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Old 04-17-2012, 02:04 PM
 
11 posts, read 29,245 times
Reputation: 12

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I may be taking a job in Park Ridge, and I understand that it has a good reputation as far as schools, safety, etc. But I have a couple of concerns: Is it very conservative? Are there any cool hole in the wall restaurants or bars? (Also sort of concerned about noise from O'Hare.)

I guess I am hoping to find a place with good schools, but with a high percentage of Democrats, and some kind of youngish feel. We are in our early 40s, but want to be near places to see (good) live music, grab a beer in a somewhat dirty bar, discover cheap restaurants near our home. Know what I mean? I will be visiting Park Ridge before I accept this job, but wonder if anyone has recs for other places that would be in easy commuting distance of both Park Ridge and downtown.

Basically, I want a mid-1990s East or West Village of NY ...
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Old 04-17-2012, 03:50 PM
 
14,798 posts, read 17,675,454 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Amyct View Post
Basically, I want a mid-1990s East or West Village of NY ...
You won't find that in Park Ridge. It is a nice suburb though.
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Old 04-17-2012, 04:03 PM
 
Location: Wicker Park/East Village area
2,474 posts, read 4,164,295 times
Reputation: 1939
Ukrainian Vllg would be prefect for you! (except for the commute from hell you'll have)
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Old 04-17-2012, 04:12 PM
 
Location: Chicago
204 posts, read 911,178 times
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Park Ridge would be more comparable to parts of Nassau county or Westchester. The Ukranian Village suggestion is good; for a closer commute, perhaps Rogers Park or Edgewater. Less restaurants and shops than areas near Ukranian Village, but a little grittier than UV/Wicker Park currently is (nearly as gentrified as current East/West Village).
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Old 04-17-2012, 05:27 PM
 
11 posts, read 29,245 times
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What about schools in Rogers Park or Edgewater? I have one in K and one who is 2. If public schools there are bad, how much are privates in Chicago? I've seen great things about Edgewater and wondered if it might be a good place for us. How long would that commute be to Park Ridge?
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Old 04-17-2012, 09:35 PM
 
Location: Normal
161 posts, read 211,435 times
Reputation: 96
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amyct View Post
I may be taking a job in Park Ridge, and I understand that it has a good reputation as far as schools, safety, etc. But I have a couple of concerns: Is it very conservative? Are there any cool hole in the wall restaurants or bars? (Also sort of concerned about noise from O'Hare.)

I guess I am hoping to find a place with good schools, but with a high percentage of Democrats, and some kind of youngish feel. We are in our early 40s, but want to be near places to see (good) live music, grab a beer in a somewhat dirty bar, discover cheap restaurants near our home. Know what I mean? I will be visiting Park Ridge before I accept this job, but wonder if anyone has recs for other places that would be in easy commuting distance of both Park Ridge and downtown.

Basically, I want a mid-1990s East or West Village of NY ...
Park Ridge has some of the best schools in the state and safety is never a problem. It is more on the Democratic side With the 2004 and 2008 elections the Democrat won with 70% and 77% respectively.

As far as restaurants, Park Ridge has some nice one scattered around, but the nearest strip with a lot would be in Edison Park on Northwest Highway. This is where the bars are also.

If you want to avoid noise then Northeast Park Ridge is the best place to be for that, although it is not horrible in other places.

There are plenty of young families in Park Ridge, but you may be more interested in the actual city itself. However, you then trade schools, safety, and commute length.
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Old 04-18-2012, 12:07 AM
 
148 posts, read 425,291 times
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Park Ridge is a nice suburb with lots of lefties. You will find a good mix of people when you go there. It has great schools and it's a family friendly place to live. They have a local theater that all the kids go to. They have a Starbucks to hang out in. Down Milwaukee Ave you will find bars and restaurants. It is very close to the city so you won't be way out in the "burbs" . Park ridge is quiet, clean, friendly, close to the city and has good schools. You are lucky you can afford it. I know many young moms on the north side of Chicago would love to live there, but they can't. If I had been given that chance when I moved to the north side of the city, I would have moved there myself. You wont here the planes more from there than you would from anywhere else. Unless of course if you end up on top of it. Truthfully, i dont think iit goes as far as ohare. Does it? GOOD LUCK with your decision.

P.S. you could always try Niles or Skokie. They have lots of democrats too.
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Old 04-18-2012, 03:05 AM
 
1,089 posts, read 1,861,400 times
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Hillary Clinton is from Park Ridge.
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Old 04-18-2012, 03:17 AM
 
2,115 posts, read 5,416,337 times
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Pretty much any city neighborhood to Park Ridge is totally do-able. Park Ridge is basically on the very edge of the northwest side of Chicago. It's a HECK of a lot better than Chicago to Libertyville (Motorola) that another poster mentioned in another thread. The mileage is minimal in comparison, but the commute still covers the main chokepoint (Kennedy Expressway). If there's a way to make Metra or the CTA Blue Line work in your favor, this is a reasonable commute. I'd look into Bucktown / Wicker Park / Ukrainian Village (the other poster mentioned this neighborhood) / Logan Square / Jefferson Park / Irving Park / Edison Park, etc. etc.
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Old 04-18-2012, 07:12 AM
 
Location: Uptown
1,520 posts, read 2,574,129 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwaiter View Post
Ukrainian Vllg would be prefect for you! (except for the commute from hell you'll have)

you spam this in every thread
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