Is Irving Park Safe? (Chicago, Roscoe: rent, homes, safe area)

[brodie734]

Continuing to do neighborhood research in preparation for a 2018 move, seeing a lot of positives for Irving Park... I'm very familiar with the area east of the river (North Center/Horner Park/Ravenswood) but Irving Park seems cheaper on the whole and the quality of units in my range (<$1300) are much higher. Plus seemingly much better access to the L (two stations in the neighborhood vs one station across the river).

Is this a safe area? What are it's main drawbacks?

[NorthSideSoxGuy]

Just from eyeballing it and reading stuff online, it seems a lot of folks are looking at Irving Park for the same reasons you are. If you head west of the river, you see the spillover from North Center/Roscoe Village with a lot of young families buying and rehabbing older homes. Then west of Pulaski is Old Irving Park, where there are literally million dollar homes on larger lots. And then there are a lot other parts of the neighborhood that range from working to middle class.

The thing you really have to keep in mind is that Irving Park is a large neighborhood with several sub-neighborhoods within it. Each have their own distinct characteristics and amenities. So if you're looking at places closer to the Chicago River, you won't have as great L access as if you were looking in say Old Irving Park or Independence Park.

But, to paint broad strokes, Irving Park is mostly quiet, residential and family-oriented. You have some riff raff here and there, but nothing that would put you at greater risk than you would be in most North Side neighborhoods.

Personally, it's one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. You can find pretty much every style of Chicago housing there (bungalows, two and three flats, prairie style homes, etc.) and it's a diverse place both income-wise and racially/ethnically.

But, it's definitely not the most happening neighborhood in the city. And if you're not right along the Blue Line, it'd probably be a good idea to have a car. Rent is cheaper, but gentrification may not be too far along the horizon, especially along the Blue Line. Something to perhaps keep in mind.