Moving to ChicAGO (Evanston, Lincoln, Roscoe: relocating, rent , work)

[sunlizard]

Hi - i'am new here. i'm relocating from Baltimore, Maryland to chicago......... i am white, 30 years old, with no children. i like the reggae and hip hop music scene and would like to know of positive interacially mixed neighborhoods to move to.....

thanks

[NSH]

You may want to look into rapidly gentrifying Uptown on the far north side. Lots of music venues and very diverse. The local paper just did a really good feature on the neighborhood

http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/uptown/

[yamasho]

I'm a 21 year old African-American college student, moving to Chicago from Michigan to being my career in Finance. I would also like to know what areas are recommended for young black professionals...

[Mel2882]

From what everyone has been telling me, Wicker Park and Bucktown. I did get a chance to visit last week, walked around the neighborhoods for a couple days, and did really like them.

[Drover]

If you're a young black professional who wants to be around other young black professionals, it seems your best bet is Hyde Park. Rogers Park may be another possibility, though I don't know how "professional" the black population is up there. Bucktown/Wicker Park are indeed hot spots for young professionals, just be adivsed that that area is rather white with doses of Hispanic. Not a lot of black people in that area, professional or otherwise.

[yamasho]

hmmm..Hyde Park seems kinda far from the Loop. I want to be close to all the action! lol...I just realized that wikipedia has population demographics information on each individual chicago neighborhood. Thanks for the help

[Drover]

Actually most of the action is in the North Side nighborhoods such as Lincoln Park, Wicker Park/Bucktown, Lakeview, Andersonville, Lincoln Square, and parts of Uptown. Much of the Loop is actually flat-out desolate after working hours, though there are some areas just outside of it that can be happenin' like West Loop and River North.

[kismetlivin]

Each neighborhood blends from one to another, but with the gentrification that's happening...it all is starting to look like Evanston. I'm in Lincoln Square and love it so far...Lincoln Park/Wicker Park/Bucktown is where the YUPs are predominantly. Uptown/Andersonville/Roscoe Village/Lincoln Square is on the up and up so rent is cheaper.

I say look for an area that's close to an El Stop so you can get places without looking for parking.

[Drover]

I don't know which part of Andersonville you're talking about, but when I lived there in the late 90s I was already paying a grand a month for a one-bedroom. I can't imagine it's gotten any cheaper in the intervening decade, seeing how the area has become quite a bit more yuppified since then. I also looked for places in Roscoe Village at the time, and it wasn't much cheaper.