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i would avoid:

humboldt park
lincoln park
wicker park

the first b/c it seems like a shitty place to live
the second b/c it's too expensive and fuck those people
the third b/c it's overrun with hipsters and is too expensive

roscoe village is the neighborhood in which i would choose to live, if i could afford a house there

there are little culdesacs off ravenswood over there that are ideal in many ways

lincoln square/andersonville are really good, like everyone says

north of bryn mawr, south of devon, west of broadway, east of ravenswood: this is nominally part of edgewater. good place. i live in here. if you narrow it down to north of peterson and east of clark, you are in a very nice neighborhood, incl. the picturesque lakewood/balmoral corridor.

did i mention this is the best city in the united states? a lot of people don't know that.

oh, and i wouldn't rule out near south and pilsen. i would look down there if i was buying today.

Geiginni of RANK!!!

I just moved from Chicago to Boise two months ago. I lived in Andersonville, which is on the north side (5200 N) of Chicago and close to the lake (about 2 miles north of Wrigley Field, if that helps). Some of the other folks who post to this forum (Tim Midgett, Brian Orchard) live in that general area as well, as do many of my other friends. It is a safe, quiet neighborhood that is not horribly overpriced. It is an interesting area with great restaurants, good social bars and access to good markets/stores. There are families. There is a very strong gay/lesbian presence in the neighborhood. Many people own dogs. There are actual yards and trees. It is also close to public transportation (the red line elevated train/subway), which takes a solid half hour plus to the loop business district. It is about a 20/30 minute drive down Lake Shore Drive to the loop business district. Parking can also be an issue in Andersonville, but far less so than in other areas of Chicago.

I also lived in Wicker Park about 7-8 years ago. Wicker Park was pretty fascinating to a young kid moving to Chicago from Iowa. However, I came to realize pretty quickly that Wicker Park straight up sucks. It's a soulless place that thinks it's pretty fucking cool. Also, some clown bashed me over the head with a 40 ouncer at the Damen el stop, which might slant my opinion somewhat.

I also lived downtown in a high rise by Navy Pier. It was convenient for my then-commute, and I enjoyed that manner of living, which was a source of amazement and consternation to many people I knew. I particularly enjoyed it then as a slovenly single man with no desire to spend an hour on a commute or manage a large apartment or home, but there are better places to live for a young couple.

Tim Midgett's recommendation of Roscoe Village is on the money. I'd vote for Roscoe Village or Andersonville.

Chicago is a beautiful city of beauty. You are making a great decision. I wish you well. You are lucky to move there. I envy you.

Cheers,
Brad

roscoe village is very nice. but it does seem to be the new "hot spot" which has driven prices up...i'm looking for an apartment right now and the places that are reasonably priced seem to be in andersonville/ravenswood and lincoln square (the northwest portion closer to foster and lincoln rather than right near the "square")

all of those places are great, especially andersonville for the food. you've got Andies, which is the absolute best and then a bunch of sweedish bakeries...and tons of hot lesbo action!

in any case, i would avoid humboldt park and even part of logan square, i have friends that have tried that and cant stand it...the area a little west of wrigleyfield is cool, thas where i currently reside, its close enough to everything but isnt quite overrun with drunk morons barhopping...

andyk

Bradley R. Weissenberger wrote:Geiginni of RANK!!!

Tim Midgett's recommendation of Roscoe Village is on the money. I'd vote for Roscoe Village or Andersonville.

tmidgett wrote:i would avoid:

humboldt park
lincoln park
wicker park

the first b/c it seems like a shitty place to live
the second b/c it's too expensive and fuck those people
the third b/c it's overrun with hipsters and is too expensive

Brilliant generalization! Are all blacks good at sports and all Asians good at math too? I feel sorry for you... It must suck not being able to go certain places cause "dude, everyone there sucks...dude, everyone there is rich, fuck them for having money... dude they all think they are cool but they really aren't"
Please tell us more about how all the people in certain neighborhoods think. I'm curious.

Brilliant generalization! Are all blacks good at sports and all Asians good at math too? I feel sorry for you... It must suck not being able to go certain places cause "dude, everyone there sucks...dude, everyone there is rich, fuck them for having money... dude they all think they are cool but they really aren't"
Please tell us more about how all the people in certain neighborhoods think. I'm curious.

haha!

wtf?

you are a very serious man!!!

Well, FWIW I think tmidgett's synopsis was pretty much spot on. The reason stereotypes and generalizations are useful is because they are *generally* applicable, not because they are necessarily the absolute truth. Everyone uses stereotypes contantly because it is a more efficient way of thinking.

Basically, I agree with most of the suggestions people are making. I live in Lincoln Square right now - actually right on the border with Ravenswood. Its nice, quiet, reasonably priced (at least rentals) and generally safe, but really pretty much nothing going on in terms of nightlife, etc. Logan Square is probably the place to go to get the most bang for your buck, but there are still some rather sketchy parts so you should be careful. Our building just got sold, so I'm actually in the hunt for a new place...looking at either Roscoe or Bucktown myself. Both are a bit more expensive but better public transportation to my work from both and more 'cool' stuff within walking distance.

Just moved here from Madison, I have to second the motion to check out the Brown Line. I live in Albany Park north of Lawrence near Kedzie & Kimball, may be a little weird tho I'm loving it. The Fransisco and Rockwell stops are in Ravenswood Manor - this is great, remind of the Allen St house I had in Madison. Peaceful, diverse, a few libraries, and right on the train if you want to go down town. It can be a pain to get to Wicker Park for shows if you're into that, but a little driving will do it. I'm looking for a new place, have been heavily checking out Wilson between Kedzie and Western (dunno how close to Western you want to get) and the area. Also saw some nice places East of western near the Sulzer library.

Viel Gluck!

I've lived in Logan Square for 11 years and love it. My wife and I bought a pretty amazing house here 4 years ago.

My wife is a realtor for us music/arts/no-money types. Feel free to contact her:

Carrie Weston
carrie@ripco.com

best,
Bob

I couldn't imagine buying any property in any Chicago neighborhood without first having rented there for a period of time. Maybe my thinking is jaded as I've lived in the Chicago area all my life and have seen various areas go through changes, but still think of them in terms of their past.

After living several years in the Ukrainian Village area of the city(Augusta/Western), I moved further nw when rent increases didn't justify being close to any nightlife and the further congestion of the Kennedy made the drive to my suburban place of work a real pain in the ass. I opted for the relatively quiet seclusion of Jefferson Park where just four miles from the Ukrain, the rent was more reasonable, my travel time was cut down considerately and people just generally keep to themselves.
dB-

Sheesh guys,
everyone knows the hip place to live is McKinley Park. Heck, there are new condos being build right on Archer off of Damen...I55 right there. 10 mins to el centro and 15-20 to most points mid-north. Orange line too, but I opt for the Archer bus....nostalgic I guess.

Plus it is a real neighborhood...where you actually know and talk to your neighbors (if that is your thing and your neighbors are not from Hong Kong...unless you speak Cantonese then you are good anyway you slice it)

It is sooo hip the hipsters dont even know about it....(they are still stuck in wicker or "east" Pilsen ....I love saying "east Pilsen")

All jokes aside, it is not a bad place to live...blue collar....white, Chinese and Mexican (still some Polish but most left). Good for families not so hot for singles...though you can get a beer at a neighborhood bar for 1.75 still....Old Style maybe but the point remains.

spoon