Mid-50's couple relocating to Chicago, need help on where to live. (Cicero: apartments, rental)

[katbmac]

My husband is considering a job offer in downtown Chicago. We've only been to Chicago a couple of times, not familiar with the areas to live in. We are in our 50's, children are grown, so not concerned about schools. We currently live in a suburb of a mid-size Michigan city. We are thinking we would like to live in the city instead of the suburbs again. Our budget is up to $1500 max for rent per month. We would like to be able to walk to stores, restaurants etc. We like to jog and walk, and have a large dog that will need to be exercised so safety is important. We do plan on bringing a car with us. Where do you suggest to live and what extra expenses should we be aware of?

[chet everett]

I think Forest Park or Oak Park is probably going to be an easier transition than part of Chicago where your $1500 budget might get have a reasonable chance of being near enough to a park for your exercise and that of your pet.

[JBVirtuoso]

I'd agree that you should take a look at the inner ring suburbs (the ones that border the city limits). Berwyn might also be a good pick. But since you asked for city neighborhoods, I'll make a few suggestions.

For city neighborhoods, I'd suggest Edgewater. It's along the lake, so you'll have easy access to the lakefront parks. It has a lot of good restaurants and a healthy collection of stores. The area around Clark and Foster is one of my favorite in the city. However, no neighborhood is perfect, and the problem with this one is parking. Most of the neighborhoods along the lake are densely populated, and lots of people means lots of cars parked on the street.

Another area I'd suggest is Irving Park on the northwest side. It also has a lot of good (especially ethnic) restaurants, and a nice little shopping area around Irving Park Road and Cicero. Parking in this area is much easier than it is in the lakefront neighborhoods. The park situation won't be as ideal as it is along the lakefront, but there are a few parks scattered throughout the neighborhood.

As far as extra expenses, that will depend on your lifestyle. I will say that having a car in Chicago is probably a lot more expensive than what you're used to. Gasoline is relatively expensive in the city, parking can be expensive, and it's really easy to get parking tickets. Your insurance rates will also most likely go up. However, if you're driving a lot in Michigan, you might still save money on driving in Chicago because you'll need to drive a lot less.

[marothisu]

Along with the suggestions here, I'd recommend an area like Lincoln Square and Ravenswood too (the Mayor lives in Ravenswood). It's in the city, and Lincoln Square has stores, and even some music stuff going on (Old Town School of Folk Music) and some good restaurants, but it's a really quiet area and extremely safe. The rental prices are really low (You can get a 2 bedroom apartment there for $1400-$1600/month). It's on the Brown Line train too, which is 30 minutes from going downtown. There are areas of Lakeview that are fine too, like around Irving Park and Greenview let's say, or near Southport. Lakeview East is also nice and quiet too and has a ton of stores, restaurants, etc around. The downside to Lakeview East is that it's hard to find street parking sometimes.

IMO, if you plan on traveling around Chicago, then it's better to be on that than the Blue Line. Blue Line, however, goes directly to O'Hare airport. I'd say that with the car thing, not bad. Just be aware that you are legally obligated to switch your license to an Illinois one within i think 60 days. That involves taking a written test and paying $40. Registering your vehicle and getting the wheel tax/city sticker. There are areas of the city where you need street parking permit (Zone Parking - like $25/year), and there's areas like in Irving Park, Ravenswood, etc where street parking is free.

The good thing about Chicago is kind of what you hinted at. Being able to walk to stores and what not, but at the same time Chicago has the 2nd largest public transit system in the US behind NYC, so there's that too. If you moved here to a neighborhood like I mentioned, you will find yourself probably not driving very often.

[rca215]

Good advice from the others in this thread, so I'll just add a little bit about the dog.

Be prepared for the apartment search to be a bit more painful because of your dog. The number of places that accept any type of dog is certainly lower (I would guess about 60% of places), but it is even lower when it comes to dogs >30 pounds. I don't know the basis of this arbitrary cutoff because anyone who knows dogs well knows that most large dogs are actually better apartment dwellers than small dogs. But that's the way it goes.

So your apartment search will be a bit tougher than for dog-less people, but certainly not impossible. You might also encounter some incremental expense because of it. I usually end up paying more than I want to so that I can get an apartment that I like that also accepts a dog, but maybe you're less picky. Beyond that, I have seen a few places that have monthly dog fees (usually no more than $50) but this is rare. Many places though will ask for a higher security deposit due to the dog. I've seen this range from $200-1000. The higher end is absurd and I wouldn't be comfortable with any landlord who wants more than $500.

[ChiNaan]

Since you posted in the Chicago forum asking about where to live in Chicago (as opposed to posting in the Chicago Suburbs forum about where to live in neighboring towns) I won't do you the disservice of answering a question you didn't ask as the first responder did.

Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, and Edgewater are good suggestions. I would add Roscoe Village. Really, though, there are only a handful of places I would say to avoid. Those would be the high violent crime areas (Englewood and surrounding neighborhoods, Austin and surrounding neighborhoods), the 20-something fratty party areas (mainly Lakeview), and some of the outer neighborhoods that are so highly residential that you won't be able to walk to many stores, restaurants, etc. Other than those I'd say you're good to go just about anywhere, even on your budget, though the amount and quality of living space you'll get for that price will range from a small 1br in a few really popular areas to a large 3 or 4 bedroom in less trendy areas.

I've never looked for an apartment with a dog, though, in Chicago or anywhere else, but I've known people with dogs in just about every neighborhood, so it appears doable. It's just going to take extra searching.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

the 20-something fratty party areas (mainly Lakeview)

Lakeview is a large neighborhood. To say it's all fratty and whatever is erroneous. As I've stated many times, go to Lakeview East. It's not fratty at all, and older. I have coworkers in their mid 40s who live in high rises along/near Lake Shore Drive in Lakeview East.

If you're going to avoid any areas in Lakeview, avoid within a few blocks of Wrigley Field and directly around Clark avenue. Broadway is fine for the most part. Avoid parts of Halsted, Belmont, etc. The area around Southport can be nice. Again, Irving Park and Greenview, right south of there and around that area is nice and quiet.

[aragx6]

If I were going to throw a neighborhood out there for you to look at that I think you'd like it would be Lincoln Square. There are many other neighborhoods that would also fit what you're looking for, but I think it would be a solid place to start!

[katbmac]

Thank you for all the helpful information. I have been looking on neighborhood maps of Chicago and it looks like most of the recommended neighborhoods are on the north side. Is there anything you would recommend south? Also, the job recruiter that contacted my husband said that the job location in downtown. Would that be considered the Loop? I am intrigued about living in the city instead of suburbs as I have never had the experience yet, but should we end up in one of the closer suburbs, is there a train into the city and how long of a commute could we expect. As I was checking out apartments online, I realized the dog could pose a problem in finding a place. I appreciate all the help you can give me as we might need to make a quick decision.

[JBVirtuoso]

The definitions of downtown and the Loop are kind of hard to grasp. "Downtown" includes a fairly large area around the central business district. The Loop is a much smaller area that has historically been the center of business activity in Chicago. It's possible that your husband's job is downtown but not in the Loop, but that probably won't make a huge difference on the commute.

There is a commuter rail system called Metra that brings commuters downtown from the suburbs. If you're in Oak Park, Evanston, Forest Park, Skokie, or Cicero, they actually have 'L' train service, but the rest of the suburbs just have Metra service. The main difference between the two systems is that Metra is mostly for commuting downtown, and has relatively infrequent service outside of rush hour. The 'L' has relatively frequent service throughout the day and on weekends. Commute times will vary, but in general, you're looking at 20-40 minutes for inner ring suburbs.

There are indeed some good neighborhoods on the south side as well. For more urban neighborhoods, you might want to check out Bridgeport and Hyde Park. There's also Beverly, which is kind of suburban, but nonetheless a nice neighborhood with a lot of businesses in the area.