Young Professional Moving to Chicago (Forest Park, Lincoln: sublet, apartments, to rent)

[Tbone4646]

Hey all! I just accepted a new position in the Chicago area starting in a couple of months. It will be a somewhat temporary assignment (18 to 24 months). I don't have any connections to the Chicago area and I have never been so I thought I'd ask a few questions.

I will be working in an industrial area, based on Google Maps it looks like South Deering. I am in my mid twenties and would like to live in a fun area with other young professionals and relative safety. It looks like I will need a car because there do not seem to be train stops within walking distance of work. I have been looking at the north side neighborhoods since the assignment will only be temporary (Lincoln Park, Wicker Park mainly). I understand the rent pricing and I am fine with paying up to $1500 for a one bedroom (I don't need anything fancy). I also understand the parking issues.

How awful would that commute be? I have been just running Google map simulations around the time I would be going in and leaving for the past few days. The morning commute seems okay, around 40 minutes, with the commute home looking to be about an hour (not sure how accurate this is). I used to have about an hour commute so I am not completely turned off by that.

I also thought about leaving my car near a train stop each night and taking the train home. Is this an option?

Lastly, if this all sounds insane, what other neighborhoods should I be considering or what other options do I have? From my understanding the south side neighborhoods don't have a ton to offer vs. the north side neighborhoods and since I won't be here that long I thought I would try and get as much out of it as possible.


This site has been incredibly helpful with my past moves. Thanks in advance for all of the help!

[chet everett]

You would probably shave CONSIDERABLY time off your commute if you looked for a place in BRIDGEPORT -- https://goo.gl/maps/AZMTMysvnGM2

While I am not the biggest believer in the "Bridgeport is totally gentrifying" hype that some developers preach, the fact is if you lived there you would literally cut your commute in HALF!! That is a big deal. If you like baseball the Sox are looking really good right now and there are lots of options for nice "sports bars" attached to US Cellular Field as well as cozy neighborhood places. If you want to explore the broader city it is easy to take the Red Line from the area up to more traditional north side hot spots. You'd still save time, probably have MUCH easier time parking your car (needed for work, realistically Deering is very much a hard core an industrial area, employers often rely on workers driving in from Indiana or the south suburbs, not really too many good connections for speedy transit...), and really get a unique perspective on things.

If you can do this for 18-24 months you should be in much better position to decide if you want to look for another job that might make it easier to live in area further north...

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by Tbone4646

Hey all! I just accepted a new position in the Chicago area starting in a couple of months. It will be a somewhat temporary assignment (18 to 24 months). I don't have any connections to the Chicago area and I have never been so I thought I'd ask a few questions.

I will be working in an industrial area, based on Google Maps it looks like South Deering. I am in my mid twenties and would like to live in a fun area with other young professionals and relative safety. It looks like I will need a car because there do not seem to be train stops within walking distance of work. I have been looking at the north side neighborhoods since the assignment will only be temporary (Lincoln Park, Wicker Park mainly). I understand the rent pricing and I am fine with paying up to $1500 for a one bedroom (I don't need anything fancy). I also understand the parking issues.

How awful would that commute be? I have been just running Google map simulations around the time I would be going in and leaving for the past few days. The morning commute seems okay, around 40 minutes, with the commute home looking to be about an hour (not sure how accurate this is). I used to have about an hour commute so I am not completely turned off by that.

I also thought about leaving my car near a train stop each night and taking the train home. Is this an option?

Lastly, if this all sounds insane, what other neighborhoods should I be considering or what other options do I have? From my understanding the south side neighborhoods don't have a ton to offer vs. the north side neighborhoods and since I won't be here that long I thought I would try and get as much out of it as possible.


This site has been incredibly helpful with my past moves. Thanks in advance for all of the help!

If you want to live on the North Side (as I'd personally recommend) I'd suggest you get a place in Lincoln Park or the Gold Coast near Lakeshore Drive. LSD typically isn't as congested as 90/94, although it does bottleneck downtown. I have friends who live as far north as Uptown (Montrose Avenue) and work off 95th and Halsted. Their commutes range between 30 and 45 minutes (by car). You truthfully could even look into the South Loop/Loop as well. That way you avoid most of the morning rush to the Loop and break away from LSD just as it starts to bottle neck on the way home.

LSD (and every other street) in the summer is a nightmare, so be warned. Good luck!

[chet everett]

Parking in Lincoln Park or the Gold Coast, even with a budget of $1500, could a major hassle factor.

Comparing 95th & Halsted to South Deering is a huge stretch, the former is WEST of the Dan Ryan while the latter is miles to the east, totally different kinds of areas, and frankly lots more options to get to 95th & Halsted, with diagonals like Vincennes / Summit being alternatives, as well as decent option for Red Line to 95th St and CTA bus. South Deering is flat out isolated - the Calumet River, limited exits from the SkyWay and poor CTA options really make this area very different than other spots in Chicago...

[EffortPoaster]

Originally Posted by chet everett

You would probably shave CONSIDERABLY time off your commute if you looked for a place in BRIDGEPORT -- https://goo.gl/maps/AZMTMysvnGM2

While I am not the biggest believer in the "Bridgeport is totally gentrifying" hype that some developers preach, the fact is if you lived there you would literally cut your commute in HALF!! That is a big deal. If you like baseball the Sox are looking really good right now and there are lots of options for nice "sports bars" attached to US Cellular Field as well as cozy neighborhood places. If you want to explore the broader city it is easy to take the Red Line from the area up to more traditional north side hot spots. You'd still save time, probably have MUCH easier time parking your car (needed for work, realistically Deering is very much a hard core an industrial area, employers often rely on workers driving in from Indiana or the south suburbs, not really too many good connections for speedy transit...), and really get a unique perspective on things.

If you can do this for 18-24 months you should be in much better position to decide if you want to look for another job that might make it easier to live in area further north...

I actually kind of agree with this, but I might be biased based on how much I hate commuting. Get a place in Bridgeport that's close to Chinatown and you'll have a much shorter commute, more parking, cheaper rent, access to the red/orange line L stations to get to nightlife on weekends and a neighborhood where there are still bars and restaurants (albeit more blue-collar "townie" places for a lack of a better term).

[beaniemac]

if you're white, I'd pick bridgeport. If you're black, I'd pick bronzeville. both areas are close to one another so the difference in commute would be negligable. bronzeville might be cheaper.

[Rhino4401]

Congrats on your job. It's hard to move to a new city where you don't know people, I imagine it's harder when the job is off in an industrial area. Given your work is south, and you've no sense of the city & what the commute will feel like, would you consider a shared home situation or temporary sublet? Might be able to live within reasonable commute distance, get comfortable in the job, and take some time to decide where you want to rent for a year?

There are likely grad students, other academics who are stable, trustworthy--they don't earn much, or are very focused on living frugally--who need housemates. Sometimes students want to sublet their apartment or room while they're on an underfunded research trip. Undergrads with summer internships out of town want to avoid double rent more than they worry about the books and linen they leave behind. You will meet people in Bridgeport, Brownsville or Hyde Park.

Maybe cheaper rent for 3-6 months on the front end can help finance good parking situation for the rest of your assignment. By Nov/Dec it'd be very nice to have a garage spot.

If you really want to live on north side maybe mention particular interests--clubs, sports bars, biking/outdoor, food--would help narrow down neighborhood recommendation.

Good luck with your move & new job.

[vsc1976]

For 1500 you can live in any decent neighborhood and near an L line. As for the commute it does depend where in South Deering the plant is located.

Buses

N5 - South Shore Night Bus
J14 - Jeffery Jump
15 - Jeffery Local
28 - Stony Island
71 - 71st/South Shore
95E - 93rd-95th
100 - Jeffery Manor Express
106 - East 103rd

Some of the bus routes start in downtown. My advice you should drive first to get to know the area better then take public transportation. Or ask your new co-workers about the area and public transit. Sometimes people refer to South Deering as a dead zone meaning no public transit goes through there at all. I have only done it once, I took the L at Logan Square then to 69th street to the number 30 bus all the way to Hegewisch. As for living in the city it does depend on your definition of safety. This is a cliché but contact the Apartment People at 3121 N Broadway St
(773) 248-8800. Make an appointment and tell them you can spend 1500 a month (which is extremely high for me). They will find you an apartment. They mainly do apartments on the north side.

Since you are in your twenties you probably want to go out to bars.

My strongest advice when looking for any apartment in the city:
Avoid these at all costs
Move in Fees
Any property management company that includes: properties LLC and group within their company name.
As for a credit check and or application fee it usually runs between 25-40 depending on the owner. If they say 60 or more then they are full of s*%t. If you have an animal the usual spiel is 50 to 150 non-refundable pet deposit or sometimes you may hear 300 refundable pet deposit. Also with these management companies they will charge a monthly pet rent.

I personally would never live in Bridgeport, based on 40 years of experience, but that is my opinion. If you decide to look into Uptown, make sure the apartment is west of the CTA tracks. Since you are in your twenties with 1500 to spend, anywhere near DePaul in Lincoln Park is fine. As for Lakeview it does depend where and your noise toleration. There is an area called Andersonville in Edgewater (60660) might suit your needs. If you are looking into Rogers Park, good Luck. I have lived in Rogers Park for 10 years and cannot wait to move at the end of this month. You can or should look around UIC-Little Italy Area. Most of Pilsen is fine. Personally I would love to live in the middle of Chinatown. As for bars and suburbs with 1500 to spend you can look into Forest Park around Harlem and Madison area. Plus there are two L lines. I would be able to help you more out, if I knew the intersection in South Deering. Go to CTA and look for the RTA region map that will give a better idea on the commute.

Good Luck

[chet everett]

Respectfully, anyone that would even mention Uptown or Andersonville, which are about as far from South Deering as one can possibly be, is not doing the OP any favors...

It makes a whole lot more sense to try to stay as far south of the point where the Dan Ryan curves to the west (which is north of 31 st...) as a way to minimize the hassles of driving and that is the primary reason why it makes sense for the OP to give priority to Bridgeport...

[Chicago76]

I agree with Chet on this one. Bridgeport makes the most sense from a commute standpoint, followed by the South Loop area if you can find a reasonably priced place that fits your needs.

Another option might be the west loop area around Halsted. If the OP is more if the mindset that this is a year or two, so they'd rather just bite the bullet to get more of the young professional Chicago neighborhood experience, then I'd suggest Ukranian Village. The commute will be longer, but you can bypass downtown by cutting down Ashland or Western before getting o the expressway. If I knew my time in the city would be limited to 1.5-2 yrs, I'd want to cram as much of my idea of Chicago living into it as possible, even if it meant an extra 40 min a day in the car. City living for 20-30something single professionals seems to be more centered on neighborhoods like Wicker Park, Lakeview, Logan Square, etc. Ukranian Village just happens to be the closest and generally more affordable than many of the others.