Is Chicago really dangerous? (middle-class, best neighborhood, crime rate)

[gabry76]

Hello everybody,
I'm about to move to Chicago but I heard a lot of people saying that Chicago is very dangerous and the crime rate is very high. One of the many reasons why I'm leaving Miami to move to Chicago is just the high crime rate in Miami...I don't want to find the same problem over there...
Any advice?

[Drover]

Do a side-by-side of the crime data supplied here at city-data and you'll find Chicago ranks lower than Miami per-capita in all categories but one (rape).

Is Chicago dangerous? Well, this is "the big city" after all. There's no denying we've got our share of problems here. While crimes of opportunity like theft and strong-arm and even armed robbery will happen just about anywhere in the city, they are not exactly a common occurance in the middle-class parts of the city. Most of the neighborhoods you'd probably contemplate living in are safe enough that a million-plus middle-class folks make it their home rather than fleeing to the suburbs. Serious crime problems are highly concentrated in certain parts of the city, namely throughout a lot of the South side and most of the West side. There are some problem areas in the North side but they are pockets in an otherwise safe part of town. There are also some quality neighborhoods in the South Side but you have to look carefully to find them. The easiest way to stay safe is stay out of the drug trade (both as a buyer and a seller) and stay out of the neighborhoods where it is openly conducted. You do those things and you'll be fine.

[prairiestate]

Yes. Yes it is. I've been murdered a few times. You get used to it.

[pampam37]

Hello, everyone I have lived in Chicago for 38 years and Chicago is a great place to live. I have travel all over the world and there is no place like home. I also grew up on the south side in the Englewood area and there is the good and the bad. I come to realize from my travels anytime you live in a big city there will be some problems. The best advise, be careful and aware of your surroundings get to know the people around you.

[cdrobert]

Chicago a few years back beat oakland and la for the highest violent crime rate, but this honor shifts to other cities. Outside of the northside which functions as chicagos little manhattan, the rest of chicago can get relativley dangerous.

[AngelikaV]

Originally Posted by Drover

Do a side-by-side of the crime data supplied here at city-data and you'll find Chicago ranks lower than Miami per-capita in all categories but one (rape).

Is Chicago dangerous? Well, this is "the big city" after all. There's no denying we've got our share of problems here. While crimes of opportunity like theft and strong-arm and even armed robbery will happen just about anywhere in the city, they are not exactly a common occurance in the middle-class parts of the city. Most of the neighborhoods you'd probably contemplate living in are safe enough that a million-plus middle-class folks make it their home rather than fleeing to the suburbs. Serious crime problems are highly concentrated in certain parts of the city, namely throughout a lot of the South side and most of the West side. There are some problem areas in the North side but they are pockets in an otherwise safe part of town. There are also some quality neighborhoods in the South Side but you have to look carefully to find them. The easiest way to stay safe is stay out of the drug trade (both as a buyer and a seller) and stay out of the neighborhoods where it is openly conducted. You do those things and you'll be fine.

You'll get all kind of opinions on crime in Chicago. A lot of people on this forum have their own axes to grind. But from my 25 years experience living in the city I'd advise you to listen to Drover. Crime can happen anywhere, even in a small town. In my 25 years in the city nothing really bad ever happened to me. My windshield was vandalized once and my home was broken into twice, but I had a security system so the thieves ran off empty-handed.

The best advice anyone can give you is to always be alert to your surroundings and don't go looking for trouble. Follow the same precautions any reasonable person would when in any big city. Stay off public transportation after 9:00 PM until you learn which routes are safe at night. After midnight always take a taxi or drive, and try to avoid a long walk to or from your car late at might. As much as possible, stay out of neighborhoods with which you are unfamiliar. You'll learn soon enough which ones are generally safe and which are not.

Live in the best neighborhood you can afford. Affluent areas get good police protection. Even better is to live near an alderman. Police cruise by their homes a couple of times a day. I know this from living around the corner from my alderman. Living in a building with a security guard is a plus if you can afford it. Installing a security system with monitoring service like ADT is another option I'd highly recommend even if one lives in a small town.

Take ordinary precautions. That's about it. You'll find Chicago is a great place to live.

[Spartanacus]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

Yes. Yes it is. I've been murdered a few times. You get used to it.

Outstanding! LOL...

[lonelychicagoan]

sadly, according to Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed, chicago's murder rate has just breached past miami's murder rate.

[prairiestate]

There are, of course, so areas of Chicago (including some suburbs) you don't want to go to under any circumstances. Aside from that, it's a matter of what you feel comfortable with. I live in a very nice inner suburb, southwest of Chicago. There are armed robberies constantly here, both in businesses and people walking down the street. Generally at least one or two a week. A few times a year, there is a car jacking, drive by shooting, home invasion. Still, I feel pretty safe here. Someone from a rural area would probably find it incomprehensible that I would consider this safe. There are people in some parts of the city who wished they lived in an area half as safe as I do. Anywhere in the city, inner suburbs, and a few outlying areas, crime is going to occur on a fairly routine basis, with at least one violent crime incident per week. That's about as precise an answer as I can give.

[j33]

But in assault, theft, burglary, and auto theft Miami is worse, although I'd probably prefer to be a victim of the later than the former.

I've lived in Chicago for many, many years and I've never had a problem worse that burglary.