Neighborhood advice for a med student and Spanish-speaking partner (Chicago: how much, neighborhoods)

[kata37]

Hi,

I'm a med student living in Oak Park. I grew up in the exurbs and went to college in upstate NY so I've never truly lived in the city before. My fiancee is hopefully moving from Peru this summer to join me. I'm trying to figure out where we should live.

I need quick access to the Western suburbs. My to-be husband doesn't drive or speak English. I'm hoping to find a place where he can feel like a part of the community, safely explore and potentially learn some English while we wait on his green card. We don't need to be any place glitzy but we do worry about safety. I work really long hours but we don't have much money, and things will be tight for two of us (less than $800/month would be best, even if that puts us in a studio for now).

We could stay in Oak Park, but it may be difficult for him to meet people. We could move a little further West, but that might make it harder for him to find and get to a job.

Any advice? I have a couple neighborhoods in mind but want to see what you experts might come up with.

Thanks

[chet everett]

What, you think some guy from Peru whose gf is in med school is going to be better off hanging with kids from Mexico?

That would be about crazy as suggesting that some place in the Canadian frontier is more suited to a Parisian that Vancouver because French is more widely spoken out their by guys that work on oil rigs than English.

Stay put! Oak Parker LOVE foreign exhange types! You will have no problems...

[Savoir Faire]

Originally Posted by chet everett

What, you think some guy from Peru whose gf is in med school is going to be better off hanging with kids from Mexico?

That would be about crazy as suggesting that some place in the Canadian frontier is more suited to a Parisian that Vancouver because French is more widely spoken out their by guys that work on oil rigs than English.

The OP thinks that a Spanish speaker who speaks no English will get along better with another Spanish speaker. Yeah, sounds crazy, kinda like assuming that an American who only speaks English would get along better with a Brit than someone from China who speaks no English.

[emathias]

The fact of the matter is there are many Spanish speakers in most of the Chicagoland region.

It partially boils down to just how gently you (and he) want his immersion into English to be. Do you think he'd do better plunging right into an area that has some Spanish-speakers but were most business is still conducted in English or do you think he'd be better off taking things gradually, in an area where many businesses primarily conduct their business in Spanish?

Where are you a med student?

I think the obvious answer for someone who doesn't drive and wants to feel comfortable being in the community before he learns English is to live in Pilsen, preferrably in the area bounded by 16th St, Western Ave, and Blue Island Ave (the closer to the Pink Line stops the better). This is doubly true if you are a med student in the Medical District, since they're more or less adjacent to each other.

The advantage of Pilsen over, say, Humbolt Park or McKinley Park or Brighton Park, all of which have large Spanish-speaking populations is that it is more dense, so walking around gets you to more places, and it also has access to the Pink Line, with access both to the Loop and from there the rest of the City, and further west to other heavily Spanish-speaking neighborhoods.

Pilsen isn't as safe or as diverse as Oak Park. But it's not particularly un-safe, either - most people don't have problems there. It's not upscale, either, so you should be able to find a suitable place within your budget. Most of the Spanish-speakers in Pilsen will be Mexican, so the culture will be different but at least the language will be (mostly) the same. If you're in Pilsen near Damen Street, he could also easily take the Damen bus north to Bucktown, where there is Rinconcito Sudamericano which is billed as a Peruvian store. I'm not in a position to testify to its authenticity, but if it's even kinda authentic that could be a nice thing to have relatively easy access to for him.

[EdwardA]

I'm kind of intrigued by your relationship. Do you speak Spanish? If not how do you communicate? Also do you have any concerns that you are being used for a green card?

[surlycue]

I think Hermosa or Belmont Cragin would be a good fit. Both are working class-middle class Latino neighborhoods. Hermosa has a higher population of Spanish speakers but I think you can get by easily in both 'hoods speaking no English. Cragin is safer but both are safer than Pilsen or Little Village, more traditional suggestions for Spanish speaking new immigrants.

If you'd like to stay in the burbs, Cicero might not be a bad fit either.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by surlycue

I think Hermosa or Belmont Cragin would be a good fit. Both are working class-middle class Latino neighborhoods. Hermosa has a higher population of Spanish speakers but I think you can get by easily in both 'hoods speaking no English. Cragin is safer but both are safer than Pilsen or Little Village, more traditional suggestions for Spanish speaking new immigrants.

If you'd like to stay in the burbs, Cicero might not be a bad fit either.

I only leaned toward Pilsen because it has ready, frequent rail access and is a good deal safer than Little Village. That and if she's a med student somewhere close to Oak Park, I kind of assumed it would be a better commute coming from Pilsen than the northwest side, although depending on where she's a student I guess that may or may not be true.

I think since he doesn't drive, having access to the "L" would be a good thing. In my opinion Belmont-Cragin in particular would be pretty isolating if you had to only rely on buses. Hermosa isn't quite as far out, although it's still pretty much dependant on buses (and maybe Metra). And is Hermosa really safer than Pilsen?

[Attrill]

Pilsen is definitely a good suggestion. You should also look into Ukrainian Village. Many of the stores on Chicago Ave., Ashland and Western are primarily Spanish speaking, and you'd just be a little North of the Eisenhower.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Attrill

Pilsen is definitely a good suggestion. You should also look into Ukrainian Village. Many of the stores on Chicago Ave., Ashland and Western are primarily Spanish speaking, and you'd just be a little North of the Eisenhower.

Does Peru have much of a gaucho culture? Alcala's on Chicago Ave is a great store for both real, working horse supplies and authentic Western-wear, owned a Mexican family. I grew up out west and have cowboys in my family, so I like to go there just to look around when I miss the West.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by EdwardA

I'm kind of intrigued by your relationship. Do you speak Spanish? If not how do you communicate? Also do you have any concerns that you are being used for a green card?

Yes, I'm sure they've never spoken.


OP, I would either stay in Oak Park (it's diverse, has relatively good public transit, is safe and has easy access to the western suburbs) or look, as others have suggested, in Pilsen. Pilsen has better transit, more Spanish speakers and an all-around more urban feel, but it's certainly less safe than most of Oak Park and your commute will likely be somewhat longer (how much lonoger would depend on to where in the western suburbs you are commuting).