Gay Couple Moving to Chicago. Advise Please.

[SloopyJ]

While Oak Park is the priciest of the places you mention (for good reason), you should be able to find several options if you are truly OK with a house (or condo/townhouse) under 2000 sf.

Forest Park and Berwyn are good options (Cicero isn't as good), especially if top-tier schools aren't your priority. Both towns (especially Berwyn) have attracted gay couples in recent years who may be priced out of Oak Park and aren't as concerned about school ratings. And since neither Forest Park or Berwyn has the downtown that Oak Park has, residents of both towns spend a lot of time in Oak Park.

[Berwyn2021]

Hi MillieMiglia,

I reside in South Berwyn with my partner. Our neighborhood is very LGBTQ+ friendly. In fact, we participated in Berwyn's Pride Car Parade earlier this month. And, Berwyn also sponsored a second Pride Parade this past weekend.

You will find many homes in Berwyn similar to what you are looking for. Chicago-style Bungalows, Victorians, Tudors, Georgians. Many are gut rehabs or recently updated. Around $400K w/2 car garages. Property taxes are lower than in Oak Park.

If your husband will be commuting downtown, he could take the BNSF Metra commuter train from any of (3) stops in South Berwyn to Union Station in downtown Chicago. The commute takes only 20 minutes.

What I enjoy most about my neighborhood is that it has a scale similar to many city neighborhoods (I grew up in Chicago), but it is quieter, friendlier and more suburban in character.

Now, I also enjoy visiting Oak Park and it is a beautiful suburb, but where I am located in Berwyn, I have easy access to Oak Park and Forest Park to the north and easier access to Riverside and La Grange to the west, than if I lived in Oak Park. Also, on the weekend, it takes me 5 minutes to drive to the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) and only another 20 minutes to drive to a White Sox game in Bridgeport or to the Musuem Campus along the Chicago Lakefront.

South Berwyn also is only about a 20-minute drive to Midway Airport.

Welcome to the Chicago area. Good luck to you in your home search.

[JJski]

Check if your partner can do full walkable commute from metra to office. If yes, than try to land somewhere walkable to a station - Chicago is awesome until you have to deal with traffic/driving…. Metra can really make that painless.

You will have plenty of town options and best to visit them in a few trips and experience them first to decide. Brunch, lunch, dinner, drinks ~ pick that way…

Also note: if you buy vs rent - walkable station access protects your investment. Burbanites use metra easy downtown access for both work (daytime) and fun (nighttime)…

[ToriaT]

Berwyn 2021 has the right idea. No to Cicero. Berwyn is very LGBTQ friendly. Most of the alderman are. There are places in Berwyn that are very nice. My son has lived there since twenty fourteen and has had no problem. Houses are cheaper than Oak Park and so are taxes. My son too loves Oak Park but as he is single no children, it makes no sense to live there. He can get up to places in Oak Park and Forest Park in ten minutes.

[movin1]

Check out the areas around Edison Park, 60631. https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...0-450000/sby-2

Taxes are lower and it's easy access to the city.

[OPRF]

OAK PARK. I have lived here for 40 years and it only gets better. It is pricey to live here but you get what you pay for. Very walkable, dog friendly, close to public transit. Consider contacting Oak Park Regional Housing Center for info. Maybe consider renting initially to see if the fit is good for you. There are pockets of higher crime which you can research and pay attention to. A call or visit with the OP Police Department may provide some into to higher crime areas.
Being gay is not very unique here.
Enjoy your journey and best of luck is choosing your next place to make a home.

[CCrest182]

Oak Park if you have the money for it. Berwyn if you're looking for a more budget friendly option.

Avoid Cicero. It is a ways away, if ever going to be gentrified. It's got big issues with crime and gangs, has forever.

[Katanastorm]

It's not uncommon to have a few gay families on a single block in Oak Park, and while it's more expensive than the other places listed, it's property values are stable due to high performing schools, and the amenities are great. Out of that list, Oak Park is the stand out to me... you get what you pay for, and it's just a really beautiful place to live with a nice, inclusive and integrated community.

[lecottagecolbert]

Greetings everyone!

Renewing/swiping this thread. Same as the original poster, we're a gay male couple looking for advice/recommendations for a move to Chicagoland, and any updates to the info on this thread from a few years ago.

Our parameters are similar:

- Convenient location
- LGBTQ friendly
- Not TOO suburban
- 1200-1800 Sq Ft
- Decent Kitchen (we both cook)
- Parking for 1 car (garage optional)
- Budget under $400K

Additional details:

We’re late 40s/early 50s, so more brunchers than barhoppers
No kids, but 2 dogs who are used to mid-evening walks
My partner will be working in the Loop; I’ll be working from home (if I can retain my current clients remotely) or looking for work

And because we’ve found out the hard way that it does seem to matter, we’re a mixed-race couple; he’s white, I’m Filipino (and have been called other things depending on whether the Chinese virus or the southern border crisis was in the news).

We’re actually returning to Chicago after 8 years down south (hence my comment above), so we’re familiar with the geography, but some things change, some don’t, and you’ll hear a different story depending on who’s telling it, so here we are...

To keep my partner’s commute relatively short, we’d prefer to stay south of Golf Rd, east of 294, and north of 55 (although how’s it going in Bridgeport/McKinley Park these days?). Another exception might be the Garfield Ridge/Summit, IL area with the Metra stop that’s only 30 minutes to/from Union Station and just south on Harlem Ave from all the Berwyn, Forest Park, Oak Park amenities. Any insight there?

Our long “short-list” of suburbs includes Evanston, Lincolnwood, Skokie, Niles, Park Ridge, Norridge, Harwood Heights, River Grove, Elmwood Park, River Forest, Oak Park, Riverside, and Berwyn. Maybe Morton Grove, Brookfield, Lyons, or La Grange?

Some Chicago neighborhoods that seem to have a few homes of the size, budget, and level of finish we’re looking for include North Park, Jefferson Park, Edison Park, Norwood Park and Dunning, but those seem to get snatched up pretty quickly.

Thanks in advance for any info you might care to share!

[movin1]

I lived near or in Chicago most of my life. I know someone who lives in Edison Park and have been there several times. It's very nice and the property taxes are lower than some other neighborhoods. Easy access to the city too. You could rent for a while and wait for the right house to buy. Search while you are renting. Talk to the landlord before you sign the lease and let him know you are looking for a house to buy and might want to get out of the lease, sublet, etc. Or find a short term place to live while house hunting. I've moved several times in my life and have rented while house hunting or having homes built. I've had to put lots of stuff in storage while renting. It's not a good idea to be in a hurry to buy a house. I like lots of the suburbs on your "short list". A good realtor can help you sort out the current status of things.

Be sure you know what the property taxes will be on any place you are considering, they vary a lot and some are very high.