Oak Park vs. Forest Park (Chicago, Naperville: rental, crime, safe area)

[Chicagoforayear]

My family (husband, 2 kids, 2 dogs) are moving to Chicago for a year. We plan to rent and have been looking at the Oak Park area and Forest Park area as well. I have lived in the city before, and didn't think twice about if I was safe or not, but now that I have kids, the mother bear is coming out in me. I have been reading the threads and can't decide if I should be worried or not about living in OP. We are needing to make a decision on a rental place in the next month. Right now our front runners are on Mapleton Ave close to Division street in OP, and Ferdinand Ave close to Fillmore Street in Forest Park. I know these questions get asked all the time, but I don't feel like I have the answers yet. I just want to make sure I am in a safe area and can walk my dogs, and kids to the park without being worried. I have friends in the city as well, so being able to ride the 'L' in is a huge plus. We want to get the most out of living in Chicago, and don't feel like we will get that living in Elmhurst or something comparable. Thanks for your time and any advice you have.

[Hatchetman]

that would be a no-brainer for me. the oak park address is much nicer and the schools are much better.

[chet everett]

I would tend agree with Hatchetman -- I guess if the OP does not have school age kids I might prefer living in Chicago itself. Maybe if you can a place right next to a park in FP vs something that is not as conducive to little ones in OP that might be a factor, but OP has a much better overall Parks dept...

[Chicagoforayear]

Thanks for your replies. We have a 3 year old in preschool, and almost 1 year old. So schools are not a deciding factor, although where the good schools are, I would guess it might be safer and have more families? We are coming from the burbs of Minneapolis, so I thought the city traffic/life might be too much for the dogs and kids. Maybe OP is no different? We will be visiting in a couple weeks, so I wanted to do some research first. The OP address is my first choice too, I just got a little concerned after seeing posts about not wanting to be east of Ridgeland Ave. Is that still a concern? Any thoughts?
Just as an FYI - we are there to open a business in Niles, and then possibly a second one in the Naperville area, so we wanted to be somewhere in between.

[oakparkdude]

I wouldn't be too concerned about the Oak Park location. You're actually not far from Ridgeland, and several blocks from Austin Blvd. The vast majority of crime you would have to contend with is of property theft. I would definitely want an alarm system and a secure garage. Bicycles, lawn care equipment, etc, tend to wander off if not hidden away/locked up. Muggings tend to occur late at night to solitary pedestrians who are near the "busier" parts of town (typically near el stations and along Austin Blvd), and are very rare in the SFH parts of OP. That being said, your odds of being a mugging victim are higher in OP than in Naperville or Elmhurst, so depending on your personal tolerance for risk, you may find the crime level: negligible, acceptable, or intolerable. For crime stats, I recommend the Oak Park Police department crime maps. (Oak Park, Illinois Village Departments -- Police Department)

[bulldawg1594]

i dont think the forest park elementarys are that bad, but they go to proviso east high, which is not too good of a school. oak park has good schools though. forest park is probably more diverse.
Interactive Illinois Report Card- oak park
Interactive Illinois Report Card- forest park

Interactive Illinois Report Card- oak park & river forest high school
Interactive Illinois Report Card- proviso east high school