Indian Family moving to Chicago with work location in Downtown (Naperville: apartments, rent)

[bocaraton_new]

Hello All,

We are a Indian family relocating to Chicago with 5 yr old kid. My office will be in downtown Chicago. Please recommend good Indian communities where I should rent a 2bhk apartment. I would prefer where there are Indian Families staying and have direct subways connecting Downtown. If it is closer I can drive too.

Thanks!

[ebitdadada]

Originally Posted by bocaraton_new

Hello All,

We are a Indian family relocating to Chicago with 5 yr old kid. My office will be in downtown Chicago. Please recommend good Indian communities where I should rent a 2bhk apartment. I would prefer where there are Indian Families staying and have direct subways connecting Downtown. If it is closer I can drive too.

Thanks!

Depending on your budget, the West Loop is close to downtown, has lots of Indian families, and also has one of the best elementary schools (Skinner) in Chicago from what I understand. Chicago actually has a pretty large Indian community though so you are likely to find Indian families in a pretty big swath of the neighborhoods surrounding the Loop.

West Loop simply jumps out for me as it seems like it has a higher % of Indian families. Note this is based only on my personal observations (and smelling lots of Indian food next to some of the appartment complexes ) + having quite a few of Indian friends who live in the west Loop and seem to have a bit of an Indian community of families that they’re a part of. No data to back up my assertions, just what I see living near by.

That said, West Loop is also expensive. It will help others help you if you post your budget and # of bed baths you’re looking for.

[emathias]

If you want to be in the city, the West Loop is a decent choice. Most of the Indian families with children I have worked with over the years tend to live in the suburbs. Naperville is very popular for that, and it has Metra (commuter rail, not subway) stations where an express train can get you to the Loop in about 45 minutes. Commuting from the West Loop would be faster - depending exactly where in the Loop your office is and where in the West Loop your stay, you may even be able to walk to work. Otherwise there are 'L' stations on the north and south borders of the West Loop, and many people in the West Loop take buses to/from the Loop. Chicagoans are not anti-bus and everyone from blue collar workers to high-end professionals may commute by bus if it meets their needs. Some even prefer the bus because you can often walk less and it may be easier to get a seat depending on where you are on the route.

I've also known a few Indian families who've stayed in Lakeview, which also has a very good primary school in Nettelhorst. Many people commuting from East Lakeview will take express buses that pick people up next to Lake Shore Drive. Central Lakeview residents can take the Red or Brown Line to the Loop, and West Lakeview residents can take the Brown Line to work.

The traditional Indian neighborhood is clustered around Devon Avenue, which is far north and isn't very close to the 'L' or to Metra stations. You'd have to either take a bus to an 'L' station or drive to work if you worked in the Loop. It also doesn't attract as many recent professionals, who are more likely to choose places that are also popular with native-born Americans (such as the West Loop, Naperville, and Lakeview). But you will probably occasionally visit Devon Ave for restaurants or shopping even if you don't live there.

[bocaraton_new]

Thank you guys for you valuable suggestions. This definitely helps !! I can look at Naperville is its 45min travel..
Work Place would be near Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago so subway station around it like Monroe or quincy wells if that helps. Budget I am looking is 15-17K for a 2 BHK...

Hope this is help you all to give suggestions...

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by ebitdadada

Depending on your budget, the West Loop is close to downtown, has lots of Indian families, and also has one of the best elementary schools (Skinner) in Chicago from what I understand. Chicago actually has a pretty large Indian community though so you are likely to find Indian families in a pretty big swath of the neighborhoods surrounding the Loop.

West Loop simply jumps out for me as it seems like it has a higher % of Indian families. Note this is based only on my personal observations (and smelling lots of Indian food next to some of the appartment complexes ) + having quite a few of Indian friends who live in the west Loop and seem to have a bit of an Indian community of families that they’re a part of. No data to back up my assertions, just what I see living near by.

That said, West Loop is also expensive. It will help others help you if you post your budget and # of bed baths you’re looking for.

While it is true that Mark T. Skinner WEST school does appear highly ranked on some lists those same lists are based on some questionable use of metrics -- How We Ranked the Schools | Chicago magazine

I would note that using this some criteria the result set for suburban schools that almost no one would say mirrors truly desirable areas -- The Best Public Schools in Chicago

To be sure, there are much worse schools than Skinner and others on the list, but there are also far better choices, of course if the OP is like most people they will have a multi-faceted list of priorities and it makes sense to decide which factors are their highest priority; arguably the West Loop should be investigated but so should other areas in the city as well as the suburbs.

It is true that there are now so many folks of Indian heritage throughout the region that it would be rare to not have pretty good access to ethnic grocers and such anywhere in the popular Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs. The OP's desire for good access to public transit is similarly no barrier. There are significant number of such folks in the traditional areas near Devon on the NW side of Chicago as well as near the terminus of the O'Hare Blue line near Cumberland Ave. There are very large numbers of families of Indian heritage in suburbs like Westmont or Naperville along the BNSF, Lombard along the UP-W line, Northfield along the UP-L, Arlington Heights & Mt. Prospect along the UP-NW line. Perhaps the criteria should include which area is likely to offer the best value and best mix of other qualities, the more details shared about such things the more complete the picture can be...

[personone]

Originally Posted by bocaraton_new

Hello All,

We are a Indian family relocating to Chicago with 5 yr old kid. My office will be in downtown Chicago. Please recommend good Indian communities where I should rent a 2bhk apartment. I would prefer where there are Indian Families staying and have direct subways connecting Downtown. If it is closer I can drive too.

Thanks!

As someone mentioned, the area around Devon Ave (which is in the Rodger's Park neighborhood) is the large, traditional Indian and Pakistani community in Chicago, although you will find a sizable Indian population in the downtown area as well. Naperville is a really nice western suburb with a large Indian community, and several of the other suburbs have large Indian communities. The commute from the suburbs can be pretty bad, depending on exactly where you're located.

[ToriaT]

Naperville, Downers Grove, Westmont....Indians live in these communities, they are good and safe and there are trains to downtown (not the "L" or subway, but Metra Trains.).

[bocaraton_new]

guys who live locally around Naperville, Route 59, Lisle etc... can you please point me towards any apartments which are near to the railway station. with Budget 15-16K for 2 BHKs ?

[justintchicago1989]

Originally Posted by personone

As someone mentioned, the area around Devon Ave (which is in the Rodger's Park neighborhood) is the large, traditional Indian and Pakistani community in Chicago, although you will find a sizable Indian population in the downtown area as well. Naperville is a really nice western suburb with a large Indian community, and several of the other suburbs have large Indian communities. The commute from the suburbs can be pretty bad, depending on exactly where you're located.

Devon Ave area does have many Indian families. I think the neighborhood is either called West Rogers park or West Ridge. West Ridge sounds more like it as my old job was just south of Devon on Western. Devon Ave bus will take you to the redline as well as the Peterson bus. The 49B straight down western will let you off at the brown line as well. The only downside to the 49B is it is not an overnight route and neither is the brownline.

[xsboost]

A former co-worker of mine (actually grabbing some drinks with him tomorrow) settled in at Park Towers in Edgewater:

https://www.dkcondo.com/managed-asso...ns/park-tower/

It apparently has a lot of Indian families living there so his wife isn't lonely while he's working. It's within walking distance (~5 minutes) of the red line and is a ~40 minute ride downtown to where you specified. Also really close to Lake Shore Drive if you decide to drive (~20 minutes if it's not rush hour).