Newly Married, relocating from Baton Rouge, LA (Chicago, Waukegan: apartment, condo)

[MichaelHCannon]

Me and my fiance are graduating from LSU in May. We are getting married in June, and I plan to attend the Chicago School for Piano Technology in the Fall.
My fiance does not want to live in the city, so I have been looking at condo/apartment/townhomes in the suburbs. The problem I have come across is that most of the suburbs are 45 minutes to an hour away. This would not be so much of a problem if I had the money to pay for gas. My main question is this: what is a suburb that has a low crime rate, within 20-30 minutes of the city, and affordable (between 900-1300/mo)? Also, how is work in the suburbs? We both need full time jobs, and would like to work relatively close to where we live (not in the city). We aren't too picky on the type of jobs we have, anything that pays the bills while I'm in school is sufficient.
I know these questions seem kind of scatterbrained, but I hope you guys can understand what I just typed. I'm sick with bronchitus right now and I haven't slept in a couple days.
Thanks in advance for your help!
-Michael

[tcs1366]

I just googled it and looks like it's North.

just east of Dempster [58] in between Harlem and Waukegan [41]

I'm honestly not familiar with that area... but I"m sure there are plenty or north/nw'burbs to choose from. You may want to be near public transportation [Metra] to make it easier on the wallet for a commute.

[chet everett]

Huh? Is this place in Morton Grove on 2023 W Carol Ave?

That would a suburb that has a low crime rate, is affordable and is 20-30 minutes from the city... You should be right in the range for a decent apartment there.

I'm guessing you are a music major and want to learn how tune pianos? Maybe you can do some sort of apprentice thing at the place you are going AND see if there is some work at Northwestern and the other music schools in and around Chicago. You'd need a car for that but Morton Grove is pretty central and the drive would not be bad.

Why does your fiance not want to live in Chicago? It is big, and most areas are pretty well developed, but also pretty safe. You really would have a hard time telling some of the older close in 'burbs from the city, there are parks and trees line the residential streets.

if you want to live way out in the rural style burbs you will have pretty slim picking for any kind of work and pretty awful commute to the piano technology place...

While employment prospects are not bad for college grads in the Chicago region there is defiantly a concentration of work in the downtown area --you have not said what sort of work either of you are capable of. If you don't want to do the sorts of things that pay well you will be competing with a whole different pool of labor to work the cash register at a 7-11, flip burgers or bus tables. Seems pretty foolish for a couple of fresh out of LSU grads...

[MichaelHCannon]

Originally Posted by chet everett

While employment prospects are not bad for college grads in the Chicago region there is defiantly a concentration of work in the downtown area --you have not said what sort of work either of you are capable of. If you don't want to do the sorts of things that pay well you will be competing with a whole different pool of labor to work the cash register at a 7-11, flip burgers or bus tables. Seems pretty foolish for a couple of fresh out of LSU grads...

Well, I guess I should have been more clear with what I said about employment. It's not that we DONT want to do the sorts of things that pay well, that WOULD be foolish. I was just trying to say that we're not too picky.
I am getting a BA in International Studies with a concentration on Europe, and a minor in German.
She is getting a BA in History with a minor in Theater.

[Manigault]

Its a shame you did not consider the city. There is a large contingent of people who are from Louisiana on the south side, including the head of the DuSable museum, Dr. Margaret Burroughs. Good luck on your job and apartment search.

[oakparkdude]

The school is on the west side of Chicago (2041 Carroll Ave), near Damen and Lake. If you want to live in the burbs, the best is to live near a Metra line which goes into Ogilve or Union station downtown. From there its a short bus ride to the school.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by MichaelHCannon

Well, I guess I should have been more clear with what I said about employment. It's not that we DONT want to do the sorts of things that pay well, that WOULD be foolish. I was just trying to say that we're not too picky.
I am getting a BA in International Studies with a concentration on Europe, and a minor in German.
She is getting a BA in History with a minor in Theater.

Let's see your majors in areas that have no clear career path, your moving thousands away with no connections and continuing to pay for completely unrelated vocational training. What's wrong with this picture?

You need A PLAN. I have nothing against kids studying anything they want in college. I sorta did too. I made out OK not because of what I studied so much but because I had a plan. I built on the skills I learned as a college student, I relied on family & friends by sticking close to home. I undertook additional studies to make more readily employable.

You need to fill in some of the gaps in your our plan. Do you have any work experience that is at all related to piano tuning? Is there any way you can apprentice in this and maybe not need to move thousands of miles away? Have you worked at all with the on-campus placement people to line up jobs for either you or your wife in any way?

Finding an apartement is awfully darned easy, making a new life in a new town with no money is not...

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

The school is on the west side of Chicago (2041 Carroll Ave), near Damen and Lake. If you want to live in the burbs, the best is to live near a Metra line which goes into Ogilve or Union station downtown. From there its a short bus ride to the school.

Not meant to pick on you, but I'm guessing NOT. You know why, becuase bus service WEST from Ogilive SUCKS really bad. There is no demand for people to get from the train station west so the CTA has a hodge podge of routes that kinda-sorta get you west and then you have to rely on routes that kinda-sorta go n-s. This newbie from LSU would be well advised NOT to rely on bus service to get to 2041 Carroll Ave, if that is where he needs to be...

Here is a ridiculous $6 bus ride from the CTA trip finder:

Walk W from OGILVIE TRANSPORTATION CENTER to MADISON & CLINTON

http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/img/atis/pace_bus.gif (broken link)

Take CTA BUS # 56 MILWAUKEE NORTHBOUND


Depart

MADISON & CLINTON



Arrive

GRAND & HALSTED/MILWAUKEE





http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/img/atis/transfer080207.gif (broken link)






http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/img/atis/pace_bus.gif (broken link)

Take CTA BUS # 65 GRAND WESTBOUND


Depart

GRAND & HALSTED/MILWAUKEE



Arrive

GRAND & DAMEN





http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/img/atis/transfer080207.gif (broken link)






http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/img/atis/pace_bus.gif (broken link)

Take CTA BUS # 50 DAMEN SOUTHBOUND


Depart

GRAND & DAMEN



Arrive

CARROLL & DAMEN



http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/img/atis/walking080207.gif (broken link)

Walk 0.1 mile W to 2041 W CARROLL AVE

[oakparkdude]

How 'bout take the #20 Madison bus to Damen, then transfer to the #50 Damen bus for a total cost of $2.00 with the CTA transit card.

[Ophidian14]

Or just walk from Madison to Lake once you're on Damen. It's only a few blocks. I think the OP needs to realize though: waiting for the bus, riding it, and then walking the rest of the way ITSELF is going to take up to a half hour.

So you can add that onto the Metra ride, and then however long it takes to get to Metra from your place out in the 'burbs..

Better idea: just leave your bike locked up outside Ogilvie and use that to go the whole way. It's only two miles to Damen/Lake.

I live two miles from Ogilvie right now and bike it every day, unless it's raining/snowing, then I just take the bus.