Hyde Park, Chicago - A Neighborhood Review

I moved to Chicago in September 2019 to pursue my Masters at UChicago. Like most other students I lived in Hyde Park for the duration of my program. The two years in this sheltered university bubble on the south side of Chicago went by rather peacefully. Every year hundreds of students move into this neighbourhood replacing the new graduates who find employment elsewhere. Hunting for apartments here can be stressful especially for international students who often finalize housing remotely while balancing limited finances and public safety concerns. I hope to provide some pointers to students, especially international students, on choosing a good apartment and block in this area.

Affordability

The primary constraint while choosing an apartment is usually financial. I have seen classmates paying anywhere between $400 and $2000 for rent per month. However, $700–$1200 is what bulk of the students would be paying. Affordability is very strongly correlated with characteristics such as the perceived safety of the block, accessibility to stores or waterfront and other attractions and the age and nature of the apartment itself. Real estate is one of the markets where goods are quite accurately priced so it’s rare to find an underpriced apartment for given characteristics. Instead, it’s often the case that you might value certain characteristics differently from the rest and hence find something potentially underpriced for yourself.

Also do not discount the utilities and other additional costs that can add up to $100–$200 to the total rent per month. Do inquire about heating, electricity, water, waste disposal, maintenance, Internet charges before you move in.

Safety

Crime and safety are the most important characteristic that factors in while choosing housing, especially for international students who may be unfamiliar with big cities and crime in the US. Crimes ranging from petty ones like theft to more serious ones like muggings and assaults are not uncommon in the south side of Chicago. In my two years here, two university students have died in random gun violence. For students like me who came from India, the level of crime and safety here was shocking at first. With time, unfortunate as it is, you become numb to the violence and crime. There are still a few adjustments you need to make to your lifestyle for your safety.

I personally do not believe that your personal safety varies significantly by block or street. I would agree with prevailing consensus that in general it gets more unsafe as you move south and as you move west. So, the 61st street would be considered more unsafe than the 51st and Drexel Ave more dangerous than Everett. But the violence can truly be random as is seen by the fact that the two students were killed on 51st, a relatively safe street. One of them was killed in the parking lot of what is surely one of the safest apartment blocks in Hyde Park. Theft and muggings on the other hand is unarguably more common in the south such as on 61st street.

I’d say that with some precautions and adjustments in the way you live you can keep yourself quite safe. For example, walking alone at night in poorly lit streets is unwise. I always biked so this wasn’t a problem for me. I never had headphones on while commuting to keep myself aware of my surroundings. While I didn’t, I know some friends who always kept pepper sprays with them when walking late at night. Of course, don’t get high or drunk and wander alone at night. These are some simple common-sense precautions that go a long way. Beyond that there is little you can do to safeguard against random acts of violence that unfortunately do occur albeit rarely.

If you feel really strongly about safety, I’d suggest living in Regents, UPC or any of the big, gated communities and always using Ubers at night. It will be expensive but perhaps you could be more relaxed walking alone at night if you had to.

Accessibility

The first thing you need to do after you move into the neighbourhood is buy a bike. Chicago is pretty bike-friendly, and your quality of life will improve immeasurably after getting one. Buying a good bike will open a larger swathe of residential areas as potential options as you won’t have to restrict yourself to housing close to transit stops or supermarkets. It will also save you a lot of time (and debatably money?) over the long term.

In case biking regularly is not an option, I’d suggest living close to a transit line. Mapping what could potentially be regular spots you’d visit like the gym, libraries, college buildings etc. could be helpful in finding which buses to track and then choosing a block to live on accordingly. The popular buses are CTA 171, 172 and 6. UChicago also runs its own shuttles which are very helpful. Do note that if you do get a bike, you’ll never have to go through the whole ordeal of planning your bus routes and transfers or waiting at the bus stops.

While biking should be enough to access any spot in Hyde Park, there may be times you may want to go downtown either for work or to relax. The Metra and number 6 bus connect Hyde Park to downtown Chicago and are both accessible from the eastern avenues. They’re a much safer bet than taking the elevated trains that are accessible from the western avenues like Cottage Grove.

Supermarkets

I cook a lot and find myself running to the grocery store almost twice a week. I pop in sometime just for an item or two on the way back from the library or gym. Jewel Osco on 61st is a traditional one-stop supermarket and my personal favourite for regular shopping. Whole Foods on 51st is too but is a whole different price range and may not be affordable to most students. Trader Joes on 55th is great for frozen food and some quirky exclusive items. It also has a nicely curated wine collection. Hyde Park Produce on 53rd is the best for fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s also the only place in Hyde Park that stocks Paneer if that’s your thing. Target on 53rd is a good option for home goods.

If you don’t plan to keep a bike, you should probably look at having one of these stores within walking distance. Anywhere between 53rd and 55th on the east may be a good bet in that case.

Other Attractions

The other places that one may frequent would include the libraries, gym, bars, and the lake. There are many libraries spread across the campus and students often get comfortable with one of them. Regenstein and the CS library are near 57th while the Law School and Keller (policy school) are on 60th. There are also other small study spots spread across the campus on the quad.

The gym and pool are on 55th. They’re quite accessible by bus and shuttles but if you rely on them, going to the gym may turn into a two-hour-plus endeavour.

There are several popular bars around Hyde Park, the most frequently visited of which for me were Jimmys on 55th, Cove on 57th and the Pub on 59th. I’d say I’d visit a bar once in two weeks during the quarter with the frequency spiking during breaks especially in the summer. It’s a nice way to socialize and a lot of the initial student mingling may take you to these spots.

Finally, the lake is the most appealing of all the spots to me. I found myself sitting, running, grilling by the lake often. This is true especially for the six months in a year when the Chicago weather is tolerable. This is another reason why the eastern part of Hyde Park is more attractive and has higher rents. I live a 5-minute bike ride away from the lake and am quite satisfied with the distance.

Lifestyle

People have a strong preference when it comes to apartment blocks or townhouses. Some prefer the safety of a gated high-rise while others may prefer the ease of living in a townhouse near the market. It’s easier to hunt for housing once you know the kind of vibe you want. Do you want a lake view from your living room? Plenty of direct morning sunlight? Your own backyard? There are trade-offs that you have to make while choosing apartments and knowing your own preferences is essential before finalizing housing.

My Home

I had a very tight budget and hence had to minimize my rent and housing costs. Fortunately, I found two roommates on the Facebook group for incoming students and one of them was from Chicago who was proactive in looking for inexpensive apartments. He found a $1500 3-bedroom, 2-bath on 61st right behind the Harris – Keller building. The construction was old, but it met all our needs. We finalized it with minimal thought given the attractive rent. I took the bedroom with the private bathroom and the three of us stayed here both years each paying $500.

Despite considerable public opinion against living south of Midway, I had a great time on 61st. The rent was great and with bikes we could always access any other part of Hyde Park with ease. I never felt unsafe at any point in these 2 years but always maintained a basic level of awareness while out at night along with the other essential precautions mentioned above.

Personal Recommendations

In case you’re still confused and unsure of where to live, I have three areas I want to highlight.

First is Regents Park and the adjacent area on 50th–51st to the east of the train tracks. This is a safe, accessible, and thus an expensive neighbourhood. The rents start at $800 but mostly hover around $1200 for a bedroom. Studios would set you back $1500 or so. Here you’ll be very close to the lake, bus stops, train stations and a grocery store. The apartments here are relatively new and very well maintained. You should choose this locality if you can afford it or if you worry excessively about safety and crime.

My personal favourite I think would be 55th street and adjacent areas especially to the east of UPC. I like this area because of its accessibility to all the stores, restaurants, the gym, and the lake. It has moderately priced apartments and is also well connected to other parts of Hyde Park and downtown. Furthermore, expecting one’s friend circle to be distributed across Hyde Park, 55th would be a convenient central point to host and move around.

For those very tight on finances, 61st street is a great budget option. It has a bad reputation because of the odd mugging or thefts but overall, I found this area very affordable and quite safe with some basic precautions. The University is building here rapidly with new student housing, a gym and a hotel coming soon. You can find spacious apartments here while shelling only about $800 per person in a 3b2b. Some come with nice backyards and porches too if that’s your thing. I know people who lived south up to 63rd street. Apartments get mouthwateringly cheap as you move south. The tradeoff is the increase in precautions you need to take if you’re walking alone at night.