Moving to Chicago from The South (Waukegan, Downers Grove: apartment, rentals, neighborhoods)

[Rardley]

Hi, I am looking to move to Chicago this August and hope to go to one of the Physicians Assistant schools in the area. I will be moving with my boyfriend, who will need to take classes at a community college (he's not picky on the school). The schools I will be applying to are Midwestern, Northwestern, Rush University, and Rosalind Franklin. I've done some research and know the general areas of these schools but it would be nice to have a better idea of where I should live as far as access to transportation to these schools (also with a community college nearby or easy access to).

I am 24 and he is 28 so, other than transportation, we are looking for a younger crowd, we would like to be able to walk to most places, (grocery, restaurants, bars etc.) we also have a dog so somewhere near a park and I need to feel safe walking her around the neighborhood.

I am very interested in Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Wicker Park/Bucktown, and Gold Coast (even though expensive I have found some places within our budget of $1,000).

Thanks for the help!

[chet everett]

I rarely recommend Pilsen but as it is a closer to the Rush that might be a good option.

Midwestern is in Downers Grove, probably better for the 'burbs. RFMUS is the former Chicago Medical way the heck out by the suburb of North Chicago which is by Waukegan -- it would be nuts to try to commute up there...

I would be skeptical as HECK of any low priced rentals truly in the Gold Coast, which is among the pricest part of the region.

Having a dog in the mix will a) force you to evaluate a much smaller pool of potential rentails b) limit the distance you will be able to commute for time considerations.

There are walkable spots in the traditionally developed towns near Midwest and RFMUS, I would recommend Downers Grove or Elmhurst for the former and Libertyville for the latter.

The region has some good options for community colleges. There is College of DuPage driveable close to Midwestern in Glen Ellyn. College of Lake Co is not too bad to get to from Libertyville. Technically there are "City Colleges" for those inside Chicago but depending on your desire for vocational education you may need to be prepared to choose to be near one of the harder to get to campuses...

[marothisu]

I think it will depend on where both of you go to school. All those areas you mentioned are safe of course. Are you wanting to spend $1000 total between the both of you or..?

Two of the schools you mentioned are actually in Chicago, while the other two are in suburbs as Chet mentioned..

I agree with Chet that you should be skeptical of places that are under $1000 in the Gold Coast, and Lincoln Park too. Now, don't get me wrong, there are places like that in the neighborhoods, but they're usually studios. In Lincoln Park the average studio price is under $1000 while in Gold Coast it's around or even sometimes over $1000. I have a friend who lives in GC and pays $775, but it's for a smallish studio in a not so good place. I live in the Gold Coast and my one bedroom apartment (with doormen, gym, etc) is over $1300/month and that is in no way considered a top of the line building.

Same as in Wicker Park...I bet you anything the places you found are advertised as "West Wicker Park" which is essentially Humboldt Park. Now Humboldt Park is a very bad area of town, but not all of it is. The area that borders between Wicker Park and Humboldt Park isn't terrible, but it's close to some badness.

Pilsen/Bridgeport might be good as Chet alluded to if you're going to somewhere like Rush. For Northwestern, it can work too, but so can Lakeview, Edgewater, Ravenswood, etc. It all depends on your comfort level and what you want in a neighborhood with the few you can choose from.

If you are going to the suburban colleges, then I'd highly recommend living in the burbs.

[C. Maurio]

Chicago has a good City College system. All but one of the colleges (Olive Harvey) is easy to get to on the CTA.

[JL1585]

Originally Posted by C. Maurio

Chicago has a good City College system. All but one of the colleges (Olive Harvey) is easy to get to on the CTA.

The poster is getting an advanced degree, don't think they have that at a city college...

[nana053]

Originally Posted by JL1585

The poster is getting an advanced degree, don't think they have that at a city college...

Actually, the Physicians assistant degree is given at Malcolm X College (my dil got her PA there). It is also given at some universities, but is probably more expensive at those.

City Colleges of Chicago - Physician Assistant

Her bf wants to take community college classes as well

Other PA programs include:
Northwestern Physician Assistant Studies Program

Rush > Physician Assistant Studies Program

[It'sAutomatic]

Don't go to Midwestern if you want to live in Chicago, the commute would be awful.

The Gold Coast isn't a young crowd.

Be prepared to use public transit, especially if you live in those neighborhoods and especially if you commute downtown. You don't need a car, but if you both currently own one, I'd at least look into sharing a single car. I ride a bike and it's the fastest way to get around, and zero stress once I got the hang of riding in the city.

[Now What]

Chicago will be great for you guys I hope! I moved from there a few years ago and miss it!

I you end up at Rush, the West Loop/Little Italy area is great. It's close to the school and has a good crowd for people around your age. Don't miss Greek Town wherever you end up!

Lincoln Park is a great place to look if you are new to the city - also a young crowd (though they have all sorts of great people) and you can walk anywhere. Neighboring Lakeview is also nice and a little less pricy, but LP is my preference between the two.

Good luck with everything, excited for you!

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by It'sAutomatic

The Gold Coast isn't a young crowd.

Actually, there are a number of young people living in the Gold Coast. However, the portion of the Gold Coast north of Division is older. My building is mostly people in their early to late 20s. There are some people in their 40s and what not, and a few families, but most people are probably 22-30. My friend's building is pretty similar too.

It's a pretty common misconception that the Gold Coast is full of a bunch of old people.
https://www.city-data.com/neighborhoo...hicago-IL.html

Look at the graph entitled "Distribution of Residents' Ages"..the highest distribution is amongst people between 22 and mid 30s. The median age is higher, but in reality, there's more younger people living in the area than an outsider thinks

[It'sAutomatic]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Actually, there are a number of young people living in the Gold Coast. However, the portion of the Gold Coast north of Division is older. My building is mostly people in their early to late 20s. There are some people in their 40s and what not, and a few families, but most people are probably 22-30. My friend's building is pretty similar too.

It's a pretty common misconception that the Gold Coast is full of a bunch of old people.
https://www.city-data.com/neighborhoo...hicago-IL.html

Look at the graph entitled "Distribution of Residents' Ages"..the highest distribution is amongst people between 22 and mid 30s. The median age is higher, but in reality, there's more younger people living in the area than an outsider thinks

You make a good point, but the neighborhood still is mostly old people. The bump around 30 doesn't mean that more young people live there than old people, adding up the area underneath the curve actually gives you a reading of the number of people. I'm not going to take out my old calculus textbook and figure out how to integrate a graph without an equation, but basically one square is equal to 5x50=250 people. Just roughly estimating a whole square count of the 20-35 group gives 13 squares (x50 = 650), and for 35 and up there are about 23 squares (x50 = 1150). I'm not going to bother multiplying to have a count of both men and women or even parse over the numbers because they sound low. But assuming the accuracy of this chart, there is a ratio of 650:1150 young-old people ratio. 650/(1150+650) = 36.1% , or roughly 1/3.

So by your source, old people outnumber young people 2:1. Gotta love math.