What Are the Cool Places in Northern burbs for Young, Single Professionals to Live? (Chicago: restaurants, offer)

[millennialmom]

Originally Posted by rose125

Sorry I'm just trying to think of lots of ideas to help you out. I can tell you some places you probably won't want to consider if that might be of any help?

We are very open to any suggestions you have. I'm gathering as much info as I can in a brainstorming kind of way (no wrong answers). My daughter is getting input from friends and future colleagues. You may strike a nerve with her that I wouldn't even consider. Please pass along any thoughts you have. We're coming on Thursday and will be there thru Sunday to check everything out. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your perspectives. It is tremendously helpful.

[mh7]

There might be apartments/condos for rent in downtown highland park, that'd be a fairly easy commute in the mornings, have easy access to downtown (metra runs through the middle of the downtown area) and there are some cool things to do (ravinia, easy lake acces, etc). I somehow doubt it'd fall into the "cool" category for someone young & single.

If she is going to getting to work very early, I'd just live in bucktown - its probably a 30 minute drive without traffic early in the morning. Just tell her to either work late every night or leave work very early...

The naperville suggestion was possibly the worst suggestion every by the way.

[millennialmom]

Originally Posted by mh7

There might be apartments/condos for rent in downtown highland park, that'd be a fairly easy commute in the mornings, have easy access to downtown (metra runs through the middle of the downtown area) and there are some cool things to do (ravinia, easy lake acces, etc). I somehow doubt it'd fall into the "cool" category for someone young & single.

mh7 ... If she lived downtown, she wanted to rely on the train/shuttle to get to work. If she has to drive to work every day, I think she wants to minimize her commute. Easy access to the Metra is a high priority as she will probably spend a fair amount of her social time downtown with friends. As a parent, I'm looking for the safest living situation possible. So, imo, Highland Park meets all these criteria. We are trying to be realistic and don't have the expectation of finding "cool" in the suburbs. In then end, she's looking to set the stage for success with her new job/employer; this is most important. I think it's worth a look.

[rose125]

Did you have any luck during your visit?

[millennialmom]

Originally Posted by rose125

Did you have any luck during your visit?

We had a great visit. We looked at a number of different options. I'll try to summarize as succinctly as possible.

First, she had been planning to live downtown but her work schedule just wouldn't allow it. So, that was her first choice.

We are familiar with Evanston and, on the way in, drove what would be my daughter's commute route. Being new to the area and just starting a new job, we thought the commute was a little long to the Buffalo Grove/Lincolnshire area.

We looked in Arlington Heights. The newer condo buildings offer a great location and nice amenities, if you can find one for rent. The lowest 1 bdrm we could find was $1,600/mo. With a budget of $1,250, give or take, this was a little too much. We looked at the Avalon Apts right downtown. This was a nice alternative for the money. The studios (600+ sq ft) are really neat in that complex with their almost full wall of windows. The one bedrooms also fell within her budget and had balconies. They have a 7 story building, further away from AH Rd which would have provided a quieter alternative to the 11 story building, that has one side bordering AH Rd. These were nice and under strong consideration.

As an alternative, we explored Highland Park and Lake Forest. My daughter has a number of friends from this area and her commute would be about 20 minutes, or so. Last summer when she interned, she visited with her friends and became familiar and comfortable with the commute. With that in mind we looked at a couple of apt buildings in Lake Forest. The two we looked at were both completely rehabbed. One stood out as it was meticulously maintained. Surprisingly, the majority of residents in this 12 unit building are under 30, a mix of professionals and grad students. We met with owners, who in no uncertain terms, laid out their expectations of tenants. No smoking, no pets (not even a fish), don't leave windows opened/cracked during inclement weather and the list went on. At the same time, these units have been rehabbed with top notch appliances, corian, ceramic tile floors/carpeting, white wood blinds, solid wood doors, etc. The units are painted a really nice beige color with white trim; very neutral and easy on the eyes. My daughter has no problems with their rules and wouldn't mind having to live with others who were subjected to the same. Another attraction of this area is being right on Lake Michigan. She enjoyed walking with her friends to the Lake Forest beach area. It's really nice.

Well, she ended up taking the apt in Lake Forest. She has friends there and she knows their parents. This provides an element of comfort for her and for us. It's a decent commute to work. And, we connected well with the landlords. They have created 12 awesome apts and want to keep them that way. We have no problem with that.

Had she not known anyone in the area, I think she would have chosen the Avalon Apt in Arlington Heights. There's no doubt that she would have connected with younger singles there, too.

In the end, "cool" wasn't even a factor. Familiarity, comfort level, commute and having friends in the area won out. Lake Forest hasn't been mentioned with "cool" in any posts I've read, but there are a lot of things that she likes about the area. It will be easy enough to catch the Metra in to the city to hang out with her friends when she wants that kind of "cool."

It really comes down to each person's particular situation and what's important to them. This is how she wants to do it. If it turns out different than what she's expecting, she can always move. But, for right now, this feels like the right thing for her.

[Drover]

Glad she was able to find something that will work, even if it's not her first choice. Sounds like you got kind of lucky too, I can't imagine there's an abundance of rental stock in Lake Forest, much less reasonably affordable rental stock.

[millennialmom]

Originally Posted by Drover

Glad she was able to find something that will work, even if it's not her first choice. Sounds like you got kind of lucky too, I can't imagine there's an abundance of rental stock in Lake Forest, much less reasonably affordable rental stock.

We were quite surprised. My daughter mentioned Lake Forest as a possibility so we checked craigslist and found a couple places. All in, during the coldest winter months, it's estimated that her total monthly cost will be around $1,125. This is for a 1 bdrm with about 675-700 sq ft.

[middle-aged mom]

Your daughter sounds mature. She values her comfort and friendships more than " cool". She will have a fabulous summer in Lake Forest.

[millennialmom]

Originally Posted by middle-aged mom

Your daughter sounds mature. She values her comfort and friendships more than " cool". She will have a fabulous summer in Lake Forest.

Thanks, we are all really comfortable with this decision. She looks to be there for a while.

[rose125]

Good! I'm glad she found something =)