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Hyde Park is fine — it’s where U. Of Chicago is located, is a nice area. Englewood is one of the notoriously most dangerous neighborhoods in the city. The South Side isn’t a monolith. There are nice areas to live, but also some very, very bad ones. Make sure you do lots of research before buying. On top of thoroughly researching crime stats, visits, maybe look to rent in an area before committing to buying.
Where in particular? Hyde Park and Englewood are near each other but are wildly different places. Hyde Park is nice. A lot of Englewood is a lot of vacant lots, shuttered buildings, food and liquor stores with a group hanging out by the door all night, storefront churches, etc. Violent crime is obviously high in Englewood too.
I work in both neighborhoods. I would live in Hyde Park. I would not live in Englewood under any circumstances.
Yeah, I would say, I feel safe working there during daylight hours, but I wouldn't want to live there for the simple reason that I wouldn't feel safe walking my dog at night and winter nights are long in Chicago. I think in our lifetimes it's going to turn around though.
Same. I work at UChicago and that’s fine from 5a-3p, but the commute is sometimes dicey outside of that. Commuting to Grand Crossing form Pilsen back in the day I used to see some shit.
As a resident of the Bronzeville/Kenwood/Hyde Park area I can second this.
Hyde Park and Englewood are EXTREMELY different in vibe, and income brackets despite their proximity. I love Hyde Park. I live in Bronzeville, which isn’t quite as nice but is still very decent, only because Hyde Park is a little too expensive for me. A lot of beautiful homes in that area too. I like bike riding and walking through the neighborhood.
Englewood I wouldnt feel comfortable hanging around in very long. I wouldn’t feel safe casually walking around over there
Englewood is definitely not safe. [a view from the driver's seat of Englewood ](https://youtu.be/ezy2ZNDVW-Y?si=4j9O_NlfXN7GZQxZ)
Hyde Park would be a superior option
Oh snap I'm sorry I didn't realize I was replying to your comment! Lol I thought I posted the comment to the actual thread. Definitely not meant for you it was meant for OP
The part where you saw maybe a handful of individuals walking down the street throughout the entire video, the amount of gates down on store fronts during normal business hours, to name a couple. I mean are you blind or just ignorant? Go look at videos of Hyde Park and compare it to what you saw in the video I posted. I guarantee you 9 out of 10 people pick Hyde park over Englewood 🤦♀️
So many people don't actually know the signs of a bad neighborhood. More often than not, when people mention a "bad area" I've found that they're actually talking about poor area. There are very obvious differences between a neighborhood being unsafe and a neighborhood of people that don't have a lot of money
I wasn't raised in a large city, so I've been wondering how you can tell the difference? If you have any tips or advice. I've been in areas that were neglected that felt safe, but I also don't know if I was oblivious.
If you're blind or stupid, a simple Google search will tell you that Englewoods crime is 330% times the national average. Though basic math probably escapes you as well.
So why not post a link to this actual data instead of a video of an afternoon drive through a historically neglected neighborhood? I don’t know what the commenter was hoping to prove here.
Clearly you have never left the fucking basement lmao. The neighborhood/streets being driven through are a literal locked down ghost town. You also conveniently neglect the massive amount of comments making the same claim I do. Either you're intentionally pretending to have this comically contrarian opinion to discredit my comment or you are genuinely stupid. It is no secret that Englewood is not safe - no one is on the edge of their seats lined up with cash in hand trying to buy a house in [the top most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago](https://ibb.co/vjRkx9g)
I struck a nerve here, and for that I apologize. Obviously there are high crime neighborhoods in this city that have been historically neglected. I work with folks from these areas and while they recognize they have problems, they are proud of the place they call home and hope for it to be better.
Instead of simply writing off an entire neighborhood that people call home because it looks bad, stores are closed, it’s economically depressed, we should be factual and empathetic about the problems they face and what we can do as a community to help address some of their needs.
The fact that OP even had to ask is probably as sign that they aren’t the right person to take up this task.
Have a happy new year.
Hyde Park is not at all similar to Englewood, putting a slash between them to describe one area is nuts. Hyde Park itself is gorgeous and very safe (but the homes aren’t cheap).
It is worth noting that there are some other gems on the south side. Mount Greenwood, Bridgeport, and Beverly are prime examples of pretty decent neighborhoods... there are a few others.
Man I gotta disagree. I'm also from around that area and I really don't feel comfortable doing stuff like walking my dog or hanging out at certain bars.
I always felt a lot more comfortable in the surrounding areas like Oak Lawn / Evergreen / Alsip
Oak lawn has tons of racist whites. A friend of mine reads their message boards/posts, and anytime anything happens there, they automatically point their finger at black people.
Edison Park for the Northside, Mt Greenwood for the Southside. They're both the furthest out and least city-like areas you can live while still fulfilling the residency requirement.
As u/spelunkingyourmind said, a lot of city workers are mandated to live within city limits and Mt. Greenwood is one of the places they tend to end up living. It’s as far south as you can be within city limits I believe.
No, there are several neighborhoods further south than MtG. Pullman and hegewisch to name a few. Thus Beverly, Morgan Park, and Mt Greenwood are referred to as the “far southwest side” which is not synonymous with the “far south side”
Depends what neighborhood. Honestly if the city got its act together and really started to invest in the South side things wouldn't be so bad in certain areas.
Good/Ok S.S neighborhoods:
Clearing
Garfield Ridge
Midway
McKinley park
Chinatown
Archer Heights
Hyde Park
Bronzville
Beverly
Morgan park
Mt. Greenwood
Hegeswich
South deering
West Chatham
Pullman
Maple park
Ashburn
Chicago Lawn
Pilsen
The east side
Areas that need good investment but aren't the worst:
Marquette park
Kenwood
Little village
Washington Heights
Parts of Roseland
Back of the yards(Northern end)
East Auburn Gresham(lots of Central americans buying up property in that area)
South Shore(beautiful neighborhood but very spotty)
Neighborhoods that are extremely poor and high crime:
Englewood
Fuller park
Avalon park
South Chicago
West Englewood( turing around though)
West Roseland
CENTRAL and eastern parts of Auburn Gresham
East Chatham.
The South Side is HUGE. You shouldn't have a problem though especially if your white. Gangs usually target their opposition and they aren't typically middle class white folks. The worst that would happen is probably some property damage, might get mugged or have some crazy looks given but other than that white folks and Asians are usually ok in poor blk area's. Thing's are changing on the south side though, a lot of Central and South Americans are starting to buy up a lot of distressed properties in areas that no one would have thought to go to 30 years ago. And now that so many of those areas have been bleed out new immigrants are coming in and giving these areas new life.
Might pick a couple nits but overall a great answer.
Frankly it gets more granular block by block than fitting neighborhoods into neat categories. There are neighborhoods that are entirely nice and neighborhoods that are basically entirely not nice but there are also a ton with a mix of both.
Whenever someone uses the "block by block" phrase to describe the safety of a neighborhood, I always smile and think, "but people have gym shoes". Meaning, criminals can easily walk from a few blocks over and commit crimes in the nicer blocks.
If a resident cannot comfortably walk eight blocks in every direction from their home without fear of being a crime victim, then the area is really not safe.
No one says that "it's a block by block thing" about Lake View or Sauganash. But they say it about Uptown.
This exactly. Growing up around Roscoe Village and Lincoln Park, there were still pockets of the area within 8 blocks that I avoided. Did I think I was going to **die**? No. Did I think there was a higher chance I could run into trouble? Absolutely.
Fact is - and people don't love to hear it - the most affordable housing is in areas that aren't perfectly safe within 8 blocks. And history's taught us that in 10, 20 years - with some work put into the area and assuming you aren't posted up next to a rail yard or a major industrial corridor - those neighborhoods often turn into very desirable places to live.
Block-by-block is a reminder that street smarts are important no matter where you live - be it in Lincoln Park or Englewood. That, along with average crime statistics of course, can help guide OP.
It's ok. West Elsdon is quiet and boring. Residential and then the Pulaski strip of businesses. I lived there from 06 to 2020. Our block would have a block party every year. All the neighbors knew each others.
It's perfect if you want to buy a bungalow somewhere quiet but still close. The stevenson is nearby and Pulaski orange is right there. Midway is about 5 mintues away. It's honestly a good spot. I like RP more though
Woodlawn/bronzeville. Its an ok area. Developers should be flocking to that area due to all the vacant land and its tantalizing location near downtown and the lake.
Certain blocks of certain neighborhoods are very bad in terms of gang violence.
But there are lots of south side areas that are every day working people. Englewood is a place I would def not recommend buying in unless it is an investment in the future if one day it turns around.. which is not now
Some areas of Englewood have higher death rates among young males than US Army units during the most violent periods of the Iraq War.
Hyde Park is bougie.
But even then - if you live in Englewood as a pasty white dude that keeps to yourself, you'll likely be fine. A friend of mine moved here from Cleveland not realizing that a 3 bedroom for $1k *isn't really* a good deal in Chicago.... and while he's commented that there are *a lot* of gangs... they wanted *absolutely nothing* to do with him.
That being said, I will +1 on the suggestion to not move to englewood. It's just worth pointing out that nearly all the violence is between gangs. Innocent bystanders do occasionally catch a stray bullet, but they're never really the target.
This. Even in the worst neighborhoods the majority of people that live there are normal people trying to live life. The violence is 99% between gangs and such. Now certainly, no one wants to live in that environment if they can afford not too. But people act like these areas are strait up people going around robbing and looting and shooting everyone and anyome that ventures outside. It just isnt true.
>A friend of mine moved here from Cleveland not realizing that a 3 bedroom for $1k isn't really a good deal in Chicago
Could you clarify this comment and why this is?
$1,000 to rent a 3 bedroom apartment in a city that averages around $2,650 for a 3 bedroom apartment. There's a reason it is so much less expensive than the average.
Yeah, for gangs that run like a business (narcotics, guns), the last thing they want is more eyes on them or to make the news.
But that also raises another point: the people I know in higher-crime parts of the South Side know their neighbors. Not sure if OP is someone who wants to live among neighbors or just have a home and then commute to the rest.
Look at the crime stats and maybe maps of places you’ve lived in and compare them to neighborhoods you’re looking at. Anyplace can seem nice for a few days. And the winter has much less crime so you absolutely can’t tell by the next few months.
Everyone should note that OP said that they were considering homes "close to" Hyde Park, not in Hyde Park itself. They may be trying to buy a house, but houses there are very expensive. That could be why they are looking west of there.
However, they need to really visit and spend a lot of time in any unfamiliar neighborhoods before buying. (In the day as well as after dark.)
Current Hyde Park resident.
I generally agree with others that Englewood vs Hyde Park is a comical comparison.
But, I don't think Hyde Park is quite as nice (or err, gentrified) as outsiders think. UofC does try to keep crime away (largest private police force in the US I heard) but I definitely feel safer in Lincoln Square at 10pm than I do in Hyde Park at 7pm. The major street here (53rd) gets worse everyday imo, but everywhere else is mainly fine still. So, mixed bag I guess.
I def recommend researching crime rates, asking locals, and the AirBnB idea (AFTER crime research) is not bad either.
Good luck!
Reddit’s not the right place to get a balanced opinion, honestly.
Maybe start with a weeklong AirBnb in one of those neighborhoods and see how it feels at night, on weekends, etc.
I used to know someone that lived in Englewood, he said that there were a lot of gangs... but being a pasty white dude that wasn't interested in buying drugs - they wanted *absolutely nothing* to do with him.
He moved here from Cleveland and didn't realize that a 3 bedroom apartment for $1000 wasn't as good of a deal as he thought it was...
Bridgeport, Canaryville, Brighton Park are just fine. Bronzeville can be touch and go but is coming up. Maybe South Shore?
After that unless you are going West it's not ideal.
As a lifelong resident, this is accurate. Canaryville is a weird anomaly of a neighborhood being part of a large city but effectively being a small town.
Here are some stats on Englewood’s housing situation; it’s a really big data set but they crunch some of the numbers for you. https://www.housingstudies.org/data-portal/geography/englewood/
… You’re not likely to buy a condo in Englewood is what I’m saying. They make up less than 1% of the housing stock there.
Hyde Park is nice. The Prarie is extremely nice. Motor Row is becoming nice. China Town is pretty nice.
The 78 is a whole new neighborhood being built just north of China town and Motor Row. This area is gentrifiying now, but once that is complete, its going to explode around here.
That is the South side though. I mean 25 years ago that area just east of there was the projects! That area is very much the South side...lol Anything south of Madison and State street is technically the South Side. But if you want to take 12th street (Roosevelt) as the dividing line The 78 is still on the s.s.
Maybe maybe not, depends on who you ask.
> One definition has the South Side beginning at Roosevelt Road, at the Loop's southern boundary, with the community area known as the Near South Side immediately adjacent. Another definition, taking into account that much of the Near South Side is in effect part of the commercial district extending in an unbroken line from the South Loop, locates the boundary immediately south of 18th Street or Cermak Road, where Chinatown in the Armour Square community area begins.[4]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Side,_Chicago
You'd get rightfully laughed at telling someone you went to the south side because you walked a block south of Madison on State Street.
Its not. Its right off of Roosevelt.
But the areas South of it, Motor Row and China Town are the south side, abd they're going to blow up from its presence.
Assuming this isn’t a shitpost, Englewood is a really bad neighborhood. However, there are some pockets in Back of the Yards that are better.
On the south side, 55th-75th tend to be where a lot of crime is focused, which also happens to be the Englewood boundaries.
There's a significant lack of produce on the south side. we would travel to Indiana for groceries. Schools are another huge problem, along with safe spaces. I would ask you who do you know in the city ? You're going to need people.
Yes it's horrible don't come here.
But seriously, no it's not. Ask yourself how millions of people manage to exist on the Southside..See it with your own eyes my friend. Don't let endless news cycles and twitter cop scanner accounts insulate you from reality.
Agree with everyone saying Hyde Park and Englewood are very different when it comes to amenities, crime, poverty etc. That being said, there are plenty of south side neighborhoods I’d be comfortable living in. I’ll name as many as I can:
Bronzeville, Kenwood, Woodlawn, South Shore near the lakefront, Avalon Park, Pullman, East Side/Hegewisch, Bridgeport, McKinley Park, Brighton Park, Archer Heights, West Elsdon/West Lawn, Gage Park, Chicago Lawn, Morgan Park, Beverly, Ashburn, parts of Chatham
If you look at where the neighborhoods I left off are located, they’re primarily in the central “core” area of the South Side and the Far South Side (Englewood, Auburn Gresham, Roseland, etc.) This is primarily where the crime narrative about Chicago that consumes national media comes from. Like many others have said, the South Side is not a monolith, and there a plenty of areas, like the ones I listed, that have lots of middle and even upper class families
I moved to the edge of Bronzeville adjacent to Hyde Park in Sept, and work in Hyde Park. We are the only white family in several blocks, but I saw only nicety and friendliness here. My honest opinion is that whites who refuse to even take a stroll around here are pretty racist, explicit, or not.
Untrue. I'm Black, and I don't feel comfortable walking in all neighborhoods in Chicago, even though my job takes me EVERYWHERE.
Getting out of my car at 47th and Cottage Grove, or 63rd and King Drive gives me a slightly nervous feeling. (Not to mention Chicago and Hamlin.)
Random shootings and carjacking are not myths.
To be fair, I think you’re at more risk if you’re Black than if you’re white. So many of the shootings are targeted (including mistaken identity). A white person walking around 63 and King is much less likely to get mistaken for someone than you or I
I did not say all neighborhoods! I somewhat agree with 63rd and King, though I would still go if I need to. 47th and Cottage Grove was never a concern for me, and I had interesting exchanges at times too, like all dealers wishing me (a lady with stroller) good night:)
Btw, I don't have a car so walk everywhere within Bronzeville or Hyde Park. Not a tough type either, I am a humanities prof at UChicago.
I feel you. Just based on how you talk about your neighborhood (in this comment and your replies), I think we have similar points of view lol. I live on the Westside, I'm white, my wife is mixed, our daughter is in the local Elementary. I'm one of very very few white people in my neighborhood, and I feel like most people here are very friendly. Honestly, I really love living here. I walk/transit everywhere, no car, by myself and with the fam. And it means that everyone sees you, and you see everyone. And you get to know a lot of people, and you all start to care about each other, even if it's just a little bit. Like, 'oh I see you everyday, how's it going? How's life? How're your kids?' kinda thing.
Like, just don't judge people, be nice to everyone unless given reason not to, and everything will be okay. I think it's funny when I tell someone where I live and they do a double take lol. When you live in a neighborhood, you're a part of that neighborhood. If you're a good person, all the other good people in the neighborhood can see that. And it doesn't matter if they're a city worker, a teacher, a drug dealer, or a homeless crackhead. I feel very blessed to be accepted by the people I live around.
I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who feels this way.
Also, my wife has some family on the southside, Avalon Park, one of the neighborhoods I saw someone list as 'dangerous' lol. Their neighborhood(90+/Jeffery-ish) is so nice and clean compared to ours, and is just as friendly as ours. I love going down there to visit, the J14 bus is so gas lol.
This. We're the only white family on our block in Washington Park (that in aware of. Maybe we're near you haha). Nothing but good things to say about our neighbors. I walk everywhere, including late night dog walks. People are friendly, never encountered any bs on the streets. But the whole area is immediately written off by pretty much any white person looking for a place to live.
That's how you acquire a phobia of snakes or spiders, not of people. I have never seen anyone afraid of all whites or Asians bc some young boy scared them once. Plus, every US citizen should do a little reading on the history of urban crime, which would change your perspective about the victims. You don't have to be pushing people into trains to be a racist. Though if everybody would start to do it you probably would not protest much.
A black guy came up behind her, pulled her pants down, pushed her to the ground and tried reaching for her bag, so saying a young boy scared them once is such an mouthy ignorant take. Pulling a woman’s pants down classifies as sexual assault by the way. You should feel ridiculously ashamed for thinking of victims in that light, even with limited information. I truly wish you worse in life because of your light hearted gesture there.
So once again, if it’s ok with you of course, if she wants to distance herself from young black males because her anxiety drives up, I’m all for it. She deserves to be able to freely function is society. Idgaf what a book on urban crime wants to tell me, if a certain description is more of a threat to my family than others, I’ll distance myself as much as possible. That’s a very simple thought process that doesn’t need loads of information like you’re attempting to reach at.
I kinda feel you.... Its one thing to be irrational and hate a group of people just based off how they look but when crime is usually initiated by the same type of persons a phobia can definitely set in and take root. I sincerely hope your wife gets better after all of this and gets into therapy! I personally deal with this issue so i can relate to some degree. Im also blk but i have mixed heritage so the average person doesn't associate me with the blk community just based off my appearance. But growing up I also faced a ton of discrimination from a lot of blk ppl. Due to my light completion and sexuality. Things were not easy growing up and It forced me to see my own ppl. In a different light so to speak but it also forced me to look at ppl. On a universal scale of just good and bad, and not divvy ppl. Up by remedial racial standards. If i was her I'd enroll in some self defense training and engage with higher intellectual black ppl. Hopefully that'll change her perspective.
If you moved to englewood you would prob be better off if you were black or Mexican. West englewood has some pockets of latinos moving in. Or if you’re white and know how to handle your shit. Best thing you can do is go by the houses you see on the internet in the day and at night and see how the blocks are. Best of luck on your house hunting.
Anecdotal, but I'm white and get left alone in Englewood, while my Mexican friend has had issues/assumptions he was in a gang. Also to your point, they have family that moved in to west Englewood. West of Damen.
Probably a lot like being any other color in Englewood. Most people are polite and will treat you like anyone else. Most of the people who are shitty aren't being shitty because I'm white. I've only had one person that was being aggressive with me make it a racial thing.
Englewood is a high crime area, but even in a high crime area 99% of people are still just people trying to live their lives.
Hope you stay safe and bought yourself a very nice property in englewood. I would love to get one of the houses on 55th, they are some of my favorite houses in the city. Best of luck.
>but I'm white and get left alone in Englewood
Ive heard similar from a friend - essentially: if you don't make their business your business, they want *nothing* to do with you.
First of All, Chicagoans are scared of the south side because they’ve never been. Tale of two chicagos. So they stereotype everything, another issue I have with this city.
There’s lots of good areas on the south side that don’t get recognition (such as Hyde Park, Bronzeville)because the city wants to disinvest the area to push natives out(aka Black people). Then they’ll start investing once new people move in.
did you mistype a part of this? cause as a southsider myself i can tell you know what you’re talking about but the two examples of overlooked neighborhoods you give are literally the main two ones that get almost ALL of the recognition lol
Literally, there's so many heavily polluted areas surrounding Pullman. The factories that have been closed for forty years now have left a significant impact on the health and well-being of the citizens of the south side.
We rented in Hyde Park for years but buying something in Hyde Park is wildly expensive for what you get. We ended up buying a condo in Kenwood just north of Hyde Park and love it. Lots of families and great neighbors. Like others mentioned, it can be block by block for sure but beyond someone trying to steal our car once, we haven’t had any serious issues in the 10 years we’ve lived in Hyde Park/Kenwood.
Look into the southeast side too. It's a very overlooked area but I found it to be decent. However one thing I'd advise you is to consider the kind of things you like to do or would like to get into. The Northside has most of the to do things like sports, gyms, arts, while Southside has very little of that.
Englewood is one of the epicenters of crime and violence in the city. Hyde Park is the opposite. Use the search function; this question has been asked ad nauseam.
Anyone from "Chicagoland" is not from Chicago and will probably just scare you away from any neighborhood that is predominantly non-white. Take what they say with a grain of salt (pun intended).
A lot of the language here is racially coded. If you’re curious about a neighborhood, go visit in the daytime and nighttime.
Just like all of the North Side isn’t the same, the South Side is not a monolith. Yes, some neighborhoods are not ideal. However, you should consider why and how you can be apart of the solution to improving the neighborhoods in a sustainable manner.
My personal favorites though are Bronzeville, Kenwood, Douglas, Hyde Park, Woodlawn, Jackson Park Highlands, Avalon, etc.
Englewood / Hyde Park are not the same neighborhood
If you can’t afford Hyde Park or Bronzeville and like that area geographically, it would be better to look at South Shore or Woodlawn. Further out, Beverly and Morgan Park have good housing stock and neighbors. You might also consider some of the suburbs.
Hyde Park and Englewood, although side by side, are vastly worlds apart. You couldn’t pay me money to move to Englewood. But Obama’s stomping ground?? Sign me up
Not all of it. Most of it feels like the suburbs honestly because trains are mostly concentrated in North Side and The Loop. There are some places that are dicey but I doubt you're moving to O Block.
Mom grew up in Englewood. The only good areas are Beverly/Morgan Park areas, Bridgeport, Hyde Park, and bordering neighborhoods on the fringes. There is a small chunk of Roseland and neighborhoods that border the burbs, but then once you cross that, coming North, there is violent crime and a lot of noticeable poverty.
Drive down Ashland, coming into the city from the southwest; you'll see everything. You don't want to live in these areas, in my opinion. They are highly segregated, crime-ridden, and the center of the gang warfare theater we see stereotyped in constant news cycles.
It's not a monolith, but it remains comically segregated and hopelessly left behind from other neighborhoods to the North. Do not move to any of those neighborhoods. If you do not look and move like the local population, you will be targeted and frequently engaged with by the locals.
North of ~50th on Ashland is basically all fine. It's a little sketch around Harrison because of the shelter there that all the junkies go to.
It also gets nice very jarringly immediately south of 95th. SFHs with well maintained yards.
If you’re looking for a house, Jackson Park Highlands has beautiful homes. It’s kind of an island of prosperity just south of Jackson Park. For condos, Hyde Park is a better bet. South shore has some beautiful buildings, but I’ve heard flooding has become an issue.
I am constantly looking for homes that as strong as possible as an investment. I want to do my due diligence to make sure that the home I buy is something my family can really grow with but also show signs of untapped equity.
I’d ask you a ton of questions like what your lifestyle is like now, and where you see yourself. Your motivating factors for buying etc. and name a few neighborhoods to check out for purchasing
i'm from michigan originally, but have lived in chicago since the mid 90's and always lived on the northside - edgewater, ravenswood, irving park, andersonville - until 4 years ago.
i wanted a single family house with a yard. because i was a single person with a middle class income (that still wanted to be able to travel and do other things that require spare funds), that meant looking at houses on the south and/or west side of the city and i ended up buying a bungalow in marquette park.
it's further south and further west than i would like, but i love my place and my neighbors and we look out for each other. according to the cpd crime stats, there is crime here, but it's no worse than where i had been on the northside and i haven't experienced any problems personally.
They had a progressive socialist alderman for the last 8 years (didn't run again in 2023, apparently the new guy's a cop so they didn't change their stripes that much)
It isn't a hard rule, really.
There are decent neighborhoods regardless of which side you're on. The south side might have Englewood and Fuller Park, and the west side might have Garfield Park and Humboldt Park - all some pretty not-so-great neighborhoods.... but they also have Beverly, Mount Greenwood, and Hyde Park in the south as well as South Lawndale and Brighton Park in the west
It *is* accurate that the north side *does* have safer neighborhoods - generally speaking. Outside of a few neighborhoods, nearly everything north of the loop has a pretty low violent crime rate - and the further north you go, the lower the rate gets. But don't let that discourage you from checking out some of the pretty awesome neighborhoods that are within the west and south sides, and aren't really all that bad.
Suburbs are around the same - there are plenty of good suburbs on the south and west sides.
I've pretty much always lived on the south side, and I've always felt pretty safe - living within Hyde Park, and then moving to the suburbs around Flossmoor.
If you not from the city go to Hyde park if you WANT to be on the south side. You can live a good life on the south side 💯stuff happens everywhere. Have to know what you’re looking for tho. I moved to Kalamazoo Michigan and I still feel I’m on the south side of Chicago 🥱🤦🏽♂️and I was born and raised there.
I recommend reading “The Southside…” by Natalie Moore for an insider’s take on a few neighborhoods. It was published in 2019. It is a quick read, provides a lot of background for the current conditions of a few neighborhoods.
https://www.amazon.com/South-Side-Portrait-American-Segregation/dp/1250118336
I live in Hyde Park.
* The nicest areas are probably between 53rd to the north, the Metra Electric line to the east, 59th to the south, and S University to the west.
* More generally, Hyde Park beats Englewood any day of the week.
I had a relationship more or less end because I refused to move from the Northside. Now I'm not a nieve person that thinks it's all good Up North. Shit can happen anywhere at anytime. Especially since BJ (name fits) refuses to address these POS kids. But with all that said why up my chances. Yes Hyde Park is a good neighborhood I've spent plenty of time down there. Englewood from what I understand is having a demographic change from Black to Latino. But with all that said so many Southside and Westside neighborhoods fall into that block to block formula. This block is cool but that one isn't.....bruh bullets don't jump over blocks.... well maybe they do according to that Sox fan. So yeah long story short in the last few years unless I'm running an errand for my parents I don't go South of Fullerton or West of Central.
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Hyde Park is fine — it’s where U. Of Chicago is located, is a nice area. Englewood is one of the notoriously most dangerous neighborhoods in the city. The South Side isn’t a monolith. There are nice areas to live, but also some very, very bad ones. Make sure you do lots of research before buying. On top of thoroughly researching crime stats, visits, maybe look to rent in an area before committing to buying.
Where in particular? Hyde Park and Englewood are near each other but are wildly different places. Hyde Park is nice. A lot of Englewood is a lot of vacant lots, shuttered buildings, food and liquor stores with a group hanging out by the door all night, storefront churches, etc. Violent crime is obviously high in Englewood too. I work in both neighborhoods. I would live in Hyde Park. I would not live in Englewood under any circumstances.
Yeah, I would say, I feel safe working there during daylight hours, but I wouldn't want to live there for the simple reason that I wouldn't feel safe walking my dog at night and winter nights are long in Chicago. I think in our lifetimes it's going to turn around though.
Same. I work at UChicago and that’s fine from 5a-3p, but the commute is sometimes dicey outside of that. Commuting to Grand Crossing form Pilsen back in the day I used to see some shit.
In "our lifetimes" meaning as long as you do not currently reside in Englewood? 😅
As a resident of the Bronzeville/Kenwood/Hyde Park area I can second this. Hyde Park and Englewood are EXTREMELY different in vibe, and income brackets despite their proximity. I love Hyde Park. I live in Bronzeville, which isn’t quite as nice but is still very decent, only because Hyde Park is a little too expensive for me. A lot of beautiful homes in that area too. I like bike riding and walking through the neighborhood. Englewood I wouldnt feel comfortable hanging around in very long. I wouldn’t feel safe casually walking around over there
Englewood is definitely not safe. [a view from the driver's seat of Englewood ](https://youtu.be/ezy2ZNDVW-Y?si=4j9O_NlfXN7GZQxZ) Hyde Park would be a superior option
Brother I drive the bus here, I get plenty of "view from the drivers seat" lmao
Oh snap I'm sorry I didn't realize I was replying to your comment! Lol I thought I posted the comment to the actual thread. Definitely not meant for you it was meant for OP
What part of the video demonstrated Englewood not being safe?
The part where you saw maybe a handful of individuals walking down the street throughout the entire video, the amount of gates down on store fronts during normal business hours, to name a couple. I mean are you blind or just ignorant? Go look at videos of Hyde Park and compare it to what you saw in the video I posted. I guarantee you 9 out of 10 people pick Hyde park over Englewood 🤦♀️
So many people don't actually know the signs of a bad neighborhood. More often than not, when people mention a "bad area" I've found that they're actually talking about poor area. There are very obvious differences between a neighborhood being unsafe and a neighborhood of people that don't have a lot of money
I wasn't raised in a large city, so I've been wondering how you can tell the difference? If you have any tips or advice. I've been in areas that were neglected that felt safe, but I also don't know if I was oblivious.
There’s no reason to trounce the guy.
Sorry we're out of Cheddar IPA's
If you're blind or stupid, a simple Google search will tell you that Englewoods crime is 330% times the national average. Though basic math probably escapes you as well.
So why not post a link to this actual data instead of a video of an afternoon drive through a historically neglected neighborhood? I don’t know what the commenter was hoping to prove here.
You’re still more likely to get hurt or killed from a car accident than mugged or murdered there
Hush Marxist, we know you don’t live anywhere close to Englewood.
I don’t, but it was just a video of someone driving up and down streets in Englewood in the middle of the day. Literally nothing happened.
Did you expect to see someone getting mugged on every block, perfectly caught on video? What a stupid comment.
The commenter treated this video as proof positive that englewood is definitely not safe, but nothing in the video backs up that claim.
Clearly you have never left the fucking basement lmao. The neighborhood/streets being driven through are a literal locked down ghost town. You also conveniently neglect the massive amount of comments making the same claim I do. Either you're intentionally pretending to have this comically contrarian opinion to discredit my comment or you are genuinely stupid. It is no secret that Englewood is not safe - no one is on the edge of their seats lined up with cash in hand trying to buy a house in [the top most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago](https://ibb.co/vjRkx9g)
I struck a nerve here, and for that I apologize. Obviously there are high crime neighborhoods in this city that have been historically neglected. I work with folks from these areas and while they recognize they have problems, they are proud of the place they call home and hope for it to be better. Instead of simply writing off an entire neighborhood that people call home because it looks bad, stores are closed, it’s economically depressed, we should be factual and empathetic about the problems they face and what we can do as a community to help address some of their needs. The fact that OP even had to ask is probably as sign that they aren’t the right person to take up this task. Have a happy new year.
Hyde Park is not at all similar to Englewood, putting a slash between them to describe one area is nuts. Hyde Park itself is gorgeous and very safe (but the homes aren’t cheap).
It is worth noting that there are some other gems on the south side. Mount Greenwood, Bridgeport, and Beverly are prime examples of pretty decent neighborhoods... there are a few others.
Isn’t Mount Greenwood where all the racists and cops live?
The racists are a minority, lots of city workers, and majority white. I never felt unsafe there and I’m not white.
Man I gotta disagree. I'm also from around that area and I really don't feel comfortable doing stuff like walking my dog or hanging out at certain bars. I always felt a lot more comfortable in the surrounding areas like Oak Lawn / Evergreen / Alsip
Oak lawn has tons of racist whites. A friend of mine reads their message boards/posts, and anytime anything happens there, they automatically point their finger at black people.
Edison Park is the big cop and firefighter area. My mother in law teaches at one of the religious schools there and it's like 80% of the families.
Mt greenwood statistically has the highest % of cops of any neighborhood
Edison Park for the Northside, Mt Greenwood for the Southside. They're both the furthest out and least city-like areas you can live while still fulfilling the residency requirement.
As u/spelunkingyourmind said, a lot of city workers are mandated to live within city limits and Mt. Greenwood is one of the places they tend to end up living. It’s as far south as you can be within city limits I believe.
No, there are several neighborhoods further south than MtG. Pullman and hegewisch to name a few. Thus Beverly, Morgan Park, and Mt Greenwood are referred to as the “far southwest side” which is not synonymous with the “far south side”
Being relatively safe is now the bar we’re setting for a “gem”?
Depends what neighborhood. Honestly if the city got its act together and really started to invest in the South side things wouldn't be so bad in certain areas. Good/Ok S.S neighborhoods: Clearing Garfield Ridge Midway McKinley park Chinatown Archer Heights Hyde Park Bronzville Beverly Morgan park Mt. Greenwood Hegeswich South deering West Chatham Pullman Maple park Ashburn Chicago Lawn Pilsen The east side Areas that need good investment but aren't the worst: Marquette park Kenwood Little village Washington Heights Parts of Roseland Back of the yards(Northern end) East Auburn Gresham(lots of Central americans buying up property in that area) South Shore(beautiful neighborhood but very spotty) Neighborhoods that are extremely poor and high crime: Englewood Fuller park Avalon park South Chicago West Englewood( turing around though) West Roseland CENTRAL and eastern parts of Auburn Gresham East Chatham. The South Side is HUGE. You shouldn't have a problem though especially if your white. Gangs usually target their opposition and they aren't typically middle class white folks. The worst that would happen is probably some property damage, might get mugged or have some crazy looks given but other than that white folks and Asians are usually ok in poor blk area's. Thing's are changing on the south side though, a lot of Central and South Americans are starting to buy up a lot of distressed properties in areas that no one would have thought to go to 30 years ago. And now that so many of those areas have been bleed out new immigrants are coming in and giving these areas new life.
Might pick a couple nits but overall a great answer. Frankly it gets more granular block by block than fitting neighborhoods into neat categories. There are neighborhoods that are entirely nice and neighborhoods that are basically entirely not nice but there are also a ton with a mix of both.
Whenever someone uses the "block by block" phrase to describe the safety of a neighborhood, I always smile and think, "but people have gym shoes". Meaning, criminals can easily walk from a few blocks over and commit crimes in the nicer blocks. If a resident cannot comfortably walk eight blocks in every direction from their home without fear of being a crime victim, then the area is really not safe. No one says that "it's a block by block thing" about Lake View or Sauganash. But they say it about Uptown.
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This exactly. Growing up around Roscoe Village and Lincoln Park, there were still pockets of the area within 8 blocks that I avoided. Did I think I was going to **die**? No. Did I think there was a higher chance I could run into trouble? Absolutely. Fact is - and people don't love to hear it - the most affordable housing is in areas that aren't perfectly safe within 8 blocks. And history's taught us that in 10, 20 years - with some work put into the area and assuming you aren't posted up next to a rail yard or a major industrial corridor - those neighborhoods often turn into very desirable places to live. Block-by-block is a reminder that street smarts are important no matter where you live - be it in Lincoln Park or Englewood. That, along with average crime statistics of course, can help guide OP.
Because there isn't a sketchy block in Lakeview. Edit: if you disagree feel free to let me know where.
Now this is the answer!
Great answer!
No West Elsdon? It's right below Archer Heights
I forgot about them and Bridgeport...
It's ok. West Elsdon is quiet and boring. Residential and then the Pulaski strip of businesses. I lived there from 06 to 2020. Our block would have a block party every year. All the neighbors knew each others.
Cool. Boring can be a good thing..lol
It's perfect if you want to buy a bungalow somewhere quiet but still close. The stevenson is nearby and Pulaski orange is right there. Midway is about 5 mintues away. It's honestly a good spot. I like RP more though
Im sure there's some great greasy pizza joints in that area do you know any?
Angelo's. Also, I use to get from Pizza Castle but they moved out of the city to bumfuck Hickory Hills.
Awe damn. Cool. People should really start recommending s.s neighborhoods. Lots of cool areas.
Where does Woodlawn fall in your scale?
Woodlawn/bronzeville. Its an ok area. Developers should be flocking to that area due to all the vacant land and its tantalizing location near downtown and the lake.
Where would south west auburn gresham fall in your scale?
Certain blocks of certain neighborhoods are very bad in terms of gang violence. But there are lots of south side areas that are every day working people. Englewood is a place I would def not recommend buying in unless it is an investment in the future if one day it turns around.. which is not now
Some areas of Englewood have higher death rates among young males than US Army units during the most violent periods of the Iraq War. Hyde Park is bougie.
But even then - if you live in Englewood as a pasty white dude that keeps to yourself, you'll likely be fine. A friend of mine moved here from Cleveland not realizing that a 3 bedroom for $1k *isn't really* a good deal in Chicago.... and while he's commented that there are *a lot* of gangs... they wanted *absolutely nothing* to do with him. That being said, I will +1 on the suggestion to not move to englewood. It's just worth pointing out that nearly all the violence is between gangs. Innocent bystanders do occasionally catch a stray bullet, but they're never really the target.
This. Even in the worst neighborhoods the majority of people that live there are normal people trying to live life. The violence is 99% between gangs and such. Now certainly, no one wants to live in that environment if they can afford not too. But people act like these areas are strait up people going around robbing and looting and shooting everyone and anyome that ventures outside. It just isnt true.
>A friend of mine moved here from Cleveland not realizing that a 3 bedroom for $1k isn't really a good deal in Chicago Could you clarify this comment and why this is?
$1,000 to rent a 3 bedroom apartment in a city that averages around $2,650 for a 3 bedroom apartment. There's a reason it is so much less expensive than the average.
Yeah, for gangs that run like a business (narcotics, guns), the last thing they want is more eyes on them or to make the news. But that also raises another point: the people I know in higher-crime parts of the South Side know their neighbors. Not sure if OP is someone who wants to live among neighbors or just have a home and then commute to the rest.
Look at the crime stats and maybe maps of places you’ve lived in and compare them to neighborhoods you’re looking at. Anyplace can seem nice for a few days. And the winter has much less crime so you absolutely can’t tell by the next few months.
Everyone should note that OP said that they were considering homes "close to" Hyde Park, not in Hyde Park itself. They may be trying to buy a house, but houses there are very expensive. That could be why they are looking west of there. However, they need to really visit and spend a lot of time in any unfamiliar neighborhoods before buying. (In the day as well as after dark.)
Current Hyde Park resident. I generally agree with others that Englewood vs Hyde Park is a comical comparison. But, I don't think Hyde Park is quite as nice (or err, gentrified) as outsiders think. UofC does try to keep crime away (largest private police force in the US I heard) but I definitely feel safer in Lincoln Square at 10pm than I do in Hyde Park at 7pm. The major street here (53rd) gets worse everyday imo, but everywhere else is mainly fine still. So, mixed bag I guess. I def recommend researching crime rates, asking locals, and the AirBnB idea (AFTER crime research) is not bad either. Good luck!
Reddit’s not the right place to get a balanced opinion, honestly. Maybe start with a weeklong AirBnb in one of those neighborhoods and see how it feels at night, on weekends, etc.
Don’t do an Airbnb in englewood.
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I used to know someone who lived in Englewood and they said it was “Hell on Earth”
I used to know someone that lived in Englewood, he said that there were a lot of gangs... but being a pasty white dude that wasn't interested in buying drugs - they wanted *absolutely nothing* to do with him. He moved here from Cleveland and didn't realize that a 3 bedroom apartment for $1000 wasn't as good of a deal as he thought it was...
Also this. The southside does not exist according to this subreddit.
The Northwest side doesn't exist here either. Any neighborhood that hasn't been inhabited by some trend-thirsty suburbanite is not real
true.
If they inhabit a part of the city aren't they now a city person and not a suburbanite.
**THIS ^ IS THE ANSWER**
This is not at all the answer. Don't do an AirBnb in Englewood.
This is a horrible answer, guys! This comment should be removed for safety violations.
I couldn't imagine staying in an Englewood AirBNB. Are there any in that neighborhood?
Depends where on the south side… Some areas are really great while others are the complete opposite. And lots of in-between.
Depends where. Englewood is extremely violent though.
I would not move to the Englewood under any circumstance, driving through can be terrifying. Hyde Park has many beautiful, safe areas.
Bridgeport, Canaryville, Brighton Park are just fine. Bronzeville can be touch and go but is coming up. Maybe South Shore? After that unless you are going West it's not ideal.
South shore has some very not nice parts.
Canaryville ppl don’t like outsiders much
As a lifelong resident, this is accurate. Canaryville is a weird anomaly of a neighborhood being part of a large city but effectively being a small town.
South shore is bad for violence and poverty as well
Bridgeport is block by block safe during the day.
Here are some stats on Englewood’s housing situation; it’s a really big data set but they crunch some of the numbers for you. https://www.housingstudies.org/data-portal/geography/englewood/ … You’re not likely to buy a condo in Englewood is what I’m saying. They make up less than 1% of the housing stock there.
I was murdered there just the other day
I hope you're feeling better.
Thanks. i got the murder vaccine recently, so wasn’t that bad this time
Check out Morgan park. Stay away from englewood
Hyde Park is nice. The Prarie is extremely nice. Motor Row is becoming nice. China Town is pretty nice. The 78 is a whole new neighborhood being built just north of China town and Motor Row. This area is gentrifiying now, but once that is complete, its going to explode around here.
Calling the 78 Southside is a real stretch
That is the South side though. I mean 25 years ago that area just east of there was the projects! That area is very much the South side...lol Anything south of Madison and State street is technically the South Side. But if you want to take 12th street (Roosevelt) as the dividing line The 78 is still on the s.s.
Maybe maybe not, depends on who you ask. > One definition has the South Side beginning at Roosevelt Road, at the Loop's southern boundary, with the community area known as the Near South Side immediately adjacent. Another definition, taking into account that much of the Near South Side is in effect part of the commercial district extending in an unbroken line from the South Loop, locates the boundary immediately south of 18th Street or Cermak Road, where Chinatown in the Armour Square community area begins.[4] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Side,_Chicago You'd get rightfully laughed at telling someone you went to the south side because you walked a block south of Madison on State Street.
Yea right...lol I consider Roosevelt Rd the dividing line. Just my own unique way of looking at the city.
Its not. Its right off of Roosevelt. But the areas South of it, Motor Row and China Town are the south side, abd they're going to blow up from its presence.
Assuming this isn’t a shitpost, Englewood is a really bad neighborhood. However, there are some pockets in Back of the Yards that are better. On the south side, 55th-75th tend to be where a lot of crime is focused, which also happens to be the Englewood boundaries.
There's a significant lack of produce on the south side. we would travel to Indiana for groceries. Schools are another huge problem, along with safe spaces. I would ask you who do you know in the city ? You're going to need people.
Yes it's horrible don't come here. But seriously, no it's not. Ask yourself how millions of people manage to exist on the Southside..See it with your own eyes my friend. Don't let endless news cycles and twitter cop scanner accounts insulate you from reality.
Agree with everyone saying Hyde Park and Englewood are very different when it comes to amenities, crime, poverty etc. That being said, there are plenty of south side neighborhoods I’d be comfortable living in. I’ll name as many as I can: Bronzeville, Kenwood, Woodlawn, South Shore near the lakefront, Avalon Park, Pullman, East Side/Hegewisch, Bridgeport, McKinley Park, Brighton Park, Archer Heights, West Elsdon/West Lawn, Gage Park, Chicago Lawn, Morgan Park, Beverly, Ashburn, parts of Chatham If you look at where the neighborhoods I left off are located, they’re primarily in the central “core” area of the South Side and the Far South Side (Englewood, Auburn Gresham, Roseland, etc.) This is primarily where the crime narrative about Chicago that consumes national media comes from. Like many others have said, the South Side is not a monolith, and there a plenty of areas, like the ones I listed, that have lots of middle and even upper class families
I moved to the edge of Bronzeville adjacent to Hyde Park in Sept, and work in Hyde Park. We are the only white family in several blocks, but I saw only nicety and friendliness here. My honest opinion is that whites who refuse to even take a stroll around here are pretty racist, explicit, or not.
Untrue. I'm Black, and I don't feel comfortable walking in all neighborhoods in Chicago, even though my job takes me EVERYWHERE. Getting out of my car at 47th and Cottage Grove, or 63rd and King Drive gives me a slightly nervous feeling. (Not to mention Chicago and Hamlin.) Random shootings and carjacking are not myths.
To be fair, I think you’re at more risk if you’re Black than if you’re white. So many of the shootings are targeted (including mistaken identity). A white person walking around 63 and King is much less likely to get mistaken for someone than you or I
I did not say all neighborhoods! I somewhat agree with 63rd and King, though I would still go if I need to. 47th and Cottage Grove was never a concern for me, and I had interesting exchanges at times too, like all dealers wishing me (a lady with stroller) good night:) Btw, I don't have a car so walk everywhere within Bronzeville or Hyde Park. Not a tough type either, I am a humanities prof at UChicago.
I feel you. Just based on how you talk about your neighborhood (in this comment and your replies), I think we have similar points of view lol. I live on the Westside, I'm white, my wife is mixed, our daughter is in the local Elementary. I'm one of very very few white people in my neighborhood, and I feel like most people here are very friendly. Honestly, I really love living here. I walk/transit everywhere, no car, by myself and with the fam. And it means that everyone sees you, and you see everyone. And you get to know a lot of people, and you all start to care about each other, even if it's just a little bit. Like, 'oh I see you everyday, how's it going? How's life? How're your kids?' kinda thing. Like, just don't judge people, be nice to everyone unless given reason not to, and everything will be okay. I think it's funny when I tell someone where I live and they do a double take lol. When you live in a neighborhood, you're a part of that neighborhood. If you're a good person, all the other good people in the neighborhood can see that. And it doesn't matter if they're a city worker, a teacher, a drug dealer, or a homeless crackhead. I feel very blessed to be accepted by the people I live around. I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who feels this way. Also, my wife has some family on the southside, Avalon Park, one of the neighborhoods I saw someone list as 'dangerous' lol. Their neighborhood(90+/Jeffery-ish) is so nice and clean compared to ours, and is just as friendly as ours. I love going down there to visit, the J14 bus is so gas lol.
This. We're the only white family on our block in Washington Park (that in aware of. Maybe we're near you haha). Nothing but good things to say about our neighbors. I walk everywhere, including late night dog walks. People are friendly, never encountered any bs on the streets. But the whole area is immediately written off by pretty much any white person looking for a place to live.
If you can believe this, even the white nanny we found online refused to commute to Bronzeville for work.
You're right, but that's going to hurt some feelings and we aren't ready for this convo in this subreddit.
Hello neighbor!
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Great response
That's how you acquire a phobia of snakes or spiders, not of people. I have never seen anyone afraid of all whites or Asians bc some young boy scared them once. Plus, every US citizen should do a little reading on the history of urban crime, which would change your perspective about the victims. You don't have to be pushing people into trains to be a racist. Though if everybody would start to do it you probably would not protest much.
A black guy came up behind her, pulled her pants down, pushed her to the ground and tried reaching for her bag, so saying a young boy scared them once is such an mouthy ignorant take. Pulling a woman’s pants down classifies as sexual assault by the way. You should feel ridiculously ashamed for thinking of victims in that light, even with limited information. I truly wish you worse in life because of your light hearted gesture there. So once again, if it’s ok with you of course, if she wants to distance herself from young black males because her anxiety drives up, I’m all for it. She deserves to be able to freely function is society. Idgaf what a book on urban crime wants to tell me, if a certain description is more of a threat to my family than others, I’ll distance myself as much as possible. That’s a very simple thought process that doesn’t need loads of information like you’re attempting to reach at.
I kinda feel you.... Its one thing to be irrational and hate a group of people just based off how they look but when crime is usually initiated by the same type of persons a phobia can definitely set in and take root. I sincerely hope your wife gets better after all of this and gets into therapy! I personally deal with this issue so i can relate to some degree. Im also blk but i have mixed heritage so the average person doesn't associate me with the blk community just based off my appearance. But growing up I also faced a ton of discrimination from a lot of blk ppl. Due to my light completion and sexuality. Things were not easy growing up and It forced me to see my own ppl. In a different light so to speak but it also forced me to look at ppl. On a universal scale of just good and bad, and not divvy ppl. Up by remedial racial standards. If i was her I'd enroll in some self defense training and engage with higher intellectual black ppl. Hopefully that'll change her perspective.
If you moved to englewood you would prob be better off if you were black or Mexican. West englewood has some pockets of latinos moving in. Or if you’re white and know how to handle your shit. Best thing you can do is go by the houses you see on the internet in the day and at night and see how the blocks are. Best of luck on your house hunting.
Anecdotal, but I'm white and get left alone in Englewood, while my Mexican friend has had issues/assumptions he was in a gang. Also to your point, they have family that moved in to west Englewood. West of Damen.
Serious question: what is it like being white in englewood?
Probably a lot like being any other color in Englewood. Most people are polite and will treat you like anyone else. Most of the people who are shitty aren't being shitty because I'm white. I've only had one person that was being aggressive with me make it a racial thing. Englewood is a high crime area, but even in a high crime area 99% of people are still just people trying to live their lives.
Makes sense.what drew you to live in the area?
I live on the north side. I work there, not live there.
Hope you stay safe and bought yourself a very nice property in englewood. I would love to get one of the houses on 55th, they are some of my favorite houses in the city. Best of luck.
I live on the north side, work on the south side.
So you don’t live there ?
No? I feel like I've been pretty clear about that.
Yes, yes you were.
In englewood?
>but I'm white and get left alone in Englewood Ive heard similar from a friend - essentially: if you don't make their business your business, they want *nothing* to do with you.
Hyde Park. Any you spell Inglewood or Englewood it's always up to no good.
First of All, Chicagoans are scared of the south side because they’ve never been. Tale of two chicagos. So they stereotype everything, another issue I have with this city. There’s lots of good areas on the south side that don’t get recognition (such as Hyde Park, Bronzeville)because the city wants to disinvest the area to push natives out(aka Black people). Then they’ll start investing once new people move in.
did you mistype a part of this? cause as a southsider myself i can tell you know what you’re talking about but the two examples of overlooked neighborhoods you give are literally the main two ones that get almost ALL of the recognition lol
Pullman is sick.
Literally, there's so many heavily polluted areas surrounding Pullman. The factories that have been closed for forty years now have left a significant impact on the health and well-being of the citizens of the south side.
The "Southside" is huge. There are all kinds of neighborhoods from good to bad. There's plenty of information online.
We rented in Hyde Park for years but buying something in Hyde Park is wildly expensive for what you get. We ended up buying a condo in Kenwood just north of Hyde Park and love it. Lots of families and great neighbors. Like others mentioned, it can be block by block for sure but beyond someone trying to steal our car once, we haven’t had any serious issues in the 10 years we’ve lived in Hyde Park/Kenwood.
Look into the southeast side too. It's a very overlooked area but I found it to be decent. However one thing I'd advise you is to consider the kind of things you like to do or would like to get into. The Northside has most of the to do things like sports, gyms, arts, while Southside has very little of that.
Englewood is one of the epicenters of crime and violence in the city. Hyde Park is the opposite. Use the search function; this question has been asked ad nauseam.
Anyone from "Chicagoland" is not from Chicago and will probably just scare you away from any neighborhood that is predominantly non-white. Take what they say with a grain of salt (pun intended).
Why the fuck do you idiots keep engaging with these types of questions
Sounds like trolling again…right?
Like the whole city it depends on where. If you look around midway, you'll be fine
A lot of the language here is racially coded. If you’re curious about a neighborhood, go visit in the daytime and nighttime. Just like all of the North Side isn’t the same, the South Side is not a monolith. Yes, some neighborhoods are not ideal. However, you should consider why and how you can be apart of the solution to improving the neighborhoods in a sustainable manner. My personal favorites though are Bronzeville, Kenwood, Douglas, Hyde Park, Woodlawn, Jackson Park Highlands, Avalon, etc.
Englewood / Hyde Park are not the same neighborhood If you can’t afford Hyde Park or Bronzeville and like that area geographically, it would be better to look at South Shore or Woodlawn. Further out, Beverly and Morgan Park have good housing stock and neighbors. You might also consider some of the suburbs.
Hyde Park and Englewood, although side by side, are vastly worlds apart. You couldn’t pay me money to move to Englewood. But Obama’s stomping ground?? Sign me up
Not all of it. Most of it feels like the suburbs honestly because trains are mostly concentrated in North Side and The Loop. There are some places that are dicey but I doubt you're moving to O Block.
Mom grew up in Englewood. The only good areas are Beverly/Morgan Park areas, Bridgeport, Hyde Park, and bordering neighborhoods on the fringes. There is a small chunk of Roseland and neighborhoods that border the burbs, but then once you cross that, coming North, there is violent crime and a lot of noticeable poverty. Drive down Ashland, coming into the city from the southwest; you'll see everything. You don't want to live in these areas, in my opinion. They are highly segregated, crime-ridden, and the center of the gang warfare theater we see stereotyped in constant news cycles. It's not a monolith, but it remains comically segregated and hopelessly left behind from other neighborhoods to the North. Do not move to any of those neighborhoods. If you do not look and move like the local population, you will be targeted and frequently engaged with by the locals.
North of ~50th on Ashland is basically all fine. It's a little sketch around Harrison because of the shelter there that all the junkies go to. It also gets nice very jarringly immediately south of 95th. SFHs with well maintained yards.
If you’re looking for a house, Jackson Park Highlands has beautiful homes. It’s kind of an island of prosperity just south of Jackson Park. For condos, Hyde Park is a better bet. South shore has some beautiful buildings, but I’ve heard flooding has become an issue.
Hyde park is nice, anywhere around there along the lake is great. But I think the location of your job and friends is important, it's a big city
If you download the app called Citizen, you can see a live map of all police reports and where they happened
I am constantly looking for homes that as strong as possible as an investment. I want to do my due diligence to make sure that the home I buy is something my family can really grow with but also show signs of untapped equity. I’d ask you a ton of questions like what your lifestyle is like now, and where you see yourself. Your motivating factors for buying etc. and name a few neighborhoods to check out for purchasing
i'm from michigan originally, but have lived in chicago since the mid 90's and always lived on the northside - edgewater, ravenswood, irving park, andersonville - until 4 years ago. i wanted a single family house with a yard. because i was a single person with a middle class income (that still wanted to be able to travel and do other things that require spare funds), that meant looking at houses on the south and/or west side of the city and i ended up buying a bungalow in marquette park. it's further south and further west than i would like, but i love my place and my neighbors and we look out for each other. according to the cpd crime stats, there is crime here, but it's no worse than where i had been on the northside and i haven't experienced any problems personally.
My sister got carjacked in the south loop recently. It’s cheaper for a reason, you couldn’t pay me to live south of Roosevelt.
If you are a progressive socialist you won’t like The East Side or Hegewisch & it won’t like you back so keep it moving.
They had a progressive socialist alderman for the last 8 years (didn't run again in 2023, apparently the new guy's a cop so they didn't change their stripes that much)
Key word - “Had”
It isn't a hard rule, really. There are decent neighborhoods regardless of which side you're on. The south side might have Englewood and Fuller Park, and the west side might have Garfield Park and Humboldt Park - all some pretty not-so-great neighborhoods.... but they also have Beverly, Mount Greenwood, and Hyde Park in the south as well as South Lawndale and Brighton Park in the west It *is* accurate that the north side *does* have safer neighborhoods - generally speaking. Outside of a few neighborhoods, nearly everything north of the loop has a pretty low violent crime rate - and the further north you go, the lower the rate gets. But don't let that discourage you from checking out some of the pretty awesome neighborhoods that are within the west and south sides, and aren't really all that bad. Suburbs are around the same - there are plenty of good suburbs on the south and west sides. I've pretty much always lived on the south side, and I've always felt pretty safe - living within Hyde Park, and then moving to the suburbs around Flossmoor.
You won’t have a problem in Hyde Park. Another poster here has a more comprehensive list.
If you not from the city go to Hyde park if you WANT to be on the south side. You can live a good life on the south side 💯stuff happens everywhere. Have to know what you’re looking for tho. I moved to Kalamazoo Michigan and I still feel I’m on the south side of Chicago 🥱🤦🏽♂️and I was born and raised there.
Depends on the neighborhood really
Englewood always up to no good!
I recommend reading “The Southside…” by Natalie Moore for an insider’s take on a few neighborhoods. It was published in 2019. It is a quick read, provides a lot of background for the current conditions of a few neighborhoods. https://www.amazon.com/South-Side-Portrait-American-Segregation/dp/1250118336
I live in Hyde Park. * The nicest areas are probably between 53rd to the north, the Metra Electric line to the east, 59th to the south, and S University to the west. * More generally, Hyde Park beats Englewood any day of the week.
I had a relationship more or less end because I refused to move from the Northside. Now I'm not a nieve person that thinks it's all good Up North. Shit can happen anywhere at anytime. Especially since BJ (name fits) refuses to address these POS kids. But with all that said why up my chances. Yes Hyde Park is a good neighborhood I've spent plenty of time down there. Englewood from what I understand is having a demographic change from Black to Latino. But with all that said so many Southside and Westside neighborhoods fall into that block to block formula. This block is cool but that one isn't.....bruh bullets don't jump over blocks.... well maybe they do according to that Sox fan. So yeah long story short in the last few years unless I'm running an errand for my parents I don't go South of Fullerton or West of Central.
Yes, it's that bad.
One thing you want to keep in mind is schools. Chicago public schools are great, but you want to find a school that has a good reputation.