Downtown Condos vs Suburb House/Aprt Rentals? (Chicago, Lincoln: apartments, houses)

[cf3]

I'm a mid 20's male, professional, moving to Chicago from a small university town. I'm trying to figure out where to live - but to be honest, I'm split along the fence 50/50.

Originally was looking at condos on the River North, Near North, Streeterville areas.
Pros: close to downtown, close to the bars/clubs?, close to nightlife?, amenities such as workout facilities & indoor pools (I'm a big swimmer).
Cons: price $$, tiny studio, $$ parking, a limited cityscape with a view of only the adjacent condos beside it

Now I'm starting to consider, Suburb-style houses with basement apartments.
Pros: low cost, parking cheap/included, greenery, (ideally a view of the city scape / Chicago skyline)
Cons: feel of being "outside the city" / away from the excitement zone, finding a local gym, swimming only in the summer (afraid of the cold when I'm wet ), away from all the action in the city.

Yes - I know I want it all ; but really just looking for peoples opinions on my pros/cons to help tip me over the fence one way or another.

I'll be working downtown in the heart of the loop & would prefer public transit for my daily commute. My rent limit is about $1350 (of course would love to half this if living in the suburbs). Prefer to be independent (don't want a roommate at this point in my life). And currently no chicago social circle (so would like to be somewhere with nightlife so that I can meet friends & females) I windsurf in the summer, so a car would be convienent, also will probably have out of town visitors from time to time (hence space points lean towards the suburbs).

Is there a nightlife anywhere in the suburbs? Some where like my current university town, with cheap bars & active night clubs in the area. Will the suburbs take away from my ability to live the 'chicago nightlife'?

Note: I'm referring to places like Lincoln Park, Bucktown, Wickers Park as the "suburbs"; my definitions might be wrong - but feel free to correct me / complain about my picky nature

[Slanderous]

Lincoln Park, Bucktown and Wicker Park are all neighborhoods within the city of Chicago.

[cf3]

Thanks, agreed on formalities... I guess I mean: condo living vs house living (should have clarified that on my end).

[marothisu]

The great thing about Chicago is that, especially if you're working in the Loop, you don't even need a car. Also, there are tons of great neighborhoods and many are on public transit lines to the Loop. $1350 is about what I pay for my place in Gold Coast (1 bedroom), which is more or less "downtown." My place is a little under average for the area, but there are others in the general area in this price range I believe. It's not state of the art, but it's not a dump by any standard. I have a 24 hour door staff and a private gym, but no pool. For $1350, you probably won't find too many (if any) places with an indoors lap pool downtown IMO.

As I mentioned before though, lots of other great neighborhoods. In other areas like Lincoln Park, Lakeview, probably Wicker Park, etc you can find pretty decent 1 bedrooms for $1350/month max (really at least in Lakeview and Lincoln Park, it's about $1000-$1200, but can definitely go higher). I like Lakeview because it has a variance in the types of establishments, moreso than areas like River North. Areas like River North are also more expensive on average, while areas like Lakeview and surrounding you can go cheap, mid, or high quite easily. If you want an area that is quiet, that is like a mix between a big city and a small walkable town, then I'd recommend a place like Lincoln Square or Ravenswood. They are also on the Brown Line and it would take you about 30 minutes to get to the Loop (there's also two transfer points to Red Line upon the way).

If you want a high rise, then those extend all the way up Lake Shore drive far north along the lake to areas you probably wouldn't look at (i.e. Edgewater, Rogers Park, etc). I think the most recent one is from 1987 (besides one in Lincoln Park that was finished last year, but very expensive), so a little older but inside they can be nice. Many may be full on condo buildings. Not sure about the indoor pool stuff.

The parks district has a large handful of facilities with indoor swimming pools. You can see the list here and they're spread throughout the city:
Swimming Pools - Indoor - Facilities & Features | CPD



My suggestion is this: Rent in the city for a year. If you don't like it, then you aren't tied down for awhile and you can easily move to another area or suburb. If you're a "normal" person in their mid 20s making some decent money, you will have fun in the city. The next step is making friends, which can either be easy or a challenge depending on what type of person you are - wherever you are.

[Chicago_Josh]

Park tower at 5415 N Sheridan rd in Edgewater (a neighborhood in Chicago) has one bedrooms with a view of the skyline/city for about 1200-1300. It is 50 or 60 stories tall and a decently maintained building.

The building has a massive indoor pool and pretty nice gym, as condo gyms go at least

It is about 6 or 7 miles north of river north and close to Andersonville which has a decent nightlife

Also the 147 express bus will have you downtown in 15-20 minutes or so

[Lookout Kid]

You will also have to live in a condo or apartment in Lincoln Park, Bucktown, or Wicker Park. There are very few single-family houses in these areas that aren't four to six times your budget to rent. In fact, they aren't much cheaper than Streeterville or River North, if at all.

[Lookout Kid]

Are you perhaps talking about the difference between "high rise" and "walk up" apartments? Most of the central city that isn't high-rise buildings is brick, "walk-up" style apartments or condos, two to four stories in height. The most common walk-up configurations are:

Two-flat (a two story building with apartments stacked two high)
Three-flat (a three story building with apartments stacked three high)
Six-flat (a three story building with apartments stacked three high, two per level sharing central entrance)
Courtyard Buildings (Usually three of four stories with units organized around courtyards)

You'll also see other configurations (Four-flats, etc.). Usually walkups also have "garden level" or basement apartments.

As far as low-density "suburban style" living, you will typically have to go several miles out from the Loop to see this, though there are a few exceptions to that.

[nearnorth]

Originally Posted by cf3

Note: I'm referring to places like Lincoln Park, Bucktown, Wickers Park as the "suburbs"; my definitions might be wrong - but feel free to correct me / complain about my picky nature

Not only are those not suburbs, those are some of the more nightlife-heavy neighborhoods in the city. You will not be able to buy a house in those neighborhoods for anywhere near the same price as a studio condo downtown, though you might get a little more space for the $ and slightly cheaper parking.

[It'sAutomatic]

Lincoln Park and Lakeview are huge areas that can feel pretty exciting and "downtown", it depends on where you live.

[cf3]

Great, thank you all... (you can tell I'm from out of town)

Yes, where I'm from my definition of condos/downtown is high-rises, and flats are considered houses/suburbs. Obviously didn't translate well when describing Chicago.. (I have much to learn!!) :-)

So I'm guessing Lincoln Park, Bucktown, Wickers Park are the "more nightlife-heavy neighborhoods in the city" - which is what I'm kind of looking for (minus the indoor pool); but am sure I can use the park district's site c/o marothisu..

Which neighbourhoods are more 21-28 age-group focused?