Evanston commute question (Lincoln, Davis: apartments, rentals, condo)

[Syncmaster414]

If one were to be working in Evanston and wanted to be closer to downtown in a safe area (and still have < 1 hour commute), what would you suggest?

How would the commutes be for the following (both mass trans and via car):
Wicker Park/Bucktown?
Wrigleyville?

Any other suggestions would be great. Looking for proximity to mass transit to get to work in Evanston and to nightlife/activities in downtown.

Thanks in advance!

[chet everett]

Purple line would be key to having decent commute to Evanston, safety is pretty good though the priciness of rentals near most stops might be something to thing about...

[Avengerfire]

Forget about Bucktown and Wicker Park.

[Drover]

Evanston's a big place. Where in Evanston would you be working?

[skipcromer]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Purple line would be key to having decent commute to Evanston, safety is pretty good though the priciness of rentals near most stops might be something to thing about...

Metra would also be an option, although not for the neighborhoods the OP is looking at.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by skipcromer

Metra would also be an option, although not for the neighborhoods the OP is looking at.

It is for Wicker Park and Bucktown. The Clybourn station is pretty close.

[gregr072]

It does really depend on where you live work in Evanston. Depending on the location you could live near in Lincoln Park or Lakeview and take the purple line express to Evanston very quickly.

But the general answer to your question is yes, you can live in the city and have an easy commute to Evanston. Although don't rule out Evanston completely. The urban core is really growing there are a lot of restaurants, a few nightlife spots and some really nice condo buildings. It might be worth looking into anyways.

Best of luck.

[Syncmaster414]

Thanks for the advice. The office does not open for another 6 months, so they have not 100% finalized the location. I will post again once I have more detailed information. I will tell him to also look into potential apartments in Evanston itself.

[Hawthorne341]

Originally Posted by Syncmaster414

Thanks for the advice. The office does not open for another 6 months, so they have not 100% finalized the location. I will post again once I have more detailed information. I will tell him to also look into potential apartments in Evanston itself.

Huge opportunity here to get a location within walking distance to the el! There are many stations in Evanston, and some areas are cheaper than others (eg Main St vs Davis).

I lived in Wicker Park and loved it, but it's tough to get to Evanston by public transit. The Clybourn metra stop is on the edge of Bucktown and right near the Kennedy Expressway. So if you could find a place half way between the Damen el stop and Clybourn metra you'd be far enough away from the highway that you wouldn't hear it all the time but close enough to walk.

Another thing to consider is getting from Wicker Park/Bucktown to go out/see friends in Lincoln Park, the lakefront, and the north side in general. It's just buses on very heavily trafficked roads like Division, North, or Fullerton or you go all the way into the loop and back out on the el.

[Syncmaster414]

How about living in Evanston itself? Any areas to avoid? Which areas in Evanston do you consider the "best" for a single, mid-upper 20 year old to live? Probably looking for a 1br/studio, <$1000/mo