Moving to Chicago... Need Help, Full of TOO Much Unsorted Info (Paris: condo, to buy)

[dewthedru]

i'd wait to buy until you figure out where you'll be working. you can put yourself into a miserable commute if you aren't careful.

[kayleeirene]

Thanks for the tips so far they have been so helpful!! I do apologize for any offense about the Jewish comment, I didn't mean anything by it other than characterizing my tendency for saving as much as possible. I can make 250,000 fairly doable. Also, as far as condos or townhouses I just am concerned about letting my dog out as well as taking her for walks. I was told Paris was dog friendly, and it hasn't been nearly so. It sounds as though Chicago is incredibly dog friendly. Is this correct?

[radiojunkie2006]

Chicago is very dog friendly but you'll need a rabies vac to get a Cook county dog license plus Chicago has its own license for dogs that they are really starting to enforce. If your dog is neutered I think the Chicago license is $5; I forget what the county's is.

[SJaye]

Originally Posted by linicx

You might want to take a look at Oak Park, It is an inner-ring community that will probably meet most of your criteria: shopping, cafes, restaurants, parks, events, and more. Transportation includes trains, bus, taxi, limo and zip car. And you might be able to get a short term lease while you search for a house or condo. There are some gorgeous units available.

OP is on the western border of the city. it is about 8 miles from the loop. If you like green lawns, mature trees, modern Victorian era homes built by Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as homes that an be rehabed, I think you will find some nice surprises. You can also call and have all your concerns addressed. It will certainly give you a better feel for the general area. Oak Park Regional Housing Center .

By the way, OP, just in case you did not hear about Oak Park in any of the too much information you received. Oak Park is one of two, maybe three suburbs that are considered basically urban. The other ones being Evanston and Forrest Park. These suburbs are generally considered accpetable to people who don't want a suburban experience- despite the fact that they are technically suburbs. There are even parts of the city that may be more suburban-ish in feel (Sauganush, Mount Greenwood) than Oak Park.

Oak Park is on both METRA and the CTA Green line/blue line. The good news is transport downtown is easy, the bad news is that you go through some fairly nasty ghettos on the way, and that it is a bit harder to get to some of the North Lakshore communities from there than it would be from somewhere on the North side further East. I also wonder what you would find in your price range there vs. somewhere like Jefferson Park.

[chet everett]

Two or three? Huh???

There are LOTS of suburbs that extend the urban grid of Chicago. Most are just pretty undesirable. Oak Park and Evanston benefit from nice architecture and a Big Ten university, respectively. The benefits that come from those things mean that wealthier more education oriented folks tend to live in those towns than places like Oak Lawn or Skokie or Cicero or Forest Park or any of the dozens of suburbs that save for their non 606xx zip code look pretty much like the adjacent portion of Chicago...

[chicago103]

For that price range I would recommend the southwest side near Midway Airport, an area that is generally quite cheap and safe with single family homes galore and the Orange line gives quick access to downtown and has reliable bus routes. Also if you like/need to travel domestically it is nice to have an airport right in the neighborhood.

[linicx]

OP is the original diverse urban suburb..it has interesting perks like a hospital and millionaire bachelors amongst the parks and concrete ribbons. I talked to Jeff at the regional housing center office today and he did indicate he knew of some units in your price range.

Yes there are sketchy areas closest to Austin. Jeff and I had a long chat about it. he said he lives two blocks from Austin on the Chicago side and alot of remarks about Austin/OP boundary are overblown.

I still do not think it is the worst place in the world to plant your feet while you explore Chicago's 1000 neighborhoods. The City of Chicago is 237 square miles with nearly 3M residents. By comparison the Village of Oak Park is approximately 5 square miles with less than 52,000 residents. It is certainly larger than it sounds and it definately feels city. it does not feel, imho, suv suburbia or or cookie cutter subdivision. It is quite unique for what it is,.

[ToriaT]

Another place is Berwyn which is close to Oak Park but cheaper. Its an inner ring suburb with transportation to the city. Many vintage style bungalow houses at reasonable prices. You can read about it on other threads here. Here is a website.

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[SJaye]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Two or three? Huh???

There are LOTS of suburbs that extend the urban grid of Chicago. Most are just pretty undesirable. Oak Park and Evanston benefit from nice architecture and a Big Ten university, respectively. The benefits that come from those things mean that wealthier more education oriented folks tend to live in those towns than places like Oak Lawn or Skokie or Cicero or Forest Park or any of the dozens of suburbs that save for their non 606xx zip code look pretty much like the adjacent portion of Chicago...

I was talking specifically about suburbs that would be acceptable to people that are adverse to suburbia as a whole (like the OP). The city and suburbs offer two completely different ways of life. The way of life in Oak Park and Evanston is a lot closer to the way of life in wealthy neighborhoods of Chicago than the way of life in a place like Naperville, Oak Brook, or Plainfield.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by SJaye

I was talking specifically about suburbs that would be acceptable to people that are adverse to suburbia as a whole (like the OP). The city and suburbs offer two completely different ways of life. The way of life in Oak Park and Evanston is a lot closer to the way of life in wealthy neighborhoods of Chicago than the way of life in a place like Naperville, Oak Brook, or Plainfield.

Life in Plainfield is hell.