Oh, the places you'll go.

October 14, 2010 4:13 PM

Chicago neighborhood filter-help me find somewhere cheap, yet relatively safe to live.

Moving time! Currently we live in Edgewater, have lived in roger's park. But I wanna try somewhere new. I've been looking on the west side, and south side near Hyde Park. But I just have no idea about any of the neighborhoods. I've looked at crime and other demographics online, but I honestly have no reference point. I want first-hand experience/guidance. Info on individual neighborhoods is really helpful, but info on particular parts of those neighborhoods is even helpfuller!

Can anyone recommend me a place to live?

posted by shesaysgo to society & culture (17 answers total)

How cheap? Hyde Park is expensive. Outside of Hyde Park but nearby (Kenwood, Woodlawn) is hit or miss with respect to safety, and always miss with respect to there being any stores. Do you have a car?

You should look on craigslist for places you like, then specifically ask about the neighborhood. Chicago is a big city, and there are a lot of affordable neighborhoods.
posted by jrockway at 4:57 PM on October 14, 2010

I have lived in Hyde Park, Pilsen, and Irving Park.

Wasn't a big fan of Hyde Park (it's expensive(er) than it should be, there's nothing to do, it's poorly served by transit, MAC (the primary property management company) sucks, and not super safe unless you're close to the UofC. A nice (non-MAC; MAC places were $100-$400 more and not as well maintained) two bedroom apartment (relatively newly renovated, clean, repairman/groundskeeper on the premises, no AC, radiant heat, communal laundry in the basement) ran me $1100/month. Free, difficult-to-find street parking.

I looooved Pilsen. I would still be living there if circumstances hadn't required me to move. A two bedroom there (central AC/heat, finished attic (which doubled the square footage), laundry in unit) was $1050. The neighborhood was really cool. It's getting more and more hipsterfied as time goes on, but in the two years I was there it was a funky mix of artist transplants and Mexican families who have lived there since forever. Walking distance (if you're ambitious) from downtown. Good access to transit. Free street parking.

Now I live in Irving Park. I've only been here a month. It's an older building, but a two bedroom here (no AC, radiant heat, communal laundry in basement) is only $800. The neighborhood is very residential-feeling. Small children actually play in the streets here, people have dogs, it's really diverse, and I have a huge, gorgeous park less than a block from my house--it's adorable. The only bummer for me is that it's farther away from downtown than where I'd ideally like to be, but it's tough to beat $400/month. And there's free and copious street parking.

Here is a Chicago neighborhoods map. Find a place you think you might be interested in based on geography, then look the neighborhood up on wikipedia (their Chicago neighborhoods section is really good). There are a lot of Chicago-area mefites who could probably answer any specific questions you have.

Yay! I love this city! There's something for everyone.
posted by phunniemee at 4:57 PM on October 14, 2010

Lincoln Square rocks.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 6:32 PM on October 14, 2010

I think Pilsen is definitely not safer than Hyde Park. My two-bedroom here ran me about $1000 and street parking was ample. Now I live in a big house and my giant room is about $500, again with ample street parking.

Hyde Park has great bookstores and decent restaurants, poor transit access, great lake access, and a terrible bar scene. YMMV.

I have friends who live in, and like, the following neighborhoods: Pilsen, McKinley Park, Bridgeport, Logan Square, Ukranian Village, Lincoln Square. I also have a friend who lives in Little Village but that's far less safe.
posted by mai at 8:00 PM on October 14, 2010

I should have made it more clear in my comment that I currently live in Hyde Park.
posted by mai at 8:02 PM on October 14, 2010

Dare to be square: the southwest side is the kinda boring, reasonably safe and very cheap slice of the city. I had a 2 bedroom on McKinley Park for around $600 a month. 5 minute walk to the 35th/Archer stop off the Orange line; depending on the trains, you could be downtown in 15 minutes. Besides McKinley Park, closer to the loop there's Bridgeport (too insular for me when I was looking, but that may be changing); further out is Brighton Park. Mefi mail me if you've got any specific ?.
posted by Bron at 8:16 PM on October 14, 2010

Might want to check out Andersonville, def cheaper than Hyde Park.
posted by SouthCNorthNY at 8:24 PM on October 14, 2010

I lived in Pilsen for ~8 years (moved two years ago). Two different 2BR apartments for ~$600/mo or less, both a few blocks from 18th & Halsted, very quiet, safe. My friends in the neighborhood have since moved down to Bridgeport, where you can likely find similar deals. They probably won't be listed on Craigslist, however. My first apartment was managed by R.R. Callahan, the second was owned by some local artists who lived around the block. The Podmajersky (Pods) buildings are expensive.

The really fantastic thing about the near south side (at least where I was) is that it's super-easy to bike over to the lake, downtown, and the nearby Dominicks. Plus, there's The Skylark!
posted by unmake at 9:03 PM on October 14, 2010

I'm living in Pilsen right now. It gets remarkably quiet at night, but it's also a really cool, kinda weird mix of art students and various Hispanics. I've never felt even remotely in danger anywhere. Rent's pretty cheap, and it's not hard to get anywhere else in town.
posted by cmoj at 9:15 PM on October 14, 2010

You might look at Albany Part on the northwest side. I lived there for two years - once in a three bedroom for $800, and then in a three bedroom for $1000 total. It's right off the brown line, forty minutes from the loop, very good place to be. Close to Lincoln Square. right down California to your various hip Blue Line neighborhoods. I can't say enough nice things about Albany Park, actually. Rents may have gone up a bit in the last four or five years, but I imagine you could still live there for $500 or $600 per month, maybe a couple hundred more for a single bedroom apartment.
posted by kensington314 at 9:22 PM on October 14, 2010

Seconding that Irving Park is a really nice neighborhood.

Though I don't know why anyone would leave Edgewater.
posted by kensington314 at 9:24 PM on October 14, 2010

Cheap is a relative term. How cheap? $500/mo for a 1br? $800/mo studio?

That said, Humboldt Park. Seriously. I know it's got a super bad rap and all, but so long as you stay east of the park, it's cheap (since well, bad rap), and about as safe as any other neighborhood you're likely to encounter. South of Division, just west of Western is cute, cheap, and culturally diverse. Super close to Wicker Park and Logan Square, though not convenient for public trans outside of buses.

Avondale, also quite nice on the southern edge, and cheap. Two Blue Line stops at your disposal, as well as near the Hipster Highway (Milwaukee Ave). My brother and sister-in-law love it there.

Deals can still be had in Logan Square too, but it may take some searching.
posted by moitz at 8:37 AM on October 15, 2010

The border streets of what defines Ravenswood seem to get bigger and bigger every day, but everything between Foster and Montrose, and Ashland and Western, is pretty much abundant residential punctuated with tons of cool stores and restaurants and Brown Line stops. Parking varies street to street, but is more abundant than not, particularly if you're more on the eastern side near Ravenswood Ave.

Probably one of the safest areas of the whole city, and enough variety of rental properties to fit most budgets.
posted by SpiffyRob at 8:57 AM on October 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

We lived (rental) in Pilsen in 2006-7, in the area between Ashland and Damen and absolutely loved it; it had a feeling of extended families, kids who played together, people who knew each other, dads who helped each other fix their houses, and a knowledge that the bad neighborhood needed some work but was on an upswing. Our old neighbors (in that rental) bought a place a few blocks west of Damen, and say it's noticably more sketchy-feeling, but still liveable. A friend found an super-cheap apartment out around California, and after visiting them, I felt very lucky not to be living there. All this is nominally Pilsen.

Before that (2005) I'd lived in Bridgeport, which was pretty cheap, but I found it too quiet and a bit oppressive - nobody spent any time outside their apartment/house, and I only met one neighbor anywhere in my building or on my block in 2 years. Pilsen was much more active, cheerful, and sociable, just in terms of babble coming in through the window.

The rear triangle window of my 1994 Nissan rusty sedan was busted once in Bridgeport, and a year later in Pilsen.
posted by aimedwander at 10:07 AM on October 15, 2010

Living in Hyde Park can be fantastic (great lake access & good grocery options & the BEST bookstores & a coffeeshop situation that's much better than it was two years ago), but it can also be really frustrating (not just because there are really only 2 bars, but also because transit access is limited/inconvenient compared to other parts of the city). If you're affiliated with the U of C, it's totally worth it for the convenience, but if you're commuting elsewhere in the city, it may not be.

If you do want to live in Hyde Park, I'd recommend making sure you're nearer to the lake than the University, as this will ensure that you're near the #6 bus line. It's also really nice to be able to walk to the point regularly!
posted by dizziest at 1:38 PM on October 15, 2010

You guys are awesome! Let me clarify what I mean by cheap, since thats a totally subjective word and everybody's different.

We're looking to try and spend around $675, less is always good, though. We're open for studios or one bedrooms.
Also important, I guess: Bars aren't our thing. We're under 21, and even then, it'd probably be a once-a-month kinda deal. We like the outside. We like dogs and children and coffee and thrift stores and art.
So, pilsen so far sounds perfect.

And yes, we have a car, but Public Trans is still pretty important to us. Parking? not so much. we don't mind having to walk a few blocks from where we park.
posted by shesaysgo at 3:37 PM on October 15, 2010

Do you mean $675 total? If that is the case, Pilsen is your best bet, especially if you want to be near public transit.

A good friend of mine just moved back to Logan Square a few weeks ago. She found a one-bedroom for around $725/$750. I really don't think you can get much cheaper than that. Personally, I'd pay an extra $100 or so for a place in Logan Square because it's such an awesome neighborhood (I miss it).

Both are totally safe neighborhoods.
posted by thewrongparty at 7:07 PM on October 15, 2010