future SAIC student: cheap off-campus apartment (Chicago, Alpha: for sale, rent, appliances)

[durhamhippie]

i am moving from north carolina to chicago next year to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. i don't know much about chicago, and i am trying to find an inexpensive apartment near SAIC for my boyfriend to live in. i really don't know a lot about the housing market there and what "cheap" really is, but if you have any ideas or information, it would be greatly appreciated! thanks!

[Avengerfire]

Well how about answering these questions:

What can your BF afford to pay for rent and utilities?
How close does he need to be to school?
What amenities and quality is your BF looking for in an apartment?

[PokerPlayer1]

Congrats. SAIC is a great art school.

Chicago is one of the few Alpha cities where you can live relatively inexpensively, however, the "urban rule of 2/3" applies. Safety, convenience and low price- you can pick two.

Convenient and solidly safe areas in the city aren't cheap.
Cheap and safe areas aren't convenient.
Convenient and cheap areas aren't particularly safe (by relative standards, anyway).

The address I found for SAIC is right in the middle of the most desirable (read: expensive) part of town, which isn't affordable to most. Maybe they have satellite campuses or those were just administrative offices, I don't know how the school is arranged, but you as a student aren't going to find anything within reasonable walking distance to 36 South Wabash unless you're a trust fund baby. I'm certain others here can help with how the school is arranged, etc.

Don't worry, though; Chicago has great public transit. Read up on the "neighborhoods" thread, then if you find some that seem interesting, you can use the search function to find dedicated threads and commentary about those areas. One thing that's really important in Chicago is actually experiencing the area first hand before making a decision to move there. The city isn't a sterile, predictable suburb where you can find the house on the internet and pretty much know what you're in for. If you're looking for inexpensive housing, it's crucial that you experience the area first hand before making any decisions to rent. As far as "cheap" places go, what can appear to be a great place on the internet (stainless steel appliances and all!) can wind up being a prison cel in the middle of a dangerous area, etc. Block to block can make a big difference.

[chet everett]

Is the OP going to utilize the Art Institute's very nice 'campus housing'?

Is the inquiry for the bf to just have a place to live? What about a job?

Confused...

[smallvillejane]

interested in knowing where students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago post classifies such as temp jobs, room for rent, art supplies for sale, etc. Anyone knows? Thanks!

[tonythetuna]

Are you drunk Jane?

[jwaiter]

I think the word you want is classifieds. I would ask other SAIC students first, then I would go to the uber-site for classifieds, Craigslist.