No go, Joe.

I rented from summer '07 through summer '08.
I paid monthly rent of $260 during fall/winter for a private room.
I paid monthly rent of $260 during spring/summer for a private room.

Where do I even begin?

This has been the absolute WORST apartment experience I have ever had! There are a variety of issues that makes this place a bad idea for anyone looking for a new place to live.

Maintience/Cleaning - The apartment didn't even have electric outlet covers when my roommate and I first moved in. There was a bucket of paint that was and still remains in the apartment. That seems pretty safe. Not to mention the fact that the apartment wasn't even clean upon move-in. As far as maintience goes we have had problems with just about any appliance that comes with the apartment. Our dishwasher and refridgerator have broken several times with LONG delays in getting them fixed. The heat and a/c have NEVER worked properly even with "repairs".

Community: Most of this section will be mentioned in the 'safety' section below. However, I think it is worthwhile to mention the type of neighbors you will be moving in with. If it isn't a mother screaming prophanities at her children below you then it's vacuuming 3-4 times a day (even during the hours at 1-4am)!. Can someone say drug dealers?

Safety: I stress this section the MOST! I have NEVER felt safe at this apartment. Never. A week after signing the lease I drove into the back parking area where a guy was getting escorted in handcuffs out of the wooded area just right behind my apartment building. This was only the first of many more to come. Since I have lived there I have PERSONALLY witnessed FIVE arrests. Are you kidding me? A lot of people don't witness this in their lifetime and it's been about 8-9 months. If you go to the Springfield Police website and view the call reports section you will notice that the police make a visit to Essex Place every other day ON AVERAGE. This is no exaggeration. Upon looking closely at the reports this apartment complex averages 1-3 assaults per month! I have personally heard two gun shots while living here, and there are also been a guy stabbed in the very building I live in.

That really concludes most of what I have to say about this place. I could go on with more examples, but my main point is to heed my advice and DO NOT MOVE TO ESSEX PLACE! It's true that the apartments are incredibly cheap.. but you get what you pay for. I would encourage you to keep looking. There are better cheap options out there, and I wouldn't wish living here on my worst enemy. Seriously.

Don't even consider this apartment.

I rented from summer '07 through '08.
I paid monthly rent of $260 during fall/winter for a private room.
I paid monthly rent of $260 during spring/summer for a private room.

loves it

I rented from winter '07 through winter '08.
I paid monthly rent of $445 during fall/winter for a private room.
I paid monthly rent of $445 during spring/summer for a private room.

THE WORST APARTMENT YOU WILL EVER LIVE IN. If you like feeling safe, clean, cared for... don't move in here. It takes forever for things to get done... my apartment wasn't even cleaned before I moved in. I can hardly count the number of times the security company or the POLICE have been here because of my upstairs neighbors. There is a bar next door and an expensive laundry room on site. There is something wrong with the pipes in the apartment too.

I rented from summer '07 through summer '08.