Relocating to Chicago (Mount Prospect, Roscoe, Manhattan: real estate market, rental, neighborhoods)

[wuandy23]

Male
Single
24 yrs old
from Atlanta

Currently looking at a career opportunity in Mr Prospect (585 Slawin Court, Mount Prospect, IL 60056) and the position will require me to travel 50% within the zone. However, I am planning to get a place closer to the city, also have a reasonable commute. Would like to live somewhere with good amount of young professionals, somewhat like a equivalent of buckhead in Atlanta..... Thinking about a high rise with the view and something affordable. Any suggestions ?

[chet everett]

Does not seem like the OP has a realistic understanding of the desirable parts of Chicago that are a tolerable distance from Mt. Prospect. You would need to be close to the Kennedy (which run parallel to the Blue line out to O'Hare) and there are no "views" from there.

Similarly if you really want to mix with young professional in Chicago you should realize that most such folks are NOT going to be living in shiny glass towers surrounding fake 'urban renewal' shopping malls but in more traditional neighborhoods where they can walk to the El or take a bus to their jobs in the Loop.

[wuandy23]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Does not seem like the OP has a realistic understanding of the desirable parts of Chicago that are a tolerable distance from Mt. Prospect. You would need to be close to the Kennedy (which run parallel to the Blue line out to O'Hare) and there are no "views" from there.

Similarly if you really want to mix with young professional in Chicago you should realize that most such folks are NOT going to be living in shiny glass towers surrounding fake 'urban renewal' shopping malls but in more traditional neighborhoods where they can walk to the El or take a bus to their jobs in the Loop.

Yea, i see your point. I guess im looking for somewhere that's in between MT Prospect and the downtown area with a good amount of young professionals... Not necessarily in the heart of Chicago.......

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by wuandy23

Yea, i see your point. I guess im looking for somewhere that's in between MT Prospect and the downtown area with a good amount of young professionals... Not necessarily in the heart of Chicago.......

Places like Roscoe Village are relatively accessible to the Kennedy and have LOTS of young professionals, kind of pricey and more buildings probably less than 5 stories than over.

A bit more affordable and still developing you could look in Logan Square -- things are very "hot" in the real estate market and there are some taller buildings but mostly an abundance of tradional Chicago owner occupied and rental buildings of just three stories or so...

If you really crave "views" you might end up with a MUCH worse commute in a high rise filled with old widows in Roger Park / Edgewater or paying a HUGE some of dough to be near the big commercial nightclubs and terrible commute to River North...

[marothisu]

Depends on what you can put up with for a commute, but I agree for places along the Kennedy if you really want to do this. Logan Square or Wicker Park if you want a hipper area that is still full of many "professionals." Roscoe Village for that but real laid back.

I'm also not sure what Chet means by taller buildings in Logan Square. I can't name a single building over 7 stories there (though there's a proposal right now for two 14 story buildings near a train stop there. But of course they aren't built and haven't even been approved yet). The height of buildings in Logan Square is the same as Roscoe Village in reality. Outside of the areas within a reasonable distance to the lake, there aren't that many high rises in the city (I'm talking about buildings over 10-12 stories).

[chet everett]

7< 5

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by chet everett

7< 5

I was throwing a random safe number out. Most buildings in Logan Square just like most parts of Chicago are in the 2 to 4 stories high range. Anybody who's familiar with Logan Square can tell you this. The average building height between the two neighborhoods/areas is about the same.

[chet everett]

And I somehow I thought 7!<5 would convey the "joke" -- really unless somebody wants to live in someplace like Edgewater or River North or a Gold Coast / Streeterville /near Loop high rise the idea of "views" is going to have to be tempered by the reality that none of those locations are conducive to commutes to even suburbs that are relatively "close in"...

I think too often the folks looking to move here assume Chicago is some sort of "Midwestern Manhattan Island" where everybody lives in a sky scraper and takes the 'subway' to work. That is not accurate, even folks livings in the high rises that line stretches of Lakeshore Drive are very likely relying on buses to get to work and the total number of units that are in high rises is a fraction of the units in three flats and other traditional style buildings that probably do not even an elevator let alone a "view" of anything...