Where to live in Chicago?

[Pirep1]

Where's a good area to live in Chicago? Looking for easy access to ORD and downtown. Thanks for the help.

 

[CRJDispatchKid]

Might want to look in the Jefferson Park or Edison Park areas. Not too bad places to live and easy commutes via public transportation if you don't have a car, bike, scooter, etc. Send me a message if you have places in mind but need details.

 

[Rogue5]

Live on the Blue Line of the El, it goes direct from ORD to downtown. Damen stop in the Wicker Park/Bucktown area is a half hour from the airport and has tons of bars, food, music. You may just see me hanging out...

 

[Weasil]

I don't mean to be obtuse but "good" is very subjective. What exactly are you looking for? Are you married with two kids and looking for a neighborhood with good schools and houses that are not too high priced or are you young and single and looking to live somewhere like lincoln park or bucktown where you can have a wild time and still be close to the El? By the way I agree with the last guy, live close to a blue line El stop - it goes straight to ORD. Driving on the Kennedy can really really suck.

Perhaps if you give more information I can help you with some good suggestions. As a general rule, if it's expensive it's a nice area and if it's cheap it's probably not a good area. I knew a guy a few years ago who rented an apartment based solely on price and had never been to Chicago, he had to live with a gun next to his bed and carry it when he went to buy groceries.

 

[capt. megadeth]

Nowhere near it if you can help it. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be near Illinois if I could help it.

Traffic sucks
If there's a tax for it....Chicago's got it.
If you really want to get ripped off....live "in the city"
People suck
Housing is a rip off
It's flat

It just plain old sux!

mniamo, am I going to get a phone call from you for this one? he he

 

[General Lee]

Rockford, IL. I think it is about 45 miles West. Cheaper and maybe a strait shot to ORD, rather than sitting on the expressway for hours coming in from town.



Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Iceman21]

Weasil is on the right track. What kind of housing do you need? Let us know and I can tell you where I have been and if you should go there or not.

I grew up in the Jefferson Park area.

 

[Pickle]

Plainfield. We get all the best tornadoes.

 

[Cows Go Moo]

Northwest suburbs offer a decent balance between affordability and accessibility. If ORD is where you need to go, the Elgin/Dundee area is a relatively fast 30-40 minute drive in average traffic, and you won't have to take out a third mortgage to afford a house or pay rent with a credit card. Things get progressively cheaper the further west you go.

 

[Iceman21]

The above is true to some extent. The housing market in the Chicago area (outlying suburbs) is getting out of hand. A new townhouse in the Elgin area starts at 250K and goes up, single family homes are running in the 300s.

The bubble will burst, only time will tell.