List Only

Moving to Chicago, from Cali!!!! where to work? live? help!?

I have tried apartments.com, rent.com, mynew,place.com, bjbpartners.com, rogerspark.com chicago tribune, craigslist and ever other d@mn rental site on the internet. I need a place close to loyola law school, water tower campus. Pref. in the gold coast/ streeterville area. Is there a specific building I should be interested in? Any advice will help a lot!! Also, where is a cool place to work? I am looking for somewhere in the hotel business or medical office. im 21 yrs old and will be going to to nearby city college. Are there any toher neighborhoods besides gold coast and streeterville that are all around safe?? I heard lincoln park is nice but i heard that some are some not so nice areas there.. Any advice or info can help!!!!

Public Comments

1. Gold Coast...Streeterville...Lincoln Park, in descending order as far as price, proximity, and snootiness. The closer to the lake, the more expensive the rent. Lincoln Park is a great place to live. It's close to most things you'll enjoy. Several hospitals are in the area, a few hotels. Others are accessable because public transportation is a plus. Nightlife and the lakefront are steps away. You already have excellent sources for apartments. Also try the Reader below for more. It's a free weekly newspaper with all the information on living in Chicago that you will need: http://www.chicagoreader.com/
2. try http://www.apartmentpeople.com/ or http://www.aptpeople.com/ as far as working goes...I am not too knowledgeable about that career area, sorry. GOOD LUCK!
3. Streeterville is expensive and if you're coming here without a job, you'd better find somewhere cheaper. Lincoln Park and Lakeview can be pricey as well (unless you have a roommate). Don't be afraid to look elsewhere. Chicago has great transportation so getting to work will be no problem. As for safety, the wealthier areas are the one that are safer. Makes sense, doesn't it? More well-to-do residents, more police protection. So you'd better get used to the idea that you won't be living in a totally crime-free area. Now there are some reasonable places with reasonable rent that are safer than others. My neighborhood, Edgewater, is fairly safe and the rent is pretty low (at least right now). Also check out the Andersonville area and maybe parts of Buena Park. All of these areas have great public transportation, meaning it's easy to get to Loyola's Water Tower Campus (in most cases, you only need to take one bus). Check the Chicago Reader apartment finder service (http://classifieds.chicagoreader.com/chicago/Results?subsection=oid%3A122). No area in Chicago is completely safe. This is the big city; there's going to be crime. Just learn how to avoid trouble and stay away from trouble spots and you'll be fine. As for work, you should really secure a job before you get here. Showing up in a big city like Chicago without a job or a steady income is not a good idea. Start looking more online like Careerbuilder.com, Monster.com, etc. Get your resume together and start sending it out. Get the job BEFORE moving here. Chicago is a relatively inexpensive city (except for gas) but you have to have SOME money before you get here. How are you going to rent an apartment without having a steady job? Landlords won't rent to someone without a steady income.
4. Do not move to Chicago! Chicago is more dangerous than California. Chicago is very expensive to live where rich people live. If you find cheap apartment that is not safe to live because of many gangs and murders! Chicago is very horror cold killer every winter.
5. Uptown, Lincoln Park, Wriglyville, that general area is great and close to public transportation also (train and bus). It seems the ONLY place to find an apartment nowadays in Chicago is to go through Apartment People, but they take what is important to you and work to find you a place. Go there in advance if possible to set up a place, shouldn't take more than 1 day if you go in the morning, they will even drive you around to view apartments.
6. I lived in the Patrician apartments in Lincoln Park for years, nice place right by the lake, tons of public transportation and lots of people your age. Google Fox Reality....look for the Patricians building. It is very safe. There are 4 buses right out the front door and a train 10 minutes walk away. You will always feel safe in that neighborhood. There is a grocery store out your back door, a post office across the street and tons of restuarants and shops. Good luck! Buy a down coat for winter that is long to your knees if you will be walking alot, as well as a good hat, gloves, scarf and boots...winters are brutal. When waiting for the bus, I can't tell you how much warmer I was in the down coat!!!
7. You better be making some $2/3k a month or more to live in the gold coast area. The west and south side are ghetto...north side is decent, and mixed...stick around the north area....oakbrook is nice but kinda way out from gold coast area... try chicago's craiglist....