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Possible relocation from Virginia to Chicago suburbs, one bedroom studio apartments, employment opportunities, weekend activities, general traffic concerns, culture shock
Hi all. I've been lurking for a while and reading before I decided to post. I just graduated from college last month with my master's. I am thinking of signing with a contract agency that has placements in Franklin Park and Highland Park. If anyone has information that could help me decide if either place would be right for me, it would be appreciated .
Some info. about me:
I'm a 23 yr old African American female. I am pretty low maintenance. All that I require is a 1 bedroom apartment or a studio. My starting salary is anticipated to be between $52-55K per year. I will be moving alone in mid-August and I have a car so transportation will not be an issue.
Here are my questions:
1. Can I afford to live in this area on a salary of 52-55K without getting scurvy from eating nothing but ramen noodles (I just finished doing this in college)? Are there any areas near either that I mentioned that I should consider living in instead based on my age and income?
2. Will I be comfortable in either of the above areas? I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin and tolerant. I am used to being in situations where I am the "diversity" so to speak. I am however, not used to any outright hostility (not saying that I will encounter any in either of the above mentioned places).
3. Are these areas reasonably safe? I have pretty good common sense and realize that there are universal precautions you must take in order to be safe anywhere that you go. I am originally from a very rural Virginia town, but I went to college in Hampton Rds which is a bit more urban. I don't need Mayberry, but I don't want to be afraid to go outside.
4. In general, how's the traffic? I plan to live in or near whichever area I work in. I'm pretty used to heavy traffic, but not extremely fast traffic.
5.) How difficult is it to get to Chicago for weekend activities for each of the mentioned locations?
6.) From any other east coasters, how much of a culture shock should I expect? I love trying new things and can't wait to possibly experience this area!
I am sorry my info. is so general. I am in the early stages of deciding where to go. I am trying to decide between this offer and ones in Seattle, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. Please add any interesting things about these areas or things you think I should know. Thanks for any help you guys can give.
Highland Park is a very nice, tony neighborhood. You can probably find a not so expensive rental b/c there just aren't that many there. Very big homes. Large, established Jewish population. I feel that almost all people on the North Shore are pretty tolerant racially and socially. I love downtown Highland park; there are nice restaurants and shops although I can't afford to shop there much.
Franklin Park (I had to look it up myself) is right next to the airport so I wouldn't advise living there.
Can I recommend Evanston which is more urbane and hip. We have the university and the area's well-known racial diversity.
I'm assuming these are job locations - you don't necessarily have to live in either of those towns. If you take a Franklin Park job, you could probably pull off living on the North side of Chicago and have a manageable commute. I don't think Franklin Park has much to offer a young, single woman of any ethnicity. Highland Park is beautiful and upscale but isn't exactly bustling with a young crowd. Evanston would be a good option if you take that position. I don't think you'll find flagrant intolerance in any of those spots, although that always depends on the individuals you happen to come in contact with.
Thank you guys so much for your replies. I looked into Evanston and that looks more like what I'm looking for.
I originally wanted to live in the city limits of Chicago but jobwise, it didn't work out. I'm going to probably ask for the Highland Park position. I'm glad I asked here. I thought being near the airport would be a perk to living in Franklin Park .
$52-55K for a single person is solid money. The tough thing is the social environment. Highland Park might have more singles than say Kennilworth, but it ain't a bustlin' scene at all. 23 is real real young for just about ANY suburb. Throw in the racial factor and you could be part of a very small group.
Other threads have discussed the problems of African American professionals even on the north side of Chicago. This is a real issue and one that is a big deal for people that face it everyday. Yes, Evanston as a community has many more African Americans than any other north shore area, but sadly the number of young professionals in your age group of your race is very small anywhere in the region.
I am not saying to avoid Chicago. I am saying "be prepared". Just the other day one of my coworkers was telling me how many 'charity events' he is involved with. When I remarked that he seemed like quite the devoted do-gooder, he also admitted that without those event he would basically never meet any women his age & race...
Franklin Park has a much more "manufacturing" oriented past. It is not popular at all with professionals. Further, while some suburbs near FP have large minority populations, it is not a area known for having large numbers of young professionals of any race. Ideally a job in downtown Chicago would have the best combination of pay and social factors, second choice would be north suburbs. Don't know how you feel about folks with the military, but Great Lakes does have a medium size population of professional/career naval personal that primarily train recruits. A sizeable percentage of them are minorities, though their salary would likely be lower... Financial Benefits: Navy Benefits: Navy (http://www.navy.com/benefits/financial/#officer-chart - broken link)
$52-55K for a single person is solid money. The tough thing is the social environment. Highland Park might have more singles than say Kennilworth, but it ain't a bustlin' scene at all. 23 is real real young for just about ANY suburb. Throw in the racial factor and you could be part of a very small group.
Other threads have discussed the problems of African American professionals even on the north side of Chicago. This is a real issue and one that is a big deal for people that face it everyday. Yes, Evanston as a community has many more African Americans than any other north shore area, but sadly the number of young professionals in your age group of your race is very small anywhere in the region.
I am not saying to avoid Chicago. I am saying "be prepared". Just the other day one of my coworkers was telling me how many 'charity events' he is involved with. When I remarked that he seemed like quite the devoted do-gooder, he also admitted that without those event he would basically never meet any women his age & race...
Franklin Park has a much more "manufacturing" oriented past. It is not popular at all with professionals. Further, while some suburbs near FP have large minority populations, it is not a area known for having large numbers of young professionals of any race. Ideally a job in downtown Chicago would have the best combination of pay and social factors, second choice would be north suburbs. Don't know how you feel about folks with the military, but Great Lakes does have a medium size population of professional/career naval personal that primarily train recruits. A sizeable percentage of them are minorities, though their salary would likely be lower... Financial Benefits: Navy Benefits: Navy (http://www.navy.com/benefits/financial/#officer-chart - broken link)
Thanks for the input. I don't need everyone to look like me, but I don't want to be shut out socially. I do have the opportunity to move to Atlanta so I may need to re-consider. I have just always wanted to live in Chicago and right now, this is as close as I can get. Maybe I should try again later when I have more experience and am more marketable. I have some things to think about.... I just don't want to be hasty and make my decision based on race. Maybe I should look into the Great Lakes area. I don't care if the area isn't high income as long as it is relatively safe. I pretty much fit in wherever I go. Plus, I've been living in Hampton Rds in Virginia. The military is everywhere.
I completely agree that you should not be hasty. I can also understand that you don't need to have everyone look like you. Nor will I assume what sort of long term plans you have. If you think that you can get a job that will pay the same in Atlanta and it will help you grow in both your personal and career goals you should weigh all those factors into your decision to accept a position in Highland Park . Highland Park is about 30 miles from downtown Chicago and is mostly older, wealthier couples/families. While some of these are African-American it is a certainty that the ratio is tiny compared to Atlanta.
There are going to be a lot different expectations of young military guys at the Training Center, even if they are 'career'. It might be a great option down the road, when but if you were a friend I would say build your early experience where you can have the best/widest options...
I completely agree that you should not be hasty. I can also understand that you don't need to have everyone look like you. Nor will I assume what sort of long term plans you have. If you think that you can get a job that will pay the same in Atlanta and it will help you grow in both your personal and career goals you should weigh all those factors into your decision to accept a position in Highland Park . Highland Park is about 30 miles from downtown Chicago and is mostly older, wealthier couples/families. While some of these are African-American it is a certainty that the ratio is tiny compared to Atlanta.
There are going to be a lot different expectations of young military guys at the Training Center, even if they are 'career'. It might be a great option down the road, when but if you were a friend I would say build your early experience where you can have the best/widest options...
I really am not sure what to do. After this year, I will be completely certified in my field and will have more job options in a variety of settings. Right now, I am being offered the same salary for Atlanta. I feel like there are more opportunities for advancement with the agency that offered me the Chicago position. However, I will only be young once and would like to spend these next few years in a great location for my career as well as my social life. Chicago was my first choice and I guess I will have to decide if living in the suburban areas offered to me will allow me to be happy personally as well as professionally. In either case I will have the option to move after 10 months. Thanks for the advice!
I think if you don't mind a bit of a commute that Evanston would make a lot of sense for you. It's not like that stereotypical suburb with the white-picket fences lol. It's vibrant and interesting and full of young professionals. I think you could be very happy there.
I think if you don't mind a bit of a commute that Evanston would make a lot of sense for you. It's not like that stereotypical suburb with the white-picket fences lol. It's vibrant and interesting and full of young professionals. I think you could be very happy there.
Thanks. This may be what I will have to consider. In terms of commute, I know it will depend majorly on where exactly I work and where I live, but what is a "bit" of a commute if I took for instance that job in the Highland Park area and lived somewhere in Evanston? Here in the metro area, a bit of a commute is 30-45 minutes in perhaps 70 mph traffic on the worst parts of the interstate (when it isn't stop and go at the bridges and tunnels). I'm a tad nervous b/c even down here in Virginia I've heard tales of the traffic in the Chicago area . We have nowhere near the amount of people that you guys do on the road. That's a small price to pay though. Thanks for the info.
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