Moving to Chicago for law school - where should I live? (Lincoln: apartments, rent)

[decker352]

I will be starting law school in August '08 in Chicago and would appreciate some advice as to where I should look for an apartment. I currently live right outside of Orlando, FL but I was born in central Illinois and have been back every year since I migrated south and have visited Chicago many times so I'm not worried about the dramatic weather change from FL. I am married and we have a small dog so an area near a park is preferable. The school is downtown with a redline stop nearby. According to the school website it looks like most students live in Wrigleyville. Any suggestions on other neighborhoods to look for a 1 bedroom apt. near public transport? Also what can I expect to pay for a 1 bedroom in some of the different 'hoods? I understand Gold Coast is probably out of my price range but how 'bout some of the others?

Also, my wife works in the field of healthcare administration. Are there a lot of jobs available in this field?

I would definetly appreciate any help/suggestions.

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

Originally Posted by decker352

I will be starting law school in August '08 in Chicago and would appreciate some advice as to where I should look for an apartment. I currently live right outside of Orlando, FL but I was born in central Illinois and have been back every year since I migrated south and have visited Chicago many times so I'm not worried about the dramatic weather change from FL. I am married and we have a small dog so an area near a park is preferable. The school is downtown with a redline stop nearby. According to the school website it looks like most students live in Wrigleyville. Any suggestions on other neighborhoods to look for a 1 bedroom apt. near public transport? Also what can I expect to pay for a 1 bedroom in some of the different 'hoods? I understand Gold Coast is probably out of my price range but how 'bout some of the others?

Also, my wife works in the field of healthcare administration. Are there a lot of jobs available in this field?

I would definetly appreciate any help/suggestions.

It'd help us make recommendations if we knew what school you were attending. Also, run a search of this forum for areas near dog parks. I know it's been done. West Lakeview and the northwest side of Lincoln Park were areas I remember being recommended.

[jessiegirl_98]

list of dog parks
http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/d...4_document.pdf
(also search this forum). Which law school? That will help.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan

It'd help us make recommendations if we knew what school you were attending.

Well, he did say it was downtown near a Red Line stop. That's really all we need to know, though for what it's worth that narrows it down to John Marshall and DePaul, and Northwestern if you stretch the defintion of "downtown" to include Streeterville.

To decker352: it would save us a lot of time if you would give us your price range, what level of amenities you hope to find in that range, whether or not it includes utilities and what kind of neighborhood you're looking for (young and nightlife or quiet and family-oriented, for instance) rather than have us name off a dozen-plus neighborhoods that would be convenient to downtown via public transit that you may or may not be able to afford.

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

Originally Posted by Drover

Well, he did say it was downtown near a Red Line stop. That's really all we need to know, though for what it's worth that narrows it down to John Marshall and DePaul, and Northwestern if you stretch the defintion of "downtown" to include Streeterville.

Well... it also would include Loyola and Chicago-Kent (IIT). In fact, of the 6 law schools in Chicago, only U of C operates its law school at its main campus. All the rest meet "downtown".

Still, it doesn't really matter. They're all fairly close to the red line.

The other factors Drover mentioned are pretty key, though.

[Drover]

Ah yes, Loyola. Not so much Kent though -- it's a good 10 to 15 minute walk from the nearest Red Line station...

[decker352]

Originally Posted by Drover

Well, he did say it was downtown near a Red Line stop. That's really all we need to know, though for what it's worth that narrows it down to John Marshall and DePaul, and Northwestern if you stretch the defintion of "downtown" to include Streeterville.

To decker352: it would save us a lot of time if you would give us your price range, what level of amenities you hope to find in that range, whether or not it includes utilities and what kind of neighborhood you're looking for (young and nightlife or quiet and family-oriented, for instance) rather than have us name off a dozen-plus neighborhoods that would be convenient to downtown via public transit that you may or may not be able to afford.

Sorry, it is John Marshall. Looking for the $900-ish price range for 1 bedroom. Not looking for a luxury apt. I just don't want to end up in a bad neighborhood. Not too worried about a lot of nightlife nearby as I will be studying and reading 300 page books with 8 point font for the forseeable future but a bar or two would be nice. And I'm not sure about the utilities....do most apartments in Chicago include utilities? That is not the case if FL so I'm not familiar. Again thanks for your suggestions.

[Drover]

Well, John Marshall is 1/4 of a block from a Red Line, Blue Line, Brown Line, Purple Line, Orange Line and Pink Line station, and about 1.5 blocks from a Green Line station; meaning you can live pretty much anywhere in the city. $900/mo will get you at least a decent starter apartment almost anywhere in the city with the possible exception of the Gold Coast and Old Town. So one final "narrow-it-down" question is how long of a commute are you willing to deal with door-to-door? Once that question is answered we'll be able to fire off some recommendations.

Many apartments will include heat in the rent because a lot of older buildings have one central steam-heating system. On my last apartment-hunting trip though, I noticed that some older buildings had been converted over to central heating with each individual unit having its own furnace and controlling (and paying for) its own heat. I'd guess property owners/managers got tired of paying enormous heating bills when energy prices shot through the roof a few years ago. Water and trash are almost always covered too. But you're typically on your own for all other utilities, including cooking gas even if your heat is paid. (Cooking gas on its own is only about $15/mo though.)

But, when you're apartment-hunting, it's important to find out if the heat is included in the rent because, especially in older buildings with drafty windows, that can make the difference of as much as $200/mo or more in the winter. So let's split the difference and go with $850/mo assuming paying for your own heat.

[decker352]

Originally Posted by Drover

So one final "narrow-it-down" question is how long of a commute are you willing to deal with door-to-door? Once that question is answered we'll be able to fire off some recommendations.

I'm thinking around a 30 min. commute or less would be ideal. I don't want to get too far out away from downtown. I've heard from family that I should look in Wrigleyville but where else?

[aragx6]

Wicker Park would be a shorter commute than Wrigleyville, and it wouldn't be such a loud noisy area. When you do get that nose out of your book you'll be close to all kinds of restaurants as well as bars and have easy access to other parts of the city.