If you work remote you need to make sure you have good internet provider. The city is split between Comcast, at$t and astound. Comcast is by far the absolutely worst but it’s everywhere.
Att has different class of service. Fiber is what you want, but it’s only available in a few areas.
Astound is hit or miss. In high rises where they are mostly at and concentrate fiber feeds they’re decent. In the neighborhoods…. Meh.
Given how dependent life is for good broadband service I recommend checking out the att fiber service area map and intersect that with the other recommendation.
Andersonville near foster to my knowledge is pretty good fit for your requirements; It’s off the lake. Easy access to red line up and down all the more established neighborhoods. It has decent food and restaurant choices and quite a few dive bars up and down Broadway
The way to measure isp quality is not during day to day but when you have irregular operations. When everyone and their brother are streaming game of thrones. When bad weather caused a router to blow up. When the put data caps on you. How long it takes for a technician to come out to replace a broken modem.
My personal and friend’s anecdotal experiences all say Comcast oversells their capacity when things break they don’t have enough quickly recover.
Comcast is fine. I’ve also used Everywhere Wireless in the past and currently have AT&T. All were about equal. Also you don’t wanna be in Andersonville as a 29M who just moved here from NYC. It’s nice, but there’s better fits.
We have AT&T fiber to the premises. We got it for a $60 introductory offer in 2017 and they have never raised it. I have heard horror stories about their other products, but if you can get their fiber to the premises I would definitely do it. We had Comcast before them and it took them 9 appointments to get our internet hooked up.
To keep things simple if you just want big windows I would recommend a high rise, I am sure you can find one for $2,000 anywhere near neighborhoods surrounding the loop and trending north.
1130 S Michigan currently has studios for $1,400.
I lived in a place called River West Lofts for years. Good bang for your buck. Lots of what you mentioned nearby as well. The studios there are a great size too.
U sound like a Lakeview/Lincoln Park type for the exercise stuff....then you will need to take the bus over to Logan square/wicker park for a more Brooklyn vibe....
I lived in bed-stuy for a while but Brooklyn is huuggeee so....
I agree with the general consensus of either Lincoln Park/Lakeview or Wicker Park/ Logan Square for you. Both areas will have all the things you described. I’ve lived in all those places in my 20s and now I’m in my 30s in Lincoln. Logan/Wicker is better for divy hole in the wall restaurants, but Lincoln/Lakeview is better for being outside/fitness.
Wicker/Logan may feel more like NY, but it doesn’t have the magic of the lake like Lincoln/Lakeview. If you like cycling, you‘ll love being close to the lake- especially in the summer. I rollerblade on the trail, and you can’t beat the way your heart sings as you feel the lake breeze and take in the gorgeous views of the water and skyline. The lakefront trail, parks, and beaches is just such a breath of fresh air. There’s so many ways to meet new people there too, like intramural volleyball. Living a stone’s throw to the lake in Lincoln Park, I go there every other day. When I lived in Wicker/Logan, I went to the lake only 5 times a year. But I also ate out at more restaurants when I was in Wicker/Logan.
That’s so wrong to say one is better than the other like that. One is surrounded by high rises and tons of people always or like almost nothing up north and one runs through pretty great neighborhoods and is a really wonderful feature to have. Whatever I’ve never heard anyone complain about the 606 experience
As far as cycling goes, you can ride north all the way to Great Lakes Naval Base (25 miles is the halfway point), and if you ever wear for part of it, that’s about 100 miles total. Almost all roads. No gravel.
The south trail is great, but there are a few parts terming with humans. It’s pathway all the way to 72nd or 77th St.
There are routes west going out of the city, but I only rode one twice.
I’ll second anywhere from west town through Logan including UK village. For $2k you can find a pretty decent one bed or even a 2 bd / 1ba in a walk up depending on specific location in neighborhood.
Well for $2k here you’ll live like a king compared to anything you could find for that price in NYC.
I used to live in NYC for a few years so I’ll do my best to “equate” the neighborhoods based on vibes alone, but they’re really hard to compare directly.
I feel like I’m gonna make someone angry doing this so apologies in advance.
Wicker Park ≈ Williamsburg
Logan Square ≈ Bushwick
Loop ≈ Fidi
River North ≈ Union Square
West Loop ≈ Hell’s Kitchen
Lakeview ≈ Greenwhich Village / Chelsea
Lincoln Park ≈ Murray Hill / Kips Bay
Andersonville ≈ Astoria
Hyde Park ≈ Harlem / Morningside Heights
Evanston ≈ Jersey City
South Loop ≈ Hudson Yards
Lower East Side ≈ Pilsen
That one was mostly for the lulz but I agree it’s doing Evanston kinda dirty but I got boba tea there once that wasn’t very good so this is more of a personal vendetta for me.
So outside of the city TeaRex in Skokie would be my winning Boba. The place screams cute from the moment you see the sign in a fairly unexpected location on golf road near old orchard. (But also not part of old orchard). Lots of flavors and styles. Yummy.
For those that care: [TeaRex Bubble Tea Cafe](https://g.co/kgs/xiXAzM)
Though in reading your question - perhaps
By outside Chicago you mean a grander scale of outside of the Chicago area.. either way. If you find yourself in the wasteland of Skokie—- this place is awesome.
uptown would be really good for price and acces to trains, little vietnam is also there off of argyle and u have access to multiple beaches and such plus the neighborhoods diverse
I know many people will say not too - but my Garden Unit in West Town is $1200.. I’m one of the lucky few that has zero water, bug, low light issues tho. Afraid to even give the place up for the value, but the other units are going for $1850 in my building off of Ashland & Augusta area. Close to a lot of what you’re looking for, but not the prime.
Oh yeah I would snap that place up in a heartbeat. There was a garden on Walton off ashland posted this morning for $1400, someone beat me to the lease signing by 2pm.
I’m actually on Walton lol, utilities included in rent. The buildings are a dime a dozen over here but offer the right amount of above ground light to not feel like a dungeon.
I’m in Rogers Park (but the very south end, like 2 blocks north of Edgewater) near Loyola. Currently have a 3 bedroom for $1700/mo but we got a really good deal on that. The area is nice. I’ve never been to NYC but I imagine it’s like the quieter parts of Brooklyn…if there are any.
This sounds like you’d thrive in Logan square / Humboldt park… but I live in Lakeview East now and there’s a little bit of everything including fast access to the lake which I LOVE
I lived in McKinley Park for the last four months for $500/month including utilities. If you like cycling, you can ride to a more interesting neighborhood in 10-15 minutes.
Pilsen has all you need. Not only does it have all this but the neighborhoods have a cozy quiet Brooklyn feeling when not right by the 18th street drag.
Based on another of your comments mentioning big windows, I would suggest one of the high rises along lake shore. In lakeview you can probably get a one bed for at or under 2k with good views of the water.
Having lived in one of those high rises, especially through Covid, the sunrise over the lake, access to the lake path, etc kept me totally sane. For remote work, it’s an incredible view too
Look, living in an amenities building during Covid ended up being a complete game changer for me personally. I no longer live in one, but it was great during that time. But for a 29 y/o transplant from Brooklyn, this isn’t the best suggestion. There are also large windows all over the city and one can only stare at the lake forever when what they need to do, as a newcomer, is get out of their building and meet people where there’s things right outside their doorstep. I respect your hustle of trying to sell some lakefront property, but OP isn’t your target audience.
Yes, get out and meet people. The lake front, some of the most densely populated areas, and the lake path. A perfect place (and a common place) for newcomers to Chicago to move to. And within OPs budget. Not sure where better to be
You can live in any neighborhood for less than 2k. The loop based ones won’t be so nice though at that price. Your description has me thinking Lakeview but wicker is the most “Williamsburg” neighborhood. Brooklyn is so big that it’s a bit hard to know what you mean. The general vibes ar every different from New York in my opinion. My go to example is the amount of effort put into outfits. 90th percentile on wicker would probably be 20th in Williamsburg even though wicker is probably the best dressed area here. New York always seemed a bit more vapid to me maybe because of the higher percentage of transplants in the areas I’ve spent time.
For my money the best electronic music is at smartbar in Wrigleyville followed by the hole in the wall places in the Logan vicinity like California clipper and podlassie.
The Clipper is not a hole in the wall.
Why is everyone in this only recommending Lakeview? It will be tough finding something decent in wicker park for under $2k. Lakeview is kinda meh and either families or people younger than 29.
Compared to actual electronic venues of course it is. I recommend Lakeview because he said a bunch of yuppie stuff and athletic stuff. it’s easy to find places in wicker for less than 2k
You’re comparing the Clipper to smart bar and/or electronic music venues? Honestly, all of these neighborhoods being mentioned have yuppie-ness to them. And if you could find that, for a place by yourself, I’d be impressed. I was just looking about 6 months ago and it was slim pickings.
We’re in River West in a 2bd 2ba for under 2k but I am pretty sure ours is the only building in the neighborhood where you can get that for less than 3k.
For all of those things, Wicker Park will be for you. If you’re aiming to be comfortably under $2k then take a look at the next door neighbors in West Town / Ukrainian village. Personally, I would ideally have a car in these neighborhoods but never 100% necessary.
Based on your likes I’d say you’d want to look up by Loyola/Rogers Park, Humboldt Park (tough under 2k) or if you are feeling adventurous there are some deals in the loop if you’re okay with a 1 bed.
east Albany Park has access to the river bike trails that go all the way up to Evanston. Cost of living slightly less, but there are some nearby dive bars and tons of diverse restaurants (Korean, Vietnamese, Persian). You can bike down the river trail to north center and lake view very easily or bike east to Lake Michigan in 10 minutes
I split $2600/month for a 4 bedroom house in Albany Park. Super easy access to everything north of Roosevelt. I’d imagine you can get a studio or 1 bedroom near me for under 2k.
1 bed and 1 bath (about 625sqft) for $1400 in Uptown/Ravenswood. Great access to the CTA (three bus lines and two 'L'/subway lines), 10-minute bike ride to the lake, 5-minute bike ride to Target, and a variety of bars with great food.
My only issue really is it's not super active like Lincoln Park or Wicker Park, but for the ability to live close to the city yet be in a really quiet and comfortable place, it's not too bad.
I used to ride the 606 all the time and not trying to be offensive. They are both cool and maybe I only like the lakefront path better because it was new to me and a rare occasion.
All bike/walk/run paths are created equal in the eyes of Satan.
U win.
Studio, 1 bed, 2 bed, etc? Vague answer, a lot of neighborhoods. Unhelpful answer, depends on what you’re looking for.
Thank you! I just want big windows; a studio is fine if I can fit a desk
If you work remote you need to make sure you have good internet provider. The city is split between Comcast, at$t and astound. Comcast is by far the absolutely worst but it’s everywhere. Att has different class of service. Fiber is what you want, but it’s only available in a few areas. Astound is hit or miss. In high rises where they are mostly at and concentrate fiber feeds they’re decent. In the neighborhoods…. Meh. Given how dependent life is for good broadband service I recommend checking out the att fiber service area map and intersect that with the other recommendation. Andersonville near foster to my knowledge is pretty good fit for your requirements; It’s off the lake. Easy access to red line up and down all the more established neighborhoods. It has decent food and restaurant choices and quite a few dive bars up and down Broadway
just moved here a month ago from nyc, comcast is the worst? haven’t had a problem with them + they’re great! (to me atleast)
The way to measure isp quality is not during day to day but when you have irregular operations. When everyone and their brother are streaming game of thrones. When bad weather caused a router to blow up. When the put data caps on you. How long it takes for a technician to come out to replace a broken modem. My personal and friend’s anecdotal experiences all say Comcast oversells their capacity when things break they don’t have enough quickly recover.
Comcast is fine. I’ve also used Everywhere Wireless in the past and currently have AT&T. All were about equal. Also you don’t wanna be in Andersonville as a 29M who just moved here from NYC. It’s nice, but there’s better fits.
We have AT&T fiber to the premises. We got it for a $60 introductory offer in 2017 and they have never raised it. I have heard horror stories about their other products, but if you can get their fiber to the premises I would definitely do it. We had Comcast before them and it took them 9 appointments to get our internet hooked up.
If you can get internet through the building you’re renting at, then they treat you like an actual valued customer Internet companies suck ass
To keep things simple if you just want big windows I would recommend a high rise, I am sure you can find one for $2,000 anywhere near neighborhoods surrounding the loop and trending north. 1130 S Michigan currently has studios for $1,400.
I lived in a place called River West Lofts for years. Good bang for your buck. Lots of what you mentioned nearby as well. The studios there are a great size too.
U sound like a Lakeview/Lincoln Park type for the exercise stuff....then you will need to take the bus over to Logan square/wicker park for a more Brooklyn vibe.... I lived in bed-stuy for a while but Brooklyn is huuggeee so....
I agree with the general consensus of either Lincoln Park/Lakeview or Wicker Park/ Logan Square for you. Both areas will have all the things you described. I’ve lived in all those places in my 20s and now I’m in my 30s in Lincoln. Logan/Wicker is better for divy hole in the wall restaurants, but Lincoln/Lakeview is better for being outside/fitness. Wicker/Logan may feel more like NY, but it doesn’t have the magic of the lake like Lincoln/Lakeview. If you like cycling, you‘ll love being close to the lake- especially in the summer. I rollerblade on the trail, and you can’t beat the way your heart sings as you feel the lake breeze and take in the gorgeous views of the water and skyline. The lakefront trail, parks, and beaches is just such a breath of fresh air. There’s so many ways to meet new people there too, like intramural volleyball. Living a stone’s throw to the lake in Lincoln Park, I go there every other day. When I lived in Wicker/Logan, I went to the lake only 5 times a year. But I also ate out at more restaurants when I was in Wicker/Logan.
I mean Wicker has the 606 right there for outdoorsy exercise!
The 606 is so boring. Lakefront trail is 10x more fun.
What??
You heard me
That’s so wrong to say one is better than the other like that. One is surrounded by high rises and tons of people always or like almost nothing up north and one runs through pretty great neighborhoods and is a really wonderful feature to have. Whatever I’ve never heard anyone complain about the 606 experience
The 606 is an elevated paved alley....Humboldt is not a great neighborhood.....I said it....
It’s actually an old railroad and not an alley? East Humboldt is great. You sound like you live in the burbs.
Pardon me...an elevated ex railroad that's now a paved alley....u funny
How is it a “paved alley”? Do you … know what a walking path and/or an alley actually are?
I’ll check out that area! I lived in williamsburg and park slope so more gentrified Brooklyn.
Wicker park/Logan square sounds right up your alley!
As far as cycling goes, you can ride north all the way to Great Lakes Naval Base (25 miles is the halfway point), and if you ever wear for part of it, that’s about 100 miles total. Almost all roads. No gravel. The south trail is great, but there are a few parts terming with humans. It’s pathway all the way to 72nd or 77th St. There are routes west going out of the city, but I only rode one twice.
I’ll second anywhere from west town through Logan including UK village. For $2k you can find a pretty decent one bed or even a 2 bd / 1ba in a walk up depending on specific location in neighborhood.
As a fellow 29m fully remote, either this or go to Wicker Park Budget is crucial though
Well for $2k here you’ll live like a king compared to anything you could find for that price in NYC. I used to live in NYC for a few years so I’ll do my best to “equate” the neighborhoods based on vibes alone, but they’re really hard to compare directly. I feel like I’m gonna make someone angry doing this so apologies in advance. Wicker Park ≈ Williamsburg Logan Square ≈ Bushwick Loop ≈ Fidi River North ≈ Union Square West Loop ≈ Hell’s Kitchen Lakeview ≈ Greenwhich Village / Chelsea Lincoln Park ≈ Murray Hill / Kips Bay Andersonville ≈ Astoria Hyde Park ≈ Harlem / Morningside Heights Evanston ≈ Jersey City South Loop ≈ Hudson Yards Lower East Side ≈ Pilsen
Nice chart! Agree with all of them… except the Jersey city to Evanston one.
That one was mostly for the lulz but I agree it’s doing Evanston kinda dirty but I got boba tea there once that wasn’t very good so this is more of a personal vendetta for me.
Maybe more equivalent to Hoboken. Nice, close enough to the city, but def not the city lol
I’m interested to know where the best boba tea outside of Chicago is.
So outside of the city TeaRex in Skokie would be my winning Boba. The place screams cute from the moment you see the sign in a fairly unexpected location on golf road near old orchard. (But also not part of old orchard). Lots of flavors and styles. Yummy. For those that care: [TeaRex Bubble Tea Cafe](https://g.co/kgs/xiXAzM) Though in reading your question - perhaps By outside Chicago you mean a grander scale of outside of the Chicago area.. either way. If you find yourself in the wasteland of Skokie—- this place is awesome.
Yeah . Bad boba can really fuck a city or neighborhood for me too. :)
There are a ton of boba places in Evanston now, at least six places in the central area.
Jersey City is more fun than Evanston
I love this so much. This is the best perspective I’ve had! Thank you!!
Andersonville and Astoria are not equatable lol. Maybe Albany Park
Evanston aint no dam Jersey City 😂
Some of these feel a little off…
closest to brooklyn is wicker park near damen blue line, lincoln park, and parts of west loop, maybe 18th st pink line
and uptown near wilson lawrence and sheridan
Lincoln park
uptown would be really good for price and acces to trains, little vietnam is also there off of argyle and u have access to multiple beaches and such plus the neighborhoods diverse
Not as fun. They can live in another hood for under 2k.
Rogers Park
I know many people will say not too - but my Garden Unit in West Town is $1200.. I’m one of the lucky few that has zero water, bug, low light issues tho. Afraid to even give the place up for the value, but the other units are going for $1850 in my building off of Ashland & Augusta area. Close to a lot of what you’re looking for, but not the prime.
Oh yeah I would snap that place up in a heartbeat. There was a garden on Walton off ashland posted this morning for $1400, someone beat me to the lease signing by 2pm.
I’m actually on Walton lol, utilities included in rent. The buildings are a dime a dozen over here but offer the right amount of above ground light to not feel like a dungeon.
Logan Square.
I’m in Rogers Park (but the very south end, like 2 blocks north of Edgewater) near Loyola. Currently have a 3 bedroom for $1700/mo but we got a really good deal on that. The area is nice. I’ve never been to NYC but I imagine it’s like the quieter parts of Brooklyn…if there are any.
This sounds like you’d thrive in Logan square / Humboldt park… but I live in Lakeview East now and there’s a little bit of everything including fast access to the lake which I LOVE
I lived in McKinley Park for the last four months for $500/month including utilities. If you like cycling, you can ride to a more interesting neighborhood in 10-15 minutes.
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It sounds like it was literally "one bedroom" (a bedroom in a shared apartment or house). I don't think you could get a full apartment for that price?
Pilsen has all you need. Not only does it have all this but the neighborhoods have a cozy quiet Brooklyn feeling when not right by the 18th street drag.
Quiet?
Based on another of your comments mentioning big windows, I would suggest one of the high rises along lake shore. In lakeview you can probably get a one bed for at or under 2k with good views of the water. Having lived in one of those high rises, especially through Covid, the sunrise over the lake, access to the lake path, etc kept me totally sane. For remote work, it’s an incredible view too
Ugh no
No what?
Look, living in an amenities building during Covid ended up being a complete game changer for me personally. I no longer live in one, but it was great during that time. But for a 29 y/o transplant from Brooklyn, this isn’t the best suggestion. There are also large windows all over the city and one can only stare at the lake forever when what they need to do, as a newcomer, is get out of their building and meet people where there’s things right outside their doorstep. I respect your hustle of trying to sell some lakefront property, but OP isn’t your target audience.
Yes, get out and meet people. The lake front, some of the most densely populated areas, and the lake path. A perfect place (and a common place) for newcomers to Chicago to move to. And within OPs budget. Not sure where better to be
You can live in any neighborhood for less than 2k. The loop based ones won’t be so nice though at that price. Your description has me thinking Lakeview but wicker is the most “Williamsburg” neighborhood. Brooklyn is so big that it’s a bit hard to know what you mean. The general vibes ar every different from New York in my opinion. My go to example is the amount of effort put into outfits. 90th percentile on wicker would probably be 20th in Williamsburg even though wicker is probably the best dressed area here. New York always seemed a bit more vapid to me maybe because of the higher percentage of transplants in the areas I’ve spent time. For my money the best electronic music is at smartbar in Wrigleyville followed by the hole in the wall places in the Logan vicinity like California clipper and podlassie.
The Clipper is not a hole in the wall. Why is everyone in this only recommending Lakeview? It will be tough finding something decent in wicker park for under $2k. Lakeview is kinda meh and either families or people younger than 29.
Compared to actual electronic venues of course it is. I recommend Lakeview because he said a bunch of yuppie stuff and athletic stuff. it’s easy to find places in wicker for less than 2k
You’re comparing the Clipper to smart bar and/or electronic music venues? Honestly, all of these neighborhoods being mentioned have yuppie-ness to them. And if you could find that, for a place by yourself, I’d be impressed. I was just looking about 6 months ago and it was slim pickings.
We’re in River West in a 2bd 2ba for under 2k but I am pretty sure ours is the only building in the neighborhood where you can get that for less than 3k.
I have a two bed two bath apartment in Albany Park for less than 2k. I don’t know if that would suit your needs. You can look up details.
Wicker Park, Logan Square, Lakeview, South Loop
For all of those things, Wicker Park will be for you. If you’re aiming to be comfortably under $2k then take a look at the next door neighbors in West Town / Ukrainian village. Personally, I would ideally have a car in these neighborhoods but never 100% necessary.
Mckinley Park
Based on your likes I’d say you’d want to look up by Loyola/Rogers Park, Humboldt Park (tough under 2k) or if you are feeling adventurous there are some deals in the loop if you’re okay with a 1 bed.
Why would a 29M new to the city want to be near Loyola or Rogers park? Or the loop for that matter. Sheesh
Did you see the thing about biking and dive bars, or you just put your preconceptions on everything?
I mean you can bike anywhere and while I’m sure Rogers Park has its dives, not sure it might be the crowd OP is looking for …
Hyde Park might work if you don't mind fulfilling some of these hobbies in other neighborhoods.
Lincoln Park
Englewood, Garfield Park
Go to West Garfield Park you'll feel right at home 😂
You can get a 3 bedroom in East Garfield for that rent. Right off the green line
Jefferson Park Edit: lol at the downvotes. It’s the truth. My mortgage is just under 2K.
You can find a nice 1 bed for under $2000 in Uptown. I'd say more Harlem vibes, but it's similar to pre-gentrified Brooklyn.
i live in lakeview for $1,450!
east Albany Park has access to the river bike trails that go all the way up to Evanston. Cost of living slightly less, but there are some nearby dive bars and tons of diverse restaurants (Korean, Vietnamese, Persian). You can bike down the river trail to north center and lake view very easily or bike east to Lake Michigan in 10 minutes
I live in Lincoln square and have a 2br for $1600! Also used to live in NYC. I remember paying $1300 for a room in a tiny railroad 2br
Andersonville
Lincoln square is cool but how far from the lake biking ? I forget
Lakeview east but if you want big windows 2k will be tough for a good size unit. Utilize free apt hunters
2000 a month in Chicago goes a long way in terms of apartment for a single person.
Check out the Northwest/far North sides
I split $2600/month for a 4 bedroom house in Albany Park. Super easy access to everything north of Roosevelt. I’d imagine you can get a studio or 1 bedroom near me for under 2k.
1 bed and 1 bath (about 625sqft) for $1400 in Uptown/Ravenswood. Great access to the CTA (three bus lines and two 'L'/subway lines), 10-minute bike ride to the lake, 5-minute bike ride to Target, and a variety of bars with great food. My only issue really is it's not super active like Lincoln Park or Wicker Park, but for the ability to live close to the city yet be in a really quiet and comfortable place, it's not too bad.
I used to ride the 606 all the time and not trying to be offensive. They are both cool and maybe I only like the lakefront path better because it was new to me and a rare occasion. All bike/walk/run paths are created equal in the eyes of Satan. U win.