Moving to Chicago, North Center area, advice ? (Addison, Lincoln: apartments, rental)

[Bkcorso]

I've have re-posted this here at the recommendation of another user.

I have been scouring various recommendations on areas to live, I am wanting to hear input on our particular situation.( edgewater seems to be inviting )

My Wife will be going to school at Addison st and Western Ave. Typically 3 or 4 days per week. I am a stay at home Father for our 2 year old daughter, for right now schools are not being considered. We are looking for a safe and diverse neighborhood. I really want our daughter to experience and appreciate various cultures/people. We love to walk and explore, so safety is on the top of the list. Family oriented activities and night life are a plus. I'm an avid runner and cyclist/mountain biker, and we love swimming. Budget for living needs to be under $1500/month, ideally closer to $1200. We only need about 900 sqft, 1/2 bedrooms.

We have vehicles currently , but are not opposed to being without a car, but on the off chance we can find a place with a single car garage, for the bikes and a car, that would be perfect !!! house/condo/apt in that order, but at the end of the day we want a safe place where we can enjoy living.

[chet everett]

Frankly there is pretty good bus service along Westen Ave as well as Addison (which is probably why DeVry likes this location for their in-town campus) so it makes sense to stick to neighborhoods that are close to the bus routes.


Really no reason to think that "Edgewater" makes much sense. Places in Lakeview might be too costly, ditto for Lincoln Square, Bucktown,Wicker Park and Roscoe Village, but if you find something in your budget I would jump on it. Old Irving might work, as would the whole of North Center, Ravenswood, or Ukranian Village. Personally I hate the thought of ring multiple modes of transit like El to bus or something but if spouse is OK with that than places like Andersonville and Edgwater would be options but really odds are you can find something closer for the same money...

[CCrest182]

My mother's friend lives in North Center. She loves it.

It's diverse, plenty safe, and public transportation is good. I think your budget should fit well into the area as well.

[UICJohn]

I live in North Center as well. Great neighborhood. I love it and plan on being here for a long time. And someone taking the Western bus wouldn't have far to walk either. Also, just a little further up north going to Lincoln Square, great neighborhood as well.

Renting a house for that price is pretty much out of the question but no reason to think that a condo/apartment couldn't be had for that price (for example, my apartment is just a tad over your $1200). The good thing about North Center is that street parking is not bad at all. Most apartments (by that I mean the ones I've been in) have some sort of storage area for bikes. I bike almost daily and one of my favorite things about North Center is that it's a short bike ride from the lake and even biking on Montrose isn't that bad compared to some major streets to get to the lake. North Center is a very safe neighborhood. There are also family things to do quite often. I believe Lincoln Square has a Farmer's Market type thing every Thursday night with music. There are some concerts in the park at Welles Park Gazebo during the week. There is Welles Park and Winnemac Park very nearby so outside activities.

[Carson9]

Originally Posted by CCrest182

My mother's friend lives in North Center. She loves it.

It's diverse, plenty safe, and public transportation is good. I think your budget should fit well into the area as well.

Though I love North Center and think it's very lovely, diverse wouldn't be a description that comes to mind when I think of the area.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Carson9

Though I love North Center and think it's very lovely, diverse wouldn't be a description that comes to mind when I think of the area.

I agree - though I'd contend that if you're talking about business offerings and food, it has some diversity. It is a good area of town and safe, though yeah not extremely diverse. Technically the most diverse areas of town are ones like West Ridge, Edgewater, Albany Park, Hyde Park, and Rogers Park. Increasingly areas like Bridgeport now and downtown is becoming more and more diverse.

For 1 bedrooms your budget would be fine, for 2 bedrooms in an area like Ravenswood/Lincoln Square you're pushing more at the top of your budget (or even more). I think the same as Roscoe Village/North Center and maybe even more. You could get luck - I have a friend in Roscoe Village paying $1200/month for a nice 2 bedroom. Basically this old guy has owned the house for a long time and converted it to a 2 flat and decided to charge an under average price. He's owned the house for years and really doesn't care about charging more than he has to.

Chicago is a diverse city, but it's also segregated. There's pockets of integration in some of the areas I mentioned and if you're living in one area, you may be close to other areas. For example, it's pretty easy to get to the Little India area from Lincoln Square or Roscoe Village. Or get to some Mexican areas or whatever else.

[chet everett]

Developmental psychologists have documented that two year olds have no conception of "racial diversity".

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Bkcorso

I've have re-posted this here at the recommendation of another user.

I have been scouring various recommendations on areas to live, I am wanting to hear input on our particular situation.( edgewater seems to be inviting )

My Wife will be going to school at Addison st and Western Ave. Typically 3 or 4 days per week. I am a stay at home Father for our 2 year old daughter, for right now schools are not being considered. We are looking for a safe and diverse neighborhood. I really want our daughter to experience and appreciate various cultures/people. We love to walk and explore, so safety is on the top of the list. Family oriented activities and night life are a plus. I'm an avid runner and cyclist/mountain biker, and we love swimming. Budget for living needs to be under $1500/month, ideally closer to $1200. We only need about 900 sqft, 1/2 bedrooms.

We have vehicles currently , but are not opposed to being without a car, but on the off chance we can find a place with a single car garage, for the bikes and a car, that would be perfect !!! house/condo/apt in that order, but at the end of the day we want a safe place where we can enjoy living.

While ditching at least one car is almost a given, I'd re-think going carless with kids unless it's an absolute necessity to stay within a budget.

Also, North Center isn't exactly a diverse place, certainly not by urban standards. If you want something a little less white-bread, consider Logan Square (for now anyway), Avondale, Irving Park, or Uptown, though the portion of Uptown between Montrose and Lawrence east of roughly Beacon Street may not be the best place to jump feet-first into the Chicago experience. Albany Park is another option, about the most diverse area pretty much anywhere in the nation between the coasts, but again an area that newcomers may want to study from afar for a year or two before deciding if it's their kind of place.

Finally, I think some clarification is in order as to what you mean by "budget for living needs" because the recommendations people are giving you are already pushing the upper limit of your "living needs" just for rent alone. If you're also including stuff like utilities then you may need to re-think your budget upward a bit. You are certainly not going to find a house in your price range unless you want to live in an open-air shooting gallery. And you'll likely have to pay extra for a garage space too, or at the very least plan to add yet another $100-$200/mo to your "living needs" budget.

Originally Posted by chet everett

Developmental psychologists have documented that two year olds have no conception of "racial diversity".

Developmental psychologists have determined that most parents who are not complete imbeciles have longer time horizons than just the immediate here and now.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Drover

While ditching at least one car is almost a given, I'd re-think going carless with kids unless it's an absolute necessity to stay within a budget.

Also, North Center isn't exactly a diverse place, certainly not by urban standards. If you want something a little less white-bread, consider Logan Square (for now anyway), Avondale, Irving Park, or Uptown, though the portion of Uptown between Montrose and Lawrence east of roughly Beacon Street may not be the best place to jump feet-first into the Chicago experience. Albany Park is another option, about the most diverse area pretty much anywhere in the nation between the coasts, but again an area that newcomers may want to study from afar for a year or two before deciding if it's their kind of place.

Finally, I think some clarification is in order as to what you mean by "budget for living needs" because the recommendations people are giving you are already pushing the upper limit of your "living needs" just for rent alone. If you're also including stuff like utilities then you may need to re-think your budget upward a bit. You are certainly not going to find a house in your price range unless you want to live in an open-air shooting gallery. And you'll likely have to pay extra for a garage space too, or at the very least plan to add yet another $100-$200/mo to your "living expenses" ...

Since when is North Center some walled off white bread enclave? The way most people draw artificial lines around what is / is not "culturally diverse" you'd think somebody is telling the OP they'd be probably better off just staying wherever they currently live and taking advantage of DeVry's extensive online course offerings ...

[Bkcorso]

I really appreciate the specific feedback, it will really help us choose where we live with a lot more confidence. The budget is for rent alone, and it wouldn't hurt my feelings if I keep the car !!

Would moving there in the winter offer any advantages on rental prices ?

Originally Posted by chet everett

Developmental psychologists have documented that two year olds have no conception of "racial diversity".

While most children at 2 may not understand racial diversity.. they sure as heck know and see differences in people. Sights, sounds, colors, textures, smells and movements are very stimulating to them. I know from experience that many cultures are/can be very diverse in those regards.