Would like to move to chicage (Chicago, Lincoln: apartments, lease, neighborhoods)

[willis9399]

I'm researching a possible move into Chicago. Just hoping to get some general info on certain areas to live. Also, I'm aware of Binny's, but are there a lot of wine shops or chains in Chicago. I have managed a wine store in Florida for the last 3 years so that would be the field I would be looking in. Looking on craigslist, i've found quite a few reasonable apartments. Rogers Park, Hyde Park, Lakeview, Gold Coast,Logan Square, and Lincoln Park are some of the neighborhoods i've found the apartments in, just wondering if anyone knows anything about them. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Avengerfire]

Get a job first. And the competition here is fierce...Search the forum for info on neighborhoods. There are dozens of threads on all the places you mentioned.

[chirack]

Before someone can give advice on where to move we need info on like what area you are going to work, do you need a car, what sorts of activties or life style you enjoy, what is your budget.

Anyway parking is a big issuse in Lincoln park, Gold Coast and lakeview. In general you need to check where are going to park but in thoose places owning a car can be more hasle than it is worth.

[Drover]

Hyde Park is down in the south side, an island surrounded by a sea of urban chaos. That has a rather isolating effect that cuts it off from similarly dense and desirable neighborhoods in the rest of the city, which are primarily on the north side.

Rogers Park is touch-and-go. Some blocks are fine, some blocks are problematic, and sometimes they're side-by-side.

Gold Coast: anything "reasonably priced" is likely to be a outdated phone booth. And by "outdated" I don't mean "charming vintage," I mean eyesore. Gold Coast property is some of the most expensive in the U.S. so anything that looks like a deal on paper probably isn't in reality.

Lakeview: Very densely populated on the east side, like Brooklyn-dense. Density tapers off the further west you go but it's still pretty urban throughout. the Southeast corner of Lakeview is Boystown, aka the city's gay ghetto. The Northeast corner is Wrigleyville, which is about one step below Bourbon Street in terms of obnoxious barcawlers and the like. Once you get west of Racine, Lakeview gets a lot more calm, though some of the bars on Southport have a little bit of a meathead feel to them.

Lincoln Park: the closest thing to a "college scene" you'll find in Chicago. Lots of party bars in Lincoln Park particularly around DePaul but not quite at the saturation found in Wrigleyville. Lots of boutiques and upscale-ish chains along the commerical districts. Expensive brownstones on the eastern edge.

Logan Square: stay northeast of Milwaukee Avenue. The western portion of Logan Square is a war zone.

[willis9399]

Thanks for the quick replies. I'm not moving untill I have a job offer in hand, so i'm not going to jump into a lease and then have no income. I will be moving with my fiance, so there will be 2 incomes. Combined I'm thinking somewhere in the 75000/a year range. I'm 26 and as far as lifestyle i'm not sure what i'm looking for. Some background info on me, I've lived in a small town in south florida for about 20 years now. It is heavily populated by "snow birds" retirees and families. It is extremely boring with nothing much to do. Im just looking for something different. I want to live in a big city and experience everything it has to offer. I'm not too concerned with how big an apartment is or how it looks, I just don't want to end up in a rough part of town. I have extensive knowledge in retail management and wine as i've managed a wine store down here for 3 years. So i'll be looking for anything in that field. I'm not sure if i'm going to have a car with me, but right now i'm leaning towards not. Ideally, i would like to live and work in the city.