From TX to Chicago

[jiraiya]

my recommendations would be pilsen or ukranian village. wicker park is nice and artsy, but wicker park has change a lot in the past few years. many artists lived in wicker park, they made everything really cool, and everyone flocked to wicker park. it has become more and more yuppified (same case for ukranian village). the artists are slowly moving out of the area because of increasing rent. my biggest recommendation for you would be pilsen. it has some of the cheapest rent and is, for the most part, safe. if you dont know anything about pilsen it is very much a mexican area of chicago. the areas around pilsen are definitely growing and will start to influence the area, but i havent seen too much yet. you can get a decent sized 2 br apt for around $700/month..so:

1. The rent is one of the most affordable places in chicago
2. It is reasonably safe (depending where) and of course just being mindful of your surroundings
3. It has access to public transportation (depends on what you consider easy and also where you live in pilsen)
4. If is very much Mexican influenced, so there are several churches (although most are said in spanish, they have different masses for english)
5. Pilsen definitely has some nice/small food markets that are not corporate. They tend to be cheaper than most other food markets. unfortunately pilsen does not have a huge amount of thrift/resale shops, but they are definitely all over the city, and my favorite one in the city is an easy busride away from pilsen. plus it is not too far away from the maxwell street flea market that happens every sunday...you can buy anything you need there!

if you look around 18th and halsted, you can take the halsted bus which will give you easy access to the blueline, in a car, its about a 5 min ride to greektown, little italy, and chinatown. the main issue is if you want to go out and party at bars/clubs, there is a very limited selection, basically dive bars

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by jiraiya

my recommendations would be pilsen or ukranian village. wicker park is nice and artsy, but wicker park has change a lot in the past few years. many artists lived in wicker park, they made everything really cool, and everyone flocked to wicker park. it has become more and more yuppified (same case for ukranian village). the artists are slowly moving out of the area because of increasing rent. my biggest recommendation for you would be pilsen. it has some of the cheapest rent and is, for the most part, safe. if you dont know anything about pilsen it is very much a mexican area of chicago. the areas around pilsen are definitely growing and will start to influence the area, but i havent seen too much yet. you can get a decent sized 2 br apt for around $700/month..so:

1. The rent is one of the most affordable places in chicago
2. It is reasonably safe (depending where) and of course just being mindful of your surroundings
3. It has access to public transportation (depends on what you consider easy and also where you live in pilsen)
4. If is very much Mexican influenced, so there are several churches (although most are said in spanish, they have different masses for english)
5. Pilsen definitely has some nice/small food markets that are not corporate. They tend to be cheaper than most other food markets. unfortunately pilsen does not have a huge amount of thrift/resale shops, but they are definitely all over the city, and my favorite one in the city is an easy busride away from pilsen. plus it is not too far away from the maxwell street flea market that happens every sunday...you can buy anything you need there!

if you look around 18th and halsted, you can take the halsted bus which will give you easy access to the blueline, in a car, its about a 5 min ride to greektown, little italy, and chinatown. the main issue is if you want to go out and party at bars/clubs, there is a very limited selection, basically dive bars

One reason not to move to Pilsen would be that the residents are starting to get really ticked off about gentrification, and it's starting to get nasty with graffiti and name-calling/harassment. If you move there and are not of Mexican heritage, be aware that there will be some bitterness about your presence there, unless you stick to the easternmost part of the neighborhood. Pilsen has the perhaps the strongest anti-gentrification sentiment in the city right now. Many residents still don't go along with this sort of class rhetoric, but it's catching on.

[aragx6]

The reason I think Ukrainian Village, while more expensive than Pilsen, is probably closer to the neighborhood the OP lives in now. She mentioned it used to be much worse ten years ago, but it's better now. There are still some homeless people, but many of the homes have been redone.

That sounds a lot more like Ukrainian Village than Pilsen. I actually really like Pilsen, and I'm still looking into the area for myself, but I'm not certain I'd recommend it to someone wholly unfamiliar with the city.

[chazman]

You could look at Andersonville on the far north side of town, though its not as trendy as Wicker Park or Ukranian Village. The rents are reasonable and there are diversions to be had, mostly in the form of restaurants and neighborhood bars. If you want to be up till 4:00 a.m. every evening listening to live music, you will have to head to other neighborhoods, but cabs and public transit options abound.

Andersonville itself was the center of Scandanavian immigration during the first part of the last century; now its a combination of GLBT, recent college grads and more than a few families. It is ethnically diverse, progressive, and tolerant. Churches nearby include St. Gertude's Catholic, Immanuel and Ebenezer Lutheran, and North Shore Baptist. These are socially progressive congregations which prefer to preach social justice and the ways of a loving Christ, rather than fire and brimstone. There is also an ecumenical congregation that meets Sunday afternoon at Immanuel Lutheran's chapel. Its called Christ Reconciller and its small membership is made up of mostly artistic types in their twenties and thirties.

As far as Pilsen is concerned, it is a great neighborhood, but Lookout Kid is right....the community there is fearful that gentrification will force up rents and housing prices and that they will be forced out of the neighborhood that they worked so hard to build.

[rgb123]

I would look at Lincoln Square, I think that comes closest to what you want but will be relativley safe. You should be able to find a pretty good deal, or go into Rogers Park or Andersonville like the above have suggested. East Village may work but I think the public transit there is lacking. I think Wicker Park has gotten too expensive.

[chazman]

rgb 123's suggestion is a good one especially if you will be without a car. Lincoln Square does have quick access to the Brown Line. Both Lincoln Square and Andersonville also have igo locations as well. (igo as in I Go is an auto sharing program where you pay a one time fee to join then you are entitiled to use cars spread throughout the city on a by the hour basis....most folks use it to go grocery shopping or out to the burbs....trips where public transit isn't always a good option. I should add that many of the vehicles are hybrids.)

One thing I neglected to put in my previous post suggesting Andersonville is that Andersonville is actually part of the Edgewater community. This is important to know, because when you are researching Chicago neighborhoods there is a difference between official community classifications that you find on city maps and neighborhood names used by folks who live in the city. So if you look for Andersonville on a map it will be the western portion of the Edgewater Community. Lincoln Square should be easier to locate. It is both a popular moniker for the neighborhood itself and the city's official community designation for the area. (You can find a nice map on Wikipedia under the "Community Areas of Chicago" article.)

[Lookout Kid]

I agree that Lincoln Square and Andersonville are great neighborhoods that are more affordalbe than Wicker Park. The reason I didn't recommend them at first is because it seemed the OP was looking for an edgy, arsty, Rock-n-Roller kind of neighborhood, and Lincoln Square and Andersonville are none of the above! You're more likely to get run over by a stroller in Lincoln Square than to happen upon another artist--and Andersonville isn't far behind, except for the substantial Lesbian presence there.

[rgb123]

actually I know a lot of artsy types in Lincoln Square, it has a very bohemian quality in my opinion. I know a lot of people there that are on limited incomes, are pursuing creative careers, and they all live together to save cash. I know of some pretty cheap studios in that neighborhood as well, and there is a big thrift shop down Lawrence, and plenty of cheap places to eat. I dont think Lincoln Square is nearly as baby strollerish as Lincoln Park or even Wrigleyville its just not cookie cutterish enough for that, at least I never noticed it to be the case, personally it would not be my first choice if I had babies. Too bad the pigeon man is gone.....that would have been a nice welcome

[aragx6]

As far as Wicker Park being more expensive, this is true, but deals can be found. There is a 2 bedroom on Craigslist right now for 850 right in the heart of Wicker Park.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by rgb123

actually I know a lot of artsy types in Lincoln Square, it has a very bohemian quality in my opinion. I know a lot of people there that are on limited incomes, are pursuing creative careers, and they all live together to save cash. I know of some pretty cheap studios in that neighborhood as well, and there is a big thrift shop down Lawrence, and plenty of cheap places to eat. I dont think Lincoln Square is nearly as baby strollerish as Lincoln Park or even Wrigleyville its just not cookie cutterish enough for that, at least I never noticed it to be the case, personally it would not be my first choice if I had babies. Too bad the pigeon man is gone.....that would have been a nice welcome

I think Lincoln Square is hands down the king stroller neighborhood of the city. Nothing else even comes close, except maybe North Center and Roscoe Village. Southport's not far behind either... I'd move there myself to raise kids if I could afford a house or huge condo.

In terms of a bohemian scene, you'll find bohemians all over the North Side. Even Lakeview and Lincoln Park still have a bohemian presence. But the biggest "scene" for this type of thing is still Wicker Park, Ukranian Village, Logan Square, and parts of Pilsen and Humboldt Park.