Moving to Chicago - where to look for an apartment?

[Chicagotour]

Do those places also have good elementary schools?

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Chicagotour

Do those places also have good elementary schools?

If you need enroll a school aged child in classes this fall I would not recommend looking inside the city -- the period for matching students to "selective enrollment" options in CPS has long since passed and the neighborhoods with truly desirable "local attendance area" schools" are likley outside your budget.

Speaking of budget, $1500/mo is similarly insufficient for a family sized place in a town with highly desirable schools. If you are ok with an older / smaller apartment or a town with schools that are still a cut above CPS but still on average far less desirable than top tier there are options but combined with the desire for easy Metra commute this is really asking for a lot...

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by chet everett

If you need enroll a school aged child in classes this fall I would not recommend looking inside the city -- the period for matching students to "selective enrollment" options in CPS has long since passed and the neighborhoods with truly desirable "local attendance area" schools" are likley outside your budget.

Speaking of budget, $1500/mo is similarly insufficient for a family sized place in a town with highly desirable schools. If you are ok with an older / smaller apartment or a town with schools that are still a cut above CPS but still on average far less desirable than top tier there are options but combined with the desire for easy Metra commute this is really asking for a lot...

The OP would like recommendations of nice apt complexes that are walking distance to Oak Park, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn or Wheaton Metra stations. OP is looking for 2-bed unit, up to $1500/mo.

If seriously considering the suburbs, OP might want to start a new thread in Chicago Suburbs.

[bobcope]

My recommendation-- Look into suitable, family-oriented, city neighborhoods right now--Ravenswood and Andersonville ARE good suggestions from previous respondents. Give yourself a year to get familiar with the city and suburbs before leaping to a specific suburb which handicaps any future city/neighborhood search. (After all, your child is just 4 months old.)..... Especially given your short time frame, have you considered using a free apartment search service? I help people in these types of binds every day. --Bob Copeland

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by bobcope

My recommendation-- Look into suitable, family-oriented, city neighborhoods right now--Ravenswood and Andersonville ARE good suggestions from previous respondents. Give yourself a year to get familiar with the city and suburbs before leaping to a specific suburb which handicaps any future city/neighborhood search. (After all, your child is just 4 months old.)..... Especially given your short time frame, have you considered using a free apartment search service? I help people in these types of binds every day. --Bob Copeland

The OP did mention having a 4 mo old. Subsequent poster asked about schools. Depending on student's age (with high schools being decidedly poorer given the selective admissions period has long since come & gone) the options in the $1500/mo range from "pretty good" in some suburbs and a handful of quieter parts of Chicago to "overcrowded at best" in some of the hot areas to "kind of awful" in the more affordable areas...