college grad moving to chicago, working in lake forest (Evanston: apartment, rental)

[chet everett]

You are doing EXACTLY the sort of analysis you need to!

The drive would be brutal, especially in bad weather regardless of you level of experience, but given that you have never driven in snow you really ought to give serious consideration of how you would take advantage of the Metra and employer shuttle.

As sukwoo points out that will mean coordination of commute to the train station and then on to Lake Forest. My feeling is that would rule out Lincoln Square, as you would be coming from pretty far north back to Union Station, UNLESS you don't mind mapping a route to the other stops that MAY be available north...

SO -- in additional to Lakeview and Lincoln Park you MAY want to include some areas closer to the Loop, basically that is good thing, as there are MANY new condos which are driving down rents in the Loop itself, West Loop, South Loop, UIC /Hospital Campus areas and even in the usually pricey Streetville / Gold Coast areas which are all pretty convenient to Union Station. If you bring a car to some of those areas you need to price in garage parking, as on street is not feasible.

Ah, moving to a new city can be such a learning experience. Suburbs make a nice easy 'fall back' position. You can get a apartment with parking included IF you don't mind driving into Chicago for some entainment but sticking with suburban bars / resturants / comedy clubs/ movies/ shows most of the time...

[bnf]

Thanks for the tips! What are some of the best ways to apartment shop in those communities? Are they just commonly known was "west loop"?

I asked some people at the company where they, and other young people live that work in Lake Forest. I'd just really like the opportunity to walk from my apartment to a couple bars, food, maybe a movie theater, and a cafe or two. I just don't want to be secluded in the "suburb life" where after work I have to drive a distance to entertain myself.

[chet everett]

You might be pleasantly surprised at how well some towns do fill the bill, Libertyville has some great bars that you could walk to, and so do other towns close to Lake Forest.

Of course even the best suburbs have nothing on Chicago itself. The variety of watering holes is like nothing you'll find outside of a college town or tourist destination.

The various online sources for apartments, coupled with judicious use of google maps, and a perusal of the valuable info HERE all combine to make remote apartment shopping much easier.

[knitgirl]

I really think for most people, and especially someone who has never driven in snow that you should live pretty close to work. Most people have to go to an office 5 days a week and 2-3 hrs a day driving after a long day can get tedious really quickly. Driving into the city a couple times a week for entertainment wouldn't be that bad in comparison. Lake Forest is a very expensive town with a very nice downtown. I think between that and Libertyville you'd be able to find things there to do a couple of night a week. Unless you have tons of friends living in the city your social life may be more with friends from work, and you indicated that there are other young people living in Lake Forest.

[SloopyJ]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

The Lake Forest Metra station is on the MD-N line. The only in-city station on this line near anything conceivably fun and safe are Union Station, Western, and possibly Mayfair.

Just to clarify, Lake Forest has two Metra stations. Most of the offices are closer to the station you mentioned, but the OP may want to see if there's an office shuttle to/from the east Lake Forest station that runs on the UP/North Line through Evanston.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

I really think for most people, and especially someone who has never driven in snow that you should live pretty close to work. Most people have to go to an office 5 days a week and 2-3 hrs a day driving after a long day can get tedious really quickly. Driving into the city a couple times a week for entertainment wouldn't be that bad in comparison. Lake Forest is a very expensive town with a very nice downtown. I think between that and Libertyville you'd be able to find things there to do a couple of night a week. Unless you have tons of friends living in the city your social life may be more with friends from work, and you indicated that there are other young people living in Lake Forest.

Most 20 somethings I know would make all sorts of compromises to live in the city. It sucks being out with your friends and having to call it an early night to catch the last train back to the burbs, or even worse, having to look forward to that long drive home. You'll find lots of Chicagoans your age have made the same choice to live in the city and commute.

Most jobs are fairly structured, so you can plan to catch that morning train, but social lives, not so much.

[M TYPE X]

Evanston is great, but it's also good for this situation - you can commute to Lake Forest weekdays and go into Chicago on the weekends. I myself am looking to do the same (but will work anywhere North Shore ish - Northbrook, Deerfield, Lake Forest, etc).

[bnf]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. Please keep them coming if you have more! I've emailed a couple friends I know in the area, and some of my soon to be coworkers. The college friends all say "the city", but of course they live in the 'burbs. I'm hoping many of the younger coworkers live near Lake Forest. But I'm still waiting to hear back from my new work contacts. As much as I'd love the city (and maybe I'd hate the burbs and move there in a year), I'm nervous about the commute. I think an apartment downtown Highland Park near the metra would be nice (close to work, and close to a train to get in to the city). Libertyville also seems to be a common suggestion, but it's even further from the city. I hear a lot about Evanston, but it's still over 20miles from my work. I'd rather just take the extra step and move to wrigleyville if I was going to have a long commute.

[millennialmom]

bnf - My daughter was in a similar situation. She just graduated in the spring and will start her job on Monday, 6/15. She wanted to live in the city but the daily commute to Lincolnshire would have been brutal. Evanston and Arlington Heights came up as possibilities for her but in the end she ended up with an apartment in Lake Forest. In her particular building the majority are young professionals (20's) from what I observed when we moved her in this week. Her building was totally rehabbed last year and the apartments are beautiful. The property is meticulously maintained. Rents are less than what you would be paying in the city. Lake Forest is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the country and a very nice, safe place to live. They have a park/beach on Lake Michigan for residents which is an added bonus. The downtown is small and the offerings are few as far as bars/nightlife. But, there's always The Lantern which seems to attract a number of younger adults in the evening (walkable from her apt). She will take the train downtown on weekends and crash with friends. As mentioned above, better to make the trip downtown for entertainment once a week than to commute to work 5 times a week. If you have questions or I can provide any more info, please let me know.

[bnf]

So I've received some great advice, and narrowed my search to a few. One or two on craigslist are in lake forest, around $900+ for a one bed, and seem to be within a mile of the metra, and some shopping. The other one I found is an apartment complex in lake bluff. It's about $100+ cheaper. It has washer dryer in unit, as opposed to community ones, and seems to be a little bit newer. It however, doesn't seem to be walking distance too much, and is about 4 miles from a metra station. They both are under 7 miles to my work. So in your opinion, is walking to "downtown" lake forest a good pro to add to my pro-con list?

Thanks again for all the help!