2.9 out of 10

Roseland

Ranked 65th best neighborhood in Chicago
41.7149654985916 -87.6202931172538
Great for
  • Cost of Living
  • Clean & Green
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Eating Out
  • Gym & Fitness
Not great for
  • Nightlife
  • Pest Free
  • Childcare
  • Resale or Rental Value
  • Medical Facilities
Who lives here?
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  •  

Reviews

1/5
2yrs+

"You can never go back."

I grew up in Roseland in the 50s-60s. Great place at the time, like Mayberry RFD. Visiting Chicago in the past few years, I've taken the train from the far south area through Roseland. It makes me very sad to see what Roseland has become. (From the safety of the train window.) Being a retired police officer, I would not even drive through that area without being armed. Of course, I've seen much more in my career than most people.
Cons
  • Boarded up homes
  • Dangerous
  • Scary place to visit
audrey-loethena
audrey-loethena Need to deliver gifts to Alex Haley School early a.m. tomorrow. Safe enough in the morning or should i send my husband?
2yrs+
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2/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 3/5
  • Safe & Sound 1/5
  • Clean & Green 2/5
  • Pest Free 2/5
  • Peace & Quiet 2/5
  • Eating Out 4/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Parks & Recreation 2/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 1/5
  • Internet Access 4/5
  • Lack of Traffic 4/5
  • Parking 4/5
  • Cost of Living 4/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 3/5
  • Public Transport 2/5
  • Medical Facilities 2/5
  • Schools 2/5
  • Childcare 2/5
2yrs+

"Proceed to get a donut with caution"

Roseland in Chicago is a fairly sizeable neighborhood. It is pretty far south and about 13 miles from downtown. Therefore, it isn't too fast of a commute. Most residents of Roseland are African American and this is a very poor neighborhood as well.

While the name "Roseland" might give you the impression that Roseland is a sunny place full of flowers, the fact is that this area of the city is pretty unattractive. Add in the cold, grey winter days and nights, and you have yourself a pretty depressing place. There aren't a lot of parks in the area, and it isn't too close to the Lakefront either.

One bright spot in Roseland, however, is a little place called Old Fashioned Donuts. I can't say I have ever gone there myself since I don't eat donuts, but I have heard many people rave about this place. It is a real hole in the wall, but supposedly the donuts are delicious. They are very bad for you though with tons of grease. Who knows? Old Fashioned Donuts may be worse for you than even Krispy Kreme.

Now while you may be tempted to go to Roseland for the donuts, keep in mind this is a pretty dangerous area. There are shootings taking place fairly regularly. In other word, proceed with caution
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
2/5 rating details
  • Safe & Sound 1/5
  • Clean & Green 1/5
  • Pest Free 1/5
  • Peace & Quiet 1/5
  • Parks & Recreation 2/5
2yrs+

"Crime and Struggle"

Roseland is an established neighborhood on Chicago's south side, but it's reputation is not for anything good. The area is dirty, dangerous and has seen little, if any improvement for many years. The economic downturn has only created further despair in the area and abandoned and condemned buildings are a dime a dozen in the area. Drugs, crime and gang activity run rampant in Roseland and few business have mustered the guts to enter the area. Overall it has to be one of the worst areas in Chicago and is not one you would want to be caught in after the sun has set. Avoid the neighborhood at all costs.
2/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 3/5
  • Safe & Sound 2/5
  • Clean & Green 3/5
  • Peace & Quiet 3/5
  • Eating Out 2/5
  • Nightlife 1/5
  • Parks & Recreation 2/5
  • Shopping Options 2/5
  • Gym & Fitness 1/5
  • Internet Access 3/5
  • Lack of Traffic 2/5
  • Cost of Living 5/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 1/5
  • Public Transport 4/5
  • Medical Facilities 2/5
  • Schools 3/5
2yrs+

"Roseland: Don’t go there…."

Roseland, located on the city’s far south side, has been around since Dutch immigrants founded it in the 1840s. It includes the smaller sections of Fernwood, Princeton Park, Lilydale, West Chesterfield, Rosemoor, Sheldon Heights and West Roseland. When I lived there in the Rosemoor section in the 70s, it was still a family-oriented neighborhood with low crime, great schools, well-maintained homes, and strong community spirit. But that was over 20 years ago. In 1982, I moved out of the family household, to my first apartment, located in a different neighborhood.

Over the next 10 or so years, I made frequent visits back to the old neighborhood. At first it was much like I’d remembered it. But after a while it began to take on that “run-down”, deteriorating, depressing look. So my visits became fewer and fewer. During the past 15 or so years, Roseland has become one of the city’s poorest communities and it shows. Definitely a “don’t go there unless you HAVE to” kind of place.
1/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 2/5
  • Safe & Sound 1/5
  • Clean & Green 2/5
  • Eating Out 3/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Shopping Options 1/5
  • Cost of Living 5/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 1/5
2yrs+

"Why bother?"

Not my favorite neighborhood – the landscape/architecture in the area is sparse and banal, and even if legend has it that improvements are being made, Roseland is still a neighborhood of few opportunities. The crime rate has stayed high, and someone with better options is better off not moving in – or even visiting.

There isn’t much out here by way of commercial activity – just a lot of run-down residences. It’s not a place that I consider safe, worth visiting, or even worth driving through. There is some debate as to whether Roseland is actually one of the worse-off neighborhoods in Chicago (Englewood is definitely on that list), but I’m putting it on my list. Lately there has been a lot of stuff in the news about how neighborhoods like this see a lot more murders (mostly due to gang violence) during summer weekends – a scary fact to have to face.

If you can avoid Roseland at all (and you should be able to do so), please do. You’ll be that much safer.
2/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 2/5
  • Safe & Sound 1/5
  • Clean & Green 2/5
  • Pest Free 2/5
  • Peace & Quiet 2/5
  • Eating Out 2/5
  • Nightlife 1/5
  • Parks & Recreation 2/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 2/5
  • Internet Access 2/5
  • Lack of Traffic 3/5
  • Parking 4/5
  • Cost of Living 5/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 2/5
  • Public Transport 3/5
  • Medical Facilities 3/5
  • Schools 2/5
  • Childcare 2/5
2yrs+

"Not everything comes up roses…"

Roseland is on the far South Side of Chicago, and I’d have to say that it’s on the lower end of neighborhoods in the city. There are too many boarded up houses for my tastes. There are a fair number of houses that aren’t boarded up, but really, one or two on a street make the whole row of houses look bad.
Crime is pretty high in the area, and while I don’t know that it’s the worst in Chicago, Roseland has it’s share of problems. There are some nice looking parks in the area, but you get a little closer, and start thinking about going for a walk, and you get a bad feeling.
The prices on many of the homes are very reasonable, and maybe if you want a home to clean up and make livable, it’s the area for you. There are some really cheap places to live, but then there’s a reason. I wouldn’t want to live next to a house that’s boarded up. You never know what might be in there. There could easily be something illegal going on.
There are a handful of decent places to eat, all of them being fairly casual affairs. You won’t find any of the upscale restaurants, or even great specialty places that Chicago is known for.
Nightlife is similarly sparse, without any fun bars or clubs that you’d want to have some fun at. There are some low key bars where you might be happy to be a regular just looking for a drink and to get out of the house, but I wouldn’t bring a date.
You can go shopping on Michigan Ave., and while the really good shopping is North of Roseland, there are stores to be had for those so inclined.
I mostly think of Roseland as a place where if I was driving through the neighborhood with my mom, she’d put her purse on the floor of the car just in case. I don’t think it’s that bad, but it has that affect on people.
Pros
  • Cheap
  • Some fixer uppers
  • Good casual dining
Cons
  • Dangerous
  • Boarded up homes
  • Scary place to visit
Recommended for
  • Singles

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