Recent grad worried about moving to Chicago

[ToriaT]

I agree with the poster above. Hyde Park or South Loop would be the best bet maybe even west loop. There will be plenty of black people all around. Nothing to worry about.

[ChicagoB]

Originally Posted by billyThewho

I just graduated from college here in Atlanta this past December and got a fantastic job offer in Chicago but i'm a bit worried about the move

From what I understand the city is really segregated and as a young black guy(22 years old) i'm a bit afraid of not fitting in. I've checked around the board for recommended neighborhoods but would like some suggestions from any black people living in the city (Not sure how I feel about living on the south side i'm not the most street smart guy)

*Rent budget would be around $1200 but id prefer having a roommate or two.

Don't worry man. I'm not black but the city's segregation has far more to do with poverty than race. There's lot of colored and minority people in neighborhoods and so on. You'll be fine here!

[ARaider08]

OP, I found myself in your situation a few years back.

Nerves are understandable but you'll do fine.

What will you be doing for work?

Maybe some folks on this board can help out.

[Bird4Prez]

If you are willing to spend $1200 and live with roommates, you can live anywhere you want. Seriously, the city has definitely gotten dramatically more expensive over the last decade, but that is still a substantial amount of money and will provide you with flexibility. For other young professionals with a close proximity to downtown, live along the red line or blue line. On the red line, I wouldn't suggest going much south or Roosevelt because there will be much less concentration of young people past that and I wouldn't go much further north than Sheridan....for the same reason. For the blue line, don't go past the Logan stop on the O'Hare branch and don't go much past the Racine stop. The segregation issues are (as others have mentioned) more of a function of economics than anything else.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

I also went to college in Atlanta (grad school at Tech), and used to live in Chicago. And I'm black.

Forget Lakeview and Lincoln Park. You'll be surrounded by young white frat boys, who when emboldened by alcohol and being in a group, will have no problem with making racial comments to you. And unless you only date white women, you won't find any black ones up north.

I recommend Hyde Park. Many professionals, things to do, easy access to downtown by Express bus. Black women everywhere.
My next recommendation would be the South Loop. More of a downtown, high rise lifestyle.

For a young black man who's not from Chicago, I have no other recommendation. Forget Uptown and Rogers Park. There's nothing up there for you.

Chicago can be hard on black people who are not from Chicago. Do what you can to make friends quickly, especially with "expatriates" from other cities.

I'm a black female from Boston who used to live in Chicago and I fully agree with this. I used to live in various spots in Lakeview and had a landlord who was full on racist. Also agree that the bars and clubs up there can quickly become uncomfortable with the drunken frat boys. Bars and clubs in Wicker Park and Logan Sq tended to be more diverse, less frat boyish.

I found that, as a black person not native to Chicago, making friends with other black was incredibly difficult. Many blacks living in the city are born and raised there, often from the West or South Sides. At least for me, the cultural differences were extreme enough to make befriending the average, native black Chicagoan more difficult (besides the fact that my interests tend to skew more atypical). Plus it seems to me that, at your age, even college educated blacks growing up in Chicago tend to stick close to home and may still be living in the West Side/South Side neighborhoods they grew up in.

I would stick with Hyde Park, South Loop, Logan Sq, and even the West Loop for best results. East Humboldt Park is an option too, though it doesn't have much going for it in terms of bars, clubs, and general hangouts (though easy to get to Wicker Park and Logan Sq).