Chicago, Portland, Or Austin. (Evanston, Oak Park: live in, suburban, friendly)

[andys06]

Originally Posted by jgardener

Just curious, what made you zero in on Evanston? Is it a safety concern or desire for a quieter setting?

First, thanks a lot for your previous post! All the great feedback and information I've been receiving has been great and beyond helpful! Makes me feel more comfortable about the move.

Actually, it was what you said in the previous post. Dayton is pretty small, it may be a city but it's still an "everybody knows everybody" type of area. So, I think the transition might be best served with more of a suburb setting I'm used too. I think if I stayed there for a year, the transition into City life would be easier for me being so close to Chicago, I could get used to it, but away from it if need be. And plus, I've read a lot about Evanston I've liked. Liberal minded, the downtown area, shops and transportation to and from the loop via downtown.

Oh, and there is a Peet's coffee and tea there...that scored MAJOR bonus points!

[Vlajos]

Check out edgewater in the city, I think you'll like it.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by andys06

First, thanks a lot for your previous post! All the great feedback and information I've been receiving has been great and beyond helpful! Makes me feel more comfortable about the move.

Actually, it was what you said in the previous post. Dayton is pretty small, it may be a city but it's still an "everybody knows everybody" type of area. So, I think the transition might be best served with more of a suburb setting I'm used too. I think if I stayed there for a year, the transition into City life would be easier for me being so close to Chicago, I could get used to it, but away from it if need be. And plus, I've read a lot about Evanston I've liked. Liberal minded, the downtown area, shops and transportation to and from the loop via downtown.

Oh, and there is a Peet's coffee and tea there...that scored MAJOR bonus points!

Evanston is about 80,000, so it is a bit smaller than Dayton from the following stats

Evanston
Evanston (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Dayton
Dayton (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Housing here is considerably more expensive, but the areas seem suited to each other in lots of ways.

I love Evanston. It's a college town with Northwestern's campus as an asset in terms of activities for both singles and families.
It has a great downtown with restaurants of many ethnic backgrounds.
It has the Lake and the bike path. It is very walkable.
It has the *el* for easy access to anything on the East side of Chicago with a reasonable commute if you work a standard hours job in the loop via the purple line and via Metra if you prefer a nicer ride and work close to Union Station.
It has a YMCA and YWCA if you like to exercise and/or swim.
It has good schools and daycares if you have kids and good park district programs for kids and adults.
It has an ice skating rink which is not too expensive if you enjoy skating.
The beaches are lovely and clean though they do have a fee for a beach pass during the summer days.
Parking can be a problem, but if you don't have a car, then that won't matter too you.
There are some great street fairs in the summer including Custer's Last Stand near Main Street, the Ethnic Arts Fair at the Lake, the Fountain Square Art Show (juried art show), and probably a few more.
There is bus transportation around the town and out to Old Orchard as well. The connection into Skokie is also not bad though you have to go to Howard and transfer. The end of Evanston's *el* is actually in the south end of Wilmette, so you can get there too and there are PACE buses in Wilmette.
Grocery shopping might be a bit of a problem without a car depending on where you live in Evanston because there are not many *big* grocery chains to walk to. You can get to Whole Foods and some smaller Independent Neighborhood groceries though.
There are also many nice little bookstores as well as a Barnes and Noble. If you like old bookstores, try Bookman's Alley, Howard's Used Books,
There are also many nice little coffee shops besides Peets. If you enjoy coffee shops, try Kafein, The Unicorn Cafe and Brother's K Cafe. There are some others as well.
There's a great music store called Vintage Vinyl on Dempster street. Music Unlimited if you want sheet music for playing an instrument is pretty cool too.
There are some nice theaters, The Next Theater, Light Opera Works and Northwestern's Theater productions. There is also a movie theater downtown and if you like independent artsy movies, there is access to Wilmette's Theater which shows different movies and is very old timey.

I wish I could move back, but I am stuck in Houston for the moment.

[ChiGuy2.5]

My rent is $533 in Lincoln Park, which is super cheap. I have 5 roommates though. We share a bi-level brownstone. No matter where I go I feel like there is always server/bartender jobs available. You probably cant be a bartender because you would need a license, but have you ever served?

We post our place on craigslist when we have openings, so there is definitely a possibility that you would find a diamond in the rough if you try hard enough.

[MannheimMadman]

Originally Posted by nana053

Super excellent advice.

I've said it before; Evanston is the only other place I'd rather be instead of Chicago. Love it.


Chiguy...what's it like living with 5 other dudes? I only had a room-mate once, and between the two of us, it was messy. Luckily, my current room-mate (my wife ) is pretty clean.

[chrawnick]

Oooh, we're in a similar predicament. I'm using my tax refund to move soon. I'm not looking for roommates though.

Are you ONLY looking for roommates? If not...

I've browsed Craigslist and have seen a lot of studios from $500 - $600 a month in the Rogers Park & Edgewater neighborhoods. However, most of these only come with certain utilities such as heat, gas and/or water.

But, if you're willing to go the $600 - $700 range on a studio, it will be easier to find studios with ALL utilities included which will ease the stress of any other bills. These are in the Rogers Park/Edgewater area. Lakeview also, if you're lucky.

As far as a job, try Job Search | View All Job Openings | Snagajob. Mostly minimum wage jobs but the bills gotta be paid somehow!

[ChiGuy2.5]

Originally Posted by MannheimMadman

I've said it before; Evanston is the only other place I'd rather be instead of Chicago. Love it.


Chiguy...what's it like living with 5 other dudes? I only had a room-mate once, and between the two of us, it was messy. Luckily, my current room-mate (my wife ) is pretty clean.

Not all dudes, why do you assume such things? lol. We actually have 3 girls/3 guys. Some people refer to it as the Real World, but it really isn't. We all get along great and are really fun people to be around. Come to think of it, it IS like the real world. Minus all the sex, and the drinking, and the camera crew.

[It'sAutomatic]

Originally Posted by andys06

First, thanks a lot for your previous post! All the great feedback and information I've been receiving has been great and beyond helpful! Makes me feel more comfortable about the move.

Actually, it was what you said in the previous post. Dayton is pretty small, it may be a city but it's still an "everybody knows everybody" type of area. So, I think the transition might be best served with more of a suburb setting I'm used too. I think if I stayed there for a year, the transition into City life would be easier for me being so close to Chicago, I could get used to it, but away from it if need be. And plus, I've read a lot about Evanston I've liked. Liberal minded, the downtown area, shops and transportation to and from the loop via downtown.

Oh, and there is a Peet's coffee and tea there...that scored MAJOR bonus points!

I don't think living in Evanston is a way to experience Chicago, if that is what you are looking to do. Do you realize that it will take you at least two trains and probably a bus as well to get to anywhere in Chicago from Evanston? Not to mention that there is very little nightlife in Evanston, and it is very expensive to live in a nice part of that town. I'm not sure what makes you scared to live in Chicago, but I feel I should inform you that Evanston has crime and bad neighborhoods, too.

I like Evanston, and indeed there is nothing wrong with choosing to settle there, but I would live in the city first and see if you could see yourself living in Evanston, not the other way around.

[andys06]

Originally Posted by It'sAutomatic

I'm not sure what makes you scared to live in Chicago, but I feel I should inform you that Evanston has crime and bad neighborhoods, too.

Thanks for the advice! Though, I actually don't think I ever said I was scared to live in Chicago, and I'm not naive to think that Evanston lacks crime, I know it's everywhere. To be honest, I live in a Suburb now and while it's that of Dayton which is so much smaller than Chicago, I actually prefer the suburbs and having the city close by as I will be more focused on finding working and saving money than seeing the city right away, most of my trips into the city would be planned no matter how close to the city I am.

[ChiGuy2.5]

Originally Posted by andys06

Thanks for the advice! Though, I actually don't think I ever said I was scared to live in Chicago, and I'm not naive to think that Evanston lacks crime, I know it's everywhere. To be honest, I live in a Suburb now and while it's that of Dayton which is so much smaller than Chicago, I actually prefer the suburbs and having the city close by as I will be more focused on finding working and saving money than seeing the city right away, most of my trips into the city would be planned no matter how close to the city I am.

One way you could really save money is to live close enough to the city to be able to take advantage of public trans. This would allow you to ditch your car. A car anywhere is such a waste of money. Although personally, It was hard for me to live without one. So I only did it for a year and a half.