Any good suburbs w/quick commute to Hyde Park? (Chicago: apartment complexes, rent) - Chicago Suburbs - Illinois (IL) - City-Data Forum

Emily928 · 02-26-2007, 01:31 PM

I am a law student at the University of Chicago (in Hyde Park). I recently got married, and my husband is having a hard time adjusting to "urban" life (we live in Wrigleyville now, and it's great except being too crowded). We both grew up in suburban Louisville, KY and would like to find a suburb that is somewhat spread out, has your typical fast food restaurants, etc. and most importantly, where we can find an apartment with a lot of square footage. I am also concerned about my drive to Hyde Park. Currently it takes me about half an hour from Wrigleyville, and I would be willing to check out public transportation options (although it seems like this might be difficult since most lines go into downtown, and would require a lot of transfers to get to HP.) Any suggestions? I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks!

NSH · 02-27-2007, 02:32 PM

the south burbs that run along the metra electric line would be perfect for you. Olympia Fields, Homewood and Flossmoor are upscale communities that have direct access to hyde park via rapid transit rail.

Emily928 · 02-28-2007, 08:21 PM

Thanks for the advice! These areas look really nice - there aren't a whole lot of apartments from what I've seen - looks like a lot of single family homes. But the ones I've seen look nice. Some of their descriptions talk about income restrictions (max. income levels) - do you know anything about this? Thanks again, and any other suggestions would be welcome!

prairiestate · 02-28-2007, 09:07 PM

Homewood is the only place to be. You do not want to drive into the city, especially with the Ryan construction starting soon. So you got the Metra Electric, as well as affordable housing. As for the income limits, it's pretty much what it says. It's housing that's subsidized in some fashion to provide affordable housing for people with lower incomes. Personally, I've always loved that area around Homewood, Flossmoor, Olympia Fields. Quaint, small town feel, lots of open space. You hardly even feel like you're in Chicagoland. Homewood also has a ton of new shopping now along Halsted.

Emily928 · 03-02-2007, 01:50 PM

Thanks for the advice about Homewood. I searched for all the apartments there and in surrounding suburbs, and they all got horrible reviews from residents - bad neighbors, drug use, run-down apartments, etc. I was really surprised. Plus I don't know if we would even be able to qualify for many of them since we're above the max. income level. Could it be that the houses in this area are really nice, but the apartments just aren't? I'm starting to worry that I will never find anything good!

BRU67 · 03-02-2007, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emily928

Thanks for the advice about Homewood. I searched for all the apartments there and in surrounding suburbs, and they all got horrible reviews from residents - bad neighbors, drug use, run-down apartments, etc. I was really surprised. Plus I don't know if we would even be able to qualify for many of them since we're above the max. income level. Could it be that the houses in this area are really nice, but the apartments just aren't? I'm starting to worry that I will never find anything good!

How about Tinley Park? My wife grew up there and while I personally think it's way too "burby," it is certainly safe and will definitely satisfy your fix for a spread out suburb with typical chain restaurants.

I think there's an Illinois statute which holds that any entity which operates a Restaurant Business and consists of 5 or more stores operating under the same name, it has to open one in Tinley Park or it will lose its corporate certificate of good standing and be subject to a fine of up to $500 per day, with each day constituting a separate offense.

The commute to Hyde Park probably won't be good but all other south suburbs I can think of are probably going to be too urban. You may have to make sacrifices for the suburban security.

prairiestate · 03-02-2007, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emily928

Thanks for the advice about Homewood. I searched for all the apartments there and in surrounding suburbs, and they all got horrible reviews from residents - bad neighbors, drug use, run-down apartments, etc. I was really surprised. Plus I don't know if we would even be able to qualify for many of them since we're above the max. income level. Could it be that the houses in this area are really nice, but the apartments just aren't? I'm starting to worry that I will never find anything good!

Instead of looking at the big apartment complexes, check the local paper. Go to www.dailysouthtown.com. Look for apartments in the 3 flat or 6 flat buildings in the residential neighborhoods. You'll probably have much better luck finding something nice in one of the small, locally owned buildings.

soldbybriandotcom · 04-05-2007, 06:10 AM

Another option for you might be the Pullman Historic District. Do a search for it on google and you'll get the idea. The one thing it lacks is a lot of restaurants (there's a McDonald's, a Diner and a bar) but there are fast food places and chain restaurants about 5 minutes away by car. Hyde Park is about 15 minutes by train, less by car. It's a cool place where you can rent a single family row house with a yard, basement and possibly even a garage for less than $1000. If you really wanted to go crazy (I'm a realtor so watch out) you could buy a place ($135,000 - $165,000) and probably have a mortgage of around $1000 - $1200 a month and make a little money on property appreciation while attending U of C.

Brian