Where to live in Chicago?

My niece, who is in her mid-20s, just landed a job on the Near North Side and has to find an apartment quickly. For anybody with Chicagoland experience more recent than mine, what are the good neighborhoods? Any other advice?


Chicago is like most major cities in that the closer you are to a particular magnet - in this case, Lake Michigan, the downtown "loop"and Lincoln Park - generally the pricier. Bucktown and Wicker Park probably have the most "young and hipster" vibe, but pricey. So people have been flocking further west and south. I wouldn't rule out the Hyde Park area on the south side, which has been somewhat sleepy for a number of years but more recently developing in terms of restaurants, shopping and nightlife.


Chicago traffic is HORRIBLE - Have her look at where her office is located to see if she is off a train line and then search from there - if she is renting it makes it easier as its a year commit to get her familiar with the area.  If she has to drive in have her look at the commute patterns.  If she is looking for "fun" 20's environment there are a ton of options.   If she like a little more suburban Chicago is a commuter town and there are allot of suburbs similar to maplewood/south orange 


She might want to check out www.beldenstratford.com. The website shows pricing and availability and--at least in the past---they were available for shorter term rentals. If that's still the case, she could use this as a base for getting settled/finding roommates, etc. 

When you say "Near North," I'm assuming she will be able to use public transit. Subway not as extensive as NYC but buses are fine alternative.


Update -- she'll be working in Water Tower Place. (She's a retail manager.) Much prefers urban living. I suggested Wicker Park, and will add Bucktown. Thanks for the pointers! She has a car but could easily do without, and I think she's at that sweet spot of postgraduate financial abandon. I was a poor student living in Rogers Park long ago, so I'm not much help.




I lived in Chicago for 15 years after undergrad.  I worked in the loop and lived in several Northside neighborhoods.  It is fairly easy to live in Chicago without a car if you live near a train line.  Most young professionals stay south of Irving Park Rd and east of Western Avenue.  Popular areas include Bucktown (my personal favorite), Wicker Park, Lakeview/Wrigleyville, Lincoln Park (pricey) and the Southport corridor.  I would try to find something close to the Red, Blue or Brown lines in those areas.  Also, there is decent express bus service along the lake (Belmont, Addison, Irving) that gets you steps away from Water Tower.


Sandburg Village Condos - they straddle the Gold Coast and Old Town. 


Might be too far, but Evanston is north of the city on train line, and this time of year she may find summer sublets from Northwestern students. That would give her a little time to make a better educated decision. 


That's a great idea, @rowerg, although I think a Purple Line commute is out of the question as a long-range proposition.


I shared this query with a 20-something friend (CHS 2006 grad) who now lives and works in Chicago. This is his response:

"South loop is probably the best deal and an easy commute to water tower on the redline. We lived at Roosevelt and Michigan and it was great and surprisingly affordable. Would want to sign a lease soon though, Crains reported property values going up by over 50% in the last year in sloop. And I agree that wicker park is great but read up on the real boundaries. Half of the real estate listings that use "wicker park" are in humboldt park; totally different scene."



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