Advice please! (Chicago, Lincoln, Broadview: apartments, rentals, safest neighborhood)

[toesinthesand]

I've been reading through a lot of these posts but haven't really found anything (yet) that really addresses my situation. I apologize if I overlooked anything.

Anyway, I'm getting married in June, and we're moving up to Chicago. We're both in our 20s and currently live in Orlando. We definitely want to live in the city for at least the first year or two that we're there. I was born in Broadview but moved to this hellhole when I was three. For so long I've wanted to go back to the city, and now that I'm going to be out of college and everything, I figure it's the perfect time.

ANYWAY, enough about that. Basically, the one thing I'm concerned about is safety. I don't necessarily need Pleasantville, but I'd like to be reasonably safe if I'm walking from, say, the el to my apartment when it's dark outside. Obviously there's always a chance of getting mugged or whatever no matter WHERE you are, but if there are any areas that could cut down on that risk, obviously they would be better. I apologize for the naivety but right now I live in the safest neighborhood in my county, so I've been a little spoiled. We leave our garage doors open, we walk outside late at night, we sleep with our front door unlocked. Obviously, I won't get that anywhere in the city, but like I said, reasonably safe/reduced risk is good enough for me.

We're looking to spend no more than 1000 a month on a one-bedroom. We've been looking at the Lincoln Park area, and another friend recently suggested Andersonville. We had initially looked at Wrigleyville or Lakeview, but a friend up there said to stay away from there. And then some people say certain areas are safe but then I talk to someone else and they're like, "no, stay away from there." So...basically I'm really confused. If anyone could suggest a decently "safe" neighborhood for like 800-1000 a month, it doesn't necessarily have to be trendy or twenty-somethings or anything like that. Diversity is fine as long as there aren't a lot of gangs or anything.

Also, I wanted to know if anyone had advice about renting an apartment in a complex through a management company (i.e. Planned Property, Group Fox, Water Tower Realty) vs. renting a three-flat or something similar. If anyone has any specific apartments to recommend, that'd be great as well.

Thanks in advance.

[yamasho]

Great questions, toesinsand. I would also like to hear advice about renting a managed property/complex vs private rentals.

Question for you though...what advice did you hear concerning Lakeview/Wrigleyville to turn you away???

[toesinthesand]

Originally Posted by yamasho

Great questions, toesinsand. I would also like to hear advice about renting a managed property/complex vs private rentals.

Question for you though...what advice did you hear concerning Lakeview/Wrigleyville to turn you away???

Well, I heard mixed reviews about there. One friend who lived there absolutely loved it. Another friend said it gets really sketchy and dangerous at night. So honestly I'm torn on what to believe. I would love to be close to Wrigley though...I'm a huge Cubs fan.

[yamasho]

Wow, I have never heard anyone say that Lakeview or Wrigley are sketchy @ night. LOL...I'm not from Chicago but I have been in both areas at night and neither seems sketchy at all. Maybe they are though...idk

[j33]

I've not heard anything about Wrigleyville being sketchy in 20 years. The only thing sketchy is the frat boy feel of the place and the boorish behavior some fans exhibit after the games (which is more obnoxious than criminal

Obviously it is a city neighborhood, and with any city neighborhood, one must be careful, but seriously, that is probably one of the least sketchy at night areas of town (especially because it is so active at night).

Those friends who told you to avoid it there, where did they tell you to move instead?

[toesinthesand]

They pretty much said to stick around Lincoln Park. That's why I'm more leaning toward that area of the city. But again, like I said, I don't really care one way or the other. Although I'm sure those frat boy types would probably get on my nerves...haha.

I also wouldn't be opposed to living a little farther out--say, Jefferson Park or something. I figure as long as there are buses or el stops close by I can deal with the distance to the city. I don't even know where I'm going to be working yet, so I can always adapt in that aspect, and I don't necessarily have to work right downtown (I'm going to look for a paralegal job, and anywhere you go there's law firms).

But maybe I will look around Lakeview and Wrigley, just to get a sense of it for myself. Thanks for the advice. And I guess I have to take the advice I got about it being sketchy with a grain of salt, since it came from a 40-year-old woman, who probably wouldn't exactly choose to live in a place filled with bars and a lot of nightlife...haha.

[chicagomom]

I would recommend you check out Lincoln Square and Andersonville. Both have train stops and both are pretty safe, family oriented neighborhoods. They are a bit more north than the other hoods you mentioned but they have personality and delightful little shops. We walk with the kids everywhere at night and it's really pretty safe. Rents may be more reasonable too, but comparable. These are very mixed neighborhoods with gay and straight singles, couples and families. You can find it all around here and it's safe!

[j33]

Hey there, I'm a woman in her mid-thirties and still enjoy living in an area with a lot of nightlife (just not that area, I'm more of an east village/wicker park sort of gal

[toesinthesand]

I didn't mean to insinuate that because she was 40 she wouldn't enjoy it! I just meant that she's a little older, and in addition wouldn't like that kind of thing. Didn't mean anything by it ;-)

[j33]

Oh, I know, I'm just poking some fun