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Originally Posted by redheadtempe33
(Post 20638855)
It is right off the 294 and Sanders Road by Citation Lake. Appears to be across town from the station (though there is an employer shuttle).
Not many other options between the city and Northbrook. There are parts of Mount Prospect and Glenview that can be somewhat interesting, but those are suburbs, no question about it. ;) |
1. No one who lives here calls it "Chi-town."
2. Sales tax in the city is 9.25%, I believe. |
Originally Posted by chgoeditor
(Post 20640776)
1. No one who lives here calls it "Chi-town."
2. Sales tax in the city is 9.25%, I believe.
Originally Posted by M60_to_LGA
(Post 20640254)
Lakeview is a decent neighborhood, although it's become much blander than it used to be, as has much of the North Side. It's now pretty much indistinguishable from Lincoln Park and Bucktown - home to frat bros and woo girls from Big 10 and Midwest state schools, who spend their time shopping at big-box stores, getting plastered at sports bars, and eating at mediocre Mexican restaurants with margarita specials. Even the gay bars (Lakeview was once known as Boystown before the Bro Invasion of the late 90s) are generally lame.
Other (and cheaper) neighborhood options would be Ravenswood or Roscoe Village, which are both a bit west of Lakeview and haven't totally turned frat yet. Edgewater (which also includes Andersonville) is pretty cool as well and more convenient to north suburban commutes. All these neighborhoods still have their local character intact to varying degrees, with a nice mix of local businesses and places to hang out, but without attracting every douchebro in the Midwest. Edgewater is also right by the lake, with great beach and park access for biking, running, volleyball, etc. You can probably find a very nice two-bedroom for $1200 or less in these areas.
Originally Posted by M60_to_LGA
(Post 20640254)
As has already been mentioned upthread, Evanston is a pretty cool city as well, although in my opinion if you're not a Northwestern student or a suburban empty nester, you may feel out of place. Also, it's more expensive than the neighborhoods I mentioned above for rent.
The West Loop/Near West Side to me feels very synthetic. Lots of new condo buildings and flash restaurants, but no feeling of a real neighborhood. It was very industrial until quite recently, and while convenient to the Loop feels very much like a soulless place. It's got kind of a rich dbag vibe to be honest - lots of 20/30-something bros working in finance, "day trading" etc. Also, I don't think there's much of a rental market in that area, except perhaps for people renting out luxury condos.
Originally Posted by M60_to_LGA
(Post 20640254)
Crime in Chicago is, as you noted, highly concentrated in terms of both geography and demographic. In fact, the murder rate was much higher in the 1990s. I think the reasons Chicago's crime problem gets so much attention right now is that NY's rate has plunged, so Chicago's headline numbers look so much bigger. Exercise common sense, and you're likely to be fine.
The city-to-Northbrook commute sounds like a fate worse than death, but then again, so does living in Phoenix, and you seem to have survived. I know people who have done commutes like that using Metra and a shuttle, and they seem to do OK. That would be the one thing in your scenario that gives me pause, though. |
Originally Posted by It'sHip2B^2
(Post 20635984)
Taxes in IL are pretty awful. Personal income tax is 5.5% right now (recently raised from 3%). Property tax is high. Sales tax is high (6.25% state plus local taxes all in upwards of 9% in some places). The state government is operating in huge deficit. A few years ago (and maybe now) they couldn't pay their bills. They were issuing IOUs instead.
These are things that you should consider before accepting the job. You really don't want to show up and find out that you are worse off. |
Originally Posted by sbams
(Post 20641160)
OMG I could really live with that. I have a normal, well-paid job (not a movie star or anything) and pay 52% income tax over a great portion of what I earn. I couldn't even begin to dream what it must be like to pay 5.5%
It's also about half the rate that residents of New York City and California pay, also excluding payments to the US Government. |
Originally Posted by sbams
(Post 20641160)
OMG I could really live with that. I have a normal, well-paid job (not a movie star or anything) and pay 52% income tax over a great portion of what I earn. I couldn't even begin to dream what it must be like to pay 5.5%
As for the commute. I have a friend that works on the Navy Pier and lived in Lakeview. That was a good commute. Now he moved further out to save money on rent and has an hour plus commute and is hating it. Be careful which commute to select. Summer is approaching. Make friends with someone who has a boat. |
Originally Posted by redheadtempe33
(Post 20640812)
I
Yeah, the commute isn't ideal, but I feel lucky in that I can move there with a job in hand. I can't imagine moving there unemployed. My commute in Phoenix is 30-45 minutes, so as long as it isn't any longer than that, I can deal with it. Agree with all the other descriptions, pretty good analysis. (Lincoln park resident 23 years) |
I'm a current Lakeview resident, I would agree with what most everyone says here. The reverse commute is about as bad as the normal commute, especially on the Kennedy/Edens which is how you'd get to Northbrook. I used to reverse commute out near O'Hare, and the expressways were so bad it took me less time to take city streets.
Lakeview has definitely gotten more corporate, but I still think it's a great neighborhood and there's plenty of families and young professionals in addition to the chads and trixies. Personally, I think the main advantage to Lakeview or Lincoln Park is you're close to the lake. Same goes for Andersonville or Evanston. |
Originally Posted by redheadtempe33
(Post 20640812)
The West Loop sounds like Hell and out of my price range to boot.
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Originally Posted by snoopoz
(Post 20641767)
Lakeview has definitely gotten more corporate, but I still think it's a great neighborhood and there's plenty of families and young professionals in addition to the chads and trixies.
Originally Posted by ILuvParis
(Post 20641791)
Yes, take it from someone who doesn't live there. ;) I lived in Lakeview for many years and love it in the West Loop - the only thing I miss is the lake. But, whatever you do, you better decide quickly, before the frat bros, woo girls, douche bros and dbags have taken over the entire city. :D
Before I moved from Des Moines to Phoenix (really DEN-DSM-PHX), I seriously considered Chicago, but felt that while I could have afforded an apartment in the city, I could have afforded little else. I just don't want to get stuck in that situation. Lakeview was my first choice because I know that is where Boystown is (and I am gay), but I know that may drive prices up somewhat needlessly. I like the idea of Evanstown since (at least in my limited experience) it is hard to go wrong with college towns, but any further advice is greatly appreciated. I did apply for the job (in a somewhat drunken, excited moment), so we will see how it goes from here. I really appreciate everyone's advice. Please keep it coming. |
Originally Posted by redheadtempe33
(Post 20641808)
You will have to fill me in on the terminology?
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Originally Posted by redheadtempe33
(Post 20641808)
You will have to fill me in on the terminology?
For a more nuanced discussion, I direct you to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_(slang) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trixie_(slang) I'll be quiet now. |
With regard to soul-killing commutes, it is worth noting that on the commuter trains, one can get work done, read, or the like. In my mind, a one-hour commuter train commute in Chicago is far better than a 30-45 minute car commute in heavy traffic. That being said, during the 6 years I was in Chicago, I found myself moving closer and closer to downtown until finally I bought a condo in the S. loop and happily gave up driving.
Do look at your neighborhood's car sharing options. I-Go is a non-profit car share that is awesome: http://igocars.org/. |
Originally Posted by ILuvParis
(Post 20641823)
I think they're similar to woo girls and douche bros.
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I did a commute from Lakeview to Lake Forest every day for seven months and it was typically 1-1.5 hours each way in rush hour, and just a few minutes of it was the Northbrook to Lake Forest leg. If you can adjust your work hours to get there by 7:00 AM, you'd avoid most of the rush, but the commute home is bad from about 3PM to 7:30PM.
After seven months, I said "No thanks" to that project -- it wasn't worth 3 hours a day in the car. |
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