Safety in La Grange (Chicago, Naperville: 2015, crime, homes)

[CTCook]

Hello!
My husband and I are considering a move La Grange. We do not know much about it, but drove around, walked downtown, and really liked it. My husband commutes to the city everyday for work, so that is also a big consideration. We currently live in Naperville, and find the commute too long. With that being said, I was not sure how "safe" La Grange is, I feel like I keep reading mixed reviews. Any input would be appreciated! Thank you!

[Ditto97]

La Grange is a convenient location for those commuting to work in Chicago. My aunt and uncle live right around the corner in La Grange Park, and they absolutely love it!

For crime statistics, I would consider checking out the data offered on city-data.

[noid_1985]

You’re getting mixed reviews about safety in LaGrange? Maybe the area between Bluff ave and East Ave where Lagrange meets the border of Brookfield could be a bit sketchy.

[CCrest182]

Yup, the area you're hearing mixed reviews about is a sliver of the town east of Bluff Ave, south of Ogden Av, and roughly north of 47th st, bordering Brookfield. This area is about 3% of La Grange, and the rest is among the safest suburbs in the Chicagoland area. Just stay west of Bluff Ave and everything will be fine. La Grange has an excellent police force. Just as safe, if not safer than Naperville.

The only thing dangerous about La Grange is the winters. And yes, they are dangerous.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by CTCook

I feel like I keep reading mixed reviews.

Where? I'm baffled because I have never heard or read 'public safety issue' and La Grange anywhere close to one another.

[deeman7]

Just because that area of LaGrange is occupied by people of color people assume it's unsafe.


It isn't. LaGrange is perfectly safe.

[CCrest182]

Originally Posted by deeman7

Just because that area of LaGrange is occupied by people of color people assume it's unsafe.


It isn't. LaGrange is perfectly safe.

There were two gang related shootings there a couple years back, and there regularly are people bumping loud music there late at night, as well as drug dealings.

I grew up in this area, I know what I'm talking about. It's not a safe area. It doesn't matter what "color skin" people ther have.

No, it's not as unsafe as Englewood or Austin in the city, but it's not a good area to live in. Like I said though, it's only a couple blocks, La Grange is a much larger area and virtually all of La Grange, excluding that sliver, is very safe.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by CCrest182

There were two gang related shootings there a couple years back, and there regularly are people bumping loud music there late at night, as well as drug dealings.

I grew up in this area, I know what I'm talking about. It's not a safe area. It doesn't matter what "color skin" people ther have.

No, it's not as unsafe as Englewood or Austin in the city, but it's not a good area to live in. Like I said though, it's only a couple blocks, La Grange is a much larger area and virtually all of La Grange, excluding that sliver, is very safe.

Can you post articles or police blotter reports to verify those "gang-related shootings there a couple years back"? I'd also be interested in reading current reports about criminal activity in that part of La Grange. I find it hard to believe that it is particularly unsafe. My gut tells me that the previous poster who mentioned race has it right.

[CCrest182]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Can you post articles or police blotter reports to verify those "gang-related shootings there a couple years back"? I'd also be interested in reading current reports about criminal activity in that part of La Grange. I find it hard to believe that it is particularly unsafe. My gut tells me that the previous poster who mentioned race has it right.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/subur...210-story.html

As someone who grew up around there, I can tell you middle class, let alone upper middle class families looking for the "safe" reputation places like Naperville and Hinsdale have will not find it in that eastern sliver of La Grange. West of Bluff is fine, east of Bluff, again not a warzone like the west side, but it's definitely not a good place to live in. I'd sooner recommend south Brookfield before that part of La Grange.

Bringing race into this is something you and deeman are doing, not me. Tell me where I brought race into this. Am I also "racist" for saying Englewood is not a good place to live? If you're being consistent, your answer would be "yes".

Yes, La Grange (like much of Chicagoland) is a very segregated area. This is not only true of class, but race as well. Sorry, I didn't make it that way, but if you want to call me a "racist" for pointing out the objective reality and that fact, go ahead. To act like the La Grange west of Bluff and the La Grange east of Bluff is the same, particularly in terms of safety but also in other areas like housing quality and schools, is patently false, misleading, and borderline negligent if you're telling someone this who is planning a move to the area.

It's not just you, Hiruko. A lot of people call out people who note that certain areas are worse than others, especially when it comes to crime, and if those worse areas happen to be dominant in a certain race, we're called racist for simply pointing out that some areas are objectively worse than others. For an upper-middle class family (which is what 90% of La Grange essentially consists of), regardless of what race, sexual orientation, country of origin, whatever, that small eastern section is not a good place to look in. I'm just being honest here.

[noid_1985]

https://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2018/...alley/azhteyo/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.chi...outputType=amp

I mean I live in north Austin for god sake, so a couple of shootings in 3 or 4 years would be considered safe to me. However it’s what the OP asked for, and if she or her family doesn’t want to live around blacks or any other groups cool. “Safe” on city-data has always had a double meaning to me. With all of that out of the way the homes west of Bluff actually look better.