Need northern neighborhood suggestions (Chicago, Lincoln: apartment, lease, insurance)

[snorkel27]

I posted here last fall, but I now have a better idea of what my criteria is for a neighborhood. I will be moving to Chicago in late October or early November of this year.

1) Safety is the most important aspect to me because I am a small, young, single female

2) My budget is ideally under 800 for a studio or 1 bedroom, I can go a little higher if it includes utilities

3) It seems that I am going to be taking classes (probably no more than 3x a week, in the evenings. It definitely won't be a daily commute or anything) in the Old Town/Near North/River North areas, so I want to be within 30ish minutes of those areas via public transportation

4) I have a car. I'm not giving it up because I have dogs. I probably will only drive it 1-4 times per month, so an area in which I could find free street parking within reasonable walking distance of my residence would be nice. My car is paid off and is older so the insurance isn't that high, so as long as I can find free parking, it won't be a burden to keep it.

5) I'd like to be able to exercise my dogs without having to drive somewhere every day. They do well with simple bike rides/walks/etc but it would be super nice to be able to walk to a location where they could be off leash.

6) Night life/youth doesn't matter to me. I don't feel the need to be in the middle of all the action. Quiet/boring areas are the same to me as active ones. My life pattern will be eat, sleep, go to work, go to class, exercise the dogs, repeat. I know, I'm 'lame.'

7) Considering the fact that I really don't want to use my car at all (I just need it for rare vet visits and going out of town a few times per month for dog stuff), I want to live in a really walkable/bike-able area.

Some questions:

A) Would you say the Clearmap offered online by the Chicago PD is a decent resource for judging the crime in the area each potential apartment is?

B) The general location of neighborhoods like Ravenswood, Uptown, Andersonville, and Edgewater seems nice. What are they like in relation to my above criteria?

Overall, I am quite sure I want to live in the city, not the suburbs, but am willing to sacrifice living in a more central area for better parking and a more dog friendly lifestyle. I hope my criteria isn't too paradoxical. Any neighborhood suggestions would be fantastic. Thanks for the help!

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by snorkel27

I posted here last fall, but I now have a better idea of what my criteria is for a neighborhood. I will be moving to Chicago in late October or early November of this year.

1) Safety is the most important aspect to me because I am a small, young, single female

2) My budget is ideally under 800 for a studio or 1 bedroom, I can go a little higher if it includes utilities

3) It seems that I am going to be taking classes (probably no more than 3x a week, in the evenings. It definitely won't be a daily commute or anything) in the Old Town/Near North/River North areas, so I want to be within 30ish minutes of those areas via public transportation

4) I have a car. I'm not giving it up because I have dogs. I probably will only drive it 1-4 times per month, so an area in which I could find free street parking within reasonable walking distance of my residence would be nice. My car is paid off and is older so the insurance isn't that high, so as long as I can find free parking, it won't be a burden to keep it.

5) I'd like to be able to exercise my dogs without having to drive somewhere every day. They do well with simple bike rides/walks/etc but it would be super nice to be able to walk to a location where they could be off leash.

6) Night life/youth doesn't matter to me. I don't feel the need to be in the middle of all the action. Quiet/boring areas are the same to me as active ones. My life pattern will be eat, sleep, go to work, go to class, exercise the dogs, repeat. I know, I'm 'lame.'

7) Considering the fact that I really don't want to use my car at all (I just need it for rare vet visits and going out of town a few times per month for dog stuff), I want to live in a really walkable/bike-able area.

Some questions:

A) Would you say the Clearmap offered online by the Chicago PD is a decent resource for judging the crime in the area each potential apartment is?

B) The general location of neighborhoods like Ravenswood, Uptown, Andersonville, and Edgewater seems nice. What are they like in relation to my above criteria?

Overall, I am quite sure I want to live in the city, not the suburbs, but am willing to sacrifice living in a more central area for better parking and a more dog friendly lifestyle. I hope my criteria isn't too paradoxical. Any neighborhood suggestions would be fantastic. Thanks for the help!

Ravenswood is nice really. Nice quiet area, but with things to do if you ever want that (i.e. in Lincoln Square especially) and what not. On the northern end of it is Winnemac Park which is a big park and dog friendly. Most of the streets are residential too, so you should have no problem with walking, but Winnemac park if you want your dog let loose. The area is safe too and you should be able to find a studio for your budget I think. My girlfriend lives in Ravenswood, and I do know there's free parking up there, but not sure if *everywhere* is free parking. Nice area though really IMO.

The brown line goes through there and there are brown line stops in Old Town and River North. From the Damen brown line stop, it would take around 27-29 minutes to get to Old Town, and a few more maybe to get to River North from there.

[themag62]

Technically, no dog can be off lease in Chicago except in dog parks or dog beaches. It's a city ordinance. That includes Winnemac Park. Just be aware that people can call you on it, and you may get glares, especially from parents of young children at the park who worry about safety. That being said, people do it, including myself occasionally. But I have a friendly little wimp dog. There is a dog beach at Montrose.

[rparz]

With your budget, and desire for space, need for parking in the street, I'd say Logan / Avondale, near an el stop.

While the police blotter might alarm you (no neighborhood is immune) the fact is there are plenty of young single girls that live in those hoods and think nothing of it.