Relocating for job in Hammond,IN help! (Chicago, Lansing: apartments, for rent) - Chicago Suburbs - Illinois (IL) - City-Data Forum

pepi8 · 12-07-2011, 11:35 AM

Hello all,

I will soon be relocating to the area for a job in Hammond. I know nothing of the Chicago/Indiana area and was hoping to find some help about areas to start looking since there seems to be so much variety! I have not done much research yet as I just found out about the job yesterday. Right now I am a little overwhelmed and don't know where to start looking.

A bit about me..I am a 29 year old single male with no family. I would prefer a lively area not too far (30 min commute) to Hammond. Preferably an area that one could easily walk to things such as restaurants, bars, and markets. I will be looking to rent a 1 or 2 bedroom place. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

urza216 · 12-07-2011, 12:35 PM

Easily walk to bars, resturants and markets? I'd strongly recommend Homewood. Hop on I-80 and head east and you'll be in Hammond in less than a half hour. Lassens in Homewood is a fairly popular bar (by suburban standards) on Thursday nights. There are apartments and condos in downtown Homewood and plenty of shops and restaurants and a few bars in walking distance.

Highland could also work for an easy commute. It's just south of Hammond and has plenty of chain restaurants and retail. You won't be able to walk to it though.

Especially since you are a young man and schools are a non-issue, Hammond itself might even work! Just make sure you case out the neighborhood first. You can also look into the Hegwisch neighborhood on the far southeast side of Chicago. In all honesty, if I were in you shoes, I might even look into apartments a little north of there (like "the East Side") so I can possibly get a cheaper place and have more money for other things.. The southeast side of Chicago isn't heaven but it's not Englewood either, if you know what I mean.

Good luck on your search! And welcome to South Chicagoland.

knighthood82 · 12-07-2011, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by urza216

Easily walk to bars, resturants and markets? I'd strongly recommend Homewood. Hop on I-80 and head east and you'll be in Hammond in less than a half hour. Lassens in Homewood is a fairly popular bar (by suburban standards) on Thursday nights. There are apartments and condos in downtown Homewood and plenty of shops and restaurants and a few bars in walking distance.

Highland could also work for an easy commute. It's just south of Hammond and has plenty of chain restaurants and retail. You won't be able to walk to it though.

Especially since you are a young man and schools are a non-issue, Hammond itself might even work! Just make sure you case out the neighborhood first. You can also look into the Hegwisch neighborhood on the far southeast side of Chicago. In all honesty, if I were in you shoes, I might even look into apartments a little north of there (like "the East Side") so I can possibly get a cheaper place and have more money for other things.. The southeast side of Chicago isn't heaven but it's not Englewood either, if you know what I mean.

Good luck on your search! And welcome to South Chicagoland.

I think urza laid out some very good options here. You may also want to consider the Ridge Road corridor (between Burnham Ave in Lansing and Calumet Ave in Munster). The are many shops, restaurants, and bars along this one mile stretch and it's very walkable. It's also just south of Hammond. On the Lansing side there are many houses that can be rented for reasonable rates. On the Munster side you can find older 2-story duplexes just north of Ridge Rd for rent and a few apartments as well. I have a friend who lives in an apartment on Manor Ave in Munster (just south of Ridge Rd) and he seems to really like the area.

pepi8 · 12-08-2011, 05:27 AM

Thank you both for the feedback. This gives me some good info on where to start my research! Thanks again!!!

Vlajos · 12-09-2011, 11:42 AM

South Loop, commute may be a bit longer, but you'll be happier.

urza216 · 12-09-2011, 12:52 PM

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chet everett · 12-09-2011, 07:19 PM

Jeez I dunno, depending on how "working class" the OP is and what sorts of people he'd like to hang out with after work I think most 29 year olds would STRONGLY prefer living in Chicago. My top choices would be Hyde Park, Lincoln Park or Lakeview, but I can imagine Pilsen, Beverly, UIV/Taylor St being good choices too.

So many suburban bars are mostly people with family ties and such -- much easier to met new people in parts of Chicago with at least a mix of locals and folks from elsewhere...

pepi8 · 12-13-2011, 03:55 PM

I do think I will be happier being closer to Chicago itself but am concerned about the commute. Anyone have some insight into how bad the commute would be from say somewhere like Hyde Park to Hammond for a typical 8-5 work day?

urza216 · 12-13-2011, 06:35 PM

Why is being close to two-nights-a-week entertainment more important than being close where you are driving to five nights a week? And it's not like you can't be a half hour late for your entertainment. You will be forgiven. And it's not like you always have funds for said entrainment - especially a big chunk of your money is going into your commute. There's no reason why someone living in Hammond can't drive to Hyde Park.. Or somewhere an hour away, for that matter. I wouldn't wanna work an hour away but I personally have little problem driving an hour for entertainment.

Commuting from Lakeview would be a nightmare, by the way. Or anywhere north of 35th street.

Golden Camel · 12-14-2011, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by urza216

Why is being close to two-nights-a-week entertainment more important than being close where you are driving to five nights a week?

I have to wonder that myself. Do people really go out partying seven nights a week?

But on the other hand, if your idea of entertainment involves a lot of drinking and staying out until the wee hours of the night, driving is not a good idea. And if you meet someone you'd like to become more intimate with while you are out, you are more likely to be successful saying "Why don't you come back to my place, it's around the corner" than "Why don't you come back to my place, it's somewhere in the bowels of Indiana."

I guess it's a trade off. If you are expecting to make friends, it's going to be tough if they are located 50 miles away from where you live. On the other hand, if you have a professional job (rather than a punch-the-timeclock-and-I'm-done job), you are going to be handicapped if you live far away from work and your job requires being on call or being available at odd hours to deal with foreign clients or emergencies.