I need the advice of some chicago residents please!! (Oak Park: for rent, transferring to)

[ethanatlarge]

Hi, i am an 18 year old gay male and my partner and I want to move to chicago summer of 09. We both currently attend Wichita State University in Wichita, Ks and HATE IT! This is not the part of the country for "our people". Chicago is appealing bcz its a large urban area without the outrageous prices of Nyc or La. With that said i need some input.

We are looking at transferring to Northeastern Illinois University. Now, i know this is no UIC or anything but it has the best out of state tuition for us. What is this school's general reputation? Ive seen some good reviews and bad so i don't know lol.

Second, from the looks of it we would like to live in the lakeview or buena park area. We are both servers and assuming we would make what we make here we can afford about 1100 at most for rent. Any other neighborhood suggestions would be appreciated.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

[aragx6]

Unless there's a Chicago campus I'm unaware of, it's pretty much impossible to live in Lakeview (or anywhere in Chicago proper) and commute all the way to DeKalb.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Unless there's a Chicago campus I'm unaware of, it's pretty much impossible to live in Lakeview (or anywhere in Chicago proper) and commute all the way to DeKalb.

You're thinking of NIU (in DeKalb), while the OP is thinking of NEIU, which is in North Park.

[jessiegirl_98]

I would actually recommend living in Andersonville, as your commute may be a bit easier to NEIU from there (NEIU is in the city, not North Park). It is very LGBT friendly as well, and cheaper than the other neighborhoods you mentioned, but still with a lot going on. Are you looking for a 1 or 2 bed? You can find a 1 bed in the neighborhoods you mentioned for that, but not a 2 bed. You also have to consider that parking (per car) can be $200 per month additional in rent, especially in Lakeview

[aragx6]

LOL.. that'd be because I can't (or choose not to) properly read

[Kevin J]

I wish I could tell you something about Northeastern, but I've lived here for 24 years and I don't know anyone who went there. It may be perfectly respectable, but it is pretty much the forgotten step-child of higher education in this town.

If you both plan to attend NEIU and live in Lakeview/Buena Park and both work, you could end up having some transportation problems, spending a lot on transport, or both. The problem is that there's no easy public transportation to NEIU from the lakefront neighborhoods you're considering. Driving, obviously is an option, but parking in those two neighborhoods is scarce on the streets (Buena Park is the better of the two) and expensive if you pay for a spot ($100-150 per month, per space). And if you're juggling two class schedules with two jobs, you may find yourself needing two cars.

If you determine that NEIU doesn't work for you based on academics, location, or both, you may consider moving here and working for a year to establish residency. Then you could try UIC, which is more centrally located and accessible by public transportation.

[MannheimMadman]

Originally Posted by jessiegirl_98

I would actually recommend living in Andersonville, as your commute may be a bit easier to NEIU from there (NEIU is in the city, not North Park). It is very LGBT friendly as well, and cheaper than the other neighborhoods you mentioned, but still with a lot going on. Are you looking for a 1 or 2 bed? You can find a 1 bed in the neighborhoods you mentioned for that, but not a 2 bed. You also have to consider that parking (per car) can be $200 per month additional in rent, especially in Lakeview

North Park is a neighborhood in Chicago, yes?

North Park, Chicago - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[ethanatlarge]

we were planning on ditching the cars and just doing public transport . cta's website estimated about a forty minute commute by bus to and from NEIU which is about what i commuted by car last semester. is andersonville trendy/urban by anymeans bcz for some reason i saw it as more of an early thirties community based on this sites forums.

also, we did think about not doing school for a year to establish residency however, we are both afraid we'll never go back to school after that year.

[EventHorizon]

I Oak Park the little Korea? I forgot where that was located.

[jessiegirl_98]

Originally Posted by ManheimMadman

North Park is a neighborhood in Chicago, yes?

North Park, Chicago - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

you are correct!

Originally Posted by ethanatlarge

we were planning on ditching the cars and just doing public transport . cta's website estimated about a forty minute commute by bus to and from NEIU which is about what i commuted by car last semester. is andersonville trendy/urban by anymeans bcz for some reason i saw it as more of an early thirties community based on this sites forums.

also, we did think about not doing school for a year to establish residency however, we are both afraid we'll never go back to school after that year.

Andersonville is trendy/urban. I would recommend coming to visit and checking out the various neighborhoods. Andersonville has an area of Clark street that has a lot of bars/restaurants (although I know you are under 21). Lakeview is fine too but more expensive and farther away