Moving to Chicago wanted to know the nicest/safest "affordable" area to move to that isn't the ghetto?

Question

Affordable meaning studios/1 bdrooms as close to Downtown as possible.

Answer 1

I live 3500 South definitely cheaper here, than in the downtown area. Check into chicagoreader.com they list rents in all areas.
I really just wanted to give you safety advice:
Stay away from areas that you see blue strobe lights on top of light poles, these are high crime areas that are being monitored by the police, attached to those flashing lights are cameras, so the police can zoom in and do 24 hour surveillance.

Also, I believe it is better to view the area you are looking into on the weekend, you get a better feel of your potential neighbors as more of them are home during that time.

Chicago is a great city, I have lived in different neighborhoods in my life time, and I enjoyed them all. If you have any questions about a certain area feel free to email me, I'll be glad to assist you.

Happy apartment hunting, and Welcome to Chicago!

Answer 2

As a general rule, the closer you get to downtown, the more you're going to pay. It's considred a luxury to be able to live near the center of the action. You're best bet is to look further away. Chicago has great public transportation (well, most of the time) so commuting is not that hard.

That being said, try the Edgewater neighborhood. Relatively safe (it's the big city, of course it's going to have crime), affordable (you can find a one bedroom starting at $600), it's got grocery stores, restaurants, book stores, yoga studios, etc. It's a very diverse community, with just about every nationality there. It's very close to the lake, which comes in handy in the summertime. You should check it out in person, and for that matter all the areas you consider. And go there in the daytime AND at night. Places are a lot different at night. But I had a cop tell me that Edgewater is one of the best kept secrets in Chicago.

Answer 3

There are a lot of possibilities. Lincoln Park is the residential area just north of the city, with lots of neighborhoods and shopping and restaurants. Almost any neighborhood that borders on Lincoln Park is a good place to be. Lakeview, just north of Lincoln Park (north of Diversey and west of Southport), is a great area and cheaper than LP. Logan Square is further north and has an adorable downtown -- very safe and has lots of young people. Bucktown is the area north of North Avenue and west of Damen (so more or less NW of LP); it's become very trendy but its borders are a little dicey. Ditto for Wicker Park, just south of Bucktown, although it's a little dicier.

You can get a one nice bedroom in LP for about $1200. You'll spend a little less in Lakeview and Wrigleyville, and less yet in Bucktown and Wicker Park. Logan Square is probably cheaper still and really deserves a good look.

Another neighborhood to look at is Roscoe Village. I don't know exactly where it is, but it's a neighborhood that has been improving. Finally, they have overbuilt condo and apartment buildings in the West and South Loop areas, and you might find a bargain there. Very close to downtown, but not so much going on after hours.

Answer 4

South and West are cheaper than North -- in general.

Also, if you are bringing your car with you that can really influence you decision. Parking is next to impossible in certain neighborhoods, but if you aren't going to have one its a moot point.

South Loop / Printer's Row is great but may be out of the question depending upon your budget. You can walk to work in the Loop and there's shopping (grocery, drug stores, Target, Home Depot, etc.) also a short distance way on Roosevelt Road.

Hyde Park / Kenwood is further south and cheaper
-- there are many express busses serving the area that go on Lake Shore Drive so your commute is a lot shorter than the equivalent distnace away if you went north. I love living in this neighborhood, but shopping kinda sucks though and you'll need a car to do real grocery shopping / go to a Petco, etc. It's a nice racially mixed friendly middle class neighborhood.

If you had asked 5 years ago I would have suggested Pilsen or West Town, but these areas are gentrifying fast and a bargain on a safe block might be hard to find.

I'd recommend looking at the ads in the Chicaog Reader online or on Craig's List.

Answer 5

Awe man, the nerve of some people... It seems to me like you don't want anything to do with those uncivilized people. And, that's totally fine. You know, you could always use this experience to your advantage. For example, a cognitive strategy you can use is "making Social Comaprisons" to relieve stress. Look at those bastards, then look at yourself, and compare. To relieve stress, physical strategies are great. Things like Relaxation, Meditation, Massage and exercise... Problem oriented strategies: --> Emotion-Focused Coping concentrates on the emotions that the problem has caused. Talk obsessively about the event, make sense of it, and decide what to do about it. --> Problem Focused Coping: Once the problem is identified, you can learn as much as possible about it from professionals, friends, books and others in the same predicament. Another very good cognitive strategy is "Reappraisal" where you choose to think about your problem differently. Reappraisal can turn anger to sympathy, worry into determination and feelings of loss into feelings of opportunity. All those factors are for the purpose of relieving stress. :)

Answer 6

I lived in Hyde Park for 5 years, it's about an hour bus ride from the Loop. It's a great neighborhood, pretty safe (it's where the Univ. of Chicago is) and less $$$ than the north side.

Answer 7

Very close to downtown area will not be cheap, try by the Lake Shore Drive and Irving Park Rd or Addison.

Answer 8

I live in Wallace it is warmer than the city I still live in Chicago but I live close to the city not in the city I also live close to the white Sox stadium

Answer 9

south and west are cheaper than the north 4 some reason.

Answer 10

You should buy my condo if you're moving here in July. It will be built by then. =) I'd tell you more, but I wouldn't wanna spam!

...otherwise, just get a crappy place in LP (Lincoln Park)