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I think the advice given is good. I'll add 2 things.
I'm sure its probably difficult meeting people as an 18 and 19 year old couple in a new and unfamiliar city, as most 18 and 19 year olds are either at college or living at/near home. That said, I'm sure you will still meet people, but it is up to you to seek out opportunities where they can occur. Look for meet-ups, groups, volunteering, sports leagues, music/art shows where you may find people you can connect with.
If you're going to live in Chicago at that salary, get used to the CTA. I don't know anyone in my department, including the director, who drives to work. One of the nice things about Chicago is you can keep your transportation costs down, and are not forced into paying car+gas+insurance to travel around.
If public transportation really bothers you that much, Vlajos is correct in telling you to just give it a go in a lower COL area.
The shock comes from living in South Bend, Indiana which is known for it's low cost of living. Everything will cost more since
Chicago is a big city with more people, services, options/choices, etc.. If the OP does decide to move to the Northwest
part of Chicago (Norwood Park, Edison Park etc..) the rents will be much higher. Since funds have to be watched, I would
say that if you can live without a car and stay in the city do it. As someone previously mentioned, you wouldn't have to
spend that money on gas, car insurance and car maintenance. You might also want to know that car insurance premiums
are higher if you live in the city. I would take advantage of the CTA. Try talking to an older neighbor for advice,
I think the people of Chicago are friendly, helpful and are very proud of their city. Sure there are some areas you have
to be careful but that goes for most large cities.
Good luck to the two of you.
At the age of the OP I was working 2 jobs and living at home with my family. Maybe consider doing the same, well the working 2 jobs part anyway, if that is a possibility. Also agree with what was mentioned about meeting GF where she leaves the Bus / train. Got to protect your GF. Besides that she would probably appreciate it.
Your income will more than likely go up as you get some time within the field. Take on as many things as you can and be the guy to go over and above what everyone else does. Performance gets noticed and is easily transferable into more income.
You say that like salary is the only factor to a good opportunity. Not only am I making $27k at the age of 19 (which is pretty substantial for my age), I am learning so much every day. There is so much potential for growth and the experience I am gaining here is invaluable. It's a young company that's been growing very quickly. Not to mention that working in a start-up is one of the best ways to learn in IT. The company is very laid back and I love going into work everyday.
I also am contributing to my 401k and have a nice benefits package. How many people do you know that contribute to their 401k at the age of 19? I don't know any.
I would say that I did get lucky to get this opportunity because I did not pursue a college degree, yet I was still able to land the perfect job for me (other than pay, but I am still living comfortably). I went from working in retail (~10k) in South Bend, dreading going into work everyday, to an awesome job at an awesome company.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jandur
Not to nitpick, but will your employer pay for your parking in River North?
Yes, my employer does pay for parking in River North.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
Wow, someone that encounters the cheapo flophouse style apartment buildings, mentally ill that should be getting better care and filthy "street people" of Edgewater should just "move to a small town"? Not really all that helpful...
Thank you. Not looking to move to a smaller town. Just looking to find an area of Chicago that is cleaner, safer, and where I can get more bang for my buck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlajos
There was essentially nothing the OP likes about Chicago.
Wrong. You don't know that, and I never said that. I love my job. I love the abundance of restaurants and concerts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
From what I know of small Midwest towns the employment options are quite bleak.
Exactly. Eventually when I get more experience, it will be easier for me to find a good IT job in a smaller town. But right now, the job I have is (IMO) the best place to be.
When my girlfriend comes home middle of the night like that, I do meet her at the train station. However, this is not something I want to have to worry about. I say that not because I am lazy and don't want to get out of bed every time she comes home late, but because I don't want to have to worry about her safety.
I have owned a car before and I know how much they cost, even in the city. I have already budgeted for it and I can afford one. Granted, I may be better off just getting used to the CTA as some of you have mentioned.
I saw a nice apartment in West Ridge close to the corner of Touhy and California that looks like it's in a good area. It's one block west of Indian Boundary Park. Thoughts on the area?
Also, what do you guys recommend for finding an apartment? For our current apartment, we used the interwebs/Chicago Apartment Finders, and we weren't satisfied. It's hard to tell what your getting when you look online, and it seemed like the agents at Chicago Apartment Finders just wanted to get us in and out the door. Seems like it's overwhelming to find a place on your own. Maybe it will be better the second time around now that we know exactly what we want.
Parts of Edgewater are interesting. There's good parts and bad parts. $775 for a studio like that seems quite high. I know of places even in that area where the studios are under $600/month. Driving will not make you save much more money but at least you get free parking in River North (not bad).
What exactly do you like in an area? Food? Music? etc. It is quite different coming from a place like South Bend. Rent is more expensive for sure (although it's cheap compared to most of its peer cities). Overall it's just different and something you have to get used to. You honestly might be better off in a few suburbs.
Someone from South Bend calling Chicago depressing... go figure.
As others have suggested, it sounds like Chicago just isn't the place for you, on a fundamental level. Frankly, Edgewater is about as nice as it gets before you start getting into rather high-demand neighborhoods. Instead of trying to make things marginally more pleasant for you here, IMO you'd be better off putting your efforts into finding work in a town that's more your speed -- Hopefully that will be easier now that you have some real-world experience under your belt.
I'd suggest maybe Madison or Ann Arbor (if someone from South Bend can stomach living in Wolverine territory), or Champaign IL, or Indianapolis. These are places that have varying levels of urbanity with a lot less of the, shall we say, "patina" that Chicago has.
I am sorta shocked that so many posters, blindly defending the City's shortcomings are so willing to tell this hard working, high tech start up employed 19 yr old to get out. I thought so many of the apologists for Edgewater's bums and flophouses were also the biggest champions of "silicon prairie"...
I don't sugar coat the difficulties of moving to Chicago but I give credit when appropriate and this kid seems to have more on the ball than many that come to the area without a clue.
I would strongly encourage him to find an apartment close to Metra in a more working class suburb where safety is better.
Not to nitpick, but will your employer pay for your parking in River North?
Also, I don't know what you do, but 27k for any sort of IT job is low, even tier 1 helpdesk.
That said, I would maybe look at the NW neighborhoods or suburbs if you want to stick in the area. Jefferson Park, Norwood, Norridge, Portage Park etc. Basically anywhere along 90 more or less. It's quite and safe. The prices for apartments might not be much different than Edgewater, but you'll get more bang for your buck I think.
If your employer actually pays for parking (have to say, I'm genuinely shocked to hear that) then these are good areas to look at.
My girlfriend and I moved here 7 months ago from South Bend, IN. I'm 19 and she is 18. I work in IT and make $27k, and she works in retail. Our current rent is $775. We are getting by fine, but don't have a bunch of money to blow.
Unfortunately, neither of us really care for Chicago. It's depressing living here. It's so dirty, there are so many sketchy people, and it's obviously really expensive. I'm sure a lot of this is just that we're not used to living in a big city. It's not just the city, but also our apartment. Our studio is only about 250ft². The building is cheap. Thin walls, creaky floors, poor maintenance and property management, etc. We live in Edgewater (one block south of Kenmore and Bryn Mawr). At first glance, it seems like a nice area. But there is a high concentration of mental illness care centers/homeless people. It's rare to walk to the Bryn Mawr red line station without someone hassling you for money. Even worse, some of the people make harassing comments towards my girlfriend. She often has to work in the middle of the night. I worry for her when she has to come home at 3 in the morning, and she does not feel safe. Especially since someone was raped in the alleyway behind our apartment a few months ago.
We both have to ride the El for 40 minutes 10+ times a week. I think this is part of the reason we don't like Chicago. Call me sheltered/judgmental, but there are a lot of sketchy/gross people on the CTA, and it is extremely dirty. It's depressing to spend so much time on it. I'd rather drive and deal with traffic. I plan to get a car within the next few months.
I've been struggling with what I want to do when my lease runs up in 5 months. Ideally, I'd move away from Chicago. However, I love my job. It is the perfect job for me. I got extremely lucky to get the job, and I don't think I'd get the same opportunity elsewhere.
We are both pretty lame. We are not into the party/nightlife scene. We'd prefer living in a pretty quiet area. We're pretty antisocial. In fact, we haven't made any friends since moving here 7 months ago. I'd like to at least make a few friends, but it's hard when you're not into the club/party scene and you're an introvert.
So with that in mind, I want to stay in the Chicago area but find a better area/apartment. I don't mind moving further away from downtown, but within a max drive of 40 minutes to River North. My two highest priorities are feeling safe and rent costs. I'd also like to upgrade to a nicer/larger apartment while keeping the rent pretty much the same. Which neighborhoods or suburbs would you recommend?
Your help is much appreciated!
OP, you wonder why I thought you don't like it here? Read your own initial post.
"Unfortunately, neither of us really care for Chicago. It's depressing living here. It's so dirty, there are so many sketchy people, and it's obviously really expensive."
and
"Ideally, I'd move away from Chicago."
Regardless of Chet's oh so caring for you. I still think you are better off leaving.
My girlfriend and I moved here 7 months ago from South Bend, IN. I'm 19 and she is 18. I work in IT and make $27k, and she works in retail. Our current rent is $775. We are getting by fine, but don't have a bunch of money to blow.
Unfortunately, neither of us really care for Chicago. It's depressing living here. It's so dirty, there are so many sketchy people, and it's obviously really expensive. I'm sure a lot of this is just that we're not used to living in a big city. It's not just the city, but also our apartment. Our studio is only about 250ft². The building is cheap. Thin walls, creaky floors, poor maintenance and property management, etc. We live in Edgewater (one block south of Kenmore and Bryn Mawr). At first glance, it seems like a nice area. But there is a high concentration of mental illness care centers/homeless people. It's rare to walk to the Bryn Mawr red line station without someone hassling you for money. Even worse, some of the people make harassing comments towards my girlfriend. She often has to work in the middle of the night. I worry for her when she has to come home at 3 in the morning, and she does not feel safe. Especially since someone was raped in the alleyway behind our apartment a few months ago.
We both have to ride the El for 40 minutes 10+ times a week. I think this is part of the reason we don't like Chicago. Call me sheltered/judgmental, but there are a lot of sketchy/gross people on the CTA, and it is extremely dirty. It's depressing to spend so much time on it. I'd rather drive and deal with traffic. I plan to get a car within the next few months.
I've been struggling with what I want to do when my lease runs up in 5 months. Ideally, I'd move away from Chicago. However, I love my job. It is the perfect job for me. I got extremely lucky to get the job, and I don't think I'd get the same opportunity elsewhere.
We are both pretty lame. We are not into the party/nightlife scene. We'd prefer living in a pretty quiet area. We're pretty antisocial. In fact, we haven't made any friends since moving here 7 months ago. I'd like to at least make a few friends, but it's hard when you're not into the club/party scene and you're an introvert.
So with that in mind, I want to stay in the Chicago area but find a better area/apartment. I don't mind moving further away from downtown, but within a max drive of 40 minutes to River North. My two highest priorities are feeling safe and rent costs. I'd also like to upgrade to a nicer/larger apartment while keeping the rent pretty much the same. Which neighborhoods or suburbs would you recommend?
Your help is much appreciated!
Going by what you put as income, Chicago is very hard to live in with those means. Sorry to be blunt about it. Depending on where you and the gf actually work, you could possibly get away with living in other areas and still work in the city that are more laid back and where you can live in a somewhat more decent area.
So the question really becomes, do you not like Chicago or do you not like your situation, that just happens to be in Chicago and they are different.
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