Neighborhood Advice: 24, Single, Male (Chicago, Evanston: neighborhoods, movies, live in)

[Blevine1989]

Hello all,

I'm a 24 year old single male thinking about moving to Chicago. I was there last year and poked my way around Lake View and Near North and Old Town and loved it. I have some friends in the area so I would stay with them while I search for a more permanent place, but I wanted everyone's input on neighborhoods.

I'd definitely be looking North Side, but here is what's most important to me:
- A young neighborhood where I could easily make friends
- Walking distance/short cab ride from good nightlife, but not ON TOP of the bars
- Greenery
- Safe
- Near arts and culture spots (love movies and concerts)
- Near sporting fields (I will want to join a softball league and the like)
- Less than 35 minute commute to the Loop via the L

I currently live in Brookline, right outside Boston, so anyone familiar with the Greater Boston Area who can say this Chicago neighborhood is like this one in Boston/Cambridge would be a huge help as well.

Thanks!

[oakparkdude]

Lincoln Square reminds me a bit of Coolidge Corner/Washington Square. There are a bunch of young people mixed with families with young kids. Some night life but not as much as in Lakeview/Lincoln Park. Good transit access to the Loop via the Brown line.

[MassVt]

No direct equivalent in Chicago for Harvard Square, but Lincoln Park might have some similarity with Back Bay/Fenway/Kenmore, or even the Coolidge Corner section of Brookline; Evanston will have some similarities with Cambridge; South Boston/Charlestown with Bridgeport, Boston's South End with Boystown/Edgewater, etc, etc...

[Blevine1989]

Hey guys, thank you both for your responses. Definitely helpful.

[marothisu]

You may also find an area like Wicker Park or Bucktown on the west side good too. A little more artsy than a Lincoln Park but there's a good mix of a bunch of different people in the area. It's also a 10-15 minute ride on the blue line to the Loop (which is a 24/7 line). A good amount of nightlife there too..

On the north side, probably Lincoln Park or Lincoln Square I'd say. Lincoln Square as someone else mentioned doesn't have a ton of nightlife (though there's some) and it's one of those quaint neighborhoods with some good restaurants, but it's also pretty damn close to Lakeview and nightlife there. Hop on the Brown Line and you're there pretty quickly. Mix of families and mid 20s and upper peoples.

[chet everett]

I would worry less about trying to "match up" neighborhood across states that really do not have all that much in common and just focus on the reality of what the OP is looking for --

• A young neighborhood where I could easily make friends
  
• Greenery
  
• Safe
  
• Near arts and culture spots (love movies and concerts)
  
• Near sporting fields (I will want to join a softball league and the like)

The obvious choice is LINCOLN PARK. Second choice would be LAKEVIEW.

Anyone that tries to make this more complicated is just being silly. There are plenty of streets in those areas where you need not worry about directly adjacent to a bar but still be walkable close to nightlife

[marothisu]

Wicker Park or Bucktown also fits well with the above (I know you may not think so Chet). Well, there's obviously not as many fields as a Lincoln Park, but they are still there, the area has arts (including movies and music venues of course), it's pretty young, has a lot of nightlife, and it's pretty safe (though not as safe as a Lincoln Park).

But I will say Lincoln Park or Lakeview (or yes even Lincoln Square or North Center) is a better fit.