it, walk in the middle of the street. Not on the sidewalk, right in the middle where the street is well-lit. Don't look terrified if you pass somebody; give them eye contact. The problem with Hyde Park is it is full of a lot of clueless kids. They don't really know how to handle "urban" environments so they close themselves off to anyone who appears foreign to the elite/neo-gothic/stuck up environment that Hyde Park is known for. The U of C provides late night services for a reason. Take advantage of the transportation around you when it gets late.

Walking in groups definitely makes a difference. With groups, there are witnesses. A criminal is less likely to do something to you if you're around a bunch of witnesses. Walk with a purpose. Don't act like you're strolling through the park or studying the ground. Be mindful and keep it moving. Oh-- and don't do that thing where you "innocently" cross the street when someone is walking in your direction. It's insulting and offensive, and if you piss the wrong person off then you might land yourself in some trouble.

Also, during the day? Let's get reasonable. Don't scare new students. You will be fine during the day. Plenty of people are outside walking their dogs, jogging, running errands, etc. Hyde Park is no Lincoln Park, but it's still an affluent neighborhood that a lot of people love. It isn't the ghetto.

For the record, I dislike Hyde Park when compared to other neighborhoods only because it is so far from everything and no el lines run through it. But I don't think it's fair to characterize the neighborhood like this. It becomes a scary place when you do not use common sense. Let's leave it at that.

Edited July 28, 2012 by kekbatter

[genetics99]

I am interested in hearing from anyone about experiences/knowledge of the university-operated graduate student apartments.  Best locations for safety, cleanliness, level of noise, etc.  Anyone out there?

Edited February 19, 2013 by genetics99

[spikey]

genetics99

I currently live in grad housing. It’s pretty basic but I have no complaints. For me it was easier than going through the process of finding an apartment in an area I didn’t know well. Besides, the locations of university owned buildings are generally better than non-university buildings in the same price range. After move here you will realize that location is everything in Hyde Park. PM me if you have specific questions.

Edited February 27, 2013 by spikey

[PolyWonk]

Big fan of University Park Condominiums in Hyde Park for anyone going to UofC. It is a very mixed community, UofC employees, faculty, students (grad and undergrad) and community members. Rent is reasonable for the area, and the management is responsive enough.

 

There's paid parking available, but it's not necessary because there is so much convenient street parking. There's 24/7 security, and they get to know you, and you get to know them. It's in the middle of 55th Street, so it's across the street from walgreens and the very expensive "grocery store," post office, jimmy johns, THE BEST MEXICAN restaurant ever "Maravillas."

 

Walking distance from school and all the restaurants on 55th and 53rd. 

 

Suffice it to say, I liked living there.

[starapple84]

Hello Chicago folks! I am considering an offer from UIC that is a stipend of $14k p/year with full tuition waiver, but student fees ($1800 p/year) and health insurance are not covered. Does anyone have any advice or insight on whether doctoral students are able to support themselves on this stipend alone? Any advice is much appreciated.

[Mel1315]

Hello Chicago folks! I am considering an offer from UIC that is a stipend of $14k p/year with full tuition waiver, but student fees ($1800 p/year) and health insurance are not covered. Does anyone have any advice or insight on whether doctoral students are able to support themselves on this stipend alone? Any advice is much appreciated.

 

I am considering an offer from UIC as well, but for a master's program. On their website the expected living expenses for UIC students is $11,250 for the 2013-2014 academic year.  Whether this number is accurate is something I would like to know from other UIC students. 

 

I was offered $7300 per year, clearly not enough to live off of.  So congrats on yours!

[puchi]

Hi all. I was recently admitted to U of C for graduate school and am completely overwhelmed trying to figure out how to find an apartment (especially how to find one from all the way from Florida!). I have searched through many forums but most people list streets and such to look at, but I have visited Chicago literally for only an afternoon, so these streets mean nothing to me. I would like to know actual specific apartments I can look up, google, see pictures, etc. instead of just areas around campus I should consider. 

 

I have seen many people post about Reagents, but this is a little out of my price range so would like something more in the 500-1000 range for a studio or 1 bedroom/1 bath.

 

So this might be tough, but these are the things I need for my apartment (sorry if this sounds spoiled haha):

 

1. SAFE, (gated? guard? anything like this maybe? really good fence? or just general very safe feeling? )

2. parking since I WILL be bringing my car

3. close to campus and easy access to bus to take me to campus

4. preferably a bathtub rather than a shower because I'm spoiled and like to take baths

5. heating (i'm from Florida so I'm going to freeze my little tuchus off without heat)

6. laundry, preferably in the apartment, but on site is also fine. 

 

Bonus: NICE LOOKING IF POSSIBLE.  

 

I am hoping someone can tell me the nicest/best quality apartment to look at in this price range that include these features.

 

And when I say safe, I don't mean "most places are not as unsafe as many people say and you will be fine." I know to use common sense, but still....I am not used to living in a city, and I currently have been living in a gated golf community next to a fire station in middle of nowhere Orlando that requires you pass through TWO guard gates before you reach my apartment ( and it only costs me about 600 a month). I know I'm obviously not going to find a gated community or anything like that for 600 a month in Chicago, especially around campus, but the point is to just keep in mind that I am someone who is NOT used to living in the city and would like to be and feel as safe as possible. 

 

I also know that many students don't bring a car, but I suffer from severe motion sickness so I cannot rely on taking the bus/train/cabs or whatever for the 5+ years I will be in Chicago. I will most likely try to take the bus everyday to go to campus for school, but again I need the option of my car around just in case. 

 

 

 

Anyone know of anything that I should look into?

 

Thank you for your help

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[biscuits]

Hi all! Former Chicago undergrad here. I lived off campus for two years at approximately 53rd and Woodlawn, which was a great, relatively safe area. 

 

Chicago is definitely a somewhat unique environment. You have the relative bubble of the school which is surrounded by some of the poorest and most under-served neighborhoods in the city. The university has been doing a lot in recent years to work on neighborhood relations, but there is definitely a certain degree of ill-will from the adjoining neighborhoods. And who can blame them, really - UChicago was fairly abusive with regards to "urban renewal" policies in the 1970s, and the entire south and west sides of the city were criminally neglected by the Daley administration. On an individual level, you'll be fine, but you should be aware that the institutional affiliation comes with some baggage. 

 

With regards to safety, I split things into two broad categories: muggings and shootings. It is not terribly unusual to be mugged, but generally this occurs when someone gets the bright idea to walk home, by themselves, at midnight or later. In particular, you'll want to try to avoid side streets and parks at night if you're by yourself, and also locations like the Midway and Kimbark. (Everyone always seems to get mugged on Kimbark. Woodlawn, despite being very close by, was much safer.) There was one enterprising individual who was mugging folks at 8 am in order to get laptops, etc in schoolbags, but that was a bit of an exception. How to avoid muggings? Travel in groups or take the night vans. Very easy. 

 

A final note on mugging: Chicago does have what I like to call "violent muggers" as opposed to what appear to be "friendly muggers" in Boston. In Boston, you'll be asked for your wallet; in Chicago, they'll hit you on the head from behind and snatch it. So take precautions, everyone!

 

Shootings should be much less of a concern. Sadly, they tend to be gang-related, which means it's quite unlikely that someone is going to intentionally shoot at your delicate university self. South of the Midway can be dicey at night because you're starting to get into the neighborhood of Woodlawn, where shootings can happen. Here the danger is of mistaken identity or crossfire. Again, very very unlikely, and the university has been expanding southwards since my time there. 

 

I'm honestly not trying to scare anyone or blow things out of proportion. I, personally, never encountered any sort of violence, but I did have friends that were mugged. This is generally because they took a stupid risk coming home at night. (Sorry, guys.) However, if you are used to gated communities where you can wander to 7-11 at two in the morning by yourself, you need to be prepared for a very different sort of reality. 

 

Chicago is a city with enormous public policy challenges, which makes it a great place to work with some really innovative non-profits, academics, and other entities. There is also a very strong history of activism and community involvement. Living there may test your comfort levels, but it's a wonderful learning experience.

 

A final note: please don't be one of those people who never ventures farther south than the Magnificent Mile (with the exception of direct shots to Hyde Park). Living in Disneyland is not the way to understand or be a part of a city. 

[Hector Varela Jr.]

Hi! I have been accepted to UofC in the Religion MA program. Seriously considering accepting, but my situation is somewhat uncommon: I am married with two teenage kids. I need a good school for them, along with a family-oriented area. My biggest concern is the schools around Hyde Park. My kids are in a private school now, but private schools in Chicago are much more expensive than in PR, so it is not in the budget. And, according to our internet search, public schools in Hyde Park are, to put it mildly, not acceptable. I would have no problem commuting for 30-45 minutes if it meant a better school for them. My process is: 1. Find a good school for both my kids within commuting distance. 2. Find a house/condo within my budget inside school radius. If found, great!. If not, go back to 1. 3. When school and living area are nailed down, my wife would look for a job. Suggestions? Comments? HELP? Hector.

[biscuits]

Hi! I have been accepted to UofC in the Religion MA program. Seriously considering accepting, but my situation is somewhat uncommon: I am married with two teenage kids. I need a good school for them, along with a family-oriented area. My biggest concern is the schools around Hyde Park. My kids are in a private school now, but private schools in Chicago are much more expensive than in PR, so it is not in the budget. And, according to our internet search, public schools in Hyde Park are, to put it mildly, not acceptable. I would have no problem commuting for 30-45 minutes if it meant a better school for them. My process is: 1. Find a good school for both my kids within commuting distance. 2. Find a house/condo within my budget inside school radius. If found, great!. If not, go back to 1. 3. When school and living area are nailed down, my wife would look for a job. Suggestions? Comments? HELP? Hector.

Hector, I volunteered at Ray Elementary School - 56th and Kimbark, just a few blocks from campus - and it's generally considered to be a great public school. Lots of professors send their kids there before sending them to the UChicago Lab Schools in middle school. The Lab Schools are fantastic but quite expensive, from what I hear. They also have a waiting list. Most other South Side schools are not particularly wonderful. There are magnet and charter schools, but I'm not familiar with them, other than the university's charter school. I would ask other current students who have families - your department should be able to put you in touch.

[Hector Varela Jr.]

Thank you very much.

[harrista]

Hi everyone, I'm pretty much certain that I'll be starting at the University of Chicago this fall and am looking at apartments in the Hyde Park area for the first year at least.  Can anyone tell me about the high rise apartment blocks in eastern Hyde Park near the lakefront?  It's hard to get a sense of what that area is like just from the rentals pages, eg if it's just a few isolated buildings or if there's a bit more buzz around there.  Also does anyone have some more recent feedback about the university's graduate housing?  Some of the older posts said they were a bit dank but easy to organise, others said definitely go find your own apartment because it'll be cheaper and nicer.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[2011 MSW Hopeful]

Hi everyone, I'm pretty much certain that I'll be starting at the University of Chicago this fall and am looking at apartments in the Hyde Park area for the first year at least.  Can anyone tell me about the high rise apartment blocks in eastern Hyde Park near the lakefront?  It's hard to get a sense of what that area is like just from the rentals pages, eg if it's just a few isolated buildings or if there's a bit more buzz around there.  Also does anyone have some more recent feedback about the university's graduate housing?  Some of the older posts said they were a bit dank but easy to organise, others said definitely go find your own apartment because it'll be cheaper and nicer.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

I love living here. I live on Everett between 55th and 56th, and feel extremely safe and like the vibe of my little corner of the neighborhood. You'll have to walk a tad farther for restaurants and grocery stores, but the buildings and neighborhood are nice, being close to the lakefront is wonderful, and the parking situation is better here than in the rest of the neighborhood. Not sure which buildings you're looking at, but I love mine and find it really affordable. 

[rcamsw]

Planning on attending U of Chicago in the Fall. Does anyone have any recommendations of specific buildings within the university's grad housing? Or, buildings to avoid? 

[Emdave]

Is this true? If so, this is contrary to much of what I've heard about Roger's Park. In super-segregated Chicago, Roger's Park is the last bastion of diversity within a Chicago neighborhood. There are also a number of independent and experimental theaters, as well as an opera house and other live houses. Roger's Park seems to me much more attractive as a place of residence than Evanston, not to mention the affordability.

 

Sad to say, but completely true. None of my female friends feel comfortable going there after dark by themselves, half the shop fronts on any given street will be things like check cashing stores, liquor stores, a boarded up shopfront, a wig store, or something of the like. That's not to say there isn't a single good restaurant in the entire neighborhood, but they're so few and so spread out that it really isn't feasible/safe to get there for most people-- i.e. people who don't want to drive to a bar or walk through multiple blocks of Rogers Park (away from the L) at night.

 

About a month ago, my boyfriend and I felt incredibly unsafe right near the Howard L station. We were leaving the station to catch a cab (because the L had stopped running for the night) and in the approximately 40 feet that we walked, we got caught up in a gang fight/clash. Thankfully cabs just sit right outside the station, so we literally jumped into one and the cabbie made an illegal U in the middle of the street to get us out of there. There were packs of people screaming at each other and it was really scary. It was so bad that the cab driver gave my boyfriend and I a lecture: "if you even hear something like that from the tracks, don't come down. Just call police and sleep in the station if you have to"

 

So, that's a slightly extreme example, and it was at like 2am, but still. Roger's Park used to be one of the best neighborhoods in Chicago, but the best restaurants have closed and there's not much to do. It's mostly good for family homes for people who want to be near Northwestern or Loyola.

 

I stand by my comment, it's a cultural wasteland with not much to do. And it's not that safe either.

Edited March 31, 2013 by Emdave

[hiroshiman]

You were talking about Howard. Everyone I know in Rogers park tells me to stay away from Howard and once you get to Jarvis it is much safer.

[Emdave]

You were talking about Howard. Everyone I know in Rogers park tells me to stay away from Howard and once you get to Jarvis it is much safer.

 

Howard is particularly bad, but Jarvis still isn't that safe. I have a bunch of friends at Loyola and we've gone out together at night. They always told me that they're careful not to go more than a few blocks north of the Loyola stop because things start getting sketchy fast. We always went out in large groups even around Loyola, but there seemed to be less worry the closer you are to campus.

 

So, I'll admit Howard is particularly bad, but I'm not sure I agree that Jarvis is "much" safer.

 

Again, I'm not saying that Rogers Park is the pit of all evil and that everyone who walks through it comes out riddled with bullet wounds, but it's a similar case when people talk about Hyde Park. I'm considering moving down to UChicago and everyone tells me the same thing, "this stop is super sketchy, this place is less sketchy, this place is the least sketchy (but still a little sketchy), don't go south or west of these streets, and avoid this park at night."

 

One of my friends who is at UChicago right now comforted me with the fact that, "well, you might get mugged in Hyde Park, but it's not like you're going to get raped or anything. Once every few years someone will get caught in the crossfire of some gang war, and then the police hire more officers and it's ok for a long time."

 

That's just what I'm saying (albeit Rogers Park is a bit safer than that), but about parts of the northside.

Edited March 31, 2013 by Emdave

[coffeeShot]

I'm going into the MS Computer Science program at UChicago later this year and wanted some information on housing in the Hyde Park area.  

 

First off I wanted to know whether the University owned graduate housing is worth it (I'm probably going to look for studios).  Also since some of my classes are going to be in the Gleacher Center, I need to be close to a bus line that goes up to it (I'll be car-less).

 

If anyone could give me some pointers about housing as a graduate student I'd appreciate it. 

[biscuits]

Rogers Park is not a death trap. It does house a lot of lower income folks, and sometimes has problems with violence - much like other Chicago area communities. I used to work right next to the Howard stop and never had an issue. I did see a few drug deals, but they weren't dangerous, and as long as you minded your own business there wasn't a problem.

Rogers Park is actually a fairly community-oriented neighborhood, despite not being fantastically wealthy. There is a strong non-profit partnership network and plenty of community activism. Unlike many areas of the city, there's a lot of support for subsidized housing on the part of individual landlords. That's not a subtle dig; it's a sign that the community is actually interested in helping folks get back on their feet.

Much like the rest of non-sanitized Chicago, it's a bad idea to parade around at night by yourself. But if you make an effort to know your community and neighbors, rather than rushing from classroom to college bar to apartment, you'll feel much more comfortable.

Edited April 2, 2013 by biscuits