So I'm moving to Chicago....I need help.

[Eddie420819]

Hey everyone, , I've been a longtime lurker haven't posted much, but anyways.......I plan on attending Columbia College in Chicago in January, so obviously I am moving into the city. I applied to live in the dorms, but incase I don't get in, I'm obviously going to need to get my own place.As someone not very familiar with the city, I was wondering what might be some nice, neighborhoods, not in the ghetto where I could find for reasonable cost(possibly $500 a month? not sure what reasonable is by Chicago standards) as well as a place that I could easily travel back and forth to campus which is on Michigan Ave right across from Grant Park. Any suggestions much appreciated

[Eddie420819]

i forgot to mention i meant that my share of rent would cost $500. I have a roomate already in mind

[foolnrain97]

Chicago Apt finders have done a good job for a lot of my friends who've moved there. I think they're free, but someone who lives in the city might actually know.

[cryptique]

Here is one place to start looking, but you'll want to ask the Chicagoans here about the various neighborhoods (I haven't lived there in years).

[alison the wilca]

i live in a pretty nice neighborhood- Bucktown- and my rent is only $1050 for a vintage 2 bedroom, which includes all utilities and free laundry. Bucktown is close to the blue line which takes you downtown, too. If you've got $500 and a roommate, you should be able to find something in a decent area.

[dannygutters]

I think the best value in chicago neighborhoods is Logan square, me and my roomate pay 550 a month for a 2 bdroom that's pretty big and it's a nice neighborhood, but really your first neighborhood is kind of a crap shoot, you'll figure out where you want to be pretty quick. Tho some of the cheap/big ones are if you have no idea of the city, all these are easily train accessible to columbia, listed based on distance from columbia, and only the ones I've lived in or spent a lot of time in:

 

South Loop - Pros: near Columbia, can be affordable, always developing

Cons: my buddy lived in the south loop near the library (in the loop) he got tired of trudging out to the neighborhoods for shows and friends as most of the loop is dead at night, tho maybe not near columbia

 

Pilsen - Cheap! On the south side, trains are easier to catch at rush hour. On the down side it's hard to find a nice place here, I looked a few years ago, maybe it's getting better.

 

Wicker Park - It has hipsters, lots of fun things to do, lots of kids. Down side is that it's the new Lincoln Park, trendy trendy and expensive

 

Bucktown - Nice, a low key wicker park possibly a bit cheaper as mentioned above. I couldn't find much in my price range there myself. Very good bars here if you like fancy beers.

 

Logan Square - I live here I like it alot, it's centrally located between far north chicago and downtown, still pretty reasonably priced, there's a farmers market on the blvd on Sundays in the summer and tacos and dive bars are available 24 hours a day. Lots of nice families and quiet on weekdays and a freakin party all night on 4th of july and Mexican independence day. On the downside, hipsters are migrating north from wicker park so prices should rise as this second gentrified wave moves in.

 

Humbolt Park - Further south than logan but farther than the train, some of my friends have had trouble with muggings and crime here so I don't have a good opinion of it, but basically the cheaper, less safe and further to the train version of logan square. but that's defiantly a vague opinion.

 

Roscoe Village, Lincoln Square - Two neighborhoods north of logan square, they are nice, more families in Lincoln Square lots of young married couples home to the old town school of folk music which is an awesome place. Good german food, a bit far for me from downtown for work and the brown line stops at like 1 or 2 am so there you go.

 

Lakeview, Lincoln Park - These are the trendy north side neighborhoods on the red line (Logan and wicker being on the blue), I really don't spend a lot of time there. At one time Lakeview was considered edgy like wicker park, but I wouldn't really say that now (tho so was Lincoln Park in the Old Town 60s). They

[LouieB]

danny did a good job. Uptown is perfect for starving students and not as scary as it used to be. My nephew recently moved there with roomates and is doing quite fine. Many neighborhoods have gotten expensive in the last few years.

 

LouieB

[MrRain422]

I lived for a year in Buena Park, which is wedged in between Uptown and Wrigleyville. The stretch of Uptown along Broadway can look a little rundown and scary, but I never had any problems there. That being said, I prefer where I am now (Noble Square) to that part of the city.