Where to live in Chicago
 

My husband and I will be moving to Chicago in a few months for three years and we do not know what neighborhoods we should look into. We will probably be renting because we will probably only be there the three years. No kids yet. We want to be in the heart of things, near restaurants and places to explore. Thanks in advance.

Chicago is BIG; there are 9 million people in the greater metropolitan area. You need to start by dealing with your commute, assuming you have jobs or classes lined up. If so, the people there would be a great resource. <BR><BR>One problem is that Chicagoans speak "neigborhoodese." Neighborhoods are named by a system that has arguably vague definitions. This map may help<BR>http://www.chgocitytours.com/NMap.htm <BR><BR>The best idea is to find a place along public transportation; this could be a bus, commuter train or el/subway. Keeping a car in the city is an expensive, time-consuming hassle. I used to have one, which we really only used on weekends. My downstairs neighbors didn't keep one but rented a car most weekends; they spent less than we did! Buy yourself a good quality Chicago street map, and go to<BR>http://www.metrarail.com and<BR>www.chicagotransit.com for maps of the commuter system. Good luck!

Hi Casey,<BR><BR>You would probably enjoy a living in a lot of the great neighborhoods here in Chicago. Some you will probably like to check into are Lincoln Park, Gold Coast, Olde Town, Bucktown, and Lakeview, but there are many many others, which deserve a look. For a great overview on the different neighborhoods in Chicago visit: http://chicago.citysearch.com/feature/15797/ Good luck and welcome to Chicago!

I used to live in Lincoln park and then DePaul area. Nice trendy areas include, the Gold Coast and around Division Street and River Vorth area. Bucktown and adjoining areas are growing in popularity. You need to get a map and decide for yourselves.

My best freind just moved to Chicago and loves it! She lives in a high rise right behind the Water Tower off Michigan Avenue. Right in the middle of everything.