Thinking of a move from L.A. to Chicago... (Evanston: condos, crime)

[Lookout Kid]

I personally wouldn't send my kid to LPHS.

To live in Lincoln Park with kids and really do it right, you should probably add private schools to your price tag. You might get your kids into Whitney Young, Northside College Prep, or the like--but it's a crap shoot.

You really have to weigh the pros and cons of each and decide what's right for you. Some people are city people and will pay a premium to live in an elite neighborhood like Lincoln Park and send their kids to Latin or Francis Parker. It's a lifestyle choice with a pretty hefty price tag attached to it, and the pro-suburbs posters on here obviously think it's not worth it. However, if I were in a position where I made serious money, I'd consider it.

Wilmette isn't as great as people are making it out to be on this forum, but it is better than most Chicago suburbs in terms of architecture, walkability, and ammenities. Access to the city is alright via the Metra trains, but you have to realize that they don't run nearly a frequently as a CTA train. You'll be able to get downtown quite easily when you need to, but you probably won't do it that often. If you live in Wilmette, your life will be centered around the North Shore suburbs and the lifestyle of the North Shore suburbs. You'll shop at Old Orchard and find entertainment in Evanston. If you live in Lincoln Park, you will be truly immersed in the City's cultural offerings and urban lifestyle. It's your choice.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I personally wouldn't send my kid to LPHS.

To live in Lincoln Park with kids and really do it right, you should probably add private schools to your price tag. You might get your kids into Whitney Young, Northside College Prep, or the like--but it's a crap shoot.

You really have to weigh the pros and cons of each and decide what's right for you. Some people are city people and will pay a premium to live in an elite neighborhood like Lincoln Park and send their kids to Latin or Francis Parker. It's a lifestyle choice with a pretty hefty price tag attached to it, and the pro-suburbs posters on here obviously think it's not worth it. However, if I were in a position where I made serious money, I'd consider it.

Wilmette isn't as cool as people are making it out to be, but it is better than most Chicago suburbs in terms of architecture, walkability, and ammenities. Access to the city is alright via the Metra trains, but you have to realize that they don't run nearly a frequently as a CTA train. You'll be able to get downtown quite easily, but you probably won't do it that often. If you live in Wilmette, your life will be centered around the North Shore suburbs. You'll shop at Old Orchard and find entertainment in Evanston. If you live in Lincoln Park, you will be truly immersed in the City's cultural offerings and urban lifestyle. It's your choice.

You can immerse yourself in Chicago very very easily without living in the City. The Metra trains run frequently enough and reliably enough that you can spend 12hr+ everyday in the desirable areas of Chicago and sleep someplace where your car is not going to be stolen/vandalized and you can count on uniform delivery of municipal services...

As far as grown-up shoppers a tremendous number of people from the NorthShore shop downtown AND all the way up in Lake Forest or Highland Park. You wouldn't do it on the same day unless you wanted a lot of travel time, but it is easy to drive north from Wilmette one day and ride south into the City the next. The same as true for the cultural stuff -- somethings are easy to ride to, others to drive. Really not all that much difference as far access, as long as you have a sense for which is appropriate.

Wilmette is not exactly an architectural mecca -- the majority of homes are not even as nice as those in Winnetka. There are a lot of people that didn't give a hoot what the place looked liked as long as their kids would go to NT...

You are completely right that one really has to budget for the possibility of needing to send your kids to private school -- there is no transparency to the admissions process at the Magnet high schools and even the better CPS elementary schools are rife with all kinds of "friend of a friend" type admissions. Ridiculous...

Because of the costs of making life in the best part of the City as pleasant as life in even a moderately nice suburb I agree that is a trade off that really cannot be made unless you spend some significant time in both places. I'd want to spend at least 8 days/seven nights here: Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL, USA - Google Maps

And almost an equal time here: Chateau Des Fleurs Bed & Breakfast (Winnetka, IL) - reviews, bed & breakfast photos, videos, special price , interative map & directions (if this place is still available...)

[rgb123]

Whoa now.....Lincoln Park the cultural mecca? I'm not quite sure it deserves that connotation or categorization. It's Lincoln Park, practically an extension of New Trier.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by rgb123

Whoa now.....Lincoln Park the cultural mecca? I'm not quite sure it deserves that connotation or categorization. It's Lincoln Park, practically an extension of New Trier.

Lincoln Park does have some cultural institutions of note, but it's CHICAGO that's the cultural Mecca. And when you live in Lincoln Park, the entire city is at your fingertips.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by chet everett

You can immerse yourself in Chicago very very easily without living in the City. The Metra trains run frequently enough and reliably enough that you can spend 12hr+ everyday in the desirable areas of Chicago and sleep someplace where your car is not going to be stolen/vandalized and you can count on uniform delivery of municipal services....)

Where to start... First of all, most people who live in Wilmette spend very little time in the city. It's just too much of a pain to get there, park, etc. If you live in Wilmette, you will be in your car on the weekends living a suburban lifestyle.

Secondly, what are you even doing on the Chicago forum if you think the city is all about stolen cars and vandalism? That kind of attitude is so naive and ridiculous. Have you been in Chicago in the last 15 years (the Mag Mile excluded)? I really have to question your experience of the city.

[rgb123]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Where to start... First of all, most people who live in Wilmette spend very little time in the city. It's just too much of a pain to get there, park, etc. If you live in Wilmette, you will be in your car on the weekends living a suburban lifestyle.

Secondly, what are you even doing on the Chicago forum if you think the city is all about stolen cars and vandalism? That kind of attitude is so naive and ridiculous. Have you been in Chicago in the last 15 years (the Mag Mile excluded)? I really have to question your experience of the city.

Do you know a lot of people in Wilmette, living the suburban lifestyle in their cars? Really? too much of a pain? Do you realize Wilmette is exactly 2 miles north of Evanston? Lincoln Park is not downtown Chicago either. You know when I went to UIC I sometimes got there faster from my parent's place in the suburbs than I did from my place in East Village.

Muncipial boundaries mean little in the metropolitan area.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by rgb123

Whoa now.....Lincoln Park the cultural mecca? I'm not quite sure it deserves that connotation or categorization. It's Lincoln Park, practically an extension of New Trier.

Let's see.... Lincoln Park has Second City, Steppenwolf, Royal George, Lunar Caberet, Victory Gardens, Piper's Alley, St. Sebastian Players, New Leaf Theater, St. Bonaventure Church, Green Dolphin Street, Kingston Mines, B.L.U.E.S., Lilly's, Wise Fools, The Chicago History Museum, and the DePaul Art Museum. From legendary theater groups to venues hosting national and international touring rock, jazz and blues acts to little-upstart theaters and indie-rock venues and a few cultural museums to boot... care to name a neighborhood that tops it?

[rgb123]

Last time I checked Second City was in Old Town....but whatever. That's not the point. I like Lincoln Park. Kinda.

In my opinion, there is a lot more "culture" to be found downtown, and in various neighborhoods and suburbs that make up the whole of Chicago. Lincoln Park is hardly the center of Chicago culture, and its not much harder to GET to the culture (some of which is in Lincoln Park) of Chicago from a few miles north of Lincoln Park in places that are technically suburbs.

[Drover]

A good part of Old Town is in Lincoln Park, including the part where Second City is. And if you want to be in the middle of it all, Lincoln Park is a tough place to beat. You've got a ton of it in your front yard, and it's a lot easier to get to downtown to the major theater venues and blues clubs from there, plus you have all of Lakeview's offerings (Briar Street, Vic, Metro, Schuba's, Elbo Room, Beat Kitchen, Music Box, etc.) directly to the north of you, and you're only one more hop & skip from all of Uptown's offerings (Riviera, Aragon, Kinetic Playground, etc.) or a busride to the Wicker Park scene (Subterranean, Hideout, The Note, Double Door, etc.)... If cultural immersion is your thing, Lincoln Park is the closest you're going to get to it.

[310man]

Wow, there's a lot going on in Lincoln Park. Wow, this is a very tough decision. Both neighborhoods sound amazing. We'll have to come visit, once in summer and once in fall to make sure we like the weather and city year-round.

Well, thanks everyone for all your help. It seems, like I said earlier, that this has come down to pure opinion and preference and I need to see what will suit us best. I have gotten tons of information and have successfully narrowed it down to two neighborhoods from a whole city of several million people. I'm pretty proud of myself. LOL.