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Reasonable housing near Northwestern
Hello Chicago Nesties,
My sister has been accepted into Northwestern's Law program. She is online gathering housing information. The average cost of a 1 bedroom apartment is $1200. While I understand that there is a HCOL, can she find a safe and decent apartment for less than $1200?
She would like to be in a neighborhood near Streeterville and/or no more than 5-10 minutes (in traffic) from the University. I think the lawschool is downtown, I would assume public transportation is an option. This is where you come into play. Us southern girls know nothing about Chicago, please enlighten me. I need details on everything:
-neighborhoods (pro's/con's)
-housing (renting a house v.apartment)
-crime stats (she has a stun gun..lol)
and any other helpful advice you care to share....TIA!
Re: Reasonable housing near Northwestern
I too am from the south. Streeterville is going to be more expensive because it is downtown. Lincoln Park is a great neighborhood and she could probably find a one bedroom or studio for $1200 or less. Parking is difficult though. I live in Lakeview which is fabulous, because you get a taste of the real Chicago. Being downtown is nice, but living down there limits you to that part of the city. I just hop on the EL or bus if I want to head down there. She should definitely look at public transportation to Northwestern and find a place that is close to that train line or bus route.
Houses are a lot in Chicago, so an apartment is the way to go. (In the South, $500K gets you a MANSION! Here, a tiny single family home. It's ridiculous. ;-))
Crime stats are tricky. The north side is much safer than elsewhere. I would recommend Lincoln Park and Lakeview for her. If she needs help finding a place, check out the Apartment People or another apartment finding service. They are free to use and very helpful for those not familiar with the city.
Here is a link to a neighborhoos map:
http://www.dreamtown.com/maps/chicago-neighborhood-map.htm
Good luck
Thanks, I really appreciate your help.
The PP is right, Lakeview and Lincoln Park are good neighborhoods to start with. Streeterville is really boring; I wouldn't recommend renting there. She should look for places near the brown line or the red line. Other neighborhood names she might see are Southport, St. Bens, Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, and Andersonville. These are all nice, just more like 45 minutes away instead of 20-30 minutes away.
Here's the weekly newspaper where most people I know found their apartments:http://www.chicagoreader.com/
I worked for Northwestern, and let me tell you, the walk to the Law School is godawful in the winter. Your sister should buy a super-warm, puffy, knee-length coat, preferably with a hood, and a good scarf/hat/mitten set.
Would she be interested in sharing an apartment? She could share a 2 bedroom for 600-1000 and save some money. It's not really feasible to rent a house in a good neighborhood.
Crime really isn't bad. I've never had a problem with it.
Congrats to your sister. It's a good school!
Great information, thanks for your help- especially the part about the knee length coat
I'd have her look in the gold coast, streeterville, and old town neighborhoods... using a service like Craigslist or a broker. Because a lot of the good deals right now on apartments are where condo owners are renting out their individual units. There are A LOT of condos in these neighborhoods that aren't selling, so many owners are opting to rent.
If she goes farther north, I'd stay by the red line and close to the lake, as opposed to the brown line... the brown line doesn't really take her close to NW. But there are also a TON of bus lines that run down Lake Shore Drive to N. Michigan Ave., so those are options, too.
Because we're fancy like that.
just by way of an example... I know this is just barely over her budget, but this is a newly converted condo building about 2 blocks away from the law school (there is actually a big park between this building and the law school... so its a great spot). There are usually a handful of units in this condo building for rent at any given time, and there is probably even wiggle room to negotiate on price. we have good friends who rent there. it is also within walking distance to a lot of restaurants, bars, the lake, michigan ave. etc.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/1035151409.html
Because we're fancy like that.
Actually, DH and I are looking for someone to take over our lease. We live in Old Town/Lincoln Park and have loved the neighborhood and the neighbors have been very friendly. It's a one bed room and we have it listed on craigslist (and in your sister's price range).
drop me a line if you are interested in more details.
jxl114@gmail.com
I live on the brown line, and when going to northwestern (hospital, which i think is near the law school???), I just transfer at Belmont or Fullerton, no biggie. Don't let public transportation rule her decision, although it is a factor.
Agree 100%! I live on the brown line, and transfer from the brown to the red line every day at Belmont, going to/from the office. I really like some of the neighborhoods further north around the brown line (St. Bens, Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, Southport, Andersonville) because they tend to be a little bit less expensive than Lincoln Park, a little more diverse, and *slightly* easier to park (if she's going to have a car). Still definitely easy public transportation wise (brown line to the red line). Just one person's opinion though - I don't think she can go wrong with any of these neighborhoods, or Lincoln Park.
I would actually recommend against moving too far North right by the red line. There are some spotty neighborhoods right near the redline when you get north of Sheridan. There are some GREAT neighborhoods in that area, and some sketchy ones... for someone so new to the city, might just be best to avoid that vicinity to be on the safe side.
HTH!