Affordable Neighborhoods Near North Center? (Chicago, Addison: apartment, home, living)

[brodie734]

Hey! My girlfriend and I are considering a move to your fair city in 2018 and are doing some preliminary research on neighborhoods to focus on... a lot of our friends in the city live in North Center and we would like to be close to that area if this move comes to pass. Our price range would be up to $1200, but obviously there are a lot of variables (like whether we would need one or two bedrooms) that are TBD until we have more information. We understand that there are some trade offs required when dealing with big city living on a budget, but we'd ideally like to be as safe as possible and with some of the same character as North Center.

Any help you can provide in giving us options would be awesome. Thanks!

[Clark&Addison]

Try looking across the river. Between Addison and Montrose, Kedzie and the river you will find a lot of similar housing to North Center but as the area is somewhat less transient there is less inventory. Honestly though depending on how updated of a place you would require, you might occasionally be able to find something in North Center for that budget with a little patience.

[pureistheword]

I love the North Center and general area myself, I live about a mile out or so. I live in the eastern part of Irving Park just west of Horner Park. Its pretty nice over here and cheaper than the other side of the river. I just moved in 4/1 and paying $1300 for a rehabbed 2BR with in unit laundry. Who knows where pricing will go within a year, but if you want to be closer or the other side of the river, you will only be looking at 1BR for sure

[brodie734]

Thanks! We would only really be interested in a 2 bedroom if I were working remotely doing my current job and needed an in home office. I don't think that's super likely though... can you also give me opinions on Rogers Park / West Rogers Park? It seems like prices there are pretty low but that it's also off the beaten path in terms of public transit.

[Clark&Addison]

Originally Posted by brodie734

Thanks! We would only really be interested in a 2 bedroom if I were working remotely doing my current job and needed an in home office. I don't think that's super likely though... can you also give me opinions on Rogers Park / West Rogers Park? It seems like prices there are pretty low but that it's also off the beaten path in terms of public transit.

Rogers Park is not at all off the beaten path in terms of public transit, it has the Howard, Jarvis, Morse, and Loyola red line stations and the Rogers Park metra station.

North Center on the other hand has no train service save for the Addison and Montrose brown line stops on the very eastern edge of the neighborhood.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by Clark&Addison

Rogers Park is not at all off the beaten path in terms of public transit, it has the Howard, Jarvis, Morse, and Loyola red line stations and the Rogers Park metra station.

North Center on the other hand has no train service save for the Addison and Montrose brown line stops on the very eastern edge of the neighborhood.

Don't forget the Irving Park Brown Line, but you're correct that certain parts of the neighborhood are a pretty good distance from the stations.

[Vlajos]

Irving Park, Albany Park and even Lincoln Square should work.

[pete6032]

2 BR for $1,200 anywhere near North Center will be like finding a needle in a haystack.

[knitgirl]

You might be able to find a 1 br with a dining room or a sun porch if that would work for you. Right now I have a 4 room 1 bedroom and I use my dining room as a combination office and art studio. Years ago I had an apartment with a sun porch of the living room where I had my desk and computer. A Chicago sun porch is fully enclosed, it juts out from the rest of the apartment and usually has 3 walls of windows. I loved my sun porch. I live in Bowmanville now and walk to work in North Center, takes just over 30 minutes (I walk fairly slowly.) The other apartment was a few blocks south in Ravenswood.

Where will you be working in North Center?

[brodie734]

Originally Posted by pete6032

2 BR for $1,200 anywhere near North Center will be like finding a needle in a haystack.

I just found 7 in a cursory Google of available 2 BRs in Ravenswood, Irving Park and North Center. And then another 8 in Uptown.

Admittedly that is not a lot and some of them appear to be quite janky, but it doesn't seem to be impossible.