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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Relocating to Chicago
Hello Ladies-
I recently found out we are relocating to Chicago from Cincinnati, for DH's job. His office will be downtown. We are moving the middle of December and are coming to home hunt on October 30th. We have heard that South Loop, Lincoln Park, and the Lakeview/Wrigleyville areas are good areas to search in. Does anyone agree, disagree, have any suggestions? I have only been to Chicago once in high school, so I have no clue about anything. Note: we have two dogs. Any insight would be appreciated.
Re: Relocating to Chicago
I love the Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood (its where I live). Its got a lot of character, restaurants, shops, etc. The blue line (El) is close and if you will have a car, is MUCH easier to park here than in other parts of the city. I also like the West Loop a lot.
Personally, I am not a huge fan of Lincoln Park/Lakeview/Wrigelyville. Others might disagree, as they can be nice places, but in Lincoln Park you wont get as much for your money and can fall into college student/frat guy mentalities around DePaul and Wrigley Field.
I have friends in the South Loop who love it but I don't spend a whole lot of time over there - so I can't really give any good pros and cons.
We live in Lakeview and love the area. We've also lived in Wicker Park and liked it out there too. I wouldn't want to live too close to downtown, because IMO a lot of those neighborhoods die after working hours. The areas around DePaul and Wrighyville are way too frat boy-ish for our taste.
I would check out all the neighborhoods you mentioned and see what you get for the money. You should get a bit more space in Lakeview as compared to Lincoln Park. We spend $1500 for about 1200 sq. ft. in a 2 1/2 bed apartment (and got an awesome deal). I would recommend working with the Apartment People. They found us two apartments and both were great. Plus it's only a $100 application fee and you only pay if you go with something they show you.
I would also check out Roscoe Village, North Center, Lincoln Square, Andersonville, and Ravenswood.
Also, there is a metra stop in Ravenswood. The metra is much faster and nicer than the el.
We live in Rogers Park, right next to the lake. It's great for having a dog, there are 2 dog beaches between Montrose Ave & Berwyn Ave. We live 4 blocks from the red el line and have 3 buses right outside our place.
I used to live in Ravenswood (Ashland & Wilson), took the metra train downtown (cheaper monthly pass & has a bathroom on it!) but was 5 blocks from the brown el line and had 2 buses a block away. It's a very dog friendly area.
A good place to find apartments is http://chicago.craigslist.org/apa/ I've always found my apartments there.
You'll probably want to start by figuring out the different ways you guys can get to work, then pick a neighborhood off the line/bus route you want to travel. We live about halfway between the train that I take and the bus that DH takes (we each walk about a quarter of a mile in the mornings). I wouldn't want to live more than half a mile away from the route I need.
Also, consider grocery stores. If you're not going to pay for a parking spot, than having a grocery store within walking distance will be key.
We just moved in July, and we found our current apartment on Craigslist. It was hit & miss with the different listings (especially ones that sounded good but didnt have pictures), but we find a really good deal. (Also, just an FYI, the guy who showed us our apartment said that if we went through Apartment People to sign a lease, the rent would be $150/month HIGHER!)
We live in Roscoe Village right now, and I like it. I also really like Northcenter and Lincoln Square. Before July, we lived in Wrigleyville, and it was great, except for the 80+ days a year when the Cubs have home games. When we look to buy, we'll consider West Loop.
When you start narrowing down places, let us know the closest major intersection (or general neighborhood, if you don't feel comfortable with an intersection). I'm sure everyone can share their opinions on the pro's & con's of that area!
all of the neighborhoods you mentioned are great and all have their pros and cons. It really depends on your personal taste and what type of conveniences you will need.
We live in Lakeview just a couple blocks from Wrigley and we love it! We're diehard Cubs fans so it's great for us! My suggestion would be to drive around the neighborhood at night to get an idea of what it will be like especially since you'll be here during the weekend. Some parts of Lakeview and Lincoln Park get really busy during peak bar hours while there are also some quieter parts of the neighborhood. If you see an apt you really like, I would really "stalk" the block. That is the best way to know if there are obnoxious neighbors since they will definitely be out and about on a weekend night.
GL and have fun!
Although I have never used them myself, I have also heard great things about Apartment People or Chicago Apartment Finders. They are free services that will help you look.
We always use Craig's List, but I think that would be hard without knowing neighborhoods or what to look for. A lot of the apartments on CL that look like great deals, really nice fixtures, etc. are cheap because they are in the ghetto, and by looking at a map you have no way of knowing this if you are from out of town.
You definitely want somewhere with a convenient commute (probably near an El if you will be working downtown).
We live just outside the city in Oak Park, so I have no personal experience on where to live!
We live in west Lincoln Park and love it. The street we live on is filled with families and it is very nice. It is pretty quiet, but close to everything. We have a 2 bedroom apartment with a yard and fireplace for $1600. It's about 5 minutes to the expressway or about 5 blocks to the el.
We have also lived in west Lakeview, which was also a great place, but was farther to the expressway and I work in the burbs.
Someone mentioned Apartment People - it is a great service, but the rents are usually higher through them. Our last place I originally saw with Apartment People, but then saw an ad for the same place through the landlord on Craigslist. The rent through Apartment people was $100 more. My landlord told me they normally give apartment search companies a higher rent listing to cover the cost of using their service. Just an FYI!
Ok this is not to bash any other neighborhoods, but just my opinion on where I live and the pros cons.
Grew up and lived until 18: Hyde Park area. Great area, over crowded and getting expensive. Not as local as other areas, does not offer many amenities for shopping, things to do with kids.
North park area: Went to undergrad and do not think the area is safe especially raising children. If you stay in the house and drive everywhere may work. Heavy traffic.
Logan Square: Lived for 6 months. Just south of Belmont and north of Diversey off of Milwaukee ave. Logan Square is not my cup of tea, and would not raise a child there. Does have easy access to blue line.
Edgewater: North of Andersonville. Also would not recommend because it is difficult to park, long train ride from downtown unless your DH is planning on driving via lakeshore drive downtown, which can take upwards of 40 min. Close to the beach, some popular grocery stores, but no local shopping etc.
Lincoln Park: LOVED it. Lived here before becoming married. Great area, where you can walk everywhere, great boutique style shops, lots of locale restaurants, bars, dog parks, regular parks, children activities. Great for public transportation. Would look for parking to be included unless you live in west Lincoln Park, you may get lucky via street parking. Target, Costco and other large stores are within a 10 min drive. Also very close to the largest Whole Foods. We would have stayed in this area if we did not move to the suburbs because of DH's job.
Lakeview can be great as well. I would stay as close to the lake as possible and away from Wrigleyville.
I believe Roscoe Village, Lincoln Square and other northwest neighborhoods can be more of a hassle than enjoyment, but work for some.
I think if you make a list of pros and cons you will do yourself a favor and save yourself confusion and a headache.
Some things I would consider:
Are we bringing a car and will we use public transportation?
What amenities do we need in an apartment?
How far are we from things we need to do? I.E. Job, etc.
Consider looking through MLS listings for rentals too!
Hope that helps!
Darla