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I don't know about the real estate market but for where people rent, most people live in River North or West Loop for a closer commute. Then lots of people live in Lincoln Park which is a little farther away. Gold Coast is probably good to rent in but not practical to buy in.

River North sucks IMO though.

I did not like River North either--too industrial/commercial. Would be a super short commute for most firms though. Gold Coast is ok but felt a little old to me and maybe a little close to the Mich Ave craziness.

Would suggest parts of Old Town, Lincoln Park/DePaul, and the southern part of Lakeview. Basically anything north of West North Ave. and south of West Belmont Ave. I like a little more neighborhood feel with walk ups etc. There are high rises in that area too. Rents are high-ish I guess but you definitely get more for your money than in NYC.

All this applies to renting. Not very well versed in buying.

River North, Old Town, Lincoln Park are all safe bets. Better to be close to a train than close to a bus. Bus home can be VERY unpredictable w/ traffic.

West loop is ok. Presidential tower is a good choice.

Evanston if you have a sig O.

love my west loop place. Close to tons of awesome food I can't really afford, and a ten minute walk from my office.

Most people in my class are living in Wicker Park/Bucktown. I'm in Bucktown and 25 minutes door-to-door in the morning with the blue line. We'll prob buy here too since no kids on the horizon.

Wicker Park and the blue line is where it is at. Though if you want to walk to work, west loop/gold coast are probably best bets. River North you pay NYC prices, which defeats the biggest benefit of living and working in Chicago

I like Lincoln Park.

15 minute bike ride to work or 20 min ride via public transit (brown line, red line, halsted bus). Close to a lot of good gyms\bars\food. Lots of parks for kids/dogs if you have them. Some streets have a more suburban feel where neighbors talk if you're into that. Money goes a long way with respect to rent (you can have a backyard and still pay less than river north prices if you look hard enough). Zone parking is $100/year and there are usually multiple spots open at any time. Safe. Quiet at night. First streets cleaned when it snows. People average in the top quartile for looks/money if you're looking to bump into "the one" at the Fullerton Dunkin' in the morning...

trebekismyhero wrote:Wicker Park and the blue line is where it is at. Though if you want to walk to work, west loop/gold coast are probably best bets. River North you pay NYC prices, which defeats the biggest benefit of living and working in Chicago

Also, you have to deal with the people in River North.

Wherever you live, if you're taking the bus to work, do it in traffic before you sign a lease. From my old place in Lakeview, it could take me almost an hour to get to work if full rush hour traffic was going, because my office was a ways into the loop.

trebekismyhero wrote:Wicker Park and the blue line is where it is at. Though if you want to walk to work, west loop/gold coast are probably best bets. River North you pay NYC prices, which defeats the biggest benefit of living and working in Chicago

You will certainly pay more in River North compared to other areas (significantly more than Wicker Park/Lincoln Park), but you will not be paying NYC prices. If you are paying NYC prices in river north (e.g. 2500+ for 1BR) it will be in a full service, very nice building - something you can't get in NY.

Also, walking from Gold Coast would be a bit of a hike - particularly in the winter. And gold coast - particularly LSD addresses aren't that commuter friendly. Almost all BigLaw gigs are somewhere in the loop. Aside from Kirkland and Latham, i believe.

Wicker via Blue line is a solid move though

RaceJudicata wrote:

trebekismyhero wrote:Wicker Park and the blue line is where it is at. Though if you want to walk to work, west loop/gold coast are probably best bets. River North you pay NYC prices, which defeats the biggest benefit of living and working in Chicago

You will certainly pay more in River North compared to other areas (significantly more than Wicker Park/Lincoln Park), but you will not be paying NYC prices. If you are paying NYC prices in river north (e.g. 2500+ for 1BR) it will be in a full service, very nice building - something you can't get in NY.

Also, walking from Gold Coast would be a bit of a hike - particularly in the winter. And gold coast - particularly LSD addresses aren't that commuter friendly. Almost all BigLaw gigs are somewhere in the loop. Aside from Kirkland and Latham, i believe.

Wicker via Blue line is a solid move though

You are getting way more for your money in River North, but I have friends paying over $4k a month for two bedroom apts in River North. There's also Jenner and Foley in River North besides Kirkland and Latham, but yeah you are correct, would never walk from gold coast in winter.

Yes, that is probably more accurate. Maybe similar NYC $ amount, but getting much more for your money.

The LSD addresses in gold coast still have a number of bus options that aren't bad for getting to the loop. Can take any of the 151/22/36/156. You could be walking in the snow for half a mile though...

I live in the River North/Near North area and it takes me about fifteen minutes to walk to the loop, five minutes to get to whole foods and there is also an el stop nearby for those absurd winter days.

For those that want to buy, I'd recommend Logan Square on the blue line. It is a little farther than Wicker, but good value and the area is only getting bigger.

Another decent area to buy is South Loop to Chinatown. But personally I prefer neighborhoods. Another reason I dislike River North

trebekismyhero wrote:For those that want to buy, I'd recommend Logan Square on the blue line. It is a little farther than Wicker, but good value and the area is only getting bigger.

Another decent area to buy is South Loop to Chinatown. But personally I prefer neighborhoods. Another reason I dislike River North

It's still risky af tho. My friend was just mugged at gunpoint last week coming out of the California stop in the daylight. You can still find steals in Wicker and Bucktown without having to bet the lot that the neighborhood will fully gentrify someday soon and investing in max grade security systems in the meantime.

OfThriceandTen wrote:

trebekismyhero wrote:For those that want to buy, I'd recommend Logan Square on the blue line. It is a little farther than Wicker, but good value and the area is only getting bigger.

Another decent area to buy is South Loop to Chinatown. But personally I prefer neighborhoods. Another reason I dislike River North

It's still risky af tho. My friend was just mugged at gunpoint last week coming out of the California stop in the daylight. You can still find steals in Wicker and Bucktown without having to bet the lot that the neighborhood will fully gentrify someday soon and investing in max grade security systems in the meantime.

TBF, it's not like people never get held up in Bucktown or even Wicker.

Interesting, I have lived there before and have friends that still live in Logan and never felt unsafe.

Streeterville! a quiet and safe area, and only 4 blocks away from Michigan Avenue. Close enough to walk home from work for fresh air or you can bus it

^^^ lol j lol