I've lived in Oak Park since 1999, and have always been surprised at how very different one part of Austin is from another. I rented an apartment on the Oak Park - Austin border from 1999-2000, on Austin Blvd just north of Lake St. To me, the houses in Austin north of Lake St. looked more attractive and well-kept than the houses south of it. (The Green Line Elevated train runs along an embankment through Austin at Lake St., so there's a physical separation). I did have a bike stolen from my back porch, but I did not feel nervous for my safety in that apartment or at the nearby Austin Blvd El stop.

Hello, My husband and I bought a house on the 5700 block of Huron and we love it. We have never had any problems with crime and actually have some of the friendliest neighbors we have ever had in the city. We are in or near the historic part but found our house for under $200,000. Yes areas of Austin are horrible but it just depends were you look. I can walk to the green line and Oak Park very easily. I realize you posted this a while ago but thought i would respond anyway!

A useful website is http://www.chicagocrime.org. You'll find everything you want to know about the current crime situation in Austin (and anywhere else in Chicago).

Safety in Austin varies with the location. It's less of an issue in areas like the part of the Austin Historic District north of Lake, more of an issue in other parts.

Austin is not gentrifying in any big hurry. That said, you have some relative housing bargains, some solid old buildings, and good access to public transportation. If you're comfortable with the area and plan to be there for a while, it can be a good choice.

It's hard to predict anything over a 2-4 year period, except that Chicago neighborhoods never change as rapidly as people predict they will.