Where to Move (Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, North Center, Roscoe Village, or Edgewater) (Chicago: apartments, crime rate)

[UniqueBeing26]

I plan to move to the north side area or the suburbs. I researched a bit and narrowed down my list to these options in the city. I jotted down notes of each area from reddit and city data and plan to visit them soon. I eliminated Uptown and Andersonville is still an option. Please provide any information you can preferably from personal experience.


I work in River North, late 20s, not interested in bars, partying, or staying out late. I like more quiet places, but I also like trying new restaurants, biking, walking, hiking, visiting cafes, playing board games, etc. In a relationship, no kids, and no car. Don't have a preference to be around certain races and have no problem with gays/lesbians. Just prefer to be around overall nice and good people. Will look for studios under $850. I have lived/experienced other areas in Chicago but not the north side. I want to try to live in the area before I settle in the burbs.


LS, Ravenswood, & North Center are my top, but are they too far to get to the lakefront to bike?

[valpofan11]

Idk about North Center prices, but it is really quiet and overall very nice. My grandma and uncle live there and the crime rate is very low. They have no qualms with it. Most people keep to themselves and the streets off of the main thoroughfares are calm.

[jonnynonos]

The neighborhoods you're asking about are all basically the same. Of course they're not too far to bike to the lake.

You're not gonna really be able to answer your question just based on neighborhood characteristics. You'll have better luck finding a particular block, apartment, intersection, etc. and going from there.

[jrs2]

Those neighborhoods are all quiet, but also very family oriented, so make sure that's what you want and are aware of that. I'd also recommend Bucktown, Logan Square, Ukrainian village. Neighborhoods near the 606 would be great for biking and walking, and there are plenty of cafes to boot

[xsboost]

If getting to the lakefront is a priority, I'd go Andersonville, Edgewater, Ravenswood in that order. My personal preference would be North Center or Roscoe Village for the shorter commute to work though. I'm in Edgewater right now and I love Andersonville for all of its dining options. The commute to River North via red/brown line takes ~50 minutes though.

[MarianRavenwood]

Well Ravenswood is about 1.5-2 miles from the lakefront, depending on where you live in the neighborhood. On a bike that's maybe 5 minutes? I don't think that's too far to ride. There are quite a few dedicated bike lanes between the neighborhoods and the lakefront. Lincoln Sq & North Center would be 2-3 miles from the lakefront, so still not toooo far, but it would probably be more like a 10-15 minute ride to get to the LF paths.

$850 is a pretty tight budget on the north side. You likely won't have too many options and your budget will be more of a determining factor than the neighborhood. In Lincoln Square, I doubt you'd find anything closer to the lake than Western for that price.

You might also want to consider Buena Park. A neighborhood that often gets absorbed into its neighbors, it's situated between Lakeview and Uptown. No sketchy element like Uptown, and not as 'young' as Lakeview, just quiet people leading their lives, but you still have access to everything on the Clark and Broadway corridors.

[fusillirob1983]

As others have said, try your luck looking to see if you can find something in your price range in the Lincoln Square/North Center/Ravenswood area. Maybe there's a deal out there, but doubtful. For someone in their late 20s and not a big partier, those are pretty ideal neighborhoods.

[Maintainschaos]

We loved our time in Edgewater (we were east of Broadway). Apartments there were quite affordable, and I knew several grad students living in studios there at the time. Not sure if they quite hit the $850 mark, but probably not too far off.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by MarianRavenwood

Well Ravenswood is about 1.5-2 miles from the lakefront, depending on where you live in the neighborhood. On a bike that's maybe 5 minutes? I don't think that's too far to ride. There are quite a few dedicated bike lanes between the neighborhoods and the lakefront. Lincoln Sq & North Center would be 2-3 miles from the lakefront, so still not toooo far, but it would probably be more like a 10-15 minute ride to get to the LF paths.

$850 is a pretty tight budget on the north side. You likely won't have too many options and your budget will be more of a determining factor than the neighborhood. In Lincoln Square, I doubt you'd find anything closer to the lake than Western for that price.

You might also want to consider Buena Park. A neighborhood that often gets absorbed into its neighbors, it's situated between Lakeview and Uptown. No sketchy element like Uptown, and not as 'young' as Lakeview, just quiet people leading their lives, but you still have access to everything on the Clark and Broadway corridors.

Unless you are going by the "marketing name" of calling Uptown "Ravenswood" your geography is off --
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenswood,_Chicago Of course by using the marketing name that is one way to get an apartment for $850...

Actually going by google maps -- https://goo.gl/maps/1m752puaSAw Nearly three miles by bicycle and since you'd be crossing several major thoroughfares (Damen, Ashland, Clark, Broadway, Sheridan) as well as several other cross streets and numerous parking lots entrances before getting the "highway" that is Lake Shore Drive at Montrose Beach the estimate of 15 minutes is much more realistic...

[UniqueBeing26]

Okay thanks everyone. I was trying to lean towards the brown line instead of red line since it basically takes me straight to my job. Plus the other posts said the red line is slower, and I might have to jump off to get on the brown line. The commute from Edgewater on the red/brown line is 50 minutes? That sounds like a lot.

Yea you are right. It might come down to what I can afford and how many apartments are in that price range.