UIC/Pilsen vs. Hyde Park for a Recent College Grad (Chicago: apartments, rent)

[saleemsa]

I'm moving to Chicago from Ann Arbor, MI. I'll be working in a middle school in Back of the Yards through an AmeriCorps program, but I was confused about what neighborhoods to look at. I originally wanted to live on the North Side (Lakeview, Lincoln Park) but the commute would be too much for me (I want to keep the commute under an hour). The two I was considering were the UIC/Pilsen area and Hyde Park. Which would you recommend for a recent college graduate? I'm looking for a safe area, preferably somewhere lively. I'm from Ann Arbor, MI, which is a typical college town with lots going on - nightlife, concerts, summer festivals, so I'm hoping to be somewhere that would have some of the same things. I was drawn to Hyde Park because of it's proximity to the lake, but I've heard its not as lively of a neighborhood. Is that true? Are there any other neighborhoods you would suggest?

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by saleemsa

I'm moving to Chicago from Ann Arbor, MI. I'll be working in a middle school in Back of the Yards through an AmeriCorps program, but I was confused about what neighborhoods to look at. I originally wanted to live on the North Side (Lakeview, Lincoln Park) but the commute would be too much for me (I want to keep the commute under an hour). The two I was considering were the UIC/Pilsen area and Hyde Park. Which would you recommend for a recent college graduate? I'm looking for a safe area, preferably somewhere lively. I'm from Ann Arbor, MI, which is a typical college town with lots going on - nightlife, concerts, summer festivals, so I'm hoping to be somewhere that would have some of the same things. I was drawn to Hyde Park because of it's proximity to the lake, but I've heard its not as lively of a neighborhood. Is that true? Are there any other neighborhoods you would suggest?

Neither are exactly what I would call "lively," but UIC/Pilsen has a lot more restaurants than Hyde Park, a few more bars, and has a much shorter and easier trip to downtown and other hotspots than Hyde Park has. I like both areas, but if all else was equal and I was a recent college grad choosing between those two, I'd choose UIC/Pilsen.

Of course, both have large universities and therefore lots of 20-somethings milling about, but I'd say Pilsen has more young people who aren't affiliated with UIC than Hyde Park has young people not affiliated with U of C, if that makes sense. I don't know that for a fact, but that's the feel I get from having spent a decent amount of time in both areas.

You may also want to look at Bridgeport, which is even closer to Back of The Yards and still convenient to things, especially if you're near the Orange Line.

[marothisu]

Hmmm, well I'd say Hyde Park is the safer, crime-wise, of the two choices, but UIC/Pilsen is more lively IMO...which isn't saying that much. Don't get me wrong, there's bars and restaurants in Pilsen, but it's not exactly what I'd call great nightlife or anything. Do you plan on driving to work or taking public transit? I assume driving.. What's your monthly rent budget?

Hyde Park is a nice neighborhood with one of the world's top colleges, but honestly it's not THAT lively. It's pretty much last in my mind for things to do. Not only that, but there's no train (unless you count the Metra) that goes through the neighborhood.

I would also suggest looking at Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village or Bucktown. A lot going on there, and probably better for a recent college grad, and safer than Pilsen for the most part. Pilsen/UIC is not a bad area, but yeah if it was up to me I'd prefer the three above, then Pilsen, then Hyde Park. All depends on budget of course. Pilsen is cheaper than WP and Bucktown, and most of UK Village I'd say.

[saleemsa]

I won't have a car, so I'm going to be relying on public transit. I take it Hyde Park wouldn't be a good place for that? How far are the other neighborhoods (Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village) from Back of the Yards?
My budget is $650 max, but I will have one (maybe two) other roommates.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by saleemsa

I won't have a car, so I'm going to be relying on public transit. I take it Hyde Park wouldn't be a good place for that? How far are the other neighborhoods (Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village) from Back of the Yards?
My budget is $650 max, but I will have one (maybe two) other roommates.

Those neighborhoods are not quite as far from BOTY as Lincoln Park and Lakeview are, but they're significantly further than the other places you were looking at. Because of that and cost (except possibly Uk Vil), I wouldn't recommend them for you unless you will have roommates and don't mind a fairly long commute.

Google Maps has all of these neighborhoods labeled. You can do a "get directions" between addresses and choose the public transit option to see how long it would take you to get to work from those places on the train and/or bus. It tends to give pretty accurate estimates, in my experience.

If you want your own place for $650, you can do that in Pilsen, Bridgeport, or Hyde Park, though it will likely be small. If you have one or especially two roommates, though, you can get a decent place nearly anywhere in the city on that budget.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by saleemsa

I won't have a car, so I'm going to be relying on public transit. I take it Hyde Park wouldn't be a good place for that? How far are the other neighborhoods (Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village) from Back of the Yards?
My budget is $650 max, but I will have one (maybe two) other roommates.

$650 would be tough..you might be able to find that in UK Village, and you should be able to find that in Pilsen. Having roommates will help of course, so maybe you could get a place in other areas, who knows. Pilsen isn't bad though.

Yeah, thing is that Hyde Park IS safer, but not as much going on. The train runs through Pilsen, but it doesn't go through Hyde Park. It goes through Washington Park, which isn't too safe unless you're near the freeway maybe.

No matter where you choose though, you will have to take a bus.. With Hyde Park actually, I wouldn't be surprised if you had to take two buses to get there. Both Pilsen and Hyde Park are probably equidistant to Back of the Yards. Ukrainian Village is probably 1.5-2 miles north of Pilsen, at least East Ukrainian Village/Noble Square area. Wicker Park is just a little NE of that.

For budget, either Pilsen or UK Village is fine. Average price of 2bdrm in UK Village is probably between $1300 and $1400/month so it's probably within your budget.

Here, watch this video:
Ukrainian Village in Chicago - Apartments in Ukrainian Village


Pilsen is not a bad choice at all though. It's within your budget, has more public transit (including train), and more to do in general IMO. Bridgeport isn't a bad choice either, but I kind of think of it like Hyde Park with just slightly more to do (that's where the Chicago White Sox play). Honestly, you can find a place in UK Village for your budget with roommates, but it's 2 miles further away from BOTY than Pilsen is. Either choice is fine IMO. It really depends on your personality too.

[ChiNaan]

Another thing you could do, since as marothisu says you'll likely be taking a bus to work and not a train, is look at this map:

CTA Online System Map - Central/South Area

Find the bus routes nearest your work address, and trace the routes east into Hyde Park (labeled on the map) and/or north into Bridgeport (Orange Line area) or Pilsen (Pink Line area), and look at the areas near those buses in those neighborhoods. If you're able to take one bus to work rather than two your commute will be way better.

I'm starting to really think Pilsen is your best option as far as balance of semi-liveliness, easy train/bus/bike access to places with even more liveliness, potentially easy bus access to work, and affordable rent. It's not as safe as Hyde Park (which is one of the safest in the city), but it's safer than most. Hyde Park's relative isolation and lack of liveliness is in part what makes it so safe (the other part is the U of C police), so you really have to weigh safety vs. liveliness. Those two variables are rarely correlated.

[chicagobear]

Pilsen would be much better than Hyde Park in terms of stuff going on and access to other parts of Chicago. Maybe Ukrainian Village or Wicker Park too.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by chicagobear

Maybe Ukrainian Village or Wicker Park too.

The problem with those places (besides cost, which would be doable with roommates) is that from there to BOTY on public transit, it's either a pretty long bus ride (if you're lucky), or a train to a bus, or a train to a train to a walk through sketchy areas. I know that's probably why you said "maybe", but I don't think it would be worth it in the OP's case unless he/she really wants to live in one of those specific neighborhoods.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

The problem with those places (besides cost, which would be doable with roommates) is that from there to BOTY on public transit, it's either a pretty long bus ride (if you're lucky), or a train to a bus, or a train to a train to a walk through sketchy areas.

The "intersection" of shady areas between UK Village/Wicker Park and Pilsen, down to BOTY will be the same......

Yeah, it's a longer bus ride by maybe 10-20 minutes (depends on time of day), but those are good choices too.