What areas of Chicago are cheapest to live in, while still being relatively safe and clean?

Question

I'm thinking about moving there. I've been there on vacation but I am not very familiar with the city. Any advice anyone has to offer would be great!

Answer 1

The easiest say I can answer this questions is to live along the areas of two of the major CTA el lines.

The Brown line is accomodating to most of the inexpensive areas and are not in bad areas.

The Midway line is that same the further you get to the end of the lines are better.

Like the first 5 stops on the Midway line is alittle rough for someone who has never lived here before.

The Red line goes from bad to worse to best in areas and unless you know for sure where they are, you are best to find a friend who can help you with these things.

Depending on your circumstances you may profit living closer the the loop, and depending on your income as well. For example the Gold Coast is nice but rather pricey.

The Blue line (runs between downtown and O'hare Airpot) this line has nice areas (mostly toward the end) as well.

I would drive thru some of them, but you really need a friend cause some streets can turn that quickly and if you don't know your areas, you can get lost pretty bad.

But most in most, there are really only a few places that are really harmful to be.

I would contact some real estate agents, they will tell you what places are best for you.

Some reputable ones are listed in the yellow pages (large advertisement)

Answer 2

Try Edgewater, parts of Andersonville, the area around Irving and Lincoln Ave. If you're looking to rent, you can probably find a one-bedroom in these areas for anywhere between $650-800. They're all pretty nice areas and while they do have their share of crime, it's definitely not as bad as other places.

A lot of areas are either already gentrified or in the process, so rents are rising. These places are still pretty reasonable, but they are booming. A good source to check out is the Chicago Reader apartment guide (http://classifieds.chicagoreader.com/chicago/Results?subsection=oid%3A122). YOu can search by neighborhood, type of apartment, price, etc. If you find something that sounds interesting, come back here and ask about the type of neighborhood.

Answer 3

Chicago is a great city and you will love it here.
You need to secure a job here before your move.
After obtaining a position and know it's location, would you be commuting by car or using public transportation?
Parking in downtown Chicago is very expensive so you would want your home or apartment to be close to public transportation--CTA bus, Pace bus, the CTA transit lines "el/subway", Metra train. There are many suburbs that border the City limits and have such means of transportation
available. If you obtain a position in the suburbs and you cannot use public transportation, it will cost you in time, gas and tolls for our tollway system to get to your job. After you know the answer to these questions, we can help you pick a neighborhood or location which is reasonably priced and safe.

Answer 4

Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville, or Wicker Park. Naperville is about 30 minutes away, rated as the best place in the country to raise children, and relatively inexpensive.

Answer 5

That apartment that Jake Blues had in The Blues Brothers was pretty nice, with the el tracks right outside the window and the guy in the lobby who always wanted Cheeze Whiz.

Answer 6

Actually suburbs and outlying towns are better. Lakeforest is pretty good.