Chicago, IL

[gnarls_barkley]

I may be going to UIC this fall, so I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for relatively safe places to live that are not too far away from UIC's campus? Trying to get an idea about the cost of living, so I wanted to look at rental prices, but don't know how to tell the good locations from the not so good.

I would be interested about what people think too.

[Megs80]

I guess it somewhat depends on your age, whether you have lived in a large city, and if you are a sensitive person. (I am not being facetious here.) If you live in one of the dangerous areas, such as Uptown, South Side, or Western Chicago (some areas of Humboldt Park and anywhere west of that border), the daily grind could really affect your mental wellbeing. I moved from out of state and I am now on the verge of a nervous breakdown due to the extreme poverty/misery, and degenerates I'm surrounded by every day.

 

Sorry! To (try to) answer your question: I am not super familiar with the UIC area, but I just did some research and it seems Pilsen is close to that area. I have heard it's hip there, and I'm not aware of it being too dangerous. I would also recommend Edgewater and Rogers Park for very affordable rent, but those two areas are about an hour away by CTA to your school. (However, such a commute is relatively common here.) I'm sorry. I'm probably not being very helpful. I guess it would be best to hear from a UIC student. Feel free to PM about specific questions.

 

I don't mean to sound like a downer. I know UIC is an excellent school, so the move here would be worth it to attend that U. However, no one should ever move to Chicago to attend just a medicore university, in my opion.

[beccamayworth]

Hi gang,

 

I'll be attending classes at UChicago for one month (July) and I'm looking for a place to sublet, but I was wondering exactly what area around Campus is the safest (North of Campus? South? How far?). Any other neighborhoods that would be alright to stay at?

 

Thanks!

[music]

Hi gang,

 

I'll be attending classes at UChicago for one month (July) and I'm looking for a place to sublet, but I was wondering exactly what area around Campus is the safest (North of Campus? South? How far?). Any other neighborhoods that would be alright to stay at?

 

Thanks!

 

General advice and practice is between 47th and 61st, east of Washington Park/Cottage Grove. You could commute, but it hardly seems worth it. Check uchicago marketplace for sublet listings in this area.

[Princolum]

Hi Everyone!

I'm an international student and I have never lived in the US. Since I've gotten an acceptance from LUC, I plan to come to Chicago. I'm considering to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in Rogers Park. I would be grateful if someone could guide me on the cost of renting a 1 bedroom apartment in Rogers Park. Can I rent an apartment for $700 per month?

Thanks in Advance!

Edited April 14, 2015 by Peyman90

[pascal_barbots_wager]

Hi gang,

 

I'll be attending classes at UChicago for one month (July) and I'm looking for a place to sublet, but I was wondering exactly what area around Campus is the safest (North of Campus? South? How far?). Any other neighborhoods that would be alright to stay at?

 

Thanks!

 

I did my undergrad at UChicago (2014) and the area just north of campus from 53rd-57th has a ton of apartments housing UChicago students, a ton of whom will be away from campus for the summer. If you check UChicago's version of Craigslist (google "UChicago marketplace" and it's the first hit) there will correspondingly be a ton of people looking to sublet over the summer. 

[StatsG0d]

Hi Everyone!

I'm an international student and I have never lived in the US. Since I've gotten an acceptance from LUC, I plan to come to Chicago. I'm considering to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in Rogers Park. I would be grateful if someone could guide me on the cost of renting a 1 bedroom apartment in Rogers Park. Can I rent an apartment for $700 per month?

Thanks in Advance!

 

Congrats. Rogers Park is a really cool neighborhood. I went to Loyola for undergrad, so I lived there for 4 years. One bedroom apartments are not cheap--around $750-$850 per month. You might be able to find an apartment for $700/month but I think this would be very rare and probably is not a good place to live. It's much more affordable to live with roommates. Don't forget to factor in utilities. Chicago has hot summers (breaking 90 F on many days in July/August) and very cold winters (so if your apartment doesn't include gas, this would be a concern if you're living by yourself).

[Princolum]

Congrats. Rogers Park is a really cool neighborhood. I went to Loyola for undergrad, so I lived there for 4 years. One bedroom apartments are not cheap--around $750-$850 per month. You might be able to find an apartment for $700/month but I think this would be very rare and probably is not a good place to live. It's much more affordable to live with roommates. Don't forget to factor in utilities. Chicago has hot summers (breaking 90 F on many days in July/August) and very cold winters (so if your apartment doesn't include gas, this would be a concern if you're living by yourself).

Thank you so much for the reply. it was so helpful. What about a studio? Actually, I don't like to live with  roommates. can I rant a good studio for $600-$700 per month?

Edited April 16, 2015 by Peyman90

[Savannah-in-the-world]

Thank you so much for the reply. it was so helpful. What about a studio? Actually, I don't like to live with  roommates. can I rant a good studio for $600-$700 per month?

 

Hello. Current Chicago resident. Glad to help.

 

A studio for $600-$700 is still a little high for some parts of town, but 1. You can get lucky and 2. Loyola is closer to some of the North Side's cheapest rents. Rogers Park should be a good bet, followed by Edgewater. Both will be close to the CTA and the lakeshore. Below Edgewater is Uptown, which will have rent in your range, but is not the best neighborhood. Of course, almost any neighborhood will have good and bad parts. Also, you will be taking a cab and not a train home after a certain time of night anyway, does not matter how nice the neighborhood is.

[Princolum]

Hello. Current Chicago resident. Glad to help.

 

A studio for $600-$700 is still a little high for some parts of town, but 1. You can get lucky and 2. Loyola is closer to some of the North Side's cheapest rents. Rogers Park should be a good bet, followed by Edgewater. Both will be close to the CTA and the lakeshore. Below Edgewater is Uptown, which will have rent in your range, but is not the best neighborhood. Of course, almost any neighborhood will have good and bad parts. Also, you will be taking a cab and not a train home after a certain time of night anyway, does not matter how nice the neighborhood is.

Thank you for the information. As far as I know (of course, I don't know too much), Uptown is not a safe neighborhood. Having roommates is better than being murdered! 

[music]

Thank you for the information. As far as I know (of course, I don't know too much), Uptown is not a safe neighborhood. Having roommates is better than being murdered! 

If you're not an idiot, you're no more likely to be in a compromised position than in any other major city, regardless of whether you're in a so-called safe or dangerous neighborhood. If you're not smart about your surroundings, you could be in danger even in the nicest area, because criminals are actually capable of travelling between neighborhoods, you know. Savannah-in-the-world's advice on this was great. You would do well not to be complacent or judgmental about your future neighbors. 

 

ETA: someone in Hyde Park, a supposedly nice area, recently got stabbed by their roommate. Soooo, no guarantees there either.

Edited April 17, 2015 by music

[FoolofaTook]

Hey guys,

I'm an international student and will be moving to Chicago to begin my PhD studies this fall. I don't really have much of a preference regarding the roommate situation. I think I'd be happy with a roommate but I'm also open to the idea of getting a studio apartment. (Granted, though, that I haven't lived entirely by myself before, so I might be missing the whole picture of what that entails, especially in the winter). I have mostly been considering off-campus housing options for UChicago so far.

 

My immediate question was if overnight guests are allowed in off-campus graduate housing for UChicago? A cousin would be visiting sometimes, as would be a friend from a different city (separately). The option to have them stay with me is a pretty important one to me. The system is so unfamiliar to me that I feel a little lost about the smallest of details.

 

Any other advice is also greatly appreciated!

Edited April 17, 2015 by FoolofaTook

[__________________________]

Hey guys,

I'm an international student and will be moving to Chicago to begin my PhD studies this fall. I don't really have much of a preference regarding the roommate situation. I think I'd be happy with a roommate but I'm also open to the idea of getting a studio apartment. (Granted, though, that I haven't lived entirely by myself before, so I might be missing the whole picture of what that entails, especially in the winter). I have mostly been considering off-campus housing options for UChicago so far.

 

My immediate question was if overnight guests are allowed in off-campus graduate housing for UChicago? A cousin would be visiting sometimes, as would be a friend from a different city (separately). The option to have them stay with me is a pretty important one to me. The system is so unfamiliar to me that I feel a little lost about the smallest of details.

 

Any other advice is also greatly appreciated!

I'm pretty much following the advice others have said on this (looking east of Washington Park, between 47th and 61st).  Looking on UChicago Marketplace, Craigslist, and Trulia.  Largely for convenience of being near campus.  HP is not the cheapest neighborhood by any means, but I think the stipend will allow you to get comfortably settled in a 1-bedroom place.  Rent wise, I'm personally shooting for under 1k, ideally between 800 and 900 per month.

 

If you live off campus in an apartment not managed by UChicago you can do whatever you want with guests.  I also think the UChicago graduate housing buildings are just like regular apartment buildings, only managed by the university -- so I don't see how having guests would be an issue.  

 

My question for people currently living in U of C graduate housing would be about roommates -- I'm planning on getting a place with my partner (we're not married), and we've considered graduate housing, only I'm not sure if non-UC students can rent.  Anyone know about that?

[FoolofaTook]

Hey mollifiedmolloy,

 

Thanks a lot for replying! That's what I would have thought regarding the guest policy, but just wanted to make sure.

 

I noticed on the website that grad students may request housing for themselves and spouses/domestic partners. This was there as the clarification, too. http://studentmanual.uchicago.edu/domesticWould applying for this solve your problem? Hope you guys manage to get the options you want!

[Senior]

I did my undergrad at UChicago and spent 12-13 and 13-14 living in IHouse, so it might have changed since then but...if you like the idea of mixing a (small) private living space with a wider community right outside your door, IHouse might be a good fit. Every evening there were usually plenty of little groups in the common area playing pool, foosball, watching a movie, etc. You won't be lonely there unless you want to be.

Just in case you don't know how IHouse is set up: there's a giant main kitchen with 12-15 full gas stove/oven combos and a bunch of stainless steel countertops and several deep sinks. It's effectively a commercial kitchen and the thing I miss most about the place. Unless you're cooking on a Saturday night - the one night the dining halls close and undergrads have to fend for themselves - there will probably be plenty of space to cook. I actually met some of my best friends from UChicago cooking in that kitchen, so I have a soft spot for it (it's also just a good kitchen). Some people share pots and pans, but there are also lockers (of varying sizes) that you can rent per quarter for some reasonable amount that I don't remember. There are also a few walk-in refrigerators and freezers where you can also rent bins. At any rate, I really loved cooking in that kitchen, and I cooked there a ton. Definitely not the horrorshow that communal kitchens typically are. People tend to be reasonably good at cleaning up after themselves, and the whole thing gets cleaned by the custodial staff daily.

Near the kitchen is a large dining room/recreation room with a bunch of chairs and tables, a TV, a foosball table, a pool table, and a piano. The rooms themselves are in separate wings that require keycard access and are set up like dorm rooms with a bathroom/showers on each floor. These are communal so they aren't perfect but, again, they're cleaned several times per week so it's never so bad. There's a pretty good gym in the basement (stationary bike, elliptical, treadmill, freeweight dumbbells from 5-60 lbs, a pull-up bar, a dip station, various balls and mats and bands) as well as study/practice rooms, a Mac lab with about 6 desktops and a printer, and a laundry room. IHouse also has several events per week ranging from musical performances to lectures to whatever. These are held in an auditorium in IHouse and don't disturb residents much. Sometimes you come home and there's a line out the front door for some event, but then you just swipe your ID and walk past into the residential area and it's quiet and fine.

One thing that might have changed since I left is the proportion of undergrads, but with the new dorm I don't know what will happen with that. I don't remember the "application" process ever rejecting actual UChicago students - I think it was more for people who might not be affiliated with the university - but I'm not 100% sure about that. At any rate no one I knew who applied ever got turned down.

It might be a decent plan to live in IHouse your first year, make some friends, and look for an apartment together for the next year. Even many of the people who did this come back to IHouse frequently throughout the quarter to hang out with people. It's a pretty nice place to live and there is a good sense of community if you want to get involved. It's a good location for getting around Chicago too, since it's only a 2-minute walk from the Metra station and a 5-10-minute walk from the 6 bus stop, both of which get you back and forth from downtown.

Trying to think back to what I disliked about living there...it is a bit pricey. I think it's $800+ a month for a very small private space. Communal bathrooms, even if they're clean, can be kind of a drag. It's about a mile and a half from Hyde Park's best grocery store (Hyde Park Produce), and it's an annoying walk/bus ride to do every week. Although it is only a half mile from Treasure Island, which is expensive but not so bad. And it is a bit dorm-ish, which gets old. I always felt kind of embarrassed living there because it didn't feel like I was really living on my own.

But yeah, I mostly stayed there for the kitchen. So many burners, endless indestructible counter space...

Dear pascal,

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. Sorry for my late reply, I hadn't check the forum for a couple of weeks. I think every thing does seem reasonable about I-House, except the price. It is ~ $850 per month for a room and some communal spaces! In case I can't find a roommate in the next couple of days, do you think a shared apartment in the graduate housing of the university would be better option than the I-House? It is ~$700 per person in a 2BD apartment. I know the apartments are very simple, but at least I'm not paying too much.

Best

Edited April 23, 2015 by Senior

[Senior]

I-House is also fantastically diverse (in terms of nationality, age range, degree level etc), plus you're right on campus. I considered it, but the cost for the room that you get turned me off. FWIW, I-House seem to always have vacancies even throughout the school year, so IDK if it's really that competitive. Maybe they just struggle to fill certain rooms.

 

For $800/month, you could try marketplace.uchicago.edu and look for a roommate. You'll find something very nice for that money if you're ok to share with 1 or more others. Consider getting skype tours of wherever you look into. Or look for sublets - if someone wants to keep their room whilst they're abroad for a year, chances are it's a good place to live, or they'd save the hassle of subletting and just end their contract.

Thanks a lot for your help. I hadn't think about sublets in that way :-D. I will keep looking for roommates on marketplace, but in case I fail to find a suitable apartment, do you think a shared apartment in the graduate housing of the school would be a good option? At least, it is $150 cheaper than the I-House.

Thanks again

[music]

Thanks a lot for your help. I hadn't think about sublets in that way :-D. I will keep looking for roommates on marketplace, but in case I fail to find a suitable apartment, do you think a shared apartment in the graduate housing of the school would be a good option? At least, it is $150 cheaper than the I-House.

Thanks again

For your budget, you could also get a studio or 1 bedroom in grad housing. As I mentioned before, I have been paying $811/month for a 420 sq ft 1 bed including all bills. Sharing a place would be a good option too, if you'd prefer roommates. Bear in mind that people usually look for accommodation about 2-6 weeks before their move in date, so if you were interested in anything non-university owned you'd need to wait a good few months before anything will come around for 2015-16.

[NYTreader]

Yikes! The city of Chicago had a serious violent outbreak this weekend. 47 shootings with 2 dead. That's one weekend, folks! Should we be concerned?

[expandyourmind]

chicagos like any city - theres going to be violence. you can swap out Chicago with New York, LA, any other big city and itd be the same thing. generally these outbreaks are in concentrated areas, usually in the southside were there's a lot of gang action (but i could be wrong). but chicago is a huge city so i dont think you should worry. 

[NYTreader]

Isn't U of Chicago located on the south side? (Attending).

[expandyourmind]

im also attending UChicago, it is on the south side, but hyde park is relatively a bubble compared to even a few blocks west or south (i mean, Obama's house is there stuffed with tons of secret service). hyde park and bronzeville are pretty nice areas surrounded by a lot of sketchy parts. but UChicago has its own police force thats filled with chicago police that patrols the entire area - so its pretty safe. i think the areas of concern are more south-west of the city where you get out of the university areas and more into gang territory. generally the more you stay along the lakefront the safer you are, so once you get further west it starts going downhill. it looks like you're coming from New York, so i think if you have the street smarts necessary for NYC - chicago will be easy and you have nothing to worry about. the numbers of shootings and outbreaks is always daunting when you look at the stark data, but you can say the same about NYC, too. i hope that helps!

Edited May 20, 2015 by expandyourmind

[Savannah-in-the-world]

Yikes! The city of Chicago had a serious violent outbreak this weekend. 47 shootings with 2 dead. That's one weekend, folks! Should we be concerned?

I see this a lot from people who are not familiar with Chicago. First of all, Chicago being a dangerous city is seriously hyped up by the press. Violence sells papers and I am not sure if it is Chicago's size and its place as a Midwest city or what, but it gets picked on.

 

That being Chicago has crime. Its a large city, it has crime. But per capita, it does even crack a lot of lists. It is not on the FBI's most dangerous cities (http://www.cheatsheet.com/business/the-10-most-dangerous-cities-in-america.html/?a=viewall), not in the top 30 highest murder rates per city (http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/top-lists/highest-murder-rate-cities/) and what is dangerous is limited to pockets of Chicago, mostly south and west side neighborhoods, but not all of them. For instance, U Chicago is in Hyde Park on the south side, but it is very safe.

 

So treat Chicago like a city. Don't take a bus or train after midnight or one - take a cab instead. Carry pepper spray if you are walking late at night, stay on well-lit streets and do not walk home at night with ear buds in. If you need to use the phone, don't lose track of your surroundings. These are not extreme safety checks, its common sense. Stay out of unsafe neighborhoods, don't want home alone drunk, stuff life that. I promise, you will be safe and have fun.

[everlast_]

hello folks!

I will be studying MFT in fall 2015 at NU, and I just signed a lease with an apt company. It's near the border of rogers park and edgewater, near loyola University. I learned that it is not good to live in certain area of rogers park, just wondering do you guys think my apt's location is okay?  

 

Thanks thanks thanks!!

[Savannah-in-the-world]

hello folks!

I will be studying MFT in fall 2015 at NU, and I just signed a lease with an apt company. It's near the border of rogers park and edgewater, near loyola University. I learned that it is not good to live in certain area of rogers park, just wondering do you guys think my apt's location is okay?  

 

Thanks thanks thanks!!

The area around Loyola should be okay. I believe it is north Rogers Park that is kinda shady. The closer to the Howard stop, the worse its gets. There should be a lot of students there anyway due to LU.

[gnarls_barkley]

Anyone have advice for apartment searching from distance? Either in general or specific to Chicago?

Ideally, I'd like my own studio or 1br but it looks like I may need to get a couple roommates. I'm planning to visit once before moving in August but I would have a very short window to meet roommates and look at places.