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Ok - I know exactly where you are talking about, but I am not familiar with the new buildings you are talking about. I frequently take Dempster or Main street when I come in to Evanston.
I would say it's really the area around the high school (Dodge and Church) that is not a very desirable area. I also remember Mason park as having some undesirable activity - mostly at night. During the day during the summer months they used to run a summer camp there and you can see many basketball games played in that park.
It really depends on your tolerance of activities. Some people are fine in fringe areas (which Mason Park is IMO). There are many lovely homes on Florence and on the surrounding streets.
My suggestion is always to drive the nieghborhood at night and to check the crime statistics for that area and then decide. Evanston is a unique place with lots to offer and I know there has been an effort to clean up Church street, particularly around Dodge. Good luck to you!
I haven't been by them -- it is a development I found on the internet. It certainly is close to the high school, and it would sound like it's not really in the best part of town?
Tolerance... depends.... gunfire is a little past what I'd be comfortable with. Zero crime is not necessary, but I am definitely looking for an area that would be safe to walk in the evening, as proximity to evening entertainment such as bars and restaurants is a significant motivation behind being in a more urban area.
I used to drive Church all the time and never had a problem. I also have driven Dodge on a regular basis and Emerson without any problems. I do know there is gang activity and drug activity around the high school so you could have problems related to those issues. It really just depends. If the building and its parking are secure you could be fine. As for gun shots well summer is coming and it could happen.
I think you just have to check it out. Walking East will be fine and you would be close to the theater and shops and the El and Metra. There are many other new buildings going up all the time and in this market you could find exactly what you want for the right price. Another suggestion is to rent in Evanston and take your time finding the area that is the best fit for you. Good luck!
1) South Evanston is ok. Some parts of South Evanston are very exclusive and you can find some of Chicago's wealthiest families living in South Evanston. I would avoid the areas near St. Francis Hospital and just about three or four blocks north of Howard Street. This would give you a buffer zone from the city of Chicago, which has occaisional spill over crime and drug trafficing to the other northern suburbs of Wilmette, etc. Everything north of Oakton except areas of west Evanston where minorities tend to reside. The area near James Park and Dawes Elementary school is very nice. It is just west on Oakton. It is a cute young family area. It is relatively diverse, but predominantely white. There are nice renovated starter homes with 3 bedrooms for between $450,000 to $600,000. Most everything under $400,000 is going to need some work. There is a new mall being built near the North Shore channel. It is called the Oakton Shoppes. There used to be a small metal factory there that closed about 20 years ago. There are two other malls. One fronts Oakton and the other is just north and fronts Main Street. There is a nice Home Depot, Petsmart, Sam's Club, and Starbucks, just to name a few places. At James Park there is a large hill called Mt. Trashmore. It is filled with trash, because it used to be landfill, it is quite pretty around there. At the top you can see the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette, the Evanston skyline, and Downtown Chicago.
2) The area around South Blvd, Sheridan Road, Kedzie, and Main Street is very nice and a great upper-middle and upper-class family neighborhood. Single-family homes in that area are almost always over $800,000 unless they are listed as a teardown property. Vintage condominiums average around $500,000 to $600,000. They are very popular with families, because of Lincoln Elementary, Dewey Elementary, and Nichols Middle School. There are many very nice parks and beaches. Sheridan Road is a premier address. It is known throughout the Chicago area as the most exlusive street on the North Shore. It is over 20 miles of multi-million dollar homes and occaisional condominium buildings in Evanston and Wilmette. Rentals in this neighborhood are very expensive. Most are well maintained. The condominium buildings are always nicer. I would try to rent a condo before an apartment.
3) Parking is very difficult for vintage aprtment dwellers. You must have a parking permit to park in most residential areas overnight. Having advertisements on vehicles and parking commercial vehicles on residential streets is strictly prohibited. Residential garage parking is very expensive and very rare. I have seen parking near Sheridan Road and Main Street listed as high as $3,000 per month per covered space. Even driveway parking is very expensive at around $600 per month. You may get lucky and find parking through your building manager for much cheaper. Most Evanston apartment dwellers use public transportation. I would take a look at newer apartment building in northern Evanston. You have the Park Evanston which is very expensive right in Downtown Evanston. Most apartments are around $3,000 per month + parking. A place on the edge of downtown near Emerson and Ridge, is the Reserve at Evanston. It is somewhat cheaper but less convenient and in an area that is nice and well to do but not as pretty as areas closer to the Lake and Northwest Evanston. Another place is Evanston Place. They rent primarily to Northwestern students, because it is so close to the campus. Rentals there are around $1900/month.
4) Chicago and its suburbs are more racist than most cities in the US. They tend to be fairly conservative. Evanston is better than many of the Chicago suburbs. Northwestern University brings a liberal edge to the community, otherwise it would be just like Winnetka or any other North Shore community. Evanston is very segregated and the Police Department is notoriously racist. Blacks and Hispanics are sectioned off to the more rough parts of the community. This area is surrounding Evanston High School and the Dempster/Dodge area. Do not get confused when people say avoid Church, Emerson, Dodge, and Dempseter. The eastern portions of Chuch, Emerson, and Dempster are very nice. Dempster having multi-million dollar homes near the lake. Dodge has great parts like the area I mentioned south of the high school near Oakton. A man named Hecky, who served on the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 School Board was made famous for calling multi-racial children "mutts" in a board meeting. It was on newspaper headlines for weeks. He was well noted for his barbecue restaurant at Green Bay Road and Emerson Street in northern Evanston. Personally I would not worry too much about your concerns, racism is going to happen in Chicago, you cannot avoid it.
5) Most everything in Evanston is not going to have central air conditioning. Even multi-million dollar mansions do not have air conditioning. Most homes and building in Evanston were built before 1920, which make retrofitting very difficult. If you can look at more expensive vintage condominiums like $375,000 you will find some with A/C. Also, the newer apartment buildings have air conditioning. I am not sure what your budget is, but if you look hard enough you'll find what you want in Evanston.
"The area around South Blvd, Sheridan Road, Kedzie, and Main Street is very nice and a great upper-middle and upper-class family neighborhood. Single-family homes in that area are almost always over $800,000 unless they are listed as a teardown property. Vintage condominiums average around $500,000 to $600,000. They are very popular with families, because of Lincoln Elementary, Dewey Elementary, and Nichols Middle School. " Nysee 53
While you can find condominiums at the price points described above, you can also find vintage condos (1&2 Br) for less, even under $300K especially in this market so don't be discouraged. I know someone who bough a 1 br condo for $160K over on Hinman between South Blvd and Kedzie about 4-5 years ago and last year the one across the hall sold for under 200K because it did need a lot of work. The building is very nice and so is the neighborhood. If you have a good realtor you can find what you are looking for.
The same goes for rentals - you can find rentals under $1900. Check out the Pioneer Press for Evanston called "The Evanston Review" and look in the classified ads to see what housing costs are currently.
"Northwestern University brings a liberal edge to the community, otherwise it would be just like Winnetka or any other North Shore community." Nysee33
With all due respect I can't completely agree with this. I grew up in Evanston and would have to say that many Evanstonians do not interact with the NU folks all that much unless they actually work for or attend the University. In fact there is quite a bit of resentment toward NU because they don't pay taxes or pay for city services and as a result that financial burden has been placed upon Evanston residents. While NU students may be more liberal than other people (I don't really know because the only NU student I know is my sister and she is quite liberal, but then she grew up in Evanston too) I don't think the University can take all the credit for the community's culture. I would say Evanston is a unique place that didn't quite prepare me for some of the other, less tolerant views out there. I am greatful I had the opportunity to meet people from many economic, racial and religious backgrounds in an environment that embraced diversity.
I wish you good luck in your search and I do think you have received some excellent feedback on this thread. It sure seems like everyone has given lots of good information for you to think about.
Wow.... I don't even know what to say. From what I see, the Chicago are seems more expensive than Southern California for comparable places. For example, in the areas where I spend my time, you can get a new, 2,500 square foot house within two miles of the ocean for about $750,000. If you go inland far enough, that same house is $250,000-300,000. Air conditioning would be standard, and none of these prices are near questionable areas. Nice, new condos with an ocean view in a respectable area would run about the prices I'm seeing in Evanston -- and some of those places aren't in the better areas based on the description.
I know the median price is lower in Chicago, but considering it is an older city, the fact that many houses are older and smaller makes an impact. From what I'm seeing, to be close to the city is the same price in either place, and to be 60 miles out is the same in either place.
Just curious, am I missing something, or has Chicago really caught up to SoCal in price? And if so... is a crash coming? SoCal traditionally is one of the top two or three markets in price... this all makes me a bit nervous!
Anyway- if you would like to learn about the market here in Chicago I have a wonderful realtor who works out of the Coldwell Banker office in Winnetka. She is a sweet heart and doesn't care if you are spending 50K or 50M she will give you the same service. Her great gift is finding the perfect home in your price range. She is also very knowledgable about the Northshore including Evanston. Email me and I can give you her name if you want. We love her and provided her with over 5M in referrals because she is so great. Very down to earth.
As for the housing market here, it has always been expensive. Maybe Chet will chime in somewhere on this thread - he's a good one for all the fine details for questions like this. Don't give up tho, you can find what you want.
The North Shore is the most expensive part of the Chicago area (other than the city itself). If you want cheaper housing, Evanston is not the place to look.
Hockeyfan does realize that the median home sale in Chicago is lower than those in California due to a stock or older homes that tend to be smaller, but it is also very slow moving market in comparison to LA - SanDiego corridor. As a number of threads from possible relocation posters have noted, there are relatively few part of Chicago itself that are attractive to typical corporate relocation types. While there is some truth to this in SD-LA too(corporate types are not going to move a run down are, of which LA has more than a few...), the shear number of people that move into that area for everything from the "film business" to Hispanic and Asian migration to military and other retirees distorts the real estate picture. With so many people almost always coming in or moving around the market moves much more quickly.
Despite this speed there are much more severe differences in location in all of California. As Hockeyfan notes, the ocean can be just a few miles from many decent neighborhoods that are not sky high -- the coast line reaches the whole length of the state, as compared to the tiny portion of Illinois that is within a reasonable distance of the lakefront. But the actual number of legaly buildable ocean fronts in California is ridiculously small, commanding a HUGE premium. For a taste of what confronts more typical homeowners, consider commuting issues are orders of magnitude more important in California. Public transportation is extremely limited, and just about every office worker in California has to factor in long drives. If you live too clsoe to a freeway there are bovious noise issues, and the crisscross nature of the CA freeways means that being on the wrong side of junction is giant negative. As a percentage of employement the office worker is not as common in the whole LA-SD-SF region as such a person is in the Chicago metropolitan area -- a lot more goods and produce move there than here. The various effects that the kind of employment has on where people want to live and what sort of recreation they want is another big difference comparing CA to Chicago. If one desires a true "in-town" experience they may have to pay very dearly for it. Today's WSJ took a look at some SanFran prices. There have been some large percentage drops, but desirable sections are so far into the stratosphere that the real estate agent they talked to said she literally laughs at people looking for bargains. A place might have fallen 30% from its peak, but those picturesque Victorians and mid century sky huggers are still selling in the $7M territory, well off their $10M peak, but out of reach for all but the folks that won the high tech internet lotto....
A lot of that mindset pervades California pricing. Even if you just a peripherally involved in the film business you might get a big payday and not feel too bad about overpaying for some "flipped" house. It won't be in the same Brentwood neighborhood that the studio boss has,it might even be in area that was until recently a little rough. But you can get your pool and your off-street parking and maybe a little patch of yard for you purse dog. Quite different than a condo building in Wicker Park or a bunglaow in Garfield Ridge...
Just much more common in the Chicago region to have a lifestyle that is much less peaks and valleys...
Last edited by chet everett; 05-20-2008 at 10:02 AM..
From a recent Northwestern grad who spent five years in Evanston (true Evanstonians, heap your hatred here):
1) If you're talking east near the lake then north of Dempster is really the cutoff for sketchiness, but the area around Main and Chicago has been revitalized a bit in recent years.
2) See #1. I don't know about crime in those few blocks specifically but you could do worse. Potentially some good value in this area.
3) Neighborhood decals, and I'll defer to the lifelong residents for the ins and outs of that. I just knew where to find the 2-hour parking spots closest to campus
4) That's way too general of a question for anyone to intelligently answer. Everyone brings their own experiences. I'd say we're more tolerant than Alabama but less tolerant than New York City, how's that? Most people I know wouldn't bat an eye at the sight but I come from that liberal outpost that is the University.
5) Lotta new condos downtown around Davis if you want to go that route. Otherwise yes, you'll find lots of old buildings without central air.
Evanston's a great place for a young person to start out. A fairly vibrant downtown and close to the real deal, Chicago.
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Evanston
