Tim Midgett wrote:did i mention this is the best city in the united states? a lot of people don't know that.

There are a couple threads from 2004 already devoted to this topic...but they are extremely outdated. The makeup of a Chicago neighborhood can change by a lot in three years. Since those threads are over three years old...and since I want to attract the maximum amount of attention from posters who weren't around in '04...I was hoping an entirely new thread would be all right.

The lady in my life is considering a move from Albuquerque to Chicago...however, she is concerned about searching for an apartment from such a great distance. There's only so much Craig's List can tell you, you know?

I could certainly come down to the city for her in order to check the safety of certain locations...here's a list of places I thought she would really like:

- An apartment in Roger's Park on the lake. I've seen some extremely beautiful places here for cheap. As Weissenberger/Faiz once said though:

Faizzenberger wrote:There are places in R.P. that can make you dead.

Additionally, as it's on the damn lake...that's pretty far north...some of these apartments seem well worth it...since they're also not far from the Red Line.


- Ukranian Village by tipcat and scott. I love this neighborhood. It seems pretty safe to me, too! Is it ever not safe? Plus the Happy Village is there. What a great neighborhood bar. This neighborhood is called Uke Village, right? Is the name I'm actually thinking of "East Village?" Or is that short for East Ukranian Village?


- Lincoln Square might be the best choice for a lady who has to live alone for a couple months. Classy?


-Elston/Kedzie sounds safe. If you can leave a $100 bill on the hood of a car like Marsupialized says...that sounds pretty good. Plus, she'd be close to the blue line. Plus, she could head over to EA and start wandering the studio in silence...trying on Albini's jumpsuits...preferably with a crazy look in her eye.


I want a place where she will be safe. She is a very pretty lady...so I don't want her attracting attention from various no-good-niks. She'll have a nice job as a speech pathologist, so cost is not a huge issue...but let's not get crazy. Lincoln Park probably isn't out of the question. Her tolerance for douchebags however, is low.

Which of these neighborhoods is the best "starter" neighborhood?

Many of you on the board know who I am...many of you are aware of the situation. Please help! I know there's nobody better to ask in Chicago than this board. Any advice would be massively appreciated.

Love,
P.J.

UK Village is safer and more expensive than it was a few years ago.

I don't know of any neighborhoods that are completely safe--crime and violence happens everywhere in Chicago, afaik.

I would recommend considering:

Logan Square
Bucktown
Lincoln Village
Ravenswood
Ukranian Village
Pilsen
Andersonville
Rogers Park (maybe--it's pretty sketchy)

Does she have a car? Will she be using public transportation?

Minotaur029 wrote:- Ukranian Village by tipcat and scott. I love this neighborhood. It seems pretty safe to me, too! Is it ever not safe?

I live around the corner from Scott. There've been two drive-bys within a block in the past week or two. But you can't go living your life in fear. Just don't join a gang and it probably won't happen to you. I guess you could be in the wrong place at the wrong time though.

Also, my roomate saw some guy get stripped naked and beat down in the street with bats about two blocks away. That was earlier in the summer.

If you guys are a fan of high rise livin' you might consider someplace in the west/south loop. Most of those buildings are condo, but a lot of the units are going up for rent because all the buy/hold/flip activity is dying down and folks need money to pay off their ARMs.

My friends who just moved in July were originally looking in wicker park/Ukranian Village, but ended up staying over there. I think rents are comparable. Most of those buildings also have security and parking as well. The rules might be kind of strict though (noise, pets, etc.).

The apartment finder at the Reader site is decent:

http://classifieds.chicagoreader.com/ch ... =oid%3A122

Chicagocrime.org might be helpful, if not alarming.

http://www.chicagocrime.org

It's a database of recent crimes, which you can search by location, crime type, etc.

Any ad that says 'Avondale' would be ones I'd look at, anything else is going to be too expensive or a bunch of bullshit pretty much.
Safe? Well, there's A: No cops B: No Gangbangers C: No Yuppies (yet)

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/415954277.html
there's one

UK? There's some stuff left in there, but all in all it's getting pricey and as much as everyone will argue with me it's not that safe.
I wouldn't advise anyone to move to Roger's Park for a variety of reasons.

Your only other options as far as I see it are up north near like Foster and Kedzie that area whatever they are calling it now or maybe Logan Square or the off chance you can find something reasonable around the Ravenswood area.
Logan's kinda sketchy in areas, but you know that already.

If she wants to go south (and is white) Bridgeport is full of real good deals.

Marsupialized wrote:Avondale

Is there a "best" option? Is there a single neighborhood that anyone would recommend above all others?

Any EA members live there?

Where is Avondale? I am not familiar with that neighborhood. How far is it from the el?

She might have a car in Chicago...I kinda doubt it, but I dunno. She's got a junker '88 Toyota van thing...it's pretty sweet actually. It's shaped like an egg.

Avondale:

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avondale%2C_Chicago

Chicagocrime.org:
http://www.chicagocrime.org/zipcodes/60618/

It does look crime-free in the center there, at least recently.

Minotaur029 wrote:

Marsupialized wrote:Avondale

Is there a "best" option? Is there a single neighborhood that anyone would recommend above all others?

Any EA members live there?

Where is Avondale? I am not familiar with that neighborhood. How far is it from the el?

She might have a car in Chicago...I kinda doubt it, but I dunno. She's got a junker '88 Toyota van thing...it's pretty sweet actually. It's shaped like an egg.

I've lived all over this city and this is the area I's say is by far most safe, if that's what you are aiming at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avondale,_Chicago