Interesting. I go to a lot of movies and do a fair amount of shopping down there (it seems like Schaumburg with a skyline) and have always felt safe, but I guess someone who lives there should know.

We checked out West Loop today and it looks great. Seems like things start changing West of Ashland.

We also checked out Wicker Park and Bucktown and really liked it, at least preliminarily. Any downsides there?

Hmm, that is strange, do you know where in south loop they are? I would be curious to see if there are any changes in the crime statistics for the area. Printer's Row is so close to downtown (friends are 3 blocks south of the loop), that I just can't see it being significantly worse than downtown proper. They walk everywhere (as did we this passed few days), and haven't had incidents.

Granted, if you go further south or west in South Loop, it does become somewhat gritty.

Lots of people love Wicker Park/Bucktown. There are lots of stores and restaurants in the neighborhood, many people like the younger vibe, and Blue Line is super convenient compared to say, Brown Line where the tracks have a nasty habit of freezing in the winter.

The only things I didn't like about it are superficial: it is not by the lake, is less aesthetically pleasing than some neighborhoods, and it is overrun by drunk teens and 20-somethings on the weekend. Just check out the noise level of the place you are considering renting on a Saturday night before you commit and you should be fine.

Wicker Park/Bucktown have a lot going for them, but the big negative is that they've turned into Lincoln Park West in recent years - which means you tend to have lots of douchebros roaming around, drinking heavily, screaming, and puking on the sidewalk at night. The problem is most heavily concentrated on the commercial/bar strips of Milwaukee, North, and Damen. I'd wander around there on a Saturday night just to see what you're in for there.

I'd second the Andersonville idea. The area is a bit more suited to gay adults with kids - lots of other kids in the area, a bit more of a mature/family vibe but still with lots of cool restaurants, some gay bars, etc. so you don't feel like you're in the suburbs. The proximity to the lake is also great for kids, as you've got a wonderful place to play/hang out close by.

It's also rather easy to get to the Blue Line from there - you can just take the Foster bus straight to the station at Jefferson Park. It's not the fastest trip in the world, but it's certainly easy and cheap. Personally, I'd find proximity to the lake to be a more important feature in Chicago than proximity to the Blue Line, but obviously that's just me.

I could swear it was a friend who lives east of Michigan & south of Roosevelt in one of those new'ish high-rise/midrise/townhouse complexes.

Hyperbole? I agree that the WP/Bucktown has certainly changed over the last decade (and not necessarily all for the better), but its much more hipster (meh) than post-college party scene (bleh!).

@ rjque: A few other areas to consider...Logan Square, Ukranian or East Village, River West or even Humboldt Park (east and north edge only). All of these are either on or in the general vicinity of the Blue Line. The easy El access to ORD is really nice to have if you travel a lot.

That's not my experience - I find that the entire six-corner area of North/Damen/Milwaukee (centered around the L, Flash Taco, etc) is a sea of popped polo collars, drunk 20-something girls shrieking into the air, testosterone and hair gel on weekend nights.

Hipsters (such as they are) = Pilsen, perhaps Uptown, Edgewater/Andersonville, Ukrainian Village, Logan Square.... Wicker Park/Bucktown is very much home to the condo-owning Lincoln Park Chad/Trixie who can't afford Clark St.

Who says hipster didn't go to college?

I think they all must cab over from Lincoln Park around midnight because you don't see much of them during the day/early evening....thank God.


Good point.

I'd avoid the south loop - it doesn't really have much of a neighborhood feel. I lived there for 4 years, and while it's got a great location (close to downtown, the lake, and el to take you to MDW/ORD) it frequently felt like high rise filing cabinets for professionals.

Strongly suggest you check out Ukrainian Village and Wicker Park. Andersonville is nice too, but it will take at least an hour to get to ORD if you take the bus to the blue line.

If/when I move back to Chicago, I'll probably wind up in Ukrainian Village or Wicker Park. Though, being near the lake is really a BIG part of wanting to live in Chicago, and those neighborhoods aren't really near it.

I wanted to thank everybody for the advice (and bump the thread for future Chicago residents).

Thought not there yet, I have secured a 2 bedroom apartment in Edgewater that I am very happy with. A little pricey (compared to PHX), but I got all I wanted (A/C, washer & dryer, parking), for around $1800 a month.

I was really on the fence between Edgewater and Evanston. Knock it if you must, but living in a college town, IMHO, can't be beat, but since car ownership (and commuting) seems to be an inevitably, I might as well live where I would want and just drive.

Really looking forward to getting out of the heat (and yes, I'm aware of humidity, I'll take it over the 113 today).

Having lived in Evanston during college and having spent a lot of time there in the 20 years since then, I can tell you it's a wonderful town and one of the few suburbs where I'd live. But I'm still a city dweller because I think Chicago is a fabulous, liveable city that has so much to offer.

We've had such a mild summer this year. Aside from a hot week or two, both the temps and the humidity have been very tolerable.