Moving from Minneapolis to Chicago (Naperville, Evanston: apartments, rentals, townhouse)

[julia.e.casper]

Hello - My husband and I are moving to Chicago. We are looking for a place to live and have considered suburbs (Oak Park, Elmhurst, Evanston, La Grange) and neighborhoods (Lincoln Park, Lakewood). It seems there is few places to rent with all of our wishes: 3 bedrooms, a place for a dog, and safe/baby friendly (we have a 7 month old), under 3400 dollars. Any other neighborhood suggestions that may fit the bill? Thanks!

[chet everett]

There are certainly apartments available in your price range that are safe for families and accommodate pets. You likely will not find much in Chicago's pricey areas such as Lincoln Park or Lakeview but there are options nearer to the fringes of Chicago that are still served by CTA.

You should also include more suburbs in your search -- Lombard, Downers Grove, Skokie, Niles, Brookfield, and Naperville would all be on my "shortlist".

[mattywo85]

OP, I will say you are actually upgrading your weather situation by moving to Chicago...I don't say that often.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by mattywo85

OP, I will say you are actually upgrading your weather situation by moving to Chicago...I don't say that often.

...far superior ways that municipal leaders have equipped that city for its climate. Though Chicago is a few degrees less cold the foolishness of zoning that makes it rare for there to be any "sky bridges" or underground connections for most workplaces means commuters spend a heckuva lot more time freezing out in the elements than folks in the Twin Cities. For that matter even things like the parks and other recreational areas in Minneapolis are far more likely to have some kind of "all weather" feature than Chicago. The handful of public spots in Chicago to find an indoor pool or any other recreational facility that addresses the reality of our climate is a testament to the lack of reality based thinking and penny pinching that are hallmarks of Chicago's approach to the Parks...

[7Mike]

Rent has gone up past $3400? Good lord.

In addition to Lincoln Park, try parts of Lakeview (just moved out of the Southport area, can recommend it), Roscoe Village, North Center, Lincoln Square.

If you want to really hunt specific zones, generally the school zone around a top public grade school will be very kid friendly, because parents pay top dollar to be in that zone so it’s mostly families in that area.

This site was made for people hunting for homes based on their kids:
https://schoolsparrow.com/

You can click on school rankings, pick a one (eg Blaine), and then go to homes, pick Rent, and a list of rentals will come up in that school zone.

Suburbs depends on how far out you’re willing to go, and cost is an issue for some of the most highly desired ones.

[JONOV]

Where will you be working?

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by JONOV

Where will you be working?

yep, that makes a big difference in where you should look.

[RJA29]

Depending on where you look, space for a dog and a three bedroom could be a little bit difficult. If you want a good amount of space in Lincoln Park, for example, you could easily stretch that budget. You still might be able to find a place, though, on that solid dime.

You might look into renting a house near a train stop in LaGrange, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, etc.

[Klegmar]

Have you looked into Forest Park as well? You might have better luck trying to find a single family home to rent than in some of the other burbs mentioned here. It's only slightly further from downtown than Oak Park is and still has easy access to the L and Metra (the blue line on the southern end, the green line and metra station on the northern end). I work in the Northeast loop riding the blue line and it takes me about 45 minutes, including walking time. (the green line moves a little faster than the blue line does, since both the trains and the tracks are new). The commute to the google office is a few stops shorter than mine, if I'm correctly remembering its location.

Here's links to a couple of listings in the area, as an example

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...28_rect/13_zm/

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...28_rect/13_zm/

If you do end up looking into it, note that area north of 290 tends to be nicer than south of 290; though my wife and I have been living in our place south of 290 for 5 years, and have noticed a lot of improvements already in that time span. (It's not that the area south of 290 is more dangerous than the rest of town - it's just the housing stock tends to be smaller and older). Madison is the main downtown area with a lot of shopping and food, the main park district is on Harrison just south of 290, and there's a dog park on Circle Ave just north of the bridge that goes over the highway. Any other questions, feel free to ask.