Looking to possibly move to the NW side - advice? (Chicago: apartments, rentals)

[Vespatian]

I'm a life-long resident of the Chicago area, having lived at several addresses. However, I work in Skokie and my 20-mile commute from the LaGrange area is becoming tiresome.

I know the NW side very well and have friends who live in Dunning and Sauganash, and I was thinking of possibly renting in Galewood, Belmont Heights-Dunning, or Portage Park, also Old Irving.

For those who rent there, what did you use to find apartments? Many apartment sites online just seem to just cater to yuppie neighborhoods along the lake, and contain almost no listings for those areas.

I'm single and in my 20's, so schools and such don't matter to me. I'm also not huge on the bar scene as found in other neighborhoods. Any thoughts on Portage Park?

[Avengerfire]

Why would you not consider something closer to Skokie like Jefferson Park or Norwood Park? I am kind of miffed about the choices of Galewood, Belmont Heights-Dunning, Portage Park and Old Irving.

These threads might be able to help you a little bit:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...ty-advice.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...rk-latino.html

[MannheimMadman]

Depending on where in Skokie you work, you could choose Albany Park, North Park, or Lincoln Square. There is super easy access to I94, and you could easily shoot straight up Pulaski (Crawford) or Kedzie to get to work if need be. Heck, I can easily cycle (and I have) to Skokie from Albany Park.

[78chicago]

The Nadig newspaper is a good resource for rentals in Jefferson Park and a few of the surrounding neighborhoods. I'm not sure where you could easily pick one up outside of JP, but their office is right by the JP Blue Line stop.

[chitown85]

Just drive the neighorbhoods over the weekend and call the phone numbers outside the buildings. That tends to work well in the real Chicago neighborhoods, i.e. those not in the Yuppie areas. I like Portage Park, also has some nightlife. It is close to Skokie. Personally, I think Belmont Heights/Dunning is a little boring. Galewood is no longer the Galewood of old, it is getting kind of rough.

[myoga]

Originally Posted by MannheimMadman

Depending on where in Skokie you work, you could choose Albany Park, North Park, or Lincoln Square. There is super easy access to I94, and you could easily shoot straight up Pulaski (Crawford) or Kedzie to get to work if need be. Heck, I can easily cycle (and I have) to Skokie from Albany Park.

I'll second this! Husband and I live in the North Park area, and though we're not into the bar scene either, it's nice to be able to access Lincoln Square on the occasion that we feel like taking part in nightlife, but it also only takes me about 15 min. to visit relatives in Skokie.
Most rentals around here seem to be advertised with the old school red-and-white For Rent signs.

[cubssoxfan]

May be too quiet, but what about West Rogers Park? Or Evanston?

[Vespatian]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

May be too quiet, but what about West Rogers Park? Or Evanston?

Thanks, although Evanston is close to work, it's a bit far too removed from everything else, including expressways and my friends and family. Rents for the more hopping areas of Evanston are also very high. I also wouldn't go for West Ridge, either (and definitely not Rogers Park, been there done that years ago). Almost no amenities at all (save for the Target on Peterson), and everything practically shuts down at nightfall and on weekends.

I should have mentioned I'd like to be a bit more centralized, as I have many family and friends spread out in the area, especially south and east.

I'm not a huge fan of the North Park-Albany Park area. I find it a bit too congested, and rents are somewhat higher than that of surrounding areas (possibly due to students from Northeastern and North Park). I'm really looking to stay under $800 per month, and I've seen only dingy garden apartments in that area within that price range thus far. Beautiful two-flats, though....it's a good place to raise a family.

I like Portage Park mainly because it's well-situated with easy access to the expressways and suburbs.

And for the person who mentioned Galewood is getting "rough", just because a few people who aren't white live there now doesn't make it a bad area. It's still safe and well-kept (much better kept than Montclare to the north). Maybe you've confused it with the neighboring Austin/Cragin neighborhoods.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by chitown85

...Personally, I think Belmont Heights/Dunning is a little boring. Galewood is no longer the Galewood of old, it is getting kind of rough.

This is true.

[Drover]

If you're looking at Dunning or Sauganash, you might as well just live in Skokie.