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I am a recent MBA grad and have accepted a job offer in Chicago. Right now the company is in Downers Grove but will move its new offices to the West Loop as of Jan 2013. I am planning to live in Chicago and not the suburbs, so that means that I will need to commute for a few months. I am planning to take public transportation while living in Chicago.
My fiance and I are now living in a diverse, upscale neighboorhood in Atlanta, GA. He is from Louisiana and I grew up in the Caribbean and Europe so we really appreciate a mixed, diverse AND safe neighboorhood.
So at first, we thought it is good to stay close to my new job and I started looking at South Loop, River North etc...but the prices are fairly high...average 1,500-1,700/month. In addition, most places ask you to pay $200 for car/month.
While with my new job I can afford to live in downtown I just refuse to pay that much for renting a condo.
We both do not know Chicago at all and want your advice on safe and hip neighboorhoods. We are looking to pay 800-1,100/month. Generally, I've read that Southside and West Side should be avoided altogether.
I've read good reviews on Lakeview, Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park but have not looked up the price ranges for these areas yet nor do I know how far away they are from the West Loop when considering public transportation. Also, in the first 5 months I will need to be able to reach Union Station so I can get Downers Grove.
What do you mean by diverse? Different social classes mixing? Different ethnicities? Different races? Different sexual practices? All of the above? Some?
I am a recent MBA grad and have accepted a job offer in Chicago. Right now the company is in Downers Grove but will move its new offices to the West Loop as of Jan 2013. I am planning to live in Chicago and not the suburbs, so that means that I will need to commute for a few months. I am planning to take public transportation while living in Chicago.
My fiance and I are now living in a diverse, upscale neighboorhood in Atlanta, GA. He is from Louisiana and I grew up in the Caribbean and Europe so we really appreciate a mixed, diverse AND safe neighboorhood.
So at first, we thought it is good to stay close to my new job and I started looking at South Loop, River North etc...but the prices are fairly high...average 1,500/month. In addition, most places ask you to pay $200 for car/month.
While with my new job I can afford to live in downtown I just refuse to pay that much for renting a condo.
We both do not know Chicago at all and want your advice on safe and hip neighboorhoods. We are looking to pay 800-1,100/month. Generally, I've read that Southside and West Side should be avoided altogether.
I've read good reviews on Lakeview, Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park but have not looked up the price ranges for these areas yet nor do I know how far away they are from the South Loop when considering public transportation. Also, in the first 5 months I will need to be able to reach Union Station so I can get Downers Grove.
Any suggestions??
Thanks in advance!
Isabali
Congrats on your MBA and new job! Very cool.
As you've seen, living downtown is a little expensive. The average for River North or Gold Coast might be $1500/month, but you can find for less, but not many places would be in your price range. I live in Gold Coast (which is right north of River North) and I pay over $1300/month for a 1 bedroom. I have friends in studios 3 blocks north who pay $1100/month.
That being said, you are mostly correct about where to avoid. There are some good neighborhoods on the south side like Hyde Park but there's a number of areas to avoid (especially Englewood). The west side has been more rapidly gentrifying. Places like Wicker Park, Bucktown, Logan Square, Ukrainian Village used to be bad, but are now hip young spots and some have very upscale places mixed with older. The areas to avoid on the West sides might be areas like most of Humboldt Park (not all..part might be gentrifying now), Garfield Park, Austin..and areas as you go north of there. Near West Side around the United Center (where the Bulls and Blackhawks play) is kind of mixed. Used to be bad, but some nice places East of the UC have been built.
You could find something in an area like Logan Square in your budget I think. The downside to this is that while that the transit system isn't as good as some of the northern neighborhoods. It's not bad as there's a Blue Line and buses going there, but it's not like Lincoln Park, Lakeview, etc.
You pointed out Lakeview, and if you're looking at $800-$1100/month, it's definitely do-able in Lakeview and Lincoln Park. I would say that Lincoln Park is slightly less diverse though. It's Big 10 graduate central. Lakeview is a little more diverse, and also houses the gay part of town (referred to as Boystown) which is kind of near Wrigleyville. Both of those areas are filled with a lot of restaurants, bars, shops, entertainment, etc.
Even north of there is other good areas like North Center, Lincoln Square, Andersonville, etc.
Public transit in Chicago though really is extensive. There are 8 lines (although most will say 7 - The yellow line has only three stops. Very, very, very new train line) with almost 150 stops available for the train. I believe there's well over 100 different bus routes too (Goes up to the "206 bus").
Really, an area like Lakeview or Lincon Park is easily accessible by any of the public transit. Red, Brown, Purple lines. For the car, a lot of people get rid of it, some keep it. As you noticed, downtown it costs a lot for a car and this is the reason why I sold my car. if you live in areas away from downtown, you could look for zone parking which is $25/year for parking in the "zone" near your residence.
You mentioned West Loop for your job first, but said something about South Loop later. I'm going to assume the job will be in West Loop after everything. Do you know where in the West Loop? West Loop has the Blue Line going to it (so Wicker Park, Logan Square, etc could along there) but if you're further north in the loop, then that could be the Green line too.
Union Station wise, you could take the Blue Line to the Clinton stop and walk a few blocks to that, or you could take the Brown/Purple down to the Quincy stop. From there you could either walk or transfer to a bus for a few minute ride (this might be important in cold months as you're from Atlanta and might still be getting used to cold weather).
To Union Station (which is in the West Loop by the way), from Lakeview, it would take around 20 minutes on the brown line to get to the Quincy stop from Belmont. Maybe five minutes less for Lincoln Park. From Logan Square on the Blue Line to Clinton, it would take probably 20 minutes ride. From Wicker Park it's more like 15 minutes. Of course, it depends on where you live in those areas. It's nice to find a place closer to a train station to cut down on walking time. All those areas are safe though. There's some sketchy areas west, but nothing terrible. Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Wicker Park, etc are all very safe. Logan Square and UK Village can be a little sketchy in some areas, but it is nothing to be terribly afraid about IMO.
Diversity though..Chicago is kind of segregated. That doesn't mean that there's no integration, as there is, but you will find areas which are very pre-dominantly black, hispanic, white, etc. From what I've listed, maybe Lakeview, maybe Wicker Park. I don't find Lincoln Park as diverse. It's really a haven for Big 10 grads. I find Lakeview, Wicker Park, Logan Square, UK Village a little more diverse. It really depends though what kind of diversity you're looking for.
OP is " now living in a diverse, upscale neighborhood " but they "refuse to pay that much for renting a condo" in a part of Chicago that would be similar, with initial employment in Downers Grove.
In my mind that suggests that they might look to the less upscale suburbs that lie between the office developments in Downers Grove and the costly part of Chicago. Towns like Hillside, Westchester, Berkley, Franklin Park, Melrose Park, River Grove, Northlake and Elmwood Park are all much more affordable and still convenient to places known for their acceptance of mixed race households like Oak Park.
thanks for your very detailed post! I really appreciate it! Right now, most of what you wrote makes sense to. I am not totally understanding some bus/train stops you mentioned but I am sure I will learn!
Yes, I meant to say that my new job will be moving to West Loop, to be exact: South Jefferson Street, 60607.
You stated it correctly: we would like to live close to train/bus stations because we want to avoid walking long distances in the winter time to which we need to get used to.
In terms of pricing, it seems that I will need to have a closer look at Lakeview, Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park. For the transportation issues you mentioned with Logan Square, I will not even consider that area. We need to have easy access to public transportation and the only reason we want to keep a car now is because we are so used to it (separation anxiety??). There is no other way in the South and so we are just trying to hold on to one. My fiance will sell his car.
In terms of sketchy areas, this is exactly my concern so I was trying to see how I can best avoid dangerous ones. I am actually planning to come end of June for apartment hunting but wanted to get some insider info. It is just hard to judge areas you have no knowledge about.
That is interesting with the diversity. Thanks for the clarification. We have the same issue of segregation in Atlanta but there are very few distinct neighborhoods here (one in which we live now) where you can find diversity in anything: race, class, gender etc altogether in one place.
OP is " now living in a diverse, upscale neighborhood " but they "refuse to pay that much for renting a condo" in a part of Chicago that would be similar, with initial employment in Downers Grove.
In my mind that suggests that they might look to the less upscale suburbs that lie between the office developments in Downers Grove and the costly part of Chicago. Towns like Hillside, Westchester, Berkley, Franklin Park, Melrose Park, River Grove, Northlake and Elmwood Park are all much more affordable and still convenient to places known for their acceptance of mixed race households like Oak Park.
The OP stated though they want to live IN Chicago. Housing does cost much less in Atlanta, so an upscale neighborhood in Atlanta does not cost nearly as much as most upscale neighborhoods in and around Chicago.
Now, the OP also said living in the city because their offices are moving to the West Loop in January. I think they might be more planning for the longer term than shorter term. Downers Grove is semi far away, so living in a neighborhood like Lakeview will take 30 minutes to get down to Union Station, and then another 45 minute train ride to DG.
However, in 6 months, they will be working in West Loop, and they stated they want to live in a hip area of Chicago.
OP: Be aware too, that in many areas of Chicago you don't need a car. If you do, you can use services such as Zip Car or get a rental car for pretty cheap. This will free up money for you, especially if you plan on taking public transit while owning a car. If you don't own the car and lease it or make payments, it will free up even more money.
Assuming you will be working for Sara Lee, the new Chicago location is one block from the Clinton St Blue line stop. Thus, your most convenient commute will be from neighborhoods along the blue line such as Wicker Park or Logan Square. That being said, the transfer from the red line to blue line isn't terrible, so it shouldn't be too bad a commute from any of the north lakefront neighborhoods either.
Also, its about 2 miles from the commuter rail station in Downers Grove to the Sara Lee building. How do you plan on getting from the train station to your office for the next 6 months?
thanks for your very detailed post! I really appreciate it! Right now, most of what you wrote makes sense to. I am not totally understanding some bus/train stops you mentioned but I am sure I will learn!
Yes, I meant to say that my new job will be moving to West Loop, to be exact: South Jefferson Street, 60607.
You stated it correctly: we would like to live close to train/bus stations because we want to avoid walking long distances in the winter time to which we need to get used to.
In terms of pricing, it seems that I will need to have a closer look at Lakeview, Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park. For the transportation issues you mentioned with Logan Square, I will not even consider that area. We need to have easy access to public transportation and the only reason we want to keep a car now is because we are so used to it (separation anxiety??). There is no other way in the South and so we are just trying to hold on to one. My fiance will sell his car.
In terms of sketchy areas, this is exactly my concern so I was trying to see how I can best avoid dangerous ones. I am actually planning to come end of June for apartment hunting but wanted to get some insider info. It is just hard to judge areas you have no knowledge about.
That is interesting with the diversity. Thanks for the clarification. We have the same issue of segregation in Atlanta but there are very few distinct neighborhoods here (one in which we live now) where you can find diversity in anything: race, class, gender etc altogether in one place.
Again,thanks for your post. It is very useful!
No problem! The bus and train stops will make more sense to you. It's not too bad once you find it. All the stops are clearly "marked" and you'll know it's a stop. The bus stops here are just like bus stops in any other city. The train is mainly above ground (there are heat lamp areas by the way) except for the Red Line in the Gold Coast, River North, Loop, and part of South Loop. Blue Line is also underground in the West Loop and Loop. S Jefferson is most closely serviced by the Blue Line, so Wicker Park, Logan Square, etc are DIRECTLY serviced by that, or if you lived near a Red Line station, you can ride all the way down to the Loop, and transfer at this one stop (it involved walking down steps and through an underground tunnel) to the blue line. If you lived north near a Purple or Brown line, you could easily get on that and transfer at a few stops to Red line (Fullerton and Belmont stops for example). The transfer is as easy as getting off and walking 10 feet on the same platform and waiting for the other train. That's probably your best bet. If you want more exercise, you could ride a brown line down and take about a 10 minute walk to your office
As far as Logan Square and stuff goes, there's public transit there, but it's not as much as other neighborhoods. If you were in Lakeview for example, there's 3 different train lines that go through there and numerous buses. In Logan Square and Wicker Park for example, there's only one rail line and some buses but it's not as good as a place like Lakeview.
I would say, to me at least, the hippest areas are places like Lakeview, Wicker Park, Logan Square, Ukrainian Village.
The car thing is understandable. I was the same way, but got rid of it. I remember in college someone giving a speech about how a car isn't needed. It was preposterous to me at the time, but now I agree with it in a place like Chicago. If you get rid of it, think of the money it will free up. I think an unlimited CTA pass is around $80/month. If you don't get rid of it, then you can do the zone parking thing hopefully for $25/year. You'd have to see. Of course, you have 90 days to convert your car and license to an Illinois one, so remember that. Honestly though, I rarely need a car living in an area with adequate public transit and tons of places I can walk to. When I do, there's services like Zip Car, which is pretty cheap. If not, I will scope out a cab. Cabs are certainly more expensive, but not terrible every once in awhile. Just like NYC, cabs are everywhere here.
Good idea of visiting in June though. Scope out a bunch of neighborhoods, ride the train system..etc.
I pointed this out in another post, but be aware that your first few months you will be commuting to Downer's Grove, so if you lived in Lakeview for example, it would probably take you 30 some minutes to get down to Union Station, followed by another 45 minutes to Downers Grove by train.
Last edited by marothisu; 05-28-2012 at 11:03 PM..
I would say, to me at least, the hippest areas are places like Lakeview, Wicker Park, Logan Square, Ukrainian Village.
I guess this goes to show that "hip" is a subjective term. By my definition Wicker Park was last hip 10-15 years ago, and if Lakeview was ever hip it must have been before my time. Both are nice places, but pretty solidly yuppified and unhip (unless you count a couple of remnant shops from the 90's hanging on for dear life among the overpriced bars and restaurants of WP). I would agree with Logan Square and Ukrainian Village being hip, and would add Pilsen and increasingly parts of Bridgeport to that category. These are also somewhat diverse (by Chicago standards) neighborhoods. They're not "upscale" like the OP's current neighborhood, but nothing in their stated price range is.
On a different note, I wonder if the OP is hinting at upscale neighborhoods with a large African-American presence, since Atlanta is often referred to as the upper-middle-class African-American capital of the U.S. Unfortunately Chicago lags far behind Atlanta in that category, though South Loop and Hyde Park provide some of that.
I guess this goes to show that "hip" is a subjective term. By my definition Wicker Park was last hip 10-15 years ago, and if Lakeview was ever hip it must have been before my time. Both are nice places, but pretty solidly yuppified and unhip (unless you count a couple of remnant shops from the 90's hanging on for dear life among the overpriced bars and restaurants of WP). I would agree with Logan Square and Ukrainian Village being hip, and would add Pilsen and increasingly parts of Bridgeport to that category. These are also somewhat diverse (by Chicago standards) neighborhoods. They're not "upscale" like the OP's current neighborhood, but nothing in their stated price range is.
On a different note, I wonder if the OP is hinting at upscale neighborhoods with a large African-American presence, since Atlanta is often referred to as the upper-middle-class African-American capital of the U.S. Unfortunately Chicago lags far behind Atlanta in that category, though South Loop and Hyde Park provide some of that.
Hip is extremely subjective. Does it mean trendy? Does it mean "hipster" hip? You could use the term pretty broadly and could vary from person to person IMO. Personally when I think of the word, I think of both maybe "hip" and trendy.
Actually I semi agree with you about WP, but WP is certainly more hip than other areas still. Still good places there. I said something about Bridgeport (I think). Pilsen is yeah, but it might not be deemed 100% "safe" for everyone or they might not feel as comfortable there if they're new to the city. It's for some people and not for others IMO.
Anyway though it depends on how you define "hip." The OP's hip might not be the same as ours.
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