Hello all,

I am considering accepting a job transfer to Chicago. My new office would be in Rosemont, very close to ORD. Unfortunately, I know practically nothing of the NW Chicago suburbs.

Which area would you recommend for apartment hunting (immediate term) and househunting (longer term)? My main priorities are short commute and good food (Jewish, Italian, Middle Eastern). Secondary priority is price. School system is a non-issue for me and as a middle-age couch potato, nightlife/social scene isn't too important either .

Thanks for any assistance. I really trust FT'ers opinions.

Robert

Look NORTH on the Tri-state. You'll be commuting opposite general population. In the morning, NB will be a parking lot while you'll be barrelling along at 70mph. Same in reverse, except for Friday afternoons in Summer, when everyone is heading to Wisconsin for weekend. There's some decent short-term apartment rentals in Northbrook, near Palwaukee airport.

Actually, working in Rosemont gives you many options. N/NW suburbs are accessible. City is accessible. Near west suburbs are accessible. S 'burbs are accessible. Don't now about S/W, might be a commuting stretch.

Housing will greatly be dependent on budget. Will your office be near an "L" or Metra stop?

I live about 5 minutes from Rosemont. The area around ORD is basically white middle to upper middle class depending on the area. Within the city itself are two neighborhoods called Edison Park and Norwood Park. Both are heavily populated by city workers, ie cops and firemen. (Chicago civil servants MUST live within the city borders.) Both neighborhoods are extremely stable and are in the safest police district of the city. Homes go for $400,000 and up. There is a strip on Northwest Highway that have excellent restaurants. Italian, Vietnamese, Mexican. Go farther up Northwest Highway and you have Park Ridge. This borders Rosemont. Park Ridge is more uppermiddle class. Homes start at $500,000 and reach to over $2,000,000. Again, middle class white. Rosemont itself has a few really nice neighborhoods. There's an enclave just off of Higgins that is known for the entire area doing it up big for Xmas decorations. And I do mean BIG. Other neighborhoods in the area are Palatine, Arlington Heights (home of the race track), Mount Prospect, Elk Grove, Des Plaines. All areas are basically middle class. They all have pockets of more expensive housing and pockets of lower income. The above mentioned areas are also a little more diverse in race as well. All the areas have Hispanic populations and Asian populations. The entire area has some great restaurants. Mexican, Japanese, Fish, BBQ, Italian, Chinese, just about anything you can name is in the area. Given that you are so close to ORD, plane traffic may or may not be an issue. Although we are less that 10 minutes from ORD, we are not directly over a flight pattern and planes are not an issue. I have a friend, over 25 minutes away from OHare and directly in a flight path. She can't be on her deck and be on the phone. Remember that ORD has received Federal approval for expansion. So who knows what will happen? The entire NW side is generally very safe. The "L" goes all the way into ORD and ends in downtown, so public transportation is handy for going to Cubs and Sox games and hitting the Taste of Chicago in July. Housing prices are not cheap, no matter where you go. Right along Northwest Highway from Des Plaines into Arlington Heights is a very popular area for condos right now. Alot new buildings have gone up in the last 5 years. Beautiful condos with shopping and restarants and all the amenities just downstairs or next door. This includes grocery stores, dry cleaners, Starbucks and all kinds of eateries.

Essentially, your choices are limited only by your pocketbook. Welcome to the neighborhood. Any other ?

Robert,

I live in the city (Lakeview/Lincoln Park neighborhood) so I'm not well qualified to recommend neighborhoods around Rosemont. But I can talk about food!

If you do move close to Rosemont (or anywhere else), you'll want to head to Devon Ave., which is a great Middle East/Western Asian melting pot on the north side of Chicago. Driving down Devon, you progress through neighborhoods (and their restaurants and grocery stores) that are Indian, Middle Eastern and Jewish. If you've spent much time in those parts of Asia/the Middle East, there are stretches of Devon where, if you squint a little, you could easily transport yourself back to the streets of India or some Arab countries.

For Jewish food, you can also head to Skokie, where you'll find some terrific restaurants and delis. It's been a while since I've lived in that area, but my recollection is that it's about a half-hour drive from ORD, depending on traffic.

Most upscale neighborhoods will have good Italian food, and a few Chicago biggies have opened Rosemont outposts. For authentic, family-owned places, the two Italian neighborhoods with dense collections of restaurants are on the West side of Chicago (Taylor Street) and the Southwest Side (Heart of Italy, I think it's called...near Blue Island & Damen), but both are very close to expressways, so probably they'd probably take you 30-45 minutes to get to in light traffic.

If you're a foodie, definitely check out www.lthforum.com, which is a Chicago food message board. I'm sure people who live near Rosemont would chime in with more suggestions. Also, www.chowhound.com has a Chicago-specific message board that you might find handy.

Jennifer