Young Professional moving to Chicago! Please help

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by holl1ngsworth

There's no reason to choose Oak Park in this situation. If you're willing to commit to such a winding, tortuous commute, you may as well tack on a little extra and live Wicker, Ukrainian, West Town, Fulton River or the West Loop. Oak Park is not a whole lot less family-orientated than Wheaton, and the extra commute and extra costs of renting there don't seem worth it...

Wheaton has 50,000+ residents, an active core and is just 20 mins south of Hanover Park. There are many young professionals in the upscale apartments lining Wheaton's downtown district doing exactly what Chet has recommended: living close to work and commuting to nightlife. In Wheaton you'd still have the ability to walk to things like the grocery store, restaurants, watering holes, a micro brewery, drama theatre, an improv group, an outdoor French market and much more, all while enjoying some hefty savings on your monthly rent. On top of that, everything from Cheetos and Red Bull to gym memberships and gas are cheaper out in DuPage, and we also enjoy a lower sales tax (8.25% vs 9.25%). Less overhead = more weekend fun and a brighter future...

Arlington Heights might work too, but the route is more zigzag; less direct.

What kind of rents are you seeing in Wheaton Hollingsworth? I applied for a job in Oak Brook and looked at some Oak Park apartments on line, was seeing $900 - $1,000 for nice 1 bedrooms.

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

What kind of rents are you seeing in Wheaton Hollingsworth? I applied for a job in Oak Brook and looked at some Oak Park apartments on line, was seeing $900 - $1,000 for nice 1 bedrooms.

About the same for a 1-bed near downtown and Metra. Less if further from the core...

I haven't seen any 1 beds in OP for under $1200. At least not anywhere near Metra or the downtown area. Are you looking south of 290, or east along Austin? I suppose it's doable in that neck of the woods for ~$1000. Even so, most of the inventory I've seen in the past at that price point wasn't anywhere near "nice." Old radiators, no central A/C, dated fixtures, etc.

And in my heavily biased but also (somewhat) experienced opinion, downtown Wheaton > non-downtown Oak Park.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by holl1ngsworth

And in my heavily biased but also (somewhat) experienced opinion, downtown Wheaton > non-downtown Oak Park.

Downtown Chicago > All suburban downtowns combined. And Oak Park is close enough to that for casual use.

I don't think Down Town Oak Park is bad. It has really improved in recent years in terms of places to get drinks and fine cheese.

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Downtown Chicago > All suburban downtowns combined. And Oak Park is close enough to that for casual use.

I don't think Down Town Oak Park is bad. It has really improved in recent years in terms of places to get drinks and fine cheese.

I agree?

I would never say downtown Oak Park is bad. And I didn't. It's great. I'm just saying I'd rather live in downtown Wheaton than in the Oak Park sticks. But alas, the appeal of city proximity is hard to deny. I just hope all the towns developing their cores can maintain their trajectory, suburban life has really begun to improve over the past few years....

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by holl1ngsworth

I'm just saying I'd rather live in downtown Wheaton than in the Oak Park sticks.

Ahh, got it. I thought you were saying that downtown Wheaton was a huge step up from downtown Oak Park. I agree with you on this point in terms of access to daily amenities in your suburb. But on the same track, I'd say the sticks of Oak Park are probably more fun than the sticks of Wheaton.

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

But on the same track, I'd say the sticks of Oak Park are probably more fun than the sticks of Wheaton.

Mos def.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Ahh, got it. I thought you were saying that downtown Wheaton was a huge step up from downtown Oak Park. I agree with you on this point in terms of access to daily amenities in your suburb. But on the same track, I'd say the sticks of Oak Park are probably more fun than the sticks of Wheaton.

Also, given that Oak Park is 4.5 sq miles versus 11.5 for Wheaton, a lot higher percentage of Oak Park is non-stickish/sticky/stick-oid?

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

Also, given that Oak Park is 4.5 sq miles versus 11.5 for Wheaton, a lot higher percentage of Oak Park is non-stickish/sticky/stick-oid?

It's an interesting comparison since they are both roughly the same population. And while Wheaton has a nice compact core and some older traditional neighborhoods in the center of town, it then sprawls out in to a lot of post-war suburbia neighborhoods that most people live in. Oak Park is ALL walkable older neighborhoods/small lots--with the exception of a few mansions.

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by holl1ngsworth

About the same for a 1-bed near downtown and Metra. Less if further from the core...

I haven't seen any 1 beds in OP for under $1200. At least not anywhere near Metra or the downtown area. Are you looking south of 290, or east along Austin? I suppose it's doable in that neck of the woods for ~$1000. Even so, most of the inventory I've seen in the past at that price point wasn't anywhere near "nice." Old radiators, no central A/C, dated fixtures, etc.

And in my heavily biased but also (somewhat) experienced opinion, downtown Wheaton > non-downtown Oak Park.

I LIKE the vintage apartments with radiators and no central air - hate new construction and I disagree about the downtowns, I personally prefer Oak Park. I have a friend who lives in Wheaton, and I do go to the French market occasionally, but Oak Park has more going on and it's so much closer to the city. Oak Park also has a farmer's market and I hear the cider donuts rule. Both are great towns.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

It's an interesting comparison since they are both roughly the same population. And while Wheaton has a nice compact core and some older traditional neighborhoods in the center of town, it then sprawls out in to a lot of post-war suburbia neighborhoods that most people live in. Oak Park is ALL walkable older neighborhoods/small lots--with the exception of a few mansions.

Even the sleepiest part of Oak Park is no more than a 5-10 minute walk to some sort of commercial district (granted some of them are kinda lame) and no more than 3 blocks from a bus stop. Also, with the possible exceptions of Harlem and North Ave, all streets in Oak Park have wide sidewalks comfortably separated from traffic, and small blocks, all of which makes for a more pleasant pedestrian experience.