River north for families?

[Drewtheman84]

I live in the area and think that I would stay here with a child until they were about pre-k age. It certainly seems manageable and the proximity to work means more time to spend with child

However, if I were moving here, I would definitely choose Lakeshore East over River North.

[chet everett]

If you are in Lincolne Square or Lakeview or Roscoe Village or Lincoln Park or even Old Town there just LOTS more small play lots and parks, smaller shops where you can break up you other trips, and a whole lot less business people and older folks than in River North.

The trade-off is you will probably not as short a walk to the dense workplaces of the Loop, but that is almost certainly secondary to a family with a new baby -- you want / need to have things to do that are "baby friendly" and the neighborhoods above definitely win on those grounds.

It is certainly worth weighing the whole range of pluses and minuses, and I suspect that is exactly what the smarter new parents do when they decide to move...

Originally Posted by aragx6

I agree with whomever else said this is an overexageration for the vast majority of suburbanites.

but that's neither here nor there.

My two cents: It's not the most family-friendly neighborhood. I would suggest, if you really want to live there, to rent for a while to see if you really like the lifestyle.

[sydbarrett]

River North is a place for swinging single people. It always has been since people began moving into it.

[RansackedMuse]

River North is short on neighborhood appeal. The only real park is Erie Park. It does have a nice little playground area for kids but that's about it.

Plus the highways connect to the city on the western edge of River North so there is a lot of very fast thru traffic coming through.