Starting a new job in Waukegan (Chicago, North Chicago: rent, condos, low crime)

[patriruipe]

Sorry, I didnt probably make my question very clear.
I meant apartments, as I need to rent for the rest of the year and I dont have a clue where to start looking for.

Patricia

[patriruipe]

Originally Posted by mdhereicome

Hi Patricia,

Yes, as teachers you all have your hands full. I have to commend you as I know it is not always easy. You aren't regarded high enough in my opinion!!!

You asked about accomodations...(as in hotel)?? Or apartments? If you meant hotels, I'll tell you to stay in Gurnee. They have quite a few really nice hotels right on Grand Avenue. Let me know if I answered your question...or if you meant apts...

Hi
Yeah, I meant apartments. I need accommodation for at least a year.
As I'm new in the country, I would not have idea where to start looking for an apartment. I'd like to be near bus/train lines if these areas are safe.

Thanx, Patricia.

[sbjj]

Patriruipe,

Welcome to the state. My family just moved to IL as well and things are still new to us. I would have to agree that Waukegan is not the best place to reside. We have two children enrolled in elementary school and was warned that Waukegan may not be the best schools to enroll our children. From what I have been told about the schools are they are very gang affliated. When I first got here and I just so happen to drive past one of the high schools in Waukegan (on Washington St) I thought it was the jail b/c it looked rundown and abandoned from the outside. On my way back up the street is when I saw the sign that said it was a high school. I was like WOW.

Since you are not from the area I would encourage you to stay away from Great Lakes, Waukegan, Zion only b/c there are some nice areas yes but you have to know where to look. All cities have their bad parts except these cities have a bit more than others. Good thing you don't drive b/c the streets are absolutely horrible on your tires and suspension on your vehicle. The streets are in very bad shape all over the place.

Gurnee is nice. There are quite a few places to go and see. Grand Ave pretty much have everything you need on it from all the major car dealerships to the mall, Waliworld (walmart), to your grocery stores, drug store, hardware stores and many resturants (fast food and fine dining) and hotels.

Gurnee do not have metra but Grayslake do have the metra that runs to Waukegan. There is pace bus transportation as well. Go to Metra - Welcome to Metra and that way you can track your route. If even has a link to pace as well on the site.

[Sparkman]

It will be very tough to get around & to Lyon School without being able to drive. Lyon School is about 3 miles from the train station & it is near some pretty rough neighborhoods. To get to the train station from there would be going through some pretty bad areas. Bus line goes down Lewis Av right by the school, not sure how close to the school it stops and how easy it would be to get there from most areas. Might be easy from the west side of Waukegan (along Green Bay Rd) or from certain areas of Gurnee that are on the bus route. You'd do yourself some good by getting you drivers license.

[dzoeo]

I have lived in Waukegan all my life and I must say that it is not as bad as most people make it out to be. Yes the schooling did seem to go downhill over the years but there are the people that actually care that make a difference. And not once have I been mugged or robbed or threatend by gangs or anything of that sort.
Apartment-wise, there are a lot of apartments in Waukegan and that is probably the most affordable area around here. Gurnee is more expensive and there are less apartments to choose from. Traffic is not horribly bad but tends to be crazy around the Gurnee Mills/Six Flags area. They are really putting work into Downtown Waukegan and it's looking nicer these days. Kenosha has a lot of Apartments as well and their pricing is cheaper than Waukegans and the Metra does go up there. Most of Zions apartments seem to be huddled in 1 area and most seem to be low income/assisted housing, but there are nice ones. I Waukegan I would recommend Madison West Apartments. It's in a quiet little area, the landlord owns all the housing in the area and keeps up the place fairly well. Let me know if you want to know more about that apartment specifically. In Zion I would check out Horizon Village.
Hope this helps you out!

[rsruss6399]

Patricia,
I may be a little late with my response, but I hope I can help. I was born and raised in the Waukegan/Zion area. I now live in Iowa, where I went to college. I make the short 4 hour trek home about every other month to see my family. My family is scattered in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago. The whole Zion/Waukegan area has gone down hill in the last few years, It's very dis-heartning to to the the area I grew up in decline. Zion has pumped a ton of money into their downtown, it looks very nice now. Zion is also trying to attract new business to the area. I have not seen much success there, but Zion keeps trying. Zion is trying to market itself as an oasis to for people looking to get out of crowded suburbs closer to the city. Hasn't really taken off yet.
Waukegan is the the same way. City officials are still trying to figure out how to re-develop the lakefront. The best part of Waukegan is the Northside, Glen Flora Country Club, Sheridan Road area (around Bob and Ann's restaurant and Victory hospital). It's actually a beutiful older area. I know that there are nice apartments and flats. Neighborhoods are very quiet and tree lined. The rest of Waukegan has gone down hill.
Alternatives would be Gurnee (exspensive), Beach Park (still pretty nice) Wadsworth (exspensive), Winthrop Harbor (moderately exspensive depending on the section).
Hope this helps you out and has not discouraged you from living in the area. Zion and Waukegan still have very nice parts, just have to look to find them. I think that both of these communities are on the right track of getting tunred around. Like everything else it just takes time. Older citizens in both Zion and Waukegan are very rooted in their cities, and remember the glory days of low crime, peaceful neighborhoods, and good schools. Give both cities more time and I think you will see drastic improvements.

[Jedi5]

Originally Posted by dzoeo

I have lived in Waukegan all my life and I must say that it is not as bad as most people make it out to be. Yes the schooling did seem to go downhill over the years but there are the people that actually care that make a difference. And not once have I been mugged or robbed or threatend by gangs or anything of that sort.

I have to agree with dzoeo on this. Waukegan isn't as bad as some people here make it seem. Rough areas and crime yes but there are still some nice areas.

Not sure if you can swing a condo/townhome but there are some nice ones in Gurnee/Waukegan and I think even North Chicago. The problem is the commute you'll have without a car.

Feel free to PM if you'd like.
I can try to answer any questions you have.

[Motmouth]

Originally Posted by mdhereicome

Hi Patricia,

Yes, as teachers you all have your hands full. I have to commend you as I know it is not always easy. You aren't regarded high enough in my opinion!!!

You asked about accomodations...(as in hotel)?? Or apartments? If you meant hotels, I'll tell you to stay in Gurnee. They have quite a few really nice hotels right on Grand Avenue. Let me know if I answered your question...or if you meant apts...

I'm considering taking a job in the Lake Bluff area. Any thoughts on Hotel costs in Gurnee? Which Hotel would you recomend? Also, any suggestions on finding a "Roomate to share costs" in the area? Looking to try and keep my rental costs below $600.

[Alexus]

Waukegan was at one time a very nice city to live and grow up in. We had the 3 segments of jr high schools that defined the boundaries of this city: Jefferson was the mostly black/south side school, Webster was the diverse, half/half west side school, and Benny was the mainly white/far north school. Among high schools, West Campus was on the better side of town and the neighborhoods that this school served were preferred. East campus was not so good, being near downtown, near the run-down south side. Lewis Ave was a dividing line between East and West campus. Of course there was the lakefront properties on Sheridan road between Glen Flora and Washington and the county buildings near there. Nice living there. Waukegan had some nice areas.

I was there a couple years ago, and the town seems to be changing to a largely hispanic town. There was also heavy drug activity from Chicago that still goes on as well as alleged Mafia influence. Amazing that a town like that with that lakefront, so close to Chicago, is not more affluent. Just a shame. Something is terribly wrong there.

Evanston appears too far, but I've never taken the train into Waukegan from there. It may not be bad for one trip, but everyday? Think about commuting during those very harsh winters, having to wait at the bus stop every day in subzero temperatures. Not good. Better to find a nice area in Waukegan IMO. I'm sure its not all bad. I would first start by West campus, off Grand Ave. Seems like a car is almost a necessity.

[Nafster]

Haha, I'm surprised Waukegan's economy is good enough to offer you a job. It's gone way downhill since the collapse of the power plant in Zion as well as other manufacturing industries around North Chicago.

But in no way is it a BAD city to live in. You can definately find pretty cheap but decent houses/apartments in nice neighborhoods. After all, the city is almost sized at 100,000 people, so it has it's nice and it's bad parts.

You may also want to check out apartments in Gurnee or nearby Lake Bluff or even Lake Forest. A Metra train ride could get you there in ten to fifteen minutes.