Seeking advice on the best neighborhoods South of Chicago

[msamhunter]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Tough to see how best to help the OP.

As others hinted, this is not a common situation. To begin with, Gary just does not have much to recommend it, even if the OP's bf has a specialized skill that is valuable to one of the handful of employers in Gary's industrial areas, one really has to wonder if there might not be a better location.

Bluntly, even from US. Cellular Field, which is right at 35th St and the Dan Ryan, to any of the industrial areas in Gary you are looking at a solid 40+ minute commute on the Skyway and probably at least 10 minutes longer if you avoid the costly route. And while there are an increasingly noticeable presence of younger people in / near Bridgeport, they do seem to be more common west of Halsted, so that would make the likely commute even longer.

Beverly / Morgan Park puts the OP further down past the 94 / 90 junction and that eliminates the high tolls, but does not really shorten travel times, and frankly even the most enthusiastic supporters of Beverly can't help but admit it is not the kind of place that newcomers to Chicago are likely to find at all comparable to the more entertaining areas of say Lakeview or other north side neighborhoods.

Trying to justify Hyde Park would be even harder -- it is typically one of the more costly Chicago neighborhoods and the access to either work in the Loop or daily trip to Gary would be a drain on even the most resilient commuters.

WIthout knowing more about the reason for the move / budget / skillset for employment just not sure more can be suggested.

Seeing as the last SS heading west from gmc is 9:10 give or take, anything 2nd or 3rd shift is out of the question for train. The same would apply to Gary bus. Best bet and op might not want to hear this is a compromise and select one of the south suburbs and partake the city on the weekends. Should be easy enough and should be able to find a hood that has walking access to the grocery store, pharmacy, etc to shorten the commute time to Gary.

Op hubby has a job in Gary. Why question it?

[lnslaughter]

Obviously got a bit excited when we returned from our trip and jumped the gun with my original post. I can provide more information now, but if this isn't helpful enough then I'll start a new thread when we know more.

Reason for move: Relocation to Gary, Indiana for my husband's job. Working outside of Gary is not an option for him- it's why we're moving. With that being said, we do not want to live in Gary, and I am seeking employment in Chicago- Advertising to be specific.

Budget- Let's be safe and say $1500-$2000/month range. This could increase based on what job I secure and the profit we make off of selling our house here in Birmingham, but for now let's stick with those numbers.

Focusing on south side of the city because that is geographically closest to Gary, IN. If we can live in another area without increasing his commute exponentially, then great. We just want a safe neighborhood with shops, restaurants, etc. that is not too far from the heart of the city and won't take him 2 hours to get to work.

My husband will be working a rotating shift. One of these three depending on the week: 7 AM- 3 PM, 3 PM- 11 PM, or 11 PM- 7 AM. We are moving into company provided apartments beginning the first of November and have 3 months to find the right neighborhood for us.

Husband will be there full time. I will be back and forth from Birmingham finishing current job, selling house and securing loose ends until probably December.

Hopefully we will have more information on public transportation options into Chicago from Gary once he has started.

[marothisu]

$1500-$2000/month is a good range if you're talking about a 1 bedroom? If so then you could live in South Loop if you really wanted to I think, Of course, it's something like 35 miles to Gary from there each way, but IMO it's the best place you're going to be if you want to be in the action. Okay, South Loop is kind of more low key compared to other parts of downtown but still enough to do, not to mention the Red Line train runs through there 24/7. Keep in mind though that living in a high rise will make you pay an extra few hundred per month for parking a car. Even so, you'd probably be able to find something pretty good in South Loop area in your budget, but probably at the top end counting parking.

Then there is Chinatown a little south of there - not high rise ville, but there's usually a lot of people there. Of course, the population is heavily Asian, but people of all sorts visit there. Not a ton of non-Asian food options there - red line runs through here (again Red Line is 24/7) and there are some actual nice, newer places in a few sections. If you're interested, let me know and I can tell you where.

Hyde Park is also a decent option which is a little closer than the other two options to Gary. This is where the U of Chicago is so there's a lot going on with that plus some eating/drinking establishments. The only caveat here is that it's kind of shut off from the other happening parts of the city public transit wise. The Metra, which is the mainly suburban commuter train, runs on the east side near the lake and goes downtown but stops at midnight and only runs once an hour. The Red and Green line trains go nearby but they stop in kind of shady areas that surround Hyde Park. Some express buses that run along Lake Shore Drive, but takes awhile to get downtown still sometimes. Anyway, the good news is that the neighborhood is not terribly expensive so you could probably afford a 2 bedroom place with your budget. There's some high rises there too.

[msamhunter]

Originally Posted by lnslaughter

Obviously got a bit excited when we returned from our trip and jumped the gun with my original post. I can provide more information now, but if this isn't helpful enough then I'll start a new thread when we know more.

Reason for move: Relocation to Gary, Indiana for my husband's job. Working outside of Gary is not an option for him- it's why we're moving. With that being said, we do not want to live in Gary, and I am seeking employment in Chicago- Advertising to be specific.

Budget- Let's be safe and say $1500-$2000/month range. This could increase based on what job I secure and the profit we make off of selling our house here in Birmingham, but for now let's stick with those numbers.

Focusing on south side of the city because that is geographically closest to Gary, IN. If we can live in another area without increasing his commute exponentially, then great. We just want a safe neighborhood with shops, restaurants, etc. that is not too far from the heart of the city and won't take him 2 hours to get to work.

My husband will be working a rotating shift. One of these three depending on the week: 7 AM- 3 PM, 3 PM- 11 PM, or 11 PM- 7 AM. We are moving into company provided apartments beginning the first of November and have 3 months to find the right neighborhood for us.

Husband will be there full time. I will be back and forth from Birmingham finishing current job, selling house and securing loose ends until probably December.

Hopefully we will have more information on public transportation options into Chicago from Gary once he has started.

2nd and third shifts, you have no options. Train doesn't run after 915 ish so that 11pm slot for 2nd and third is a no go. Only option is to drive. Also, what part of Gary are we talking about, your price range sounds like the mill but it's pretty large so the 2nd and Broadway entrance may not be the ideal spot if you will be west closer to burr St entrance..

[adele115]

South Loop, Bridgeport, Hyde Park, Morgan Park/Beverly (more suburban feel) are your southern options. Public transit will not be possible unless your hubby works right off the south shore line stop in Gary. Driving will be costly daily if he takes skyway. If you want that "Chicago experience" I might go with South Loop, Bridgeport or Hyde Park and just deal with the driving commute. If you'd live in Beverly you might as go further south and live in a southern suburb to reduce his commute. If you'd live in a southern suburb, then I would go ahead and live in an Indiana town for lower rents and taxes (i.e., Miller Beach, Indiana, subdivision of Gary) where you can still get into Chicago for fun and work if you the OP work downtown.

[marothisu]

The OP says they kind o want to live in the middle of it all which screams downtown and in this case, South Loop. Hyde Park to an extent but I wouldn't consider that in the middle of it all. I'd consider it a small island of activity that's still good in its own right but still kind of cut off from a lot else.

[trailblazer33]

Originally Posted by adele115

South Loop, Bridgeport, Hyde Park, Morgan Park/Beverly (more suburban feel) are your southern options. Public transit will not be possible unless your hubby works right off the south shore line stop in Gary. Driving will be costly daily if he takes skyway. If you want that "Chicago experience" I might go with South Loop, Bridgeport or Hyde Park and just deal with the driving commute. If you'd live in Beverly you might as go further south and live in a southern suburb to reduce his commute. If you'd live in a southern suburb, then I would go ahead and live in an Indiana town for lower rents and taxes (i.e., Miller Beach, Indiana, subdivision of Gary) where you can still get into Chicago for fun and work if you the OP work downtown.

What about Chatham?

[msamhunter]

Originally Posted by marothisu

$1500-$2000/month is a good range if you're talking about a 1 bedroom? If so then you could live in South Loop if you really wanted to I think, Of course, it's something like 35 miles to Gary from there each way, but IMO it's the best place you're going to be if you want to be in the action. Okay, South Loop is kind of more low key compared to other parts of downtown but still enough to do, not to mention the Red Line train runs through there 24/7. Keep in mind though that living in a high rise will make you pay an extra few hundred per month for parking a car. Even so, you'd probably be able to find something pretty good in South Loop area in your budget, but probably at the top end counting parking.

Then there is Chinatown a little south of there - not high rise ville, but there's usually a lot of people there. Of course, the population is heavily Asian, but people of all sorts visit there. Not a ton of non-Asian food options there - red line runs through here (again Red Line is 24/7) and there are some actual nice, newer places in a few sections. If you're interested, let me know and I can tell you where.

Hyde Park is also a decent option which is a little closer than the other two options to Gary. This is where the U of Chicago is so there's a lot going on with that plus some eating/drinking establishments. The only caveat here is that it's kind of shut off from the other happening parts of the city public transit wise. The Metra, which is the mainly suburban commuter train, runs on the east side near the lake and goes downtown but stops at midnight and only runs once an hour. The Red and Green line trains go nearby but they stop in kind of shady areas that surround Hyde Park. Some express buses that run along Lake Shore Drive, but takes awhile to get downtown still sometimes. Anyway, the good news is that the neighborhood is not terribly expensive so you could probably afford a 2 bedroom place with your budget. There's some high rises there too.

Best experience would indeed be the south loop but op is driving so plan that in the budget with monthly passes. Get an ipass cause cash is double on both the skyway and itr. Is it still $5 for the skyway and while technically they don't "charge" for getting off in downtown gary, they get you for the buck fifty or so in east Chicago so you are paying both ways in both states so be mindful of that. 94 good luck he will have a nice mind numbing commute because that 35 miles from city hall to city Hall will not feel like it.