Flirting with the idea of moving to Chicago

[j33]

Originally Posted by andrew61

I've rarely come across any situations in Chicago where a landlord asked for "last month's rent". Usually it's just first month's rent plus a security deposit equal to one month's rent (although some ask for larger security deposits than that and some ask for smaller).

Same here. I've been renting here in various parts of the city for almost 20 years and I've never had a scenario in which last month's rent was asked for.

[j_cat]

In my experience, in Chicago it's not the rent that kills you, so much as the highly competitive job market. Be prepared to bring your "A" game, and plan for the possibility of long periods of unemployment.

Then again, you may not be actively seeking serious work while you study. If so, then Chicago is a great choice, lots of good schools here, and they run the gamut from prestigious/highly selective to basic/practically guaranteed admission.

[richrf]

I think you will do fine in Chicago though you have to feel comfortable with Midwest sensibilities,where civility takes precedence over integrity (there is a reason why all of our governors go to jail). Have a job lined up or at least six months of expenses so you don't panic. You'll probably be most comfortable in the Lakeview area or just South or North. Plenty of cheap condos are available but lots of associations (like the one I live in) are in trouble because of poor reserves, so do you homework and rent in the area before buying. Otherwise, just have fun doing the things you like to do. After living in Chicago for 40 years (coming from Brooklyn), it is time for me to leave and be among people with whom I share mutual values. The Midwest is the Midwest and it is culturally much different than the N.E. But life along the lake is good if you can find your friends.

[uffthefluff]

Originally Posted by richrf

I think you will do fine in Chicago though you have to feel comfortable with Midwest sensibilities,where civility takes precedence over integrity (there is a reason why all of our governors go to jail). Have a job lined up or at least six months of expenses so you don't panic. You'll probably be most comfortable in the Lakeview area or just South or North. Plenty of cheap condos are available but lots of associations (like the one I live in) are in trouble because of poor reserves, so do you homework and rent in the area before buying. Otherwise, just have fun doing the things you like to do. After living in Chicago for 40 years (coming from Brooklyn), it is time for me to leave and be among people with whom I share mutual values. The Midwest is the Midwest and it is culturally much different than the N.E. But life along the lake is good if you can find your friends.

Not to highjack the thread, but I just can't imagine that the large liberal metro areas vary all that much culturally. I've lived in all three of the majors (NE - specifically Boston, California - SF specifically, and now Chicago) and they seem a lot more similar than they do different. Yes there are different dominant traits that seem to emerge in each to a degree, but it's not exactly glaring on a day to day basis.

In Chicago people seem to be more friendly/less aggressive in casual interactions like checkout lines or building hallways, but if anything they are more cold in bars/clubs. How should one qualify this? Is it even a cultural difference at all. In my experience employers care about elite education the most on the east coast and it slowly subsides the further west one goes. I think this is due more to the concentration of elite Universities and their alumni than a "culture", but even so it's not really night and day between different regions. Acceptance of homosexuality seems, if anything, to be the strongest in Chicago in my experience. Maybe I'm just not hearing about the gay-bashing here and it was publicized in SF? The last time I was in Boston (2007) a few guys decided to try and instigate a fight with me becasue they thought I was gay randomly on the street. Do the Jersey Shore guidos seem accepting? Which area is most working-class? There is a strong blue collar streak in the Boston and New Jersey (not to mention New Hampshire) areas as much as in rural Iowa; it certainly rivals any such culture in Chicago. Yes, the California coast is just too expensive to maintain any such pretense, but I think this proves that regions are dominated by economic factors far more than cultural ones. Which area is the most laid back? Yes there is "California casual" but also the Hollywood obsession with beauty/youth/image. Chicago is quite segregated, but it's not like Baltimore or Philly aren't as well.

Anyways, Chicago is great. You should not buy before getting a feel for the city. Rogers Park is okay but there are plenty of other good areas. Save some money if you are coming here without a job lined up. You should come here because of economic, geographic and aesthetic reasons, or just on a whim.

[pinco18]

I'm upset with myself because I had such an eloquently written draft and I was foolish and didn't save it, ended up moving on to another tab and accidentally quit out of my browser!

I do agree that the Midwest is certainly different than the Northeast. A neighborhood I used to live in had an interesting influx of urban Midwesterners and families from New York or New Jersey. And the occasional family from Eastern Europe. Living in the South -- and while we're not Old South, we still retain a lot of characteristics that can be considered 'Southern' -- we have a slow, small-town attitude here. I like casual though. In my experience, the people from Chicago and the Midwest in general, I always find it pleasant to interact, out of all the people that I've come into contact with. New Yorkers and other North-easterners are great too. Well all people are great, obviously there are exceptions and everyone has their styles.

My aunt found out recently my idea to move and she was thrilled. Being a real estate agent, she's offered to help me find a good deal and has offered me a temporary position(actual work ), for a few months to a year, at her office(in Evansville, Indiana) doing clerical work and catching up on all of her papers and whatnot since her heart surgery. So it's nice to have someone who knows how real estate works, and she knows what she's doing.

I was skimming through the forums here a while back and noticed that Edgewater was pointed out as being a good place for someone new in/to Chicago to start. Not exactly *near* everything, but it's *relatively* affordable, no? I've been reading reviews for places in the area, and I'd say that it looks decent. Park View Apartments stood out to me, despite reading reviews giving mixed signals. I liked the location close to the lake and there's a good amount of buses nearby. More than I've ever had at any place I've ever lived, thats for sure!

Richrf, I don't know how accurate Trulia.com's Chicago Crime Heat map is, but I can see what you mean by being most comfortable around neighborhoods towards the north in the Lakeview area.

Here's the link,
Crime Map Beta - Trulia

However, like it's been mentioned, I definitely want to visit Chicago before I make a final move. Especially meeting with management of apartments, and university admissions(I have my eyes on several schools, I want to aim for Loyola though; my cousin went there for his law degree). I'll probably make a few trips before I move, its only about 5 hours/300 mi between Evansville and Chicago. Needless to say, I'm very excited at the prospects of moving to Chicago. I hope to call it home by the end of 2013.

I apologize if I haven't articulated my words in a better fashion, it's taken a couple of hours for my melatonin to kick in, and I should be in bed

[sunnyandcloudydays]

I lived in FlA. for a time and really did not prefer the weather.

If you are looking for a constant 60 degrees or so
San Diego might be a good place or other coastal areas on the Pacific Coast.

Alot of folks complain about the weather in the chicago area.
So if your not open to wild swings in temperature variations and wild swings from dry desert summers to hot humid tripical summers then this is not the place for you (weather wise)

Even Steven weather is not known as a staple in the Mid West.

[richrf]

Hi,

I know the Loyola, Edgewater, and Rogers Park areas very well. Price and safety are pretty much in line with all of these neighborhoods.

I would not move into Rogers Park unless you have friends or someone to show you the way around. It is a neighborhood that affords great values but is difficult to navigate for a new person. You just have to know where you are and learn the neighborhood. If you are coming right from another city into Rogers Park you may feel uncomfortable. Not much going on in the evenings though there are a couple of really nice music venues (e.g. Morse Theatre). My son, who is 24, was going to move there for affordability but was very reluctant. He was happy when another alternative presented itself here in Lakeview. Evanston is just North and there you have the Northwestern University campus as well as a nice downtown area with a very nice multiplex cinema. Otherwise, bars and lots of students studying. It was better when Borders was there. Lots of nice coffee shops.

Loyola is a college area. There is ready access to the city. Just south of Rogers Park. You will not meet many people there and the neighborhood has borderline character. I would not recommend it unless you want to go to school there.

Edgewater is interesting. If you stay away from Bryn Mawr in the evening, you have access to the lakefront, the bike path and lots of things to do along the beach. There are buses that go down into Lincoln Park area and Lakeview as well as an express into the downtown Magnificent Mile. The neighborhood condos are suffering from the problem that the residents who live there (often older or new immigrants for Eastern Europe) do not necessarily have the income to maintain the great lakefront condos. So problems develop. Some of the buildings are much better maintained but you will find mostly older people (40+) living there.

Look at areas south to Montrose along the lake or anywhere in Lakeview from Ashland west to the lake. Southport is a great area. Lots to do along Lincoln Ave (e.g. Lincoln Square neighborhood). All of these areas are going to be much more comfortable for someone new to the city and looking for modest affordability.