I'm really bummed (Chicago, Evanston, Oak Park: rent, how much, neighborhoods)

[cotyan]

I'm from CA and living in the burbs of GA right now (Alpharetta to be specific) and now that our youngest is 6, I was looking forward to getting out of here and back to city living when we move to Chicago next year. We're talking REAL FRICKING THRILLED here. HOWEVER with recent investigation (i.e. reading this board through and through) I'm realizing it won't be feasible to do so AND at the same time provide an excellent education for our kids (without paying college-tuition prices mind you prior to college).

THIS STINKS!

I know all about Oak Park and Evanston but it's still the suburbs dagnabbit.

Please, someone, anyone, tell me there is more to do in these two places than go to Starbucks and make play dates for my kids. No offense to anyone who lives in these places but I was really looking forward to a change of lifestyle.

[MannheimMadman]

Why not Beverly? Have you considered there or Mt. Greenwood?

If schools like Sutherland continue to be pretty decent, I'd send my kid there. Granted, my wife and I are both teachers.

[MannheimMadman]

Oh wait, you mean like near-northside city life? Like Buena Park, St. Ben's and Lincoln Park?

In that case, no. Sorry.

[aragx6]

I think you really need to visit Oak Park or Evanston and then you'll probably realize that they're not unlike most city neighborhoods you've been in.

How much are you looking to spend?

[Lookout Kid]

You could always join the yuppie "pioneers" on the Northwest side. These areas have always been somewhere between middle and working class, but many professionals are moving in and there are supposed to be a few decent CPS schools.

Personally, I'd send my kids to a Catholic school before going CPS, and I'm not a Catholic. There are several other private schools on the North Side without any religious affiliations, but they tend to be more expensive. But property taxes are much cheaper in the city than in Evanston or Oak Park, so there is a little bit of a trade off.

You really have to do a lot of research before moving to a CPS district with the intent of sending your kids to the shcool there.

[hokiehigh]

Good luck. I don't know why Oak Park or Evanston are not ok? They are pretty urban, much more than a typical southern suburb. Probably more in lines with Sandy Springs in Atlanta but still more urban.

I am actually probably doing the reverse and moving from Chicago to Atlanta soon. I would have to be ITP though. I love Chicago though but I can make more money and find jobs in Atlanta.

[cotyan]

We can afford $3500 a month on rent max. I've been coming to Chicago quite a bit since April (was just there for the 4th and will be there again in two weeks) and I just loving being RIGHT THERE in the hub of it all. *sigh*

To hokiehigh: ITP is great, if you have kids you'll run into the same situation I'm finding in Chicago. All of my friends who live ITP or right OTP do private or they move up to the 'burbs. Are you sure you can make more money? Everyone complains about the salary base here. My husband was lucky in the sense that when we moved here from CA his CA based company kept his salary the same but his counterparts who live here and have work based here are significantly lower. Maybe in your industry you'll find it completely different. Good luck to you and I hope your move is an easy one

I will check out Evanston and Oak Park a bit further. Unfortunately, Catholic schools are not an option. We're not Catholic and it would totally be a shock to my kids who have grown up immersed in another form of religious upbringing.

Which brings about another topic, it looks like Catholicism is huge in Chicago, totally fine with that but are there other denominations just as prevalent? We're AME.

[Pebbles81]

i hear you. i moved here really excited to start living int he city, only to realize the public schools suck and will probably have to move to the suburbs to send my kid ot a decent school. granted, oak park is beautiful...really it is, so it'snot a huge sacrifice, but still. i am really enjoying living in the city!

as far as catholicism is concerned, and keepin mind i mvoed here from miami, where there is a huge hispanic population and hispanics are *typically* catholic, i have noticed more people here are catholic than in miami.

i don't think it's "in your face" catholicism at all, and i don't think that it really affects the culture of the city. however, there are way more catholic churches than synagogues, or united methodist churches, or evangelical churches, or any other places of worship. not to say there aren't any other palces of worship otehr than catholic churches, but there are many more catholic churches than i was used to miami and many more catholic churches than any otehr places of worship in chicago.

oh and the reason why so many people on these boards mention catholic school education as a possibility is that as compared to other private schools, catholic schools generally provide a good education and are significantly more affordable than non-denominational privates.

[Lookout Kid]

Catholic schools are filled with non-Catholics in Chicago. I even know jewish kids who went to Catholic schools.

Chicago is mostly Catholic (whites, hispanics) and Baptist (blacks). But every other mainline denomination is well-represented as well (and many non-mainline denominations).

[oakparkdude]

Although Oak Park is less lively than the lakefront inner city neighborhoods (Lincoln Park, etc), I think it more than holds its own compared to most of the peripheral Chicago neighborhoods of Chicago that Lookout Kid suggested. Additionally, Oak Park is closer to the Loop than most of the these neighborhoods and has better public transit access to the city.