<p>I think what Degeneration is asking is do students ever go north of [48th?] or south of <a href=“wherever%20the%20imaginary%20lines%20are”>62nd?</a>?</p>
<p>The answer is yes, but not purposelessly. There aren’t a heck of a lot of amenities in Hyde Park (it could use some work in that regard), but it’s the Mall of America compared to the areas immediately south, west, and north of it (and east of it, well, things are lovely, but you need gills to get around). Lots of people volunteer with programs in Woodlawn (the southern part). I know my kids went to an African restaurant way south of campus once, because I called them when they were there (it was one of their birthdays). It was too far to walk, though; they took a bus.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I realized that I was very aware of all Hyde Park crime and became very antsy, thinking that the University of Chicago must be the ONLY place in the world where crime can happen. Then I started reading other crime reports in neighborhoods I’m familiar with. It helped put some of my Hyde Park unease into perspective-- lots of areas deal with much, much worse, including areas where well-off white people live, including neighborhoods near the one I live now. In some ways they make Hyde Park look like Disneyland.</p></li>
<li><p>Practically all of the gun violence I’ve read up on doesn’t happen in the University neighborhood and doesn’t involve University people. If you don’t join a gang and don’t make enemies with a rival gang, I would say it’s almost irrelevant to a University person.</p></li>
<li><p>If you don’t make use of the Drunk van or shuttles, walk with reason. Keep your headphones off and out of your ears and see who else is around. It’s easy to misinterpret “Don’t walk alone late at night” as “Don’t walk alone at night-- you WILL get mugged.” Instead, think of it as “Don’t walk alone at night if you want to reduce the risk of crime from very small to practically zero.”</p></li>
<li><p>There’s reason to be optimistic about the future of Hyde Park. Two of my friends have moved to SWEET refurbished apartments that were once considered outside of the generally considered “bubble” and are now filling up with students. Increased quality and quantity of commerce has increased the desirability of the neighborhood and its safety as well. (The new Hyde Park Produce, the two sushi places, Par 52, and Zaleski and Horvath are new as of this year). Rent prices are not cheap.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Folks need to update their geographic perspective if they think the areas to the north of Kenwood are still rough. They’re not. The projects are gone, replaced by middle class priced town homes. When I lived in Hyde Park three years ago, I bicycled and drove through the area all the time, never feeling the slightest bit threatened. True, the area is lacking in amenities until you get near Roosevelt, but that is nothing new. </p>
<p>West, South and especially SW of Hyde Park is all together a different story, but others have already discussed that.</p>
<p>One should also remember that within Hyde Park/Kenwood, things vary dramatically too. As you go west toward Drexel, things tend to get tougher and perhaps a bit edgier. From year to year, pockets of problems exist, mostly along the western border. And these pockets of problems are pretty far from where undergrads live (grad students tend to be attracted by rock bottom living prices…) so they’re not really of concern.</p>
<p>OTOH, if folks like the OP want the perception of safety, by all means look at less urban colleges. Heavens knows there are enough of them. No use going around worrying for four years. And there are enough already trying to get into UofC. Seriously now, you need to feel comfortable. If the environment puts you off, look elsewhere. It is probably true that many kids want a change of environment for college anyway. Think about it.</p>
<p>My son has lived for a little over a year on the same block where the Chicago graduate student was shot at the beginning of his freshman year, and, to my knowledge, he has had no problems while living there. As a mom, I always worry about his safety, but I consider the education he has received on the streets of Hyde Park almost as valuable as the education he has received inside the classroom.</p>
<p>Many folks have noted the fact that violence happens everywhere. To add to the stories, a drug dealer was shot and killed in a Harvard dorm just this past spring. I know someone who is now serving in Afghanistan who has said she feels safer on her base in Afghanistan than she did on the streets of Washington when she was at Georgetown. A girl at Colby College in Maine – not exactly a hotbed of crime – was killed a few years ago when she went to her car one morning. And the list goes on.</p>
<p>Comfort level is important and the poster should go with his/her gut instinct. But learning to live with risk is a good thing too.</p>
<p>Now a question: I’m just curious whether the presence of the Chicago “White House” just north of campus has had any deterrent effect on the number of incidents happening between 53rd and 56th streets?</p>
<p>Pattillo’s assertions about community stability are interesting, and she practices what she preaches: though she’s a prof of sociology at Northwestern, she lives on 47th or 48th-- in what some Hyde Parkers would consider a “gritty” area. This book helps humanize the South Side of Chicago as well.</p>
<p>wait, unalove, so we’re NOT supposed to join a gang once we arrive on campus? I thought all freshmen were required to declare allegiances by the time classes start?</p>
<p>I know that at my state school, my sister [who goes there] claims that as late as 1-2 a.m. there are still big groups of students walking from place to place and so things still feel pretty safe. Would you say UChicago is like this?</p>
<p>So by the same principle, could one say that this is because a lot of UChicago’s social life doesn’t require one to be out late at night? To hear my sister tell it, at her school turning in at 11:00-12:00 really restricts one’s ability to make friends.</p>
<p>I think that’s going to be true anywhere. A lot of socializing goes on at college after midnight. At Chicago, it just may be a little bit more diffuse than some other places, except for the A level of the Reg. </p>
<p>Chicago really doesn’t have thousands of students in dorms next to each other, like some other places. The Max/Snitchcock cluster has about 1,000, and now there will be another 1,200 or so in a new BJ/South cluster, but everyone else is sort of spread out. So that may limit the “large groups” phenomenon, even if lots of people are out socializing at midnight.</p>
<p>After my first year, I’ve actually been under the impression that UChicago is more of a late school. My friends at Cornell would go out at around 9ish and stumble their way back to their rooms at around 2. But a typical weekend for me would be to leave the dorm at around 11 and somehow find myself back in bed at 4ish.</p>
<p>I’m glad you’re still going to apply. If you’re from NYC, you’ll be fine. It all comes down to how smart you are willing to be about the entire issue. There are definitely less safe parts south and west of the campus, but Hyde Park itself is pretty nice for a university neighborhood. And come on, downtown Chicago is like 10 minutes away by bus. The city is right there for you to explore. The good and the bad. </p>