21 year old moving to Chicago from Seattle for my first full-time job. (Addison: real estate, apartment)

[CollegeHusky]

Hi posters,

I am moving to Chicago from Seattle. I attended the University of Washington. Not a hot bed for UW grads. Most of them move to SF, NYC, or stay in Seattle.

I am looking for a fun neighborhood to live in for a 20 something year old (I have to meet people!). I will be working with a management consulting firm. Therefore, I will be traveling Mon-Thurs to the clients site, so easy access to O'Hare would be preferable, but not the priority if it conflicts with living in a fun/good neighborhood.

With my salary I can spend up to $1200/month and be happy with my budget, but then again I wouldn't be opposed to spending $800/month since I will be on the road every week!

Input from people who have spent time in both Chicago and Seattle would be great! Comparing the differences, what do you personally like more and why, etc.

I plan on moving there in April and spending a month not working to explore the area and maybe do some trips outside of chicago.

Car or no car (I was feeling no, but maybe I'm wrong)?
Is a real estate agent essential like New York?

I will be up there in December to check out the neighborhoods. Steer me in the right direction please!

Also, Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Thank you in advance!

[chirack]

Bucktown is probably the spot you want. Easy access to O’hare and the Loop via 90/94 and the blue line. Youthful area. However make sure you are working downtown (because that is the assumption I am going on). If you are working in the burbs or elsewhere in the city then this area might give you a bad commute.

Car or no Car depends on where (and how) you work. If you are working downtown (a.k.a. The Loop) then a car is less needed. Due to traffic and parking costs people don’t drive downtown to work unless they really have to. If working elsewhere a car maybe needed. If working in the burbs a car is almost certainly needed.

If you need to travel to local client sites for work(i.e. around the city and the burbs) then again a car is needed otherwise not.

Real estate agent not needed if you are renting.

[CollegeHusky]

Thanks chirack. I will only have to work downtown on Fridays (good assumption), but most Fridays I can work on the laptop from home. So maybe a car is really less needed. Don't mean to typecast people, but I have heard (don't know if this is accurate or not) that Bucktown is very hipster-espe. Is that a true feeling for that neighborhood?

[Ihatebronzeville]

Bucktown is not as "Hipster" as say, Wicker Park. Wrigleyville, and Lincoln Park/DePaul area is a great place for an early-twenties guy to live.

I lived right-off Halsted and Lincoln my first few years in Chicago, as a single straight 25yr guy, it was heaven: bars, restaurants, easy grocery shopping, easy transportation downtown to the Loop, and lots of people your age.

[soulful]

Check out East Lakeview. It is a great neighborhood full of 20 something MBA's. Tons of shops/restaurants/Whole Foods and other major grocieries all walkable and great access into the park for enjoying the lakefront trail system. You can get a courtyard/vintage building apartment for under 1200.00 and you don't need to use a real estate agent like in NYC. It is fine to go straight to the landlord with lots of listings on craigslist and the Chicago Reader. However, if you do go through an apartment rental service, they are generally totally free to the tenants here in Chicago (the landlord pays the fee). And you don't have to sign an exclusive contract so you can do your own search while working with different apartment finder services. A big one in Lakeview is The Apartment People.

You can just head out Addison or Irving Park to I-90 and then on to O'Hare. Commute will take at most an hour to an hour-ten minutes in the worst traffic (although it may seem longer during the standstill periods on the Kennedy/I-90).

I always say if you are gonna be here you should live within a few blocks of the Lake as it is incredible in the late spring/summer/fall.

good luck with everything

[emathias]

Originally Posted by CollegeHusky

...
Input from people who have spent time in both Chicago and Seattle would be great! Comparing the differences, what do you personally like more and why, etc....

I grew up near Portland, I have a brother and nieces who live in Seattle. I like Seattle.

But I like Chicago more, mainly because it's far bigger and more diverse than Seattle, while still being approachable and livable. The kind of nature that's within a few hours of Chicago is admittedly a lot different from that within a few hours of Seattle, but for the open-minded there are still opportunities to get out and see nature. Chicago is also as close or closer to a lot more things than Seattle is (which is why your management consulting gig is here and not there). Transit here is also better than in Seattle. And I think that overall there's a lot better variety of food. I've lived here now for over 15 years, and while I wouldn't refuse to move to Seattle, I I like Chicago a lot and don't have any desire to move back to the Pacific Northwest despite it's good aspects.

Originally Posted by CollegeHusky

Car or no car (I was feeling no, but maybe I'm wrong)?
Is a real estate agent essential like New York?

You don't need a car or a real estate agent. An apartment finding service can be helpful for a newcomer if you're overwhelmed, but it's not strictly necessary.

[Chi-town Native]

Bucktown is ok but pricey- try looking near the California and Logan or even Belmont stops as well. You don't want to be in east Lake View if regular trips to O'Hare are required, get to the blue line for sure.

[aragx6]

^Bucktown might be relatively pricey, but still very easily done on $1200 a month.

Wicker Park really isn't as hipster as a lot of people say -- it's certainly hipster-ish, but hang out at any of the trendier places on the weekend and there's plenty of Chads and Trixies out and about (that's a Chicago term for trendy, "shiny" types)

I'm definitely not a hipster, though neither am I a yuppy -- more what my SO and I call Yupsters. White collar jobs, Crate and Barrel tastes, but we prefer low-key bars to loud clubs. Kind of a mix really.

The easy access to O'Hare is a huge benefit to this area, and, as such, is somewhere I'd highly recommend looking more fully into.

Also, Piece has some of the best (non-Chicago style) pizza in the city. And their beer is pretty darn good as well.

[SJaye]

I'd say people's assessment of Wicker Park is definitely relative to their point of view on things. I still know people that hate Wicker Park for it's hipsterishness, and others that do not notice it. I would definitely recommend that you check out the neighborhoods by the Division, Damen, Western, California, and Logan Square blue line station, and see if you can envision yourself living there and meeting the right people.

Also check out Lakeview, but I would seriously attempt a commute to O'Hare airport from there and see if you can see yourself doing that every week. If you can try to do it during rush hour, just to get the experience you would be getting going to O'Hare every Monday morning, and back every Thursday.

[rca215]

I live in Bucktown and used to do the Mon-Thu consulting thing.

I'm glad I didn't live around East Lakeview for the Thursday return part of the trip. Not only is the traffic awful (which would be worse going to Lakeview), but you also often have to wait quite a while in the taxi line at ORD.

I usually opted to take the easy, fairly short Blue Line ride to Bucktown instead of a taxi. That wouldn't be feasible for Lakeview.