<p>DS is moving to Chicago upon graduation this spring to train for a position in the financial market. We/he know nothing about Chicago. He mentioned he is looking to move to the Wicker Park section, based on hearing that it is a hip, young area. Is it a safe, convenient neighborhood? Any information would be appreciated.</p>
<p>It is indeed a hip, young area. Travel into downtown not more than five-ten minutes by car and bus and el available as well. Tons of new restaurants and bars, young couples and now baby strollers all up and down the streets. Not as expensive as Lincoln Park area or Lakeview. Wicker Park, Bucktown, Ukrainian Village all compromise a neighborhood well known as a desirable location in Chicago. Of course anywhere in a big city you have to be aware of your surroundings, but this neighborhood is not one to avoid for safety issues.</p>
<p>My daughter lives in Wicker Park and loves it. It is a hip area and a safe one. PM me if you have any specific questions and I will ask my dd.</p>
<p>Calgal, congrats on Chicago location. Just returned from weekend visit to son who has been living in Lincoln Park for two years. Sorry can’t assist about Wicker Park, haven’t been there, just that son did mention it is the hipster area, and less expensive that Lincoln Park.</p>
<p>One of my new coworkers moved from Wicker Park - she loved it. She made it 5 years without a car!</p>
<p>My D plans to move to Chicago in the summer. Wicker Park is one of the areas she is considering. The young ones seem to like it a lot!</p>
<p>Ditto on the D moving to Chicago this summer. Am passing this link to her. I think Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville were in her target areas…
Appreciate any other comments…</p>
<p>I have three daughters that live in different neighborhoods in the city - one in Lincoln Square, one in Wrigleyville and one in Wicker Park. (They have also previously lived in Logan Square and Roscoe Village.) Questions to consider when looking at different neighborhoods include:
- Will they have a car? Parking in Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville/Lakeview is expensive and if you choose not to pay, difficult to find. My daughter that lives in Wrigleyville chose not to take her car and takes public transportation everywhere. If they choose not to have a car, make sure they check the distance to the “El” or bus stop. As everyone knows, Chicago can be unforgiving in the winter (though not THIS winter).
- Do they like a lot of night life? D1 lived in two blocks from Wrigley Field and moved out after a short time due to the constant revelers (people throwing up on the lawn was not uncommon). Cubs season seems very exciting in April/May but many in the neighborhood are exhausted by August.
- How often will they need to go to O’Hare or Midway? Again, living close to the “El” will make this easier.<br>
- How often will they need to drive to the suburbs? Living closer to the tollway/freeway makes this easier. </p>
<p>Of all the neighborhoods, I prefer Lincoln Square. But then again, I’m not a 20-something. Each of the neighborhoods mentioned above are considered fairly safe (Logan Square can be a little iffy) but one still needs to take care and keep their wits about them.</p>
<p>Taking a cue from Jordansmom:</p>
<p>With regard to Wicker Park: My dd parks on the street in front of her building. Parking is available. Not sure about night life but it always sounds like she is doing something and having fun. I think her neighborhood is pretty quiet at night. She can walk to the EL and there is a ramp for I290 (I think it is that one) not too far from them. I like her neighborhood as it has a neighborhood feel. Apartments are well kept and there are trees lining the street. D’s boyfriend lives in Ukrainian Village and seems to like it.</p>
<p>Wicker Park would be a fine location for a young adult; it’s more newly gentrified than, say, Lincoln Park, but that’s just an observation, neither a pro nor a con.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the positive feedback! No plans to have a car, so proximity to public transportation sounds important. He is thinking about using a broker to find an apartment. Is that a common route in Chicago, or is there another way to search for a place when you are not yet in town?</p>
<p>Son used several rental agencies to find both apartments. He and his roommate liked some agencies more than others. Their big issue was finding apartments in Lincoln Park, with two equal sized bedrooms, which is hard to do.
Son is near Depaul, his apartment almost overlooks OZ Park, and he and roomie claim they always find a parking spot, but if they go two blocks north it’s really hard.
Gosmom, PM me, and I’ll be happy to share with you more details about Lincoln Park, and can find out which rental agency son would recommend, if interested.</p>
<p>Yes, that’s common here to use a broker to find an apartment. Does he know exactly where he’ll be working? He may want to play around with the train and bus schedules to figure out the best approaches to downtown.</p>
<p>Not to hijack this thread, but I had a very similar question on Chicago neighborhoods. S is going to be at a school in Indiana and we are thinking of renting/buying an apt in Chicago. Would need place a park a car, would also like the place to be convenient to get to the airport(s) without requiring a car. [ I am envisioning flying in from Boston, staying in the apt for a few weeks, driving to see S over the weekend]. Don’t require night life - just a nice, safe neighborhood. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Gold Coast area for you arisamp?
Lincoln Park is lovely, but younger.
My son and I walked into several high rise apartment buildings bordering Lincoln Park, and they would be nice!</p>
<p>Wicker Park would be an excellent neighborhood for a young adult just getting started: tons of bars, restaurants, music venues, hip little shops, good connections via the El to downtown and O’Hare, and just a really lively urban feel. It’s a neighborhood that’s gone through many lives, once the heart of Chicago’s enormous Polish community, then the Puerto Rican barrio, then taken over by artists and avant-gardists followed by hipsters, now probably past its hipster prime, but each wave left its residue which makes it a complex and polyglot place, sort of a living metaphor for Chicago itself. </p>
<p>Lincoln Park seems pretty staid and stodgy in comparison. Lakeview has its pluses but frankly, as much as I love the Cubs, living near Wrigley Field is a pain in the a**. Gold Coast is nice but kind of boring and doesn’t feel like a neighborhood so much as a bunch of high-rises with access to high end shopping; fine for older folks with some money, though. There are edgier neighborhoods but I guess for a young person just moving to the city Wicker Park offers the most attractive package of generally young adult-oriented urban life, coupled with safety and convenience.</p>
<p>I’d recommend a car, though. You could live in Wicker Park without one, but the Chicago experience is so much richer if you can get around to other neighborhoods, and the city has got incredible bulk, which means not every place worth visiting is an easy El ride away.</p>
<p>My two cents. I love Chicago & really miss it. I keep telling DW we should retire there, but so far she’s noncommittal. But we still have a few years to work it out.</p>
<p>80 degrees in Chicago yesterday …wow</p>
<p>It is gorgeous here! I agree, I wouldn’t recommend the Gold Coast / Streeterville at all for a young person starting out. However, there is one possible exception … if they worked on North Michigan Avenue (as opposed to the Loop) and expected to go to grad school at the downtown Northwestern campus - I have known a few people who did that, where their apartments, work and campus were literally just a few blocks from one another, and if they were in a sufficiently high-rise building, the longest part of the commute was the elevator up.</p>
<p>I personally like Lincoln Park, Lakeview and DePaul more than Wicker Park, but that’s just my personal taste and Wicker Park is perfectly fine for a young adult starting out. Good luck! One of my regrets is that I moved out to the 'burbs to accommodate my husband’s work too soon, and never enjoyed Chicago city living as a young adult.</p>
<p>If she would like a short term lease while she checks out the neighborhoods Canterbury Court Apartments at 1200 N State offers three month leases (and furnished studios). DS lived there last summer when he had an internship in the city. The location was great-- just a few blocks to Oak Street Beach and the nightlife on Rush. Walkable to Trader Joe’s and Jewel. Saturday farmers’ market half a block away. Funky building built in the '20s with an old fashioned (and elegant) elevator with brass grates. DH and I would love to spend a summer there.</p>
<p>My kid lives in Ukrainian Village. The quality/price ratio was meaningfully higher than in Wicker Park (where he and his housemate also looked). No cars, all public transportation, but it’s not 10-15 minutes to anywhere they care to go . . . more like half-an-hour. </p>
<p>Feeling of safety is OK, but there’s also a feeling that if they go a few blocks in the wrong direction they wouldn’t feel safe at all. Part of what they miss vs. Wicker Park is things like dry cleaners, but they love the neighborhood Ukrainian shops. Also, the sister store to his sister’s ultra-hip florist in Williamsburg is two blocks away, so it’s not all little old ladies in babushkas.</p>
<p>He sometimes wishes he could live in Lincoln Park, but he hasn’t seen anything there that even almost sort of might fit his budget.</p>
<p>What’s River North like?</p>