Got a job in Skokie, Please suggest a place(studio) to live (Evanston: appointed, real estate)

[buonarroti]

Hi!
I just got a job in skokie starting May1st and for the next 2 months I plan to use the cta to work after which I plan to buy a car.

I am 25 and I would prefer living in a STUDIO in the city (so that I wont feel isolated) , which I am sure I will if I live in Skokie.

Can I please have some advice on where to live if my budget is 700/- (excluding parking). I heard street parking is a mission imposs in the city, so should I look at apartments with indoor parking only?

appreciate your help,
Mike

[Lookout Kid]

If you want to take the CTA, you may be a bit disappointed by the Yellow Line "Skokie Swift" service. Basically it's a shuttle at the end of the red line that runs back and forth between Skokie and the Howard terminal. So, the further north in the city that you live the better, and make sure you're close to the Red Line. I might suggest Edgewater, since there are a lot of studios there--and it's a bit nicer than Rogers Park. If you want more action, Lakeview is certainly an option to the south.

[surlycue]

I'm with lookout, try Edgewater. I would probably check out East Rogers Park too. The sketchiness of that neighborhood is block by block and there are some fun things to do being that Loyola is there. Andersonville is another great neighborhood on the far northside that has its own city feel. There is lots to do without having to leave your community. It is a pretty trendy area though so $700 may be a stretch. Check it out though for sure.

[Lookout Kid]

Just for the record, Andersonville is part of Edgewater.

I agree with surlycue that Rogers Park isn't all bad (I live in Uptown, after all), but I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. If you move here and feel comfortable with Rogers Park, it could help your commute time. Edgewater definitely has more studios, however. And they tend to be closer to the lake (east of Broadway) instead of Lakewood-Balmoral or Andersonville (which are west of Broadway). I'm sure there are exceptions.

[Drover]

Does your job happen to be right by the Skokie Swift station or something? Because if not, I'm not sure you should be counting on the CTA to get you where you want to go. Do you have an address for your job yet? An intersection will do if you don't want to give out the exact address.

As for Rogers Park... you should be able to get a full 1-bedroom in RP for $700. But as mentioned, it's block-by-block in terms of quality of life.

[ToriaT]

What about Evanston?? There are a lot of young people there and possibly bus service to Skokie. Also lots of apartments.

[skipcromer]

Something near the Davis Stop of the Purple Line may work out well. the Pace 250 bus departs from there and runs into skokie on dempster.

As others have said, all of this depends on where in skokie you will be working.

Edit:

Sorry, I didnt see you were wanting to live in the city. If thats the case, depending on how nice of a place you are looking at, you may be fine living on the redline around the Loyola or the Morse stop. Lots of studios in the area that are very reasonably priced.

[PokerPlayer1]

Edgewater (Bryn Mawr'ish) is the stone cold nuts as far as value-to-quality ratio in the city.
While it isn't dirt cheap, it's still waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay undervalued, in my opinion, and whenever the next real estate mania hits- be it in 5 years or 50 years, I'm pretty sure Edgewater will be the place to be. Just as a reasonably priced place to rent, it's great right now.

Rogers Park can be dicey. I believe there's tons of value there too, but why settle for an B+ value in RP when you can have an A+ n Edgewater for the same amount of outlay?

I hate even typing this post as the less people who have Edgewater pinging on their radars the better, as far as I see it. Please keep the prices down where they're at until my liquidity ratios improve

[buonarroti]

Thanks guys for your insights...
@Drover: My workplace is around mccormick and touhy , there is this bus 290 which goes there though i am not too sure of the frequency.

I found a good studio/close to lake and bryn mawr in edgewater but only at 800 . Anything below and I get cheap'ish interiors.

Do you know of ur buddies paying around 800 for a decent apartment around sheridan and bryn mawr? Or am I being taken for a ride?

Thanks again and the least I cud do is increase all of ur reputation.. :-)

[Lookout Kid]

I wouldn't say $800 is necessarily being "taken for a ride", but it's hard to say without seeing the individual apartment. Edgewater is generally more affordable than the more popular neighborhoods to the south, but there are still premium-priced properties there. I'm sure you could get something much cheaper, however.

But I will say that the Bryn Mawr and Sheridan location is a good one. The Bryn Mawr strip near the "L" has improved greatly in recent years, and now offers a nice selection of restaurants and shops (where there used to be drug dealers and hookers). And it's a quick hike over to Andersonville from there. If I were buying property in Edgewater, I'd like to be near there.