tweetexT

I have been transferred to Chicago
I love Chicago but I really like Seattle. My offices will be near O'HARE and I want to find decent rental accomodation nearby. Any suggestions as to the neighbourhoods around Wooddale. Is Wood Dale an expensive area?
Thanks.

theladyjess

Try rent.net or apartments.com They both have lists of apartments and thier approximate rent. Sometimes they have info on the area. Also check the local newspapers on line.

wagsdvm

There's no reason you couldn't commute from a downtown apt. to O'Hare office location -- will take 30 minutes without traffic and about 1 hour during rush. If you are single, I'd definitely recommend checking out the city and taking advantage of the great urban lifestyle, lakefront and parks. A good source for rentals in the city is The Reader. I'm sure they have a website if you do a search.

patg

Is your office reachable by public transportation? If so, consider places along the O'Hare el line, or whatever you'll be using. If not, you'll have the expense and hassle of a car. While living downtown is great, it is very expensive - rent is at least 25% more than the nearby suburbs, plus parking and higher car insurance. For city apartments, go to spacefinder at
www.chireader.com
Also, do a search for a good map of Chicago neighborhoods. Even though they aren't officially designated, it's the way everyone identifies their property.

It also makes a difference which side of O'Hare your office is on. Getting around the airport is one big traffic snarl during rush hours. There is a reliable publisher of community papers at
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-newsstand
If the southwest side of O'Hare, where tiny Wood Dale is located, is best, look at ads for Addison, Bensenville, Itasca and Elk Grove. If your office is east or north of the airport, try Des Plaines, Arlington Heights, Niles or Norridge. As you can see, a really good Chicago map should be your first purchase!

tweetexT

Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I will check The reader. I went and bought a good map yesterday. That helps a lot

patg

I forgot to mention Park Ridge as a possibility; although the housing stock is not new, it is a wealthy area and has a nice downtown with a train into the city. Anything within 5 miles of O'Hare has a noticeable noise factor, however. Good luck!

wagsdvm

There is a wide variety of apt. choices in Chicago -- I wouldn't just assume it's going to be consistently more expensive than some of the suburbs. Anyway, after having the perspective of living in the city 10 years and growing up in the suburbs, you really must give the city a try. Most suburbs offer nothing distinct -- only the usual malls and traffic -- unless of course you're looking for schools (should you have children). After living in Seattle, you will definitely appreciate being near the lakefront, the fantastic parks, zoo, museums, interesting neighborhoods galore (there are festivals each and every weekend of the summer), restaurants, bars, etc. I really love being able to walk or taxi/bus everywhere and to most everything I need as Chicago is one of the few American cities that is truly urban and liveable (ask any of the New Yorkers who have moved to Chicago and loved it for those reasons).

You're also going to need more than a map and the newspaper real estate listings. Chicago is huge. You will need to make a market trip to have realtors take you around to locate some properties (any of the majors like Coldwell-Banker should be able to help you out -- even with rentals in the city). Also, if you don't feel like driving to work, you should be able to commute by el train to your O'Hare area office and live in Chicago in an area like Bucktown, Wicker Park and others near the el stations.

Good luck!