Relocating to Chicago - Advices needed on neighborhoods (Lincoln, Atlanta: apartment, appliances)

[kayce2we]

Hi everyone!

I am a 26 years old young professional moving to Chicago from Atlanta. I will be working in downtown and travel for work most of the weekdays. My price range for a one bedroom/convertible is around $1600. There are couple neighborhoods I am looking into and hoping I can get more insights here.

How are the following cities compared to each other in terms of public transportation (I will not have a car), restaurants (Im a big foodies), nightlife for young professionals (mid-late 20s)?

River North:
West Loop:
Streeterville/Gold Coast:
Old Town:
Lincoln Park:

I am open to any other suggestions as well.

Thanks in advance!

[Jandur]

There are lots of threads on this so I suggest doing a bit of searching.

Honestly the difference in those neighborhoods is negligible. They are all upper middle class and have very similar demographics. The differences are nuanced at best. They are all within about 1-3 miles of each other too.

Your budget will let you live just about anywhere. Your money will go the farthest in either LP or West Loop. I wouldn't recommend the West Loop without a car. There is public transit there but a lot of it is former meatpacking/warehouse and is sort of spread out in places.

River North: Highrises, tons of nightlife and dining options for your demo. Expensive.

LP: Brownstones, tree lined streets, etc. Some high-rises. Not as dense or tourist infested as River North. Cheaper. Plenty of great food. Nightlife is generally dominated by college kids but there plenty of places for adults.

Gold Coast: Very ritzy in certain areas, older in terms of pure demographics of residents. Lots of dining options. Nightlife is very tourist-oriented.

Old Town: A lot like LP, really not much different. Maybe a tad older. Wells street has a lot of bars that cater to the 25-35 crowd.

Streeterville: Sucks, don't move there.

Transportation in all these areas is good. The red/brown lines and buses give easy access to the rest of the north side, the loop etc.

[marothisu]

Well, all the ones you listed are "downtown" except Old Town and Lincoln Park, and parts of the West Loop I guess you could consider outside of the realm of 'downtown" (which is loosely defined which are just right outside of downtown.

They all have good public transit, but I'd say Streeterville is worst because there's no train going through the heart of it, but there's one near it (red line). West Loop depends on where you are, but they have a few transit lines going there, but I wouldn't say are as good as the stuff that goes through a Lincoln Park or River North.

For food, again, Streeterville has places but it's lacking in what it brings. River North and Lincoln Park are probably the best for food from what you've listed, and Gold Coast is decent too, but remember 75% of what's downtown is probably going to be more expensive than other neighborhoods. West Loop has stuff coming and many decent, more expensive restaurants, but not bad. Nightlife again depends on what you want. Downtown, more expensive. Lincoln Park is like a big frat for 80% of it. Gold Coast is typically older except in a few areas (like around Pearson & State and around State & Division or Dearborn & Division).

As my friends and I say, Streeterville, Lakeshore East, and most of the South Loop have the personality of a suburb while being downtown. South Loop is getting better, but stay away from Streeterville and Lakeshore East.

Other suggestions I would make include Lakeview, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Ukrainian Village, North Center, South Loop (although I'd say South Loop is a mix between West Loop and Streeterville).

[kayce2we]

Thanks for the advices!

Ideally, River North is my top pick. But with the budget of $1600, it is not getting me far for a one bedroom.

I looked into to Wicker Park/Bucktown, but since I have to go to the airport on weekly basis, thought it would be a good idea to stay close to downtown.

Does West Loop get really quiet at night like The Loop? And is cab service convenient in West Loop? I am looking to move into high rises with decent bars and restaurants within walking distance.

[aragx6]

Which airport will you be flying out of? If it's O'Hare Wicker Park would be a great option for you. Midway, or an even mix of the two airports, not so much.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by kayce2we

Thanks for the advices!

Ideally, River North is my top pick. But with the budget of $1600, it is not getting me far for a one bedroom.

I looked into to Wicker Park/Bucktown, but since I have to go to the airport on weekly basis, thought it would be a good idea to stay close to downtown.

Does West Loop get really quiet at night like The Loop? And is cab service convenient in West Loop? I am looking to move into high rises with decent bars and restaurants within walking distance.

Well, it depends on what kind of building you want. I live in the Gold Coast and pay a little over $1300 for a one bedroom, 650-700 sq feet with a great view up 25 floors, 24 hour door staff, and small gym. All I pay for is electric and internet/satellite after rent. I don't have a state of the art apartment though. It's basically from the 90s. I'm not a picky though. I have no idea if you want brand new appliances or not. That will cost you more of course.

As far as the airport thing, which airport? If it's O'Hare then an area like Wicker Park is more efficient. O'Hare is on the blue line, and Wicker Park is closer than downtown is to O'Hare and would cut your train commute time to O'Hare by probably at least 10 minutes. If you were in the West Loop, you'd actually have to loop back through downtown to get to O'Hare. It's only a few stops, but you have to weigh that versus other areas if you aren't directly on a path to O'hare like a Wicker Park is.


Cabs are everywhere in Chicago, at least from what I've experienced. All the time (even at 4:30am, but of course there's less at 4:30am than say at 7pm). There's always going to be cabs there, and if there's not, then call a cab company and request a pickup, or there's apps for the phone like Taxi Magic which allow you to reserve from your phone directly without having to call anybody.

From your description, it sounds like what you want is in River North. I would look at either River North area or Gold Coast. You don't have to live RIGHT THERE, but I walk maybe 10 minutes to get to the River North nightlife. 10 minutes walk is nothing really..