Lesbian Couple Moving From CA to Chicago (Evanston, Oak Park: transplants, apartment)

[KatieMcC]

Hello!

We may be moving as early as December, just in time for Freezing weather. We don't know a lot about the neighborhoods in Chicago, but we do know we want to live somewhere LGBT friendly. We are in our late 20's early 30's, so we still like to be able to walk to restaurants and bars. We LOVE amenities i.e. gym, pool, rec room.

We are looking into Lincoln Park, and Lake View. We are not too worried about pricing since its much cheaper than here in CA on first look! But what I really want to know is what condos and apartment buildings are the best to live in, lgbt friendly, close to water, and dog friendly?

If there is any other info we should know about Chicago please feel free to let us know. We will be flying out in a week or so, but we're still pretty much in the dark when it comes to the city.

Thank you!

[Bluefox]

Andersonville is traditionally considered the primary lesbian area of Chicago, though it is also popular with older gay men and increasingly younger gay men. It's quieter than Lakeview but should cover all of the amenities you listed. The COL is a bit lower than in Lakeview though the gap may be closing somewhat. It is also quite close to the lake.

[linicx]

Part of the equation is if you work at home, or have a job? And the name of the street it is located on. If it is moot, then you might also like Oak Park, an inner ring suburb with all the amenities offered to Chicago. It is very diverse with people, culture and architecture. You will not feel out of place. Several members of the forums live there. And it is a bit quirky. The Church of Beethoven meets once a month. You'll find Trader Joe's Whole Foods and a dog park. Housing stock ranges from gorgeous old historic buildings to very modern complexes with the fitness center and private covered parking.

Transit consists of train, bus, taxi, Zip car, and livery. Dairy is delivered to the home, and you can walk around a night. Plus it is safe area all things considered. You wouldn't want to live any closer than 2-3 blocks from Austin Blvd. The cops are as much police as they are tourist guides. There isn't much major crime; most of it is stupid stuff. You can't live with 10M people and not have some crime. OP does a pretty good job of keeping it safe.

In fair weather you can catch the Chicago Water Taxi downtown to Chinatown. .It is a community with some awesome authentic foods, grocer. bakery, druggist, etc.. Chicago as a whole is great place to explore and discover it hidden secrets.

It will be much different from California but you'll find Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Costco, Apple, and many of the national stores you love. Chicago can be Arctic cold enough that you will appreciate good boots and snowmobile gear or fur.

If you like adventure and don't miss the ocean you'll enjoy your new home. Locals go the Indiana sand dunes or Wisconsin for the summer get-a-way on the lake. I can't say about Chicago because the population is very concentrated. However outside the city you will need to check your dog for fleas and ticks daily, and keep the shots up to date to keep your pet healthy. Chicago has some very good medical care.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by KatieMcC

Hello!

We may be moving as early as December, just in time for Freezing weather. We don't know a lot about the neighborhoods in Chicago, but we do know we want to live somewhere LGBT friendly. We are in our late 20's early 30's, so we still like to be able to walk to restaurants and bars. We LOVE amenities i.e. gym, pool, rec room.

We are looking into Lincoln Park, and Lake View. We are not too worried about pricing since its much cheaper than here in CA on first look! But what I really want to know is what condos and apartment buildings are the best to live in, lgbt friendly, close to water, and dog friendly?

If there is any other info we should know about Chicago please feel free to let us know. We will be flying out in a week or so, but we're still pretty much in the dark when it comes to the city.

Thank you!

Pretty much every area of Chicago that would be attractive to you is going to be LGBT friendly. There's a lot of LGBT folk in Chicago, so it's not shocking to anybody. Typically, Andersonville is the center of Lesbian activity in Chicago. There are also a lot of gay males there, typically older (40+) and south of there in Lakeview is Boystown which is the largest LGBT area of town. A good amount of restaurants, quaint shops, etc are there on the main strips.

If price is no object, then I'd also look downtown in areas like Streeterville, Gold Coast, and River North. The places that will come with a gym, pool, etc are high rises and there's many options downtown. You could probably pay less than $2000-$2200/month for most luxury high rises downtown that have a pool or two, gym, doorman, rec room, theater room, etc and 1 bedroom. If you don't require luxury then you can go below $2000/month easily for it. There are also some in Lakeview and Lincoln Park. Those areas are have a lot of midwestern transplants from states like Michigan, Ohio, and Iowa (as well as many others), but the area of Lakeview East is probably the best option if you're looking there. This area is just east of Boystown and it borders the lake and in some ways is a laid back mixed extension of Boystown. Maybe not full of gay bars, but there are a number of LGBT people there and you'll see rainbow flags.

If you don't care about the nightlife scene for LGBT, then check out those areas downtown (there's only a few gay bars downtown). Streeterville usually has less going on in the street than areas of the Gold Coast and River North. For Gold Coast, you may enjoy the area just north of Chestnut Street and around State Street or so. However, I think an area like Lakeview East would be a good center point. Check to make sure those buildings have the gym, pool, etc too. If you could forego having a gym, pool, etc in your building then I'd say look at Andersonville itself. Great neighborhood.


I am curious though - are you looking for a modern building, vintage...?

[RogersParkTransplant]

I can't help but recommend my beloved Rogers Park...it's a quirky neighborhood; has some rough patches and some very nice parts too, but it's definitely LGBT friendly and you can live right on the Lake for very reasonable prices. It has been gentrifying in recent years, so the reputation is still rougher than the reality (and the crime is increasingly isolated to muggings and gang activity on certain streets that are easy to avoid.) We've had a place here since 2010 and have always felt quite safe in the neighborhood, and we love that it's diverse in every sense of the word: people of all races, income levels, ages, everything, all living near one another.

If you have time during your visit, go out for some great food/drinks here -- it's an especially LGBT-friendly place, and you can easily meet some locals who will be happy to give you advice about the area:
R Public House // Chicago

And check out this gorgeous, newly-renovated apartment building from Rogers Park Vintage:
Farcroft By the Lake - Home

I rather love the fact that the building above is owned by the world's first openly transgender billionaire:
Jennifer N. Pritzker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

She's a controversial figure in the neighborhood for strictly business-related reasons -- ie, Rogers Park Vintage has done a great job of rehabbing and revitalizing parts of the neighborhood, but has also been willing to tear down a few old buildings to further their business interests, which has alienated some locals -- but on the whole I think she's been a positive force in the neighborhood, and I give her a ton of credit for bringing the Farcroft back to life, as well as taking great care of the wonderful Emil Bach House:
Emil Bach House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Meanwhile, many people on City-Data don't really know Rogers Park because it's fairly far from downtown, but it has great public transportation options -- the Red and Purple lines, plus the #147 and #22 bus lines, are fantastic connections to take you to all kinds of great neighborhoods (including Andersonville, which is cute but farther from the Lake and generally more expensive), and this is especially handy once the snow flies...

The proximity to Evanston from RP is also great -- Evanston is a lovely little city in its own right, and we often end up there for the shops and restaurants, or just because it's full of nice places to bike and walk. Another secret bonus to Rogers Park is that the Lake keeps the climate temperate...if you are within a few blocks of the water it's always just a little warmer in winter and a little cooler in summer, which is really, really nice, especially if you're coming from CA!

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by KatieMcC

Hello!

We may be moving as early as December, just in time for Freezing weather. We don't know a lot about the neighborhoods in Chicago, but we do know we want to live somewhere LGBT friendly. We are in our late 20's early 30's, so we still like to be able to walk to restaurants and bars. We LOVE amenities i.e. gym, pool, rec room.

Consider Hyde Park. We've had LGBT couples raising kids here for at least the last 40 years, to my recollection. They don't raise an eyebrow.

Plus the place is very walkable as to restaurants and such.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Manigault

Consider Hyde Park. We've had LGBT couples raising kids here for at least the last 40 years, to my recollection. They don't raise an eyebrow.

Plus the place is very walkable as to restaurants and such.

Hyde Park is a good neighborhood, but I have a few caveats.

1) Connection with the rest of the areas of the city with restaurants, bars, etc is not very great.
2) While HP has restaurants and bars, it's not a lot of them. It's not even in the same universe when compared to other parts of town. The area is getting better with regards to this, but it'll be a long, long time before you could say that HP is on the same level as anywhere downtown, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Wicker Park, Andersonville, UK Village, Little Village, etc etc etc

If you want a quiet neighborhood with intelligent people, and some bars and restaurants but not a ton, and you don't plan on going to other parts of town downtown or on the north/northwest side terribly often, then HP is good. Otherwise, IMO I don't think it will 100% satisfy the OP and her partner. One of the main reasons more people don't live in HP are the two reasons above.

[s0nginmyheart]

You can use a local apartment finding company that can pull up listings from a database (you would only pay a nominal application fee when you find a place you love; landlord pays the commission). A lot of buildings in Lincoln Park and Lakeview offer the amenities you seek (usually high rises). Some buildings (particularly along Lake Shore Drive I've found) are cat-only though. Hyde Park is a little removed from nightlife, and as a former Rogers Park resident it is on the quieter side and doesn't have nightlife traffic.

There is one lesbian bar in Lakeview called the Closet (on Broadway). I don't think Andersonville is as lesbian as everyone says anymore (there used to be one lesbian bar called Stargaze and that's been long gone). But for the most part, Chicago's eastern neighborhoods are lgbt friendly.

[KatieMcC]

We have heard great things about Andersonville! We will definitely check it out when we visit. Our only issue may be that its a distance from the city, and we want to have fun in the city for a bit before we move into the suburbs.

Thank you for the great information!

[KatieMcC]

[quote=I am curious though - are you looking for a modern building, vintage...?[/quote]

Thank you so much for the information! We are open to modern or vintage buildings, as long as the place has updated appliances etc. In SF we lived in both style buildings. I love the character of the old, and the sleek designs in the new. But we are open to either. Just safe and fun!