What's good with Chicago ? (Evanston: low income, for rent, crime)

[Urbanite11]

So, low income wage earner and non-driver that I am, thinking of moving to Chicago and read here on CD about a mass exodus of Black Americans.
Oh boy ! Any insight on the that please ?

I'm a single, middle-aged black American lady with no children. Not much into night life. Nice movie theathers, a farmer's market, organic market,
a decent mall ... that'll work for me.

How about mixed couples ? Are there many ?

What can I expect to pay for rent in the safest part of the least expensive part of town ? What area/neighborhood would this be and what are its demographics ?

Thanks !

[chet everett]

Depending on how 'middle' your age and what you consider a fair representation of "mixed couples" there are not a great many parts of Chicago where this is a common sight.

The lack of safety and high performing schools has driven many from the traditional AA neighborhoods to your places, some to quieter suburbs and others to states with a better environment for jobs...

In general safety and low rents tend to be incompatible. That said you can find some parts of the region that are relatively inexpensive and low crime, but you also may have to settle for longer commute times and more limited entertainment options.

The quietest part of Chicago that are affordable tend to be rather non-minority dense, with either a mix of recent eastern european immigrants or just older majority race folks living quietly. I don't know that either of these groups is overly biased against minorities, but these tend to be spots with no real nightlife whatsoever...

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by Urbanite11

So, low income wage earner and non-driver that I am, thinking of moving to Chicago and read here on CD about a mass exodus of Black Americans.
Oh boy ! Any insight on the that please ?

I'm a single, middle-aged black American lady with no children. Not much into night life. Nice movie theathers, a farmer's market, organic market,
a decent mall ... that'll work for me.

How about mixed couples ? Are there many ?

What can I expect to pay for rent in the safest part of the least expensive part of town ? What area/neighborhood would this be and what are its demographics ?

Thanks !

The mass exodus of black Americans is mostly to the Chicago suburbs, which are safer, nicer, and more expensive than the historically black parts of Chicago. It's upward mobility. Finally.

Allow me to suggest the mostly-black west side of Evanston. It is affordable but not dirt cheap. Nice movie theaters, a farmer's market, organic market, etc. are what Evanston is all about. Evanston is particularly popular with mixed couples. There are buses with good connections to the trains, but it is not particularly oriented to people without a car.

However you will be living in a city that is about 75% white. If that is a negative, then you might want to live on the south side of Chicago. I don't know it well enough to recommend a particular neighborhood. Good luck.