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Best/favorite neighborhoods in Chicago?

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NewEnglandLady

NewEnglandLady

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My friend just got a job offer in Chicago today and is hoping to move in the next few weeks. The problem? She doesn''t know anything about Chicago and isn''t sure where to start.

Some quick things about her:
She''s young (mid twenties) and single
She has an Old English Sheepdog
She''s always lived downtown while here in Boston and prefers being in or close to the city
The office is downtown--I just mapped it and the closest El station is State/Lake
I''d say her budget is around $1,500/month

Can anybody who has lived or currently lives in Chicago give me a few neighborhoods that might be a good place to start? Thank you, thank you!!
 
Though it''s been quite a while....I believe and hope I could target Lincoln Park...
 
Lincoln Park hands down. It''s THE neighborhood for young professionals, great for walking your dog, nice buildings/apartments and also high-rises. Great selection of restaurants, bars, etc. And a pretty painless commute downtown.

Also, she could consider Lakeview (where Wrigley Field is and farther north of LP) but I''d definitely recommend LP first. (and I don''t live in LP by the way - I have serious neighborhood envy)
 
I only lived in Lincoln Park, but I LOVED IT! Good food, close to Wrigley, the Fullerton station has transfers to a few different lines, 1 mile to the beach and Lake Michigan (and the zoo!), safe atmosphere, and just a quick train ride away from Michigan Ave!

Goodness, I miss it more than I thought I did!
 
Never lived in Chicago, but we came very close to moving there a bit more than a year ago and I would vote Lincoln Park as well. We also looked at Lakeview, it was less expensive at the time, but it seems that housing prices have flipped since (Lakeview is now more expensive per sq ft). Both neighborhoods are fantastic.
 
I''m going to recommend Evanston.

In my opinion, for being in your 20''s and looking to live in the city, I think Evanston is seriously one of the best kept secrets for happy living. It is a wonderful place.

Evanston has a great, very trendy downtown. You have your big box stores like Whole Foods, Barnes and Nobel, Gap and more...but you also have smaller, Mom & Pop shops. The balance give you a "home town" town feel with access to modern day things.

The dining options are really good ... you have incredible Chinese food, like Joy Yee''s (I recommend trying the smoothies there!)...and amazing pub food at Tommy Nevins. Wolfgang Puck has a resturant there, along with some other more mainstream places to dine. The bakeries are really good, too!!

The town is very pet friendly...lots of sidewalk cafes that welcome dogs, and there is even a dog beach. Many apartments are pet-friendly.

Evanston also bumps up to Lake Michigan, with great lake beaches (all free access before 10a and around $5.00 per day after 10a) and tons of walking/biking paths.

The bar scene/social scene is pretty strong...you have your Bar Louie, and The Keg, and Tommy Nevins turns into a hot spot too. Because of Evanstons close location to the city you can easily make your way there too.

Unlike living downtown, parking isn''t nearly as much of an issue...so she can keep a car. But there is also access downtown by using either the El or the Metra which is really nice because you rarely get both.

Evanston has various price points as far as apartments go. You can pay as little as $800 per month for a one bedroom or studio with moderate ammenities...and it just goes up from there. Before owning my condo there, I lived on Oak Street in a fairly large one bedroom with parking and all ammenities included for $1,100 per month...which is really reasonable.
 
The Wrigleyville/Belmont area is a lot of fun, probably about a 30 min El ride North of of State/Lake. Evanston is very nice, as Italia said, but that would be a bit of a commute in the morning if your friend were to take the El. The Metra would be a better option if she were interested in Evanston. Edgewater is also really pleasant and has lots of shopping/dining out.
 
Thank you all for your help, it is MUCH appreciated! I''m compiling all of this info for her.

Lincoln Park/Lakeview seems to be great--it''s near the water, near great amenities and is a straight shot to the office. Also, thanks for the Evanston suggestion, Italia, this is fantastic insight and it''s great to look at other options. I think she should spend a weekend with a real estate agent looking at apartments in maybe two or three sections in the city. Thanks again!!
 
I would have to vote against Lincoln Park. It is super-congested, no parking, and pretty expensive, especially as you get closer to the lake. There are tons of cute shops around there, but I would rather take the bus/train to visit than live there myself.
I live in Wicker Park, and I really like it. There are mostly young professionals and new families living here. There are also the El stations (2 within a mile) that goes directly downtown, a bus that goes straight to the lake, plenty of cute shops and restaurants, and the best selection of bars/pubs around. In my opinion that is.
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If she is looking to live in the city, I would recommend against Evanston. I love Evanston, and I could definitely see myself living there in 5-10 years, but it IS a suburb. That to say, if she loves trees and houses and driveways, Evanston offers all that, as well as good shopping and restaurants.
To live in the loop area, I would recommend River North. There a lots of trendy bars (where celebs go) and 5 star restaurants in this area (Chicago Chophouse, Brasserie Jo, etc.). Its a little more pricey, but I''m sure she could get a nice 1BR 1 BA for $1500 per month. She could even walk to work that way, and lots of people go out for happy hour in the area, so it would be a good way to meet other professionals. Most high-rises even take dogs as well. She wouldn''t need a car if she lived in this area at all, there is SO much public transportation!
Hope that helps. I have lived lots of different places in the city, and being a 20-something professional female, these are my opinions.
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I''m partial to Lakeview because I lived there, DH lived there for years, and we still own a condo there. It''s a great neighborhood, it''s great for dogs because you can cross the street and you''re on the lake and within walking distance to the dog beach. It''s a bit quieter and less congested than Lincoln Park, but I do think rent is more expensive, especially if you''re right on the lake.

If you need a less expensive area, River North is a great recommendation. Great restaurants, bars, etc.

I love Evanston, but your friend would have a killer commute every day. I think it''s a great place to live, but not if you need to get that far into the city for work.
 
Date: 5/5/2009 12:14:24 AM
Author:NewEnglandLady
My friend just got a job offer in Chicago today and is hoping to move in the next few weeks. The problem? She doesn''t know anything about Chicago and isn''t sure where to start.

Some quick things about her:
She''s young (mid twenties) and single
She has an Old English Sheepdog
She''s always lived downtown while here in Boston and prefers being in or close to the city
The office is downtown--I just mapped it and the closest El station is State/Lake
I''d say her budget is around $1,500/month

Can anybody who has lived or currently lives in Chicago give me a few neighborhoods that might be a good place to start? Thank you, thank you!!
Click to expand...

I know many have suggested Lincoln Park, but I would suggest other neighborhoods. I think that Lincoln Park is very expensive, crowded and a little too yuppie for my taste (just my opinion). I would suggest Wicker Park, Bucktown or other surrounding neighborhoods. There are plenty of rentals there, a ton of cute shops, places to eat, very easy commute on the el. You can find some buildings with a backyard.

Although I like some of the Northside communities suggested like Edgewater (one of my favorite neighborhoods), I think it''s a little far and a little older, more families.

I agree with Italia about Evanston but do think it''s quite a commute. You can find closer neighborhoods that offer many of the same things.
If she''s thinking suburbs, I would suggest Oak Park over Evanston. It''s quite a bit closer and very similar to Evanston in many ways.

I''ve lived in many of these areas so if you have other questions, please feel free to ask.

The Reader is a great newspaper for northside locations and Craigslist is good too. Many times, you''ll find the best apt.s by driving around and writing down #''s vs what''s in the paper.
 
Lincoln Park is a great location, but very expensive. I think Wicker Park, Bucktown and Lakeview are also great areas and less expensive. I live in River North and love it. I can walk downtown or take the el, lots of great restaurants/bars, shops and art galleries, its extremely dog friendly (seems like everyone here has a dog) and there is a dedicated dog park in the neighborhood. But then again, you can find the same in many other neighborhoods. I think you have to visit each area to get a good feel of what each is like and what appeals to you most... they all have their personalities!
 
What about the Gold Coast? That''s an amazing place to live...and within a minute on CL, I found a 1 bedroom, pet friendly, awesome views apartment for rent---only $1,350!
 
Lincoln Park or Wrigleyville!
 
I lived in Lakeview and loved it - Belmont & Southport. I miss those days.
Just stay far enough from Wrigley Field that Cub fans aren''t always parking in front of your house - forcing you to park a mile away.
 
I would recommend Wicker Park/ Bucktown which is a little west of Lincoln Park. I lived in Lincoln Park while in college, and now going back there, being a younger professional I feel kind of ''inbetween'' the two demographics. It is a very popular area for college students because of DePaul nearby and is also very popular with young families.

I also have a friend who lives in Greek Town (Just south west of downtown) and loves it there.
 
Congrats to your friend! I live in Old Town right now, and have for the past 3 years, and I love it. I catch the 156 bus downtown every morning and it takes me around 15 minutes max to get to work (close to state and lake). Our first year in the city my husband and I lived in the Gold Coast - and we really loved that as well. Apparently, I am not so picky ;)

The only thing about LP, Gold Coast AND Old Town is that you don''t get a ton for your money. If she has a larger dog, a tiny apartment in one of these neighborhoods might not be the best?? But I hear Boston doesn''t have the largest apartments either, so maybe it would work for her.

I think the best thing to do is use those apartment finders - they take you around the city and different neighborhoods for free.

Best of luck to her, and congrats!!!
 
Thanks again, everybody! I compiled all of this information and made a list of pros and cons for her (and sent her that link on Craigslist, Italia, thank you!) and she was appreciative. She''s meeting with a real estate agent to take her around Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, River North and if she has time, the surburban areas of Oak Park/Evanston. She''s always lived in the South End here in Boston, so she really likes more "neighborhood"-like areas that are within the city and it sounds like all of these have--maybe to a lesser degree with River North, but she can walk to work from River North, which is a big pro. The only thing I think she''s ruled out right now is anything near the stadium. It''s always a fun place to live, but we have friends in Fenway and we have to make sure there isn''t a home game if we want to head over.

She''s actually taking a position at my company and even better, it''s my position (I was on a Chicago-based account and am back to a Boston-based account), so I''m hoping I can go out and train her/help her unpack in a couple of weeks. I LOOOVE Chicago and I hope she loves living there. She doesn''t know anybody, so this is a real adventure!

Thanks again, all!
 
Date: 5/5/2009 5:51:45 PM
Author: julesbeth
Congrats to your friend! I live in Old Town right now, and have for the past 3 years, and I love it. I catch the 156 bus downtown every morning and it takes me around 15 minutes max to get to work (close to state and lake). Our first year in the city my husband and I lived in the Gold Coast - and we really loved that as well. Apparently, I am not so picky ;)
Click to expand...
Oh, JB, I love Old Town. After we decided not to move we wandered through a neighborhood and a couple of women my age were camped in chairs in the front yard on a Sunday evening chatting it up and I became a bit sorrowful and envious. I wanted to be one of their neighbors!
 
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