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I posted last week about the pros and cons of purchasing a condo in Roscoe Villaes or a single family in Evanston. We're still considering the Roscoe option, but the idea of a single family home really appeals to us. Our budget yields SF options on realtor.com in the following areas: Oak Park, Evanston, Irving Park, and Edison Park.
Now, here's the thing. Were inclined to eliminate Evanston, as my husband drives throughout the burbs for work, and the more western portions of the city are more convenient for him. Other than his company car, we prefer to live without driving, which is why Evansom and Oak Park are the only burbs we are currently considering. We are in our 20s and want to be close to nightlife, but we are obviously no longer single so the singles bars and college scene in our current neighborhood (Lincoln Park) isn't really what were looking for. We're more craft brewery and alfresco dining types.
My initial thoughts on the areas:
1. Irving Park (near blue line stop): Biggest benefit for me is that it's a few el stops away from Wicker Park, where we hang out often (another reason LP isn't working for us). Biggest benefit for hubbs is the proximity to work. We also like that it's technically in the city. Our worries are safety and nearby ammenities.
2. Edison Park: I worry that this is too family-oriented for us at this point in our lives. It seems nice though. I'm largely unfamiliar with it.
3. Oak Park: Visited Oak Park the other day and I LOVED it. My biggest concern is that we'd have to go through the west side to get downtown, and it'd be difficult to go anywhere besides the loop. Is safety a concern here?
4. Evanston: Might not be an option anymore because of husband's work situation. He consults throughout Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, etc., though he sometimes ventures into Wilmette. Is Evanston too much of a college town? Safety issues at all?
5. Roscoe village: love everything about it, except that we could only afford a condo.
IM NOT LOOKING FOR FINANCIAL ADVISE, just information on the neighborhoods and answers to my questions. Our plan is to move to selected area, rent an apartment, and buy in 1-2 years. Thanks in advance! (and sorry for typos-on an iPhone)!
I can only answer for Evanston. It is certainly a college town, but has lots of other life as well. It would be convenient to Wilmette, but not to the other suburbs you mention. It is safe, though it has a few sketchy pockets. My worry would be how much commuting to various burbs he would be doing since the commute would not be the best.
What is nice is that you have a ton of restaurants and lots of nice little boutiques to shop in (four different areas actually - Main Street, Dempster Street, Davis Street which is the main downtown and Central Street). The library is great and has branches as well as the main library. The el and metra stops make it very easy to get downtown to Chicago. I could walk to the el and hop on the train. You are near the Lake if you enjoy the beach. You can access Skokie's pool as an Evanston resident as well as the beaches though there is a small fee for each. Lots of people jog and bike on the paths near Northwestern and even if you are not a student, there are many activities on campus that are open to the public. If you like older movies, Northwestern shows them inexpensively.
Yes, you can easily live in Evanston without a car. I did it for years until I had two children. With one child, I took the bus, el and bike with a bike seat. I even used a bike with a basket to shop for groceries.
As in your previous comparison of a condo in Roscoe Village to a low priced home in Evanston the "pairings" here are a little like asking what vintage of French wine is best with foil wrapped sandwiches at a theme park...
Of the areas listed I think you are almost certainly spot on that Edison Park is not really likely to be your cup of tea, not just becuase of its family orientation (which I think is mostly accurate) but also becuase of the fact that nightlife is limited and the orientation of many folks that live there is not really toward a "car minimized" life style. While it is pretty easy to take CTA or Metra to the Loop many / most of the routine sorts of shopping / dining spots tend to involve some driving...
When you look at the whole of "affordable" parts of Evanston the same thing is true, and as you note the drive from just about any spot in Evanston to work locations in the traditional "western" employment areas of either Chicago or the western suburbs is very time consuming...
That leaves Irving Park, parts of which are pretty similar to immigrant heavy Avondale (which is great if dining on kielbasa is what your alfresco experiences are geared toward...) though there are pockets of hipper spots...
The best thing about the area is probably that it is right in line with your budget of around $300k -- in other Neighborhoods / towns you'd be looking for the rare lower priced homes which often are going to involve more trade-offs. In Irving Park you will likely have a good selectionn of updated single family homes to choose from.
And finally Oak Park. Now if you are OK with the trade-offs of what your budget can get you , a property tax bill that is likely signficantly higher than City of Chicago (like around $10k instead of likely under $5k...), and understand that you are not going to have anything like the nightlife of Chicago either in compactness nor variety it might make the most sense to consider the small number of homes in Oak Park that fit your budget and are not clustered in the least desirable parts of town -- 1032 Randolph St, OAK PARK, IL 60302 | MLS# 08109450 | Redfin As far as "safety" it is certainly not as quiet as Edison Park, probably not even as quiet as Irving Park areas, but likely when comparing similarly priced neighborhoods in Evanston pretty equal. The El ride through the west side of Chicago is likely a little bleaker than taking CTA to Chicago from Evanston, though not really all that much more dangerous, and even driving is something that thousands of other Oak Parkers do every day without incident via the boulevards. Not quite a "non-issue" but nothing really to obsess over...
Last edited by chet everett; 09-10-2012 at 06:28 PM..
As in your previous comparison of a condo in Roscoe Village to a low priced home in Evanston the "pairings" here are a little like asking what vintage of French wine is best with foil wrapped sandwiches at a theme park...
Of the areas listed I think you are almost certainly spot on that Edison Park is not really likely to be your cup of tea, not just becuase of its family orientation (which I think is mostly accurate) but also becuase of the fact that nightlife is limited and the orientation of many folks that live there is not really toward a "car minimized" life style. While it is pretty easy to take CTA or Metra to the Loop many / most of the routine sorts of shopping / dining spots tend to involve some driving...
When you look at the whole of "affordable" parts of Evanston the same thing is true, and as you note the drive from just about any spot in Evanston to work locations in the traditional "western" employment areas of either Chicago or the western suburbs is very time consuming...
That leaves Irving Park, parts of which are pretty similar to immigrant heavy Avondale (which is great if dining on kielbasa is what your alfresco experiences are geared toward...) though there are pockets of hipper spots...
The best thing about the area is probably that it is right in line with your budget of around $300k -- in other towns you'd be looking for the lower priced homes which often are going to involve more trade-offs. In Irving Park you will likely have a good selectionn of updated single family homes to choose from.
And finally Oak Park. Now if you are OK with the trade-offs of what your budget can get you , a property tax bill that is likely signficantly higher than City of Chicago (like around $10k instead of likely under $5k...), and understand that you are not going to have anything like the nightlife of Chicago either in compactness nor variety it might make the most sense to consider the small number of homes in Oak Park that fit your budget and are not clustered in the least desirable parts of town -- 1032 Randolph St, OAK PARK, IL 60302 | MLS# 08109450 | Redfin As far as "safety" it is certainly not as quiet as Edison Park, probably not even as quiet as Irving Park areas, but likely when comparing similarly priced neighborhoods in Evanston pretty equal. The El ride through the west side of Chicago is likely a little bleaker than taking CTA to Chicago, though not really al that much more dangerous, and even driving is something that thousands of other Oak Parkersmdo every day without incident via the boulevards. Not quite a "non-issue" but nothing really to obsess over...
Thanks for all the great info! Are taxes in Oak Park really double those of the city of Chicago? That's definitely something to consider ... Although I love that house you linked to
Anyone else want to weigh in on these neighborhoods? I'd say our priorities are (in order)
1. Safety
2. El access
3. Decent amount of restaurants/bars/things to do (although #2 can help with this as well)
Honestly between these choices only you can decide what choice is best for you. Personally I would live in Roscoe Village before any of the others, but thats me. Evanston is tolerable but it's still pretty bland overall. If being near the west burbs is that important I would pick Oak Park. DildoBoyz (great name...) seems to think Oak Park is a hole, but it's just as affluent as Evanston.
Evanston is farther from Chicago than Oak Park. The cost of housing is greater. I have a really hard time buying into double taxation as real estate taxes are set by the state. Square feet, lot size, attachments, out buildings, age and street location. The largest percentage of real estate taxes pay for schools. if OP taxes are twice that of Evanston, then surely it follows the schools are twice as good. ???
What OP does offer is an oft awarded community that feel less suburban, yet not quite city. Its library is one of four chosen nationally to take part in a project sponsored by newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal. There is a bit of quirkiness in OP that is not found in large university towns. If you attend religious services there is a wide variety. If you do not, you might like the Church of Beethoven that is open one Sunday every month; it is not what you expect. I think you will find an adequate supply of nightlife, theatre, parks, restaurants, entertainment, shops, galleries, walkable areas, and personal space to satisfy most residents most of he time.
Transportation includes trains, bus, taxi, limo and zip car. I found eight grocers in Oak Park including Jewel, Fresh Market, Aldi, Trader Joe's, and the very popular Marion Street Cheese Market. Whole Foods is a few short blocks away in the near neighbor 'hood.
Housing stock varies from property that needs serious renovation, to those that need some updates, to move in ready mansions. In most counties downstate a house built before 1900 that is being renovated is taxed dirt cheap until the renovation is finished. There are other considerations if it is a historical property being restored to the original condition. I don't know the particulars. Before I considered this I would talk to the National Register of Historic Places as there are very specific guidelines that must be followed to qualify. I would also talk to residents who actually restored, or is in the process of restoring, a historic home. Frank Lloyd Wright buildings are prime candidates. I have several friends who are restoring homes.
You cannot avoid crime but you can select an area to live that is not in a prime crime target area. A good portion of OP crime is graffiti, bike theft, garage break in, and auto break in. Folks that leave money, iphones and laptops in their car are targets. A garage that faces the alley is a target. It is not smart to leave keys in your car.
I don't know specifically about Oak Park, but there are towns downstate that add an extra park tax if the physical address is across from, or next to, a park. TAxes are different for each house, in each community, in each county. I do not pretedd to understand it.
Here is a similar crime report on Evanston. Again start at the bottom (August 10, 2012) and scroll upward. http://spotcrime.com/il/evanston . Private Northwestern University does not pay real estate tax on property it owns per an 1851 charter agreement with the state.
You can go to the county court house and research real estate taxes in any area.
Evanston is farther from Chicago than Oak Park. The cost of housing is greater. I have a really hard time buying into double taxation as real estate taxes are set by the state. Square feet, lot size, attachments, out buildings, age and street location. The largest percentage of real estate taxes pay for schools. if OP taxes are twice that of Evanston, then surely it follows the schools are twice as good. ???
Oak Park taxes are about twice as high as Chicago, not Evanston.
A $300,000 home in Oak Park can easily have taxes above $10K, whereas a $300k condo/townhouse/home in Chicago are usually in the 5k range (generally speaking, as property tax assessments vary widely, derived from mysterious formulas).
Its also safe to say if this couple chooses Oak Park, they won't be rehabbing any Frank Lloyd Wright homes.
My advice to the OP is to go for Roscoe Village. Seems more your fit.
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