How safe is the city of Chicago?

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J.Slope

Don't listen to these people who say things like "from what I've hear" or whatever. They don't even live in Chicago.

Children's is in Licnoln Park, one of the best neighborhoods in the City of Chicago. It is a great neighborhood for kids & adults and is one of the safest neighborhoods in the city.

Yes a report came out that Chicago is the murder capitol of the US and I admit we're having a rough year, but this is one of the largest and most well known cities in the World so we're bound to be the murder capitol once in a while. We tend to drop in and out of that like Washington DC and Baltimore which are much smaller cities.

As for your uncle, there are neighborhoods in NYC where it's not safe for people to go out after dark...I don't see the point. I've been working downtown & taking the bus home for five years now well after dark and I've never had a problem once. I also work with a few girls who do the same and there is no safety issue.

My advice, check out the job and the neighborhood where your husband would work. I bet you'll find you really like it there...Children's is pretty much THE hospital you want to work at in Chicago. And Lincoln Park is definitely one of the top 5 neighborhoods.

justmeish

Most large cities such as Chicago tend to be less safe than the suburbs. It probably depends on where exactly you live though. Try talking to some of your neighbors and asking them if they feel it's unsafe, or maybe even find the local police station, and ask them if they think you need to take precautions because of crime in the area.

Regardless of what anyone else says though, it is good advice to avoid going out at dark in any city, if you can help it. I would suggest getting pepper spray to carry on you, just in case you have no choice but to go out at night. You can always call the police and ask them which kinds of pepper spray are legal in Chicago before you buy them.

You might also take a self-defense class. Look in the phone book or ask around to see if there are any close by you can take. They'll teach what you need to do if anything does ever happen. Such as to remember it's better to let someone grab your purse than try to fight them. If someone ever tries to take you somewhere, scream, even if they have a weapon. Things like that.

And again, ask the local police department. They sometimes do safety classes for both kids and adults, for free. Even if there aren't any available, if you ask they'll help you find somewhere where they can teach you what you need to know.

I don't mean to make you paranoid or anything. People raise their children fine in large cities all the time. As long as you know how to keep yourself and your child safe, you'll be fine as well.

nomesean

I find Chicago pretty nice. At night it can be a little shifty just because of homeless people trying to get you to give them money and stuff. I would suggest a suburb like Des Plaines or Arlington Heights. Even Rosemont. The northern part is supposedly the nicest. You should try to even move to the Wisconsin Illinois border there? Zion is about a half hour or so to the city.

Patricia C

My son lives in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago and loves it. He is able to walk to almost anyplace he wants to go. It is, however, quite expensive for buy or rent there.

Gone

I have heard conflicting things about Chicago. I think it depends on which area one lives in -- the same with any city. I would imagine that the area where Children's memorial would be one of the "safer" districts but I also imagine the cost of living there would be quite high & difficult to find accomodation. But what do I know? I'm just a cute little kitten.

dxsoldier55

it's a safe city, don't listen to people make up lies about the murder capital of the US...it's just to get you to be afraid of coming. As for the location it depends their is a lot of different Memorial Hospitals in the city. Now sure their is some problems that the city suffers from but all the cities in this country are dangerous. New York , Los Angeles, Dallas it's the same thing.

stayfly15be

I live in the suburbs now but i lived there most of my life its a very nice area to live different people of races and very art and learning area to live. The news only report on the bad parts of chicago but its like every other city. Its very upper class and elegant and rich and then theres rougher neighborhoods but a very multicultural area to live I Loved it i wouldnt complain its a great city

Christopher K

Depends on where and when you go. If you go late at night you best watch yourself anywhere, but the least safe places are the West and South sides. Children's is on the North Side.What position is your husband taking? I spent a lot of time there as a child and a teen.

Pumkin Pie

Despite the fact that a lot of people who say it's dangerous are getting a lot of thumbs down, it's actually kind of true... In fact I was just talking to someone at work about this today and they were saying that, yes, Chicago now has the highest murder rate in the country. The things I hear on the news are pretty brutal and a lot of people that I know that live here or work here have said either they or someone they know has at least been mugged. Fortunately, I haven't. But I try not to walk alone and even when I am alone, day or night, I stay in areas where there are lots of people around me.

That said...overall you shouldn't have to worry because a lot of the crimes, murders, etc, have to do with who you deal with. A lot of people get killed because they spend their time/life dealing with bad people BUT some of the murders here are a lot of innocent people that happen to get shot by a bullet from someone who can't aim.

My suggestion is, if you're looking for a safe place to raise a family, try the suburbs. You and/or your husband can take the Metra to work and it'll probably be like a 1 hour commute, which is about the same commute time for those of us that actually live IN the city. The advantage is that the suburbs are much more family friendly and generally more affordable. But do be cautious because crime can happen anywhere, not just in the city.

j l

most of the serious crime is south of the Sears Tower. Northside is way cool and downtown itself is cleaned up and relatively safe....during the Holidays they have horse drawn carriages thru snowy downtown.

Casting pearls before swine.

Not very safe at all. It's currently the murder capital of the U.S.

Abby J

like 15 %

swampy

Chicago is the murder capital of the US, be very careful where you choose to live and work, very dangerous city.

Mary Ellen B

Safe for what? and what area? To move to? To visit? If visiting the Majestic Mile, very safe, business hours, fine. Some neighboring areas better than others. To reside, it was stated the most stressful city in the United States in a recent news report.

tet1968/usn Buddy

Most unsafe city in the United States......hum,,,that's where Obama resides.

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