living without a car in chicago? (Oak Park, Elmwood Park: rent, high crime, safest area)

[johnny_superman]

Dear friends,

I would like to find out if its possible to live in nice chicago suburb close to dwntwn that has easy acces to metro station. I would like to live north of dwntwn but not too far. What would be the safest area that has a small studio up to $750 a month.

thank you for your posts

[nowyouareoneofus]

It's very easy...and there's also 400 threads about this

[untuchableface]

Check out Bucktown... there is a metra stop there and you might be able to find a small studio.

[Scribbler]

Do you want a suburb, or a non-downtown neighborhood? Bucktown, referenced above, is not a suburb, but a city neighborhood.

Many suburbs are not close to downtown (depending on your concept of "close.").

[johnny_superman]

well, I want to be close to dwntwn chicago and live in safe and affordable area.

Also, I dont want to have a car in chicago that is one of the reasons I want to move.
My concern is how safe and realiable rail line is at night, is it possible to live in old town and walk lets say to gold coast and some parts of dwnts chicago safely without going through some bad pockets with a high crime.

thank you all !

[via chicago]

its entirety possible to live your entire life in chicago without a car. in fact, i consider it rediculous to own a car if you live in Chicago. you can always rent if you need to go somewhere the rails dont. and by Chicago i mean the city itself. not naperville.

a couple El lines run 24 hours a day (red line, blue line). the bus system is also extensive. 11 Metra rail lines go out to the suburbs. Chicago is also known as the bike capital of the US (thanks in no small part to it being a favorite hobby of the mayor). There is a network of 150 miles worth of on street bike lanes.

the further out into the suburbs you go, the harder it will be to get by without a car.

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by via chicago

its entirety possible to live your entire life in chicago without a car. in fact, i consider it rediculous to own a car if you live in Chicago. you can always rent if you need to go somewhere the rails dont. and by Chicago i mean the city itself. not naperville.

a couple El lines run 24 hours a day (red line, blue line). the bus system is also extensive. 11 Metra rail lines go out to the suburbs. Chicago is also known as the bike capital of the US (thanks in no small part to it being a favorite hobby of the mayor). There is a network of 150 miles worth of on street bike lanes.

the further out into the suburbs you go, the harder it will be to get by without a car.

........................................yep.

[Chinolala]

It is very easy to live in Chicago without a car. If you want to live in the suburbs without a car, look at Oak Park, Forest Park or Elmwood Park. You can downtown from these 3 suburbs using the Chicago subway system for $4.00 per day rountrip in under 30 minutes. If you live in Elmwood Park, there is a 15 minute bus ride involved. My brother in law is nearly 40 and has never owned a car. He lives in the city close to Wrigleyfield and takes the subway downtown to work. If you ever needed a car for a weekend trip, you can rent one. There are also services that rent cars by the hour for large shopping trips. It's much cheaper than owning one.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by lisak64

It is very easy to live in Chicago without a car. If you want to live in the suburbs without a car, look at Oak Park, Forest Park or Elmwood Park. You can downtown from these 3 suburbs using the Chicago subway system for $4.00 per day rountrip in under 30 minutes. If you live in Elmwood Park, there is a 15 minute bus ride involved. My brother in law is nearly 40 and has never owned a car. He lives in the city close to Wrigleyfield and takes the subway downtown to work. If you ever needed a car for a weekend trip, you can rent one. There are also services that rent cars by the hour for large shopping trips. It's much cheaper than owning one.

Nobody calls it the subway. Its the "L"

[RiWrites]

I currently live in Florida and you have to have a car here. The bus system is a joke. The drivers will decide to take an early break and you can be sitting in the hot sun for over an hour waiting for the next bus. I always wanted to live
someplace that didn't require a car.

I am glad to have found this thread. My best friend and I are planning on moving to Chicago in the next two years. And neither one of us likes to drive.
I have a question though, the winters in Chicago are known to be fierce. Does this cause problems with the mass transit system?

I also love to walk to stores and such. Is Chicago a walking city or are things spread out too far. I want to find a neighborhood that has bookstores, mom and pop type grocery markets, bakeries etc. I get tired of all the chain stores. I guess you can call me old fashioned. I hope there are neighborhoods like this left in Chicago.

Thanks for any help.