Anyone from the Chicagoland area familiar with the neighborhoods and apartments in Chicago? We're looking to move closer to the city and need a 2-bedroom. The current cost for a 2-bedroom down in Naperville is about $1,400-1,600, so we'd like to find something around there. I've tried using forrent.com but the search engine is really poor, and I'm not familiar with the areas or neighborhoods. I could really use some suggestions on what areas to look at. The closer to The Loop/downtown the better, although I know obviously the price is a lot steeper ($2,300+), but the closest I can get within $1,400-$1,600 the better.
If you're still looking, I think there might be some places near Lincoln Park/Old town in downtown Chicago (had a buddy check a place out a month ago). It really depends on how nice of a place you want though.
When I dreambrowse, I usually look around Logan Square/Old Irving Park/Jefferson Park. Depends what you're looking for in a neighborhood but you can find a 2 bedroom for ~1k in those areas, depending - definitely things within your price range. [I'm currently stuck in a house lease with roommates. ...]
That said, with $1400~$1600 I believe you should be able to swing a place in or near the loop if you get lucky. Maybe south loop, or UIC area?
my mouth is full of winsome lies -
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
Also, is there a particular reason you want to live in the loop? I know some people that lived actually in the loop and didn't enjoy it, and I lived in the Near North area for a while and didn't particularly enjoy that either. The loop is mostly businesses, and doesn't have much in the way of neighborhood amenities for "normal" (IE, not super-rich) people. Even near-Loop places tend to be high rises and lack a neighborhood feel.
Downtown is easily accessible by the L, and depending upon where you work it should be easy to get a place that's a sub-20 minute commute in your price range. Areas I'd look at if I were moving today would be Lakeview/Lincoln park (lots of recent college grads, fairly bro-heavy, good access to the lakefront), Lincoln Square/Northcenter (more kids and young families than Lakeview, fewer sports bars, still a nice area) or Logan Square (Lots of hipsters, better Mexican food than on the north side, good access to some of my favorite places).
My gf's sisters share a small 2-bedroom in the South Loop for 1,600 which includes one uncovered parking spot.
I doubt you will get as low as 1400, 1600 is kind of the minimum in my opinion unless you want to live in a really crappy building.
Have you lived in the city before? Is there a reason you want these neighborhoods? What do you use to commute? I ask because as a person who has lived in about 7 different areas, not including the suburbs where I grew up, the city is just underwhelming in every way besides "lots of places to eat, lots of places to drink, meeting members of the opposite sex".
My gf and I are looking also and had the exact budgeted range you have, and I found pretty much nothing we liked (we do have commute needs though). Either units were very tiny (700 square feet, what?), or didn;t have things we wanted like in unit laundry or a dishwasher.
I have since decided I can buy a foreclosed condo or a single unit house as close as 5 miles form the city for half the cost of the rent budget. I can't fathom paying close to 2 grand a month and have nothing to show for it besides a view (maybe).
This is my personal opinion, but from reading crime reports and working/going to school downtown for 8 years, I do not consider the area safe. South loop,West loop, gold coast it all looks very ghetto to me (especially since you're coming from an affluent, nice suburb). Homeless panhandlers everywhere, non stop reported muggings, rapes etc. Hey that's where the people who can afford the rent live so that's where they go to find victims. This is the nation's murder capital after all.
TLDR: If you want newish construction - 1,600 minimum for something that doesn't completely suck. As you move north you can go down to 1,400
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(Also known as Xenphire)
When I dreambrowse, I usually look around Logan Square/Old Irving Park/Jefferson Park. Depends what you're looking for in a neighborhood but you can find a 2 bedroom for ~1k in those areas, depending - definitely things within your price range. [I'm currently stuck in a house lease with roommates. ...]
That said, with $1400~$1600 I believe you should be able to swing a place in or near the loop if you get lucky. Maybe south loop, or UIC area?
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
http://apartmentpeople.com/ (I used this one the last time I was looking)
http://www.chicagoapartmentfinders.com/
http://www.domu.com/
Also, is there a particular reason you want to live in the loop? I know some people that lived actually in the loop and didn't enjoy it, and I lived in the Near North area for a while and didn't particularly enjoy that either. The loop is mostly businesses, and doesn't have much in the way of neighborhood amenities for "normal" (IE, not super-rich) people. Even near-Loop places tend to be high rises and lack a neighborhood feel.
Downtown is easily accessible by the L, and depending upon where you work it should be easy to get a place that's a sub-20 minute commute in your price range. Areas I'd look at if I were moving today would be Lakeview/Lincoln park (lots of recent college grads, fairly bro-heavy, good access to the lakefront), Lincoln Square/Northcenter (more kids and young families than Lakeview, fewer sports bars, still a nice area) or Logan Square (Lots of hipsters, better Mexican food than on the north side, good access to some of my favorite places).
I doubt you will get as low as 1400, 1600 is kind of the minimum in my opinion unless you want to live in a really crappy building.
Have you lived in the city before? Is there a reason you want these neighborhoods? What do you use to commute? I ask because as a person who has lived in about 7 different areas, not including the suburbs where I grew up, the city is just underwhelming in every way besides "lots of places to eat, lots of places to drink, meeting members of the opposite sex".
My gf and I are looking also and had the exact budgeted range you have, and I found pretty much nothing we liked (we do have commute needs though). Either units were very tiny (700 square feet, what?), or didn;t have things we wanted like in unit laundry or a dishwasher.
I have since decided I can buy a foreclosed condo or a single unit house as close as 5 miles form the city for half the cost of the rent budget. I can't fathom paying close to 2 grand a month and have nothing to show for it besides a view (maybe).
This is my personal opinion, but from reading crime reports and working/going to school downtown for 8 years, I do not consider the area safe. South loop,West loop, gold coast it all looks very ghetto to me (especially since you're coming from an affluent, nice suburb). Homeless panhandlers everywhere, non stop reported muggings, rapes etc. Hey that's where the people who can afford the rent live so that's where they go to find victims. This is the nation's murder capital after all.
TLDR: If you want newish construction - 1,600 minimum for something that doesn't completely suck. As you move north you can go down to 1,400