Considering Chicago Move (Barry, Fidelity: best neighborhoods, real estate, apartment)

[Croft13]

Hi there,

Been reading this forum for a while, and I can see most people are very helpful

I wondered if anyone here could give me some advice in regards to what are the best neighborhoods to consider if moving to Chicago?

I would be interested in living in a neighborhood with cool trendy shops, and where there is an artistic feel to the area. Particularly somewhere close to local indie/rock venues.

But I am also a single female, so it would have to be somewhere that's reasonable safe, so I do not worry too much about crime etc in my neighborhood (of course I know in a big city, crime is everywhere)

I am not a professional, so do not earn loads of cash Would probably have to rent, and cannot really afford more than $900 a month.

How expensive is real estate? I mean, are there any chances of ever being able to buy a small apt somewhere?

Many thanks in advance for your suggestions!

[cpdgis]

In terms of crime information I recommend you use CLEAR Geographic Information System. There are two web mapping applications that allow the user to view Chicago crime information around an address or community.

The Crime Summary application aggregates the crime into meaningful groupings like Violent Crime or Property Crime and allows you to compare and contrast areas of the City. The map is shaded using four value ranges. You can view summary totals for up to the past 365 days worth of crime. If you summarize the crime by Census Tract (which in most cases is the smallest geographic boundary) you can click on the tract number in the right-hand table and the map will automatically zoom to that tract and display census information related to the tract like population and other economic indicators. Use the “Zoom To Address” feature to determine which tract an address falls within and click the tract number. This can help you check on possible housing locations

The Crime Incident application allows you to see specific incidents of reported crime displayed as individual icons on the map. You are limited to viewing two weeks worth of data at a time up to 90 days previous (see the FAQ). This limit is put in place because of the volume of crime overall. You can check for incidents by various methods including address and community area.

The Crime Summary provides a more long-term view where mapping hundreds to thousands of “dots” is impractical. The Crime Incidents application allows you view recent specific incidents of reported crime. Together, these applications can provide you with an overall understanding of crime around a location in Chicago.

I hope this helps and if you have any questions please contact gisteam@chicagopolice.org.

[Croft13]

Thanks for that cpdgis!

That's a helpful website and i will definitely use it to scope certain areas!

[untuchableface]

Wicker Park would be good for you. Though you might get a small apartment for $900. They can be found though.

[Croft13]

Originally Posted by untuchableface

Wicker Park would be good for you. Though you might get a small apartment for $900. They can be found though.

Love the name of the area. It does look like my kind of place. Thanks for that. And it's only me, so a studio would do

[Drover]

Wicker Park is your place. That neighborhood alone houses the following indie venues: The Empty Bottle (technically in Ukrainian Village, but within two blocks of WP), The Double Door, Subterranean, and The Note, the latter three of which are literally at the same intersection (North/Damen/Milwaukee). Also nearby on the very eastern fringe of Bucktown (one neighborhood to the north of Wicker Park) is The Hideout. The Empty Bottle and The Double Door were used as filming locations in the John Cusack movie High Fidelity.

[Croft13]

Originally Posted by Drover

Wicker Park is your place. That neighborhood alone houses the following indie venues: The Empty Bottle (technically in Ukrainian Village, but within two blocks of WP), The Double Door, Subterranean, and The Note, the latter three of which are literally at the same intersection (North/Damen/Milwaukee). Also nearby on the very eastern fringe of Bucktown (one neighborhood to the north of Wicker Park) is The Hideout. The Empty Bottle and The Double Door were used as filming locations in the John Cusack movie High Fidelity.

Wow, that sounds very cool Drover. And the photos I've seen online of the area makes it look very inviting. Just my type of place.

Thanks for that. (I must watch High Fidelity again. Great film...)

It definitely sounds like I have found the area that's perfect for me
I'll start looking at rents etc...

Thanks everyone!

[Drover]

Much of High Fidelity was filmed in Wicker Park including exterior shots of Rob's record store, his apartment, Charlie's apartment, etc. And yes, you will find people just like Rob, Dick, Barry and even Laura in Wicker Park.