Advice on what Chicago neighborhood to move to...

[Drover]

9-minute walks sounds about right. Do be aware though that the Wilson stop is often among the most high-crime stops on the entire CTA train system. For decades there has been a very strange mixture and intense stalemate between urban renewal and urban chaos very tightly focused around the Broadway/Wilson intersection, which is where the Wilson stop is located. There are a lot of social services, methadone clinics, halfway houses, and the odd flop-house or two clustered very tightly around that area while gentrification has been going on around them. It looks as if the gentrifiers are finally getting the upper hand now that the neighborhood has a new alderman (the previous one was all in favor of keeping the halfway houses and flophouses and was vocally hostile toward gentrifiers), but there's still some crazy stuff going on around there now and then.

[ljohnson47]

Wow, okay! I'll keep the place on my list, but I guess I know now to use the Montrose Brown Line Stop instead of Wilson. I'm just concerned about having rehearsals and/or studying late and then having to walk back home alone.

[Drover]

I wouldn't use the Brown Line stop just to avoid the Wilson stop. Then again I'm a large male who doesn't look like an easy mark. But yeah, afterhours as a lone female... at the very least you'd want to keep a sharp awareness of your surroundings and keep stuff like purse, phone, ipod., etc., out of sight. And be prepared to be pestered for spare change on a fairly regular basis.

[ljohnson47]

Thanks for the heads up. Know anything about Edgewater and any areas there to look out for? Also looking for places there...most listings I'm seeing have been near the Bryn Mawr stop. Friends have recommended that area (more so the Andersonville section).

[Drover]

Where Edgewater is concerned, west of Broadway is generally considered better than east. That said there are no consistently "sketchy" sections of Edgewater and you'll be fine near the Bryn Mawr stop. There has been a recent historic preservation effort right on Bryn Mawr where the stop is, and that has really improved the standing of the immediate area. Not that it was horrible before, but it was definitely an eyesore at the very least.

The main commercial/dining/entertainment/nightlife strip through Andersonville is on Clark Street, roughly from Argyle north to Hollywood. That's why rents and quality-of-life in Edgewater (of which Andersonville is a sub-neighborhood) tend to be higher west of Broadway than east. That and there are some genuinely spectacular and expensive houses between Broadway and Glenwood.

[It'sAutomatic]

Uptown isn't that bad, it's basically the last full-on skid row in the city. Some people hate it, personally I don't mind the area too much. It's important to know that really it's just central Uptown that's like this (near the Wilson red line).

I'd say Uptown, Edgewater, or Logan Square where you can take the Fullerton bus to Depaul. If you care about living in a mixed-race neighborhood, Uptown, Edgewater, and Rogers Park do that pretty well.

[ljohnson47]

Oh, yes! I had forgot about Rogers Park. I don't know that area at all. My boyfriend and I do value diversity, so we'll definitely keep Uptown and Edgewater on our list, as well as Logan Square and the Brown Line neighborhoods...

[Lifelong Chicagoan]

I live on the 4500 block of Dover and it's a nice block. I know that building at 4543 and the apartments are small but I think they are relatively cheap. The apartment doors open right to the outside. It's walking distance to the Red line at Wilson, which is a gross station but is fairly busy with Truman College right there. If you go with Uptown, try to find a place on Beacon or Dover. They tend to have less riff raff (fewer gang bangers hanging out). The Montrose brown line station is about 3/4 mile and there are restaurants, bars, and a couple of boutiques near there. Also, if you feel lazy, you can always catch the Montrose bus on Wilson and take that to the Brown line.

[ljohnson47]

Thank you! My boyfriend and I are heading back to Chicago next month to view buildings/meet with landlords. We're planning on finding a place with a July 1 move in date. Hopefully we get a great deal in a good neighborhood!