I am possibly moving to Chicago in the near future, and I was wondering if anyone had some advice on where to look for apartments. I am just out of school and will be on a pretty tight budget, any help would be great.
when i lived there i tried to live as close to the lake as i could. maybe it's not such a big priority for you, but having come from TX i needed easy and regular access to a natural horizon.
that way you can also stay close to the red and green EL lines which take you downtown. (green line on the south side only)
in terms of neighborhoods: i liked rogers park, edgewater, and uptown. but i also liked hyde park and south shore (on the south side). you could probably buy a condo in south shore.
bridgeport is also pretty close to the lake but i never spent much time there.
now keep in mind, except for edgewater none of these are the greatest neighborhoods in town in terms of crime and affluence. but they are affordable, interesting, and real. i really disliked lincoln park and lakeview and bucktown and wicker park when i lived in chicago -- very much the urban disneylands for the idle rich and the college graduates who walked their dogs.
or you could move far, far from the lake and go to logan square or humboldt park.
some of you more recent residents might be able to fill in more on what the cool neighborhoods are right now, it's been a couple of years for me.
my friend started an apartment fire there in 97. Ahhh, college.
You can really find stuff anywhere in Chi in any neighborhood. Best bet is to visit for a weekend and walk each one. For listings try craigs list or link
I loved living in Gold Coast. You can find cheap places there even though most of the places are expensive. I would just go visit and ask around at different places. You can find decent highrise places that run about 1200 for a two bedroom which I think is good considering that you would have a pool hot tub etc... or what's the name of the two concrete circular buildings? I think you can get a two bedroom there for 1250 or so.
a buddy of mine has an garden apartment in rogers park half a block from lake michigan i think his rent is like seven hundred a month. check out rogerspark.com they have listings on there. also check out the chicago reader online. i also lived there and the place i shared was 1425 a month for a three bedroom with sunroom living room dining kitchen backyard and a washer/dryer for free and hardwood floors. rogers park is about 45 minutes to the loop. and you can still find crack and live a yuppy lifestyle.
my first apt was right next to the howard el (red line) between the sheridan and wilson stops in uptown. when i say right next to the el, i mean at eye level. boy, that was noisy. but once again, it was proximate to a horizon...in my case graceland cemetery. i could see louis sullivan's grave from my window, which was a bit creepy. then again, my window faced west and in the summer when the storms would blow in over the northwest side...beautiful.
my favorite apartment ever. everything else in chicago was downhill from there.
i would definitely check the reader over craigslist-i've found that craigslist ads are a bit pricier. or just walking around. i don't know how many for rent signs in windows i passed today-a bunch.
i really like the area i'm living in now-i think officially it's called eckhart park, but basically chicago ave just west of the kennedy (90/94 on the north side)- basically biking distance to everywhere.
i've been passing through pilsen on my way to work recently and though i don't know why i wasn't into pilsen before i'm kind of liking it now
Use Craigslist and look for a place in either Lincoln Park, Lakeview (wriggleyville) or bucktown.
You can find apartments in these places that are cheap, just gotta look for em. Chicago is an amazing city and there is no point to move there just to live in a shitty area far from the action.
Wrigleyville/Lake View/Gold Coast/Lincoln Park/Wicker Park/Bucktown areas are really nice to live. Bronzevill area is getting better, i heard. You should decide where to live first, north or south of chicago?? I used to live in north lake view area close to Michigan lake, a block away. I paid 1,200$ for 3 bed rooms, 2 bath rooms, 1 living and dining room. it was a pretty good deal. you can find lots of 1-3 rooms of apartments in these area. if you wanna live really close to the lake, condominiums along the lake shore driveway are really nice to live.
good luck. using craiglist is a good idea too
May 12, 06 8:40 am ·
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apartments in Chicago
I am possibly moving to Chicago in the near future, and I was wondering if anyone had some advice on where to look for apartments. I am just out of school and will be on a pretty tight budget, any help would be great.
when i lived there i tried to live as close to the lake as i could. maybe it's not such a big priority for you, but having come from TX i needed easy and regular access to a natural horizon.
that way you can also stay close to the red and green EL lines which take you downtown. (green line on the south side only)
in terms of neighborhoods: i liked rogers park, edgewater, and uptown. but i also liked hyde park and south shore (on the south side). you could probably buy a condo in south shore.
bridgeport is also pretty close to the lake but i never spent much time there.
now keep in mind, except for edgewater none of these are the greatest neighborhoods in town in terms of crime and affluence. but they are affordable, interesting, and real. i really disliked lincoln park and lakeview and bucktown and wicker park when i lived in chicago -- very much the urban disneylands for the idle rich and the college graduates who walked their dogs.
or you could move far, far from the lake and go to logan square or humboldt park.
some of you more recent residents might be able to fill in more on what the cool neighborhoods are right now, it's been a couple of years for me.
well, hyde park proper is pretty riche, but i guess i'm also thinking of kenwood/woodlawn/bronzeville/etc when i say hyde park
one last thing: i always wanted to live at prairie shores. if corb and mies had a baby, it would be prairie shores.
my friend started an apartment fire there in 97. Ahhh, college.
You can really find stuff anywhere in Chi in any neighborhood. Best bet is to visit for a weekend and walk each one. For listings try craigs list or link
Happy hunting
I loved living in Gold Coast. You can find cheap places there even though most of the places are expensive. I would just go visit and ask around at different places. You can find decent highrise places that run about 1200 for a two bedroom which I think is good considering that you would have a pool hot tub etc... or what's the name of the two concrete circular buildings? I think you can get a two bedroom there for 1250 or so.
a buddy of mine has an garden apartment in rogers park half a block from lake michigan i think his rent is like seven hundred a month. check out rogerspark.com they have listings on there. also check out the chicago reader online. i also lived there and the place i shared was 1425 a month for a three bedroom with sunroom living room dining kitchen backyard and a washer/dryer for free and hardwood floors. rogers park is about 45 minutes to the loop. and you can still find crack and live a yuppy lifestyle.
my first apt was right next to the howard el (red line) between the sheridan and wilson stops in uptown. when i say right next to the el, i mean at eye level. boy, that was noisy. but once again, it was proximate to a horizon...in my case graceland cemetery. i could see louis sullivan's grave from my window, which was a bit creepy. then again, my window faced west and in the summer when the storms would blow in over the northwest side...beautiful.
my favorite apartment ever. everything else in chicago was downhill from there.
thats a starbucks now...
i would definitely check the reader over craigslist-i've found that craigslist ads are a bit pricier. or just walking around. i don't know how many for rent signs in windows i passed today-a bunch.
i really like the area i'm living in now-i think officially it's called eckhart park, but basically chicago ave just west of the kennedy (90/94 on the north side)- basically biking distance to everywhere.
i've been passing through pilsen on my way to work recently and though i don't know why i wasn't into pilsen before i'm kind of liking it now
Use Craigslist and look for a place in either Lincoln Park, Lakeview (wriggleyville) or bucktown.
You can find apartments in these places that are cheap, just gotta look for em. Chicago is an amazing city and there is no point to move there just to live in a shitty area far from the action.
just stay away from this guy.
Wrigleyville/Lake View/Gold Coast/Lincoln Park/Wicker Park/Bucktown areas are really nice to live. Bronzevill area is getting better, i heard. You should decide where to live first, north or south of chicago?? I used to live in north lake view area close to Michigan lake, a block away. I paid 1,200$ for 3 bed rooms, 2 bath rooms, 1 living and dining room. it was a pretty good deal. you can find lots of 1-3 rooms of apartments in these area. if you wanna live really close to the lake, condominiums along the lake shore driveway are really nice to live.
good luck. using craiglist is a good idea too
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