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Originally Posted by elder18
I live in a small college town (25,000 people) right now.
I've been to Chicago a few times and really enjoyed it.
How about neighborhoods to avoid, things like that?
Thanks!
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Depends on what you're into, really. Are you looking to move into the actual city, or the suburbs?
Don't go downtown - there's no point, the entire city is accessible within minutes by train, and downtown is MAD expensive (1-bedroom condos on Lakeshore Dr. cost upwards of $1 million).
I recommend the north or far north side, mostly because that's where I'm used to. The south side is a bit sketchy, and I don't know what the hell they do on the east and west sides - they're some kind of no-man's-land. But anyway, the north side is not very posh, but it has tons of character. Every block is a different ethnicity, and it has the most amazing venues/restaurants/theaters/shops that are holes in the wall, but offer a wealth of good shit.
Unless you're extremely wealthy and/or a yuppie, I wouldn't bother with Lincoln Park or Irving Park in the north. Bucktown is pretty good, and Grant Park isn't bad. Rogers Park is good, if you don't go too far north. But Loyola is in Rogers Park, and I for one find college students rather irritating.
Anywhere around Fullerton or Belmont is FABULOUS, if you can afford it.
It's cold here in the winter. REAL cold. Like, freeze your snot in your nose cold. And the wind is a force to be reckoned with. It's quite funny walking by the lake on a windy day - you watch people fall on their asses at random because the wind pushes them over. But if you can handle that, hey, come on down.