Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago Suburbs
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-02-2010, 04:59 PM
 
6 posts, read 25,379 times
Reputation: 15

Advertisements

I just graduated from college on the east coast and am taking a one year job in Waukegan. I am going to be making a very small living allowance (will have about 550-600) for rent, as it is basically a volunteer service position.

I'm looking for advice on where to live. I'd like to live close to work and have found a few apartments that seem to be in a good location, but I don't actually know about the area. One is Madison West on Madison St. Another is Little Fort Apartments on N Genesee St and the last is Cinnamon Lake Towers on W Glen Flora Ave. Can anyone tell me about these buildings or just the general area of them? Are they in safe parts of the town?

Also, I've noticed there seem to be a lot of cheaper apartments in Kenosha, how is the commute between those two places? Is it doable everyday?

Finally, as I'm coming from half way across the country and have never even been to Chicago before, I have no idea what to expect from Waukegan. I've read a lot of bad things on this forum about the area, but many seem to have said that it was beginning to be revitalized in the last few years. What is there to do for entertainment? Are there any good bars/restaurants around the area? Are there many people around my age (I'm 22) or is more of an older area?

Any answers to the above questions or random advice about the area would be appreciated, thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-02-2010, 10:11 PM
 
2,115 posts, read 5,415,387 times
Reputation: 1138
I'm not sure where in the East Coast you are moving from, but Waukegan is sadly a once booming industrial town that has struggled for many years and seems to be dying a slow, painful death. It is one of the classic "satellite" cities of the Chicago area, but doesn't offer much for the young professional in terms of social life. Most of the white collar jobs in town seem to be either on the western edge of the city towards Waukegan Road (near the Lakehurst Mall area), and the Lake County Courthouse and its government jobs & lawyers. And as for social life, I'm not really sure how many options you have without commuting out of the area. I think a Kenosha to Waukegan commute is certainly do-able by the way.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MovingOn411 View Post
I just graduated from college on the east coast and am taking a one year job in Waukegan. I am going to be making a very small living allowance (will have about 550-600) for rent, as it is basically a volunteer service position.

I'm looking for advice on where to live. I'd like to live close to work and have found a few apartments that seem to be in a good location, but I don't actually know about the area. One is Madison West on Madison St. Another is Little Fort Apartments on N Genesee St and the last is Cinnamon Lake Towers on W Glen Flora Ave. Can anyone tell me about these buildings or just the general area of them? Are they in safe parts of the town?

Also, I've noticed there seem to be a lot of cheaper apartments in Kenosha, how is the commute between those two places? Is it doable everyday?

Finally, as I'm coming from half way across the country and have never even been to Chicago before, I have no idea what to expect from Waukegan. I've read a lot of bad things on this forum about the area, but many seem to have said that it was beginning to be revitalized in the last few years. What is there to do for entertainment? Are there any good bars/restaurants around the area? Are there many people around my age (I'm 22) or is more of an older area?

Any answers to the above questions or random advice about the area would be appreciated, thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-03-2010, 11:27 AM
 
6 posts, read 25,379 times
Reputation: 15
Thanks for the advice. I knew going into it that its not a very affluent place and that it would probably be a pretty boring year in terms of social life haha. I'm actually going to be doing a year of service with AmeriCorps, so budgeting is definitely an issue. It seems like there aren't many places I can afford besides the direct Waukegan area. I've found a lot in Evanston probably because the university is close so there's cheap student housing, and agree that it would probably be a more entertaining and fun option, but wouldn't the commute be pretty long to do twice a day? Also I do have a car, so if I end up going with that option would it be better/faster to drive or use metra?

Last edited by MovingOn411; 07-03-2010 at 11:40 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-03-2010, 02:00 PM
 
660 posts, read 1,397,102 times
Reputation: 289
Quote:
Originally Posted by MovingOn411 View Post
I've found a lot in Evanston probably because the university is close so there's cheap student housing, and agree that it would probably be a more entertaining and fun option, but wouldn't the commute be pretty long to do twice a day? Also I do have a car, so if I end up going with that option would it be better/faster to drive or use metra?
Evanston can be expensive to rent in and is way too far from Waukegan to commute. Also, Evanston has it's own crime issues and you have to be careful where you live as if you find a place and it's cheaper than other rents in the area, there's a reason for it. Unless you can forget about Americorps and find a job in or near Evanston, you are looking at a long commute as there's no expressway that goes directly there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-03-2010, 05:20 PM
 
Location: SF Bay Area
14,317 posts, read 22,374,384 times
Reputation: 18436
Quote:
Originally Posted by MovingOn411 View Post
I just graduated from college on the east coast and am taking a one year job in Waukegan. I am going to be making a very small living allowance (will have about 550-600) for rent, as it is basically a volunteer service position.

I'm looking for advice on where to live. I'd like to live close to work and have found a few apartments that seem to be in a good location, but I don't actually know about the area. One is Madison West on Madison St. Another is Little Fort Apartments on N Genesee St and the last is Cinnamon Lake Towers on W Glen Flora Ave. Can anyone tell me about these buildings or just the general area of them? Are they in safe parts of the town?

Also, I've noticed there seem to be a lot of cheaper apartments in Kenosha, how is the commute between those two places? Is it doable everyday?

Finally, as I'm coming from half way across the country and have never even been to Chicago before, I have no idea what to expect from Waukegan. I've read a lot of bad things on this forum about the area, but many seem to have said that it was beginning to be revitalized in the last few years. What is there to do for entertainment? Are there any good bars/restaurants around the area? Are there many people around my age (I'm 22) or is more of an older area?

Any answers to the above questions or random advice about the area would be appreciated, thanks!
Cinnamon Lake Towers - interesting comments here
Cinnamon Lake Towers Apartment Ratings, Reviews, Map, Rents, and other Waukegan apartments for rent from ApartmentRatings.com

Madison West - check the comments.
Madison West Apartments Ratings, Reviews, Map, Rents, and other Waukegan apartments for rent from ApartmentRatings.com

Little Fort Apartments - no comments
Little Fort Apartments Ratings, Reviews, Map, Rents, and other Waukegan apartments for rent from ApartmentRatings.com

Been a long time since I lived in Waukegan. Last time I was there was in July 2008. If I were looking for an apartment, I'd stick to the side of Waukegan where West Campus is. Stay away from North Chicago. You may even want to look at Gurnee. Waukegan is not a thriving community anymore and I think anyplace that you choose will be temporary until you can get the feel of the place.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-04-2010, 10:52 AM
 
Location: Oswego, Illinois (Churchill Club)
45 posts, read 175,201 times
Reputation: 19
Do not move there, it is BAD.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-05-2010, 12:27 PM
 
2,115 posts, read 5,415,387 times
Reputation: 1138
The crime rate in Evanston is probably higher in areas such as Howard Street at the southern edge, and Dodge Street at parts of the western edge. Downtown, and especially the residential east and northeast sides of Evanston seem pretty safe.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ladysovereign View Post
No, you're an idiot who posts that all of Evanston is "fine". That is a lie and you are a liar.
From statistics about Crime in Evanston, IL. from Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed:
About Evanston crime rates

The crime rate in Evanston is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest, although at 41 crimes per one thousand residents, it is not among the communities with the very highest crime rate. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Evanston is 1 in 24. Based on FBI crime data, Evanston is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to Illinois, Evanston has a crime rate that is higher than 80% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes.

Last edited by Yac; 08-20-2010 at 06:07 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-05-2010, 01:23 PM
 
Location: Gurnee IL.
694 posts, read 2,015,467 times
Reputation: 337
No need for personally attacking each other...remember its just a message board.

Anyway, I agree with 847------- Evanston is VERY safe, save western areas around Dodge and the southern area---around Howard north to about Oakton.

Waukegan on the other hand has NO upscale areas like Evanston has, except maybe a small area north of Victory on Sheridan Rd.... and is generally run-down throughout.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-05-2010, 03:24 PM
 
829 posts, read 2,086,986 times
Reputation: 287
Waukegan is decent a enough if you are looking for affordable housing and have kids. Mostly working class and lower income white and hispanics families.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-06-2010, 01:42 PM
 
Location: Waukegan,il. Approx 40 miles north of Chicago.
85 posts, read 238,012 times
Reputation: 85
Hows it going. Heres the scoop. I moved from D.C and Va area in 98. Came to Waukegan. Moved out here due to my Job. Good news and bad news. If you talk to the people that said bad things about Waukegan. Ask them if they ever spent any time there. Prablaly just going by what they heard. Its city streets and city side walks. And I love it. There are approx 40 to 50 % mexicans. Thier good people. They are trying to do the same thing you are and everyoneelse is. So dont listen to people. Come here and make your own decision. 30% white. The African Americans are pretty much in thier own area. Now,,,,,,,,,, just so happens. The 3 complexes you name happens to be full of Thugs. Dont care what rase you are. I would stay away from those buildings. The areas are safe. You would not be.

Check out Kings Court. It is Section 8. Not all of it. Good cleintell . Pool. Imperial Towers beside it. I had 2 apartments thier before I bought my house in the same area. Mostly white. Very Very safe. Apartments are very large. Imperial Towers you would have to look at an eficacy. My spelling sucks. My email is Towercraneman1 at gmail dot com I can send you some phone numbers of some nice apts that are in your price range. Dont worry. I know Im a stranger. I just happen to run across your site. Saw Waukegan. Later Gator. Jimmy Martin

Last edited by linicx; 07-07-2010 at 03:16 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago Suburbs
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:18 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top