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Old 06-10-2012, 01:40 AM
 
9 posts, read 11,881 times
Reputation: 11

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I will be moving to Chicago in Spring 2013. I am getting a head start in trying to figure out when I should live.

I am black, 30, a female, and NOT ghetto. Oh, and I'm not rich either. These are the things I am looking for regarding where to live. Help me out!

1. So I'm single and I want to live around other friendly single people.
2. I do want diversity, but I do also want to live around some other blacks that are middle-class like me, and professional, and friendly too.
3. I can't live in a crazy expensive area....did I mention that I'm not rich. I expect to be making about 45,000 a year.
4. Close to public transportation to take me to all the hot spots!

Any suggestions? I can't wait to move!
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Old 06-10-2012, 08:27 AM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
2,186 posts, read 2,919,841 times
Reputation: 1807
Quote:
Originally Posted by CityGirl1982 View Post
I will be moving to Chicago in Spring 2013. I am getting a head start in trying to figure out when I should live.

I am black, 30, a female, and NOT ghetto. Oh, and I'm not rich either. These are the things I am looking for regarding where to live. Help me out!

1. So I'm single and I want to live around other friendly single people.
2. I do want diversity, but I do also want to live around some other blacks that are middle-class like me, and professional, and friendly too.
3. I can't live in a crazy expensive area....did I mention that I'm not rich. I expect to be making about 45,000 a year.
4. Close to public transportation to take me to all the hot spots!

Any suggestions? I can't wait to move!
I'm obviously biased, as you can tell by my screen name, but when I was looking at apartments in Pilsen, where I now live, some of the people who were looking at the same apartments were single Black females in your age range who appeared to be neither ghetto nor rich. The neighborhood is still majority Latino (Mexican, specifically), but has quite a few African-Americans and White people, plus a smattering of Asians and Middle Easterners. The diversity here was was a big draw for me. Based on people's descriptions I had expected it to be 80% Latino and 20% young White hipsters, but it's far more diverse than that. It is still very working class in some ways, but not at all "ghetto", especially in the eastern half. It's also still very family-oriented in some ways (as you might expect in a historically Mexican-American neighborhood), but there are increasingly more middle-class single 20-and-30-something professionals moving in. There are a handful of cool bars and restaurants, and easy public transportation to the rest of the city. (Easier from some parts of the neighborhood than others. PM me if you want more specifics.) You could live here pretty comfortably on $45K.

Hyde Park is a neighborhood with a significant population of African-American middle class (and upper middle class and flat-out wealthy) people. It might even be the greatest concentration of professional blacks in the city. It's where the Obamas live, if that tells you anything. Apartments there (at least in the desirable parts) would be more expensive than Pilsen, but you could live there on $45K easily enough, I think, especially if you didn't mind a smaller apartment. I like the neighborhood, but it's further from downtown and the "hot spots", and despite the presence of a major university (U of C) does not have as many of its own hot spots as you'd expect.

Last edited by Plzeň; 06-10-2012 at 08:46 AM..
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Old 06-10-2012, 08:45 AM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
2,186 posts, read 2,919,841 times
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Or, if you want to be really close to downtown, South Loop is an area with a racially diverse (including African-American) young professional populace. I personally would not want to attempt to live there on $45K, though, unless I was going to get a roommate and/or live without a car.

Maybe someone else can say if there are any pockets of young middle-class African Americans on the North Side. I've known a few individuals, but never enough in any one area to call it a community of any kind.

Last edited by Plzeň; 06-10-2012 at 09:01 AM..
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Old 06-10-2012, 09:23 AM
 
Location: Johns Island
2,502 posts, read 4,435,938 times
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South Loop or Hyde Park are your two best options. The area between these two - Bronzeville - is doable as well. Take a look at the apartment towers south of McCormack Place.

Please ignore anyone who tries to send you to the north side. You will end up as the "one and only" in your neighborhood.
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Old 06-10-2012, 09:43 AM
 
Location: Chicago
2,884 posts, read 4,989,184 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JacksonPanther View Post
Please ignore anyone who tries to send you to the north side. You will end up as the "one and only" in your neighborhood.
She wouldn't be "one and only" in Rogers Park. It's pretty nice close to the lake and Loyola.
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Old 06-10-2012, 10:29 AM
 
9 posts, read 11,881 times
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Ok. I may have to find a roomate. Because I would perfer to live close as possible to the city, but I've been sure that I couldn't afford it. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into Hyde Park and Pilsen too.
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Old 06-10-2012, 10:30 AM
 
9 posts, read 11,881 times
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How far is Hyde Park from downtown?
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Old 06-10-2012, 10:50 AM
 
2,421 posts, read 4,318,327 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CityGirl1982 View Post
How far is Hyde Park from downtown?
Not very close but not super far either. Sort of in the middle, but without a car Hyde Park is a pain in the arse.
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Old 06-10-2012, 11:14 AM
 
9 posts, read 11,881 times
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So if I chose to live in South Loop, would it be a pain to HAVE a car....b/c I do have one. But I imagine I would barely drive it if I'm in the Loop, correct?
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Old 06-10-2012, 11:38 AM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
2,186 posts, read 2,919,841 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CityGirl1982 View Post
How far is Hyde Park from downtown?
About 7 miles, and public transportation from there isn't great, either. You'd probably want to keep your car if you live there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CityGirl1982 View Post
So if I chose to live in South Loop, would it be a pain to HAVE a car....b/c I do have one. But I imagine I would barely drive it if I'm in the Loop, correct?
It will cost you a couple hundred a month to park your car, in addition to the rent being higher in South Loop than the other places we're discussing. If you can take public transportation to work, you'll probably be better off selling your car if you want to live in the South Loop on a $45K salary and still have money for going out and stuff. That's my opinion, anyway. If you sell your car and get a roommate, then you could actually probably live fairly comfortably in South Loop. (I say "probably" because obviously everyone's spending habits are different.)

I need my car to get to work and like to have a decent-sized place close-ish to downtown with no roommates, so thats why I chose Pilsen. (My salary is a bit higher than yours, but not a lot.)

Last edited by Plzeň; 06-10-2012 at 11:55 AM..
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