Moving from Cincinnati, Oh to Chicago, Need Advice deciding on a neighbourhood to live in. (Evanston: low income)

[shaket]

Hi All,

I am relocating from Cincinnati,Oh to Chicago (job related).

I need help in deciding a neighborhood to live in.

Here are my criteria in the order of preference:

1> Within a 15-20 mile radius of W Devon Ave on Lincolnwood. ( where i will be working)

2> Not too expensive neighborhood :
* < 1300$ per month rental for a 2 bed 1-2 bath townhome/ apartment
OR
*< 300,000$ budget for ownership for a 3-4 bdrm, 2-3 bathroom, 2500 sq ft single family home .

3> Good school district : I have a 5 year old. I have started thinking about good schools (gifted child programs, "magnet" schools etc..)

4> Diverse but not very crowded neighborhood (different cultures , religions , races etc..).


I have to relocate before the end of the month, so I would really appreciate any help /advice you have to offer here.

Thank you.

-Erik

[Avengerfire]

Are you looking for a suburb or a neighborhood in the city?

You should try to find a place in the suburb of Lincolnwood itself since that is where you will be working. Linconwood is an ok suburb. Search the forum for more info on Lincolnwood.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by shaket

Hi All,

I am relocating from Cincinnati,Oh to Chicago (job related).

I need help in deciding a neighborhood to live in.

Here are my criteria in the order of preference:

1> Within a 15-20 mile radius of W Devon Ave on Lincolnwood. ( where i will be working)

2> Not too expensive neighborhood :
* < 1300$ per month rental for a 2 bed 1-2 bath townhome/ apartment
OR
*< 300,000$ budget for ownership for a 3-4 bdrm, 2-3 bathroom, 2500 sq ft single family home .

3> Good school district : I have a 5 year old. I have started thinking about good schools (gifted child programs, "magnet" schools etc..)

4> Diverse but not very crowded neighborhood (different cultures , religions , races etc..).


I have to relocate before the end of the month, so I would really appreciate any help /advice you have to offer here.

Thank you.

-Erik

First off, it's neighborhood, not neighbourhood. This isn't the U.K., LOL! You could probably find something in Rogers Park that fits Criteria 1-2, but this neighborhood can be dicey in parts. You'll have to look closely at each block you're considering. Talk to people and check it out at all hours.

And be careful about the 10-20 mile radius part. Around here, radius does not necessarily mean good access to a given area. Check out actual transit times.

As to Criteria 3, contemporary urban young families tend to completely disregard the poor performing Chicago Public Schools because all of their kids are smart enough to get into a magnet school. I'm sure yours is too. But admission into these schools is very competitive and there are no guarantees. Nothing worse than dropping $300k on a slot in a "bleeding edge" neighborhood only to find out that your kid has to go to a school that has a 10% ISAT pass rate and is 98% low income. So to avoid such a "V-8" moment, you should check out the neighborhood school and be honest with yourself about your child's abilities.

The second prong of Criteria 4 will be impossible to meet unless you move out to Barrington. The first prong, yes, Rogers Park is diverse.

My $.02. Let us know how it goes!

[bulldawg1594]

rogers park would be good, maybe evanston or edgewater.

[UICJohn]

I would suggest either Evanston or Lincolnwood itself. Both of them are nicer suburbs with pretty good schools. I would say that the schools in Lincolnwood are actually nicer however. Also, both of them, for a nicer suburb at least, are pretty diverse as well and affordable too.

[shaket]

Thank you everybody..
I think i will be looking at Rogers Park, Evanston, Lincolnwood, Edgewater for a town-home rental.
I am surprised nobody said Des Plaines, Skokie, Niles or Park Ridge / Edison Park. Somebody mentioned these to me as good options for my search. Let me know if you think there is a good reason to look (or not to look) at these neighborhoods (thanks for correcting my spelling Bru67)

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by shaket

I am surprised nobody said Des Plaines, Skokie, Niles or Park Ridge / Edison Park. Somebody mentioned these to me as good options for my search.

Park Ridge has very good schools but you might be hard pressed to find what you want for $300k. It is a really great walking area.

Edison Park has similar housing to Park Ridge BUT is part of the Chicago school district. If I had to live in the city of Chicago, Edison Park would be my personal choice.

As you have probably realized, housing is over 2x what you would pay in Conconnati.