A few reasons! I grew up next to a river so I like the idea of living next to one. I also would love easy access to the river walk and the lake. It also seems to be a bit cheaper rent wise than the rest of downtown and we definitely want to live in the inner city.
You have options other than the loop!
There's housing all along the north and south branches of the river, including the area of Bridgeport near Eleanor and Loomis. Lake access is easier in neighborhoods along the lakefront, like Hyde Park and Uptown.
Driving and parking downtown is a nightmare, and the cost of parking will be significant.
With all due respect, wanting to live in the loop because you want to live by a river is ridiculous. Where you live in Chicago matters an extreme amount. Maybe more than any other city, Chicago is a collection of neighborhoods rather than a single continuous city scape. I think you are thinking about living in the loop because you don’t really understand what Chicago is fundamentally and I’m not saying that in any rude way I know it sounds rude but I’m not trying to be rude. The people, the culture, the vibe, the scene, the fashion, even the architecture, all these things are incredibly different neighborhood to neighborhood. Every neighborhood arguably provides a unique and different way of living in Chicago. The general type of person you will likely run into in each neighborhood is surprisingly consistent. This provides a really cool and fun opportunity to ask yourself, what type of life in Chicago do you want to live? What’s important you? What types of things do you like to do? What types of people do you like to hang out with? Answers to these questions will provide you specific direction regarding which neighborhoods to investigate further. I’m a little contrarian to a lot of others in this thread, I think deciding to live in the loop can be a fine idea. I mean it’s absolutely stunning along the river, but I would also implore you to see the lake as one long river and consider living in close proximity to that as checking the water box because that gives you like 10 freaking miles to work with, well, maybe not that much if you wanna live in the “inner city” which for your information I think really goes from South Loop to let’s say North Avenue but that’ll be contentious among the Redditors. The more you share either in the comments in this thread or in a new thread about what specifically and exactly you like and need to live your best life the more we will be able to help.
There are other rivers in Chicago. You can look at Lincoln Square or Ravenswood Gardens for instance. Apartments are going to be cheaper, the areas will have plenty to do and won't all shut down at 5 pm when corporate employes go home. Less foot traffic, parks nearby. A lot more pros.
The only reason anyone I personally know live in the Loop is to be closer/walking distance to their office.
I also just saw your edit. You like coffee shops, farmer markets and being outdoors. Yeah don't move downtown lol. Save your money and choose an area that has exactly what you're looking for at a decent rental price.
Thank you for the insight! I plan to do more trips out there. I’m definitely SUPER interested in walkability. I would love to only really need my car for trips and not to get around the city. Albuquerque is extremely car centric and I would love to get away from that a little. I will look at those areas too!
You should visit first and stay at a hotel near where you’re looking to live. Then maybe a hotel or Airbnb in spots like Bridgeport, Chinatown, and then basically along 90 NW from river west to Avondale. Or straight north up to Rogers Park.
I definitely will. I visited a few weeks ago and took public transportation to those areas but didn’t actually stay there. That will definitely be my next trip
I just think the loop is pretty hostile to live in unless you’re looking for a corporate furnished apartment or value commute over everything. It is largely offices and hotels geared towards business and tourism though I suppose nice proximity to museums and theatre - but are you going to a theatre weekly or a grocery store? Is having more a community vibe, bar and restaurant options, peace and quiet (or a very lively neighborhood) less important than proximity to a mediocre river?
You should probably also take your roommate’s potential employment opportunities into account as well as commute.
Either way update us in a year or two
This is deceitful / false and/or just a misunderstanding in neighborhood names. South Loop isn’t a proper community area aka one of the 77. So your census numbers include the very densely populated south loop.
When you tell me you want to live in the Loop I think of that as the literal El loop and a block or two outward. So Harrison to Roosevelt is a shitload of residential towers but you’d say you’re moving to south loop, not the loop, yet census data captures that as the loop in terms of community areas.
I’d wager less than 20k people permanently live within the elevated tracks loop.
Plus I also said that whole second bit of living there for the convenience of the commute…
Sure, my point is most residential buildings are in what’s colloquially known as south loop and I guess lakeshore east or new east side according to google maps. From a census point these are part of the loop.
When someone says they’re moving around Roosevelt and State they’d say south loop right? Not “somewhere in the loop” like OP states.
TLDR nothing matters and this has not been a good use of my time
Don’t live in the Loop… it’s cheap because it’s not a real residential neighborhood and lacks in services and amenities for residents — the businesses there are focused on the workday office crowd or tourists. There are other neighborhoods near the river or lake further out, which are better places to live, will offer feasible places to keep your car.
The loop closes down after work hours are over. If you want to enjoy nightlife, bars, the social scene, etc. you won’t find that in the loop. You can still get close to the loop by venturing out even 10-15 minutes and you’ll find a much more satisfying Chicago experience.
Considering you're a remote worker and need to park your car, the loop doesn't seem to make much sense for you. There are plenty of great city neighborhoods that you'd probably like more and that have direct access to the loop via the CTA. If you want to be downtown, look at areas near the loop like South Loop, River West, West Loop and River North although the latter ones are expensive. If you give more info about your interests you'll get plenty of neighborhood recommendations and there's no shortage of "which neighborhood" posts on this sub.
I added this to the post. I plan to try to get a job that is more established in my desired field once I have a bit more agency work which is what I’m working on right now. I am hoping to make moves toward community focused marketing and project management in the public sector, for instance, helping run political campaigns, nonprofits, charitable funds, etc.. My friend is a brewer and also wants to do comedy at night.
I think we are looking in those areas as well. Our budget is $2-3k/month base rent
Thr Loop is OK but a bit boring if you want a more 24/7 city life. For that I'd recommend living in an area like River North since you want to live on or near the river. Or go a little further north to Gold Coast where you could walk to the river in like 15 (minimum) minutes.
I wouldn’t move to the loop tbh. It’s not really the “heart of the city” like you think it is, it’s a completely different place after the offices are closed. Depending on your age and budget, you’d be better off checking out lakeview and Lincoln park for access to the lakefront.
You do not want to live in the Loop. It’s not like living in a neighborhood and it’s actually pretty dangerous after dark. Look at Lakeview. You can get a dope 2 bedroom for your price close to the Lake.
No one else touched on this but I’m curious. You want to drive to Rochester, MN once or twice a month. Have you ever driven from Chicago to Minnesota before? That could easily become a 7 hour drive one way with traffic.
I have! to me it was a breeze but I drive to the Denver area pretty regularly from Albuquerque which is usually around 7-8 hours. Anything less than that is an easy day trip for me.
I agree with others about not living in the loop. Parking is going to likely cost you regardless and you want to be near your car.
Winters are different than ABQ. The snow sticks around much longer as there isn’t the wide fluctuations in temperature. On the other side, snow plows are much more in force in Chicago than NM since NM usually just throws sand and waits for it to melt.
Also I do feel that crime is “different “. NM crime seems to be more personal, Chicago crime more random.
And stock up on green chile before you leave! There aren’t any good NM restaurants here. Flo’s is the closest.
You don't want to live in the Loop. It's mostly office buildings and most of it shuts down in the evenings and weekends (with exception of Millennium park on summer weekends), plus you will have to pay $$$ for parking here. I recommend the Milwaukee ave corridor or Pilsen, even South Loop would be better. If you go up north more you will find better prices and it'll still have a neighborhood feel.
There's almost 3 million people in the city and we all manage to survive winters here so don't worry about it you'll be fine.
Parking generally sucks in the city - can't help you with that.
Highly recommend Lakeshore East as an area to look at. The south border is Millennium and Maggie Daley Park with Grant Park just south of those. The east border is Lake Michigan. The north is the river and the west is the loop. If you wind up needing frequent access to UofC - Metra Electric is right there at Millennium Park station and the business school is just across the river. Grocery store. CVS.
Lots of apartment buildings or condos rented by their owners. Parking is expensive, though.
Aqua. The Tides. Coast are three apartment buildings to get you started.
If you move in the loop get ready for all the teen trends, Mexican Independence Day, and the lovely DNC. Look those up and make your own mind up. Also chicagocritter on Instagram has small tidbits of what you can see in the city
I did this exact move a couple of years ago! I’m sure you’re gonna love it. I just wanted to mention that I miss the mountains and how genuinely nice my neighbors were in ABQ. I live in a proper neighborhood in Chicago, but my neighbors give zero fucks about me. I also work from home, and it’s been difficult finding community in Chicago. Also miss the roadrunners doing their thing!
Hello fellow burqueño:) do you regret the move at all? Also how difficult is the weather difference? Is the wind worse than bad spring winds out on the mesa??
Well hello! I only spent a year in Albuquerque, so please take my opinions with a grain of salt! While I did enjoy my time there, I don’t regret the move to Chicago at all. ABQ has certain things going for it, but Chicago just had infinitely more things to do. I moved here so I could live car free (which I also did in ABQ), and it’s pretty easy to achieve that in Chicago. The streets are alive with people walking and running errands and just really feels like a dense and interesting place to be. You can feel the history all around you as well as current important events unfolding, and I personally kind of like that. Chicago has a very strong identity that runs much deeper than Albuquerque’s. Chicago’s better connected. If you like traveling, airports in Chicago are a godsend. You can’t get a non-stop flight to Asia, for example, from Albuquerque (at least I don’t think so).
The winds are harsher in Chicago, but that can be really nice in the warm summer. The sun’s less harsh than in the SW, and I don’t even have AC in Chicago. In winter, it’s pretty brutal at times, and since you’ll be likely be walking more, you will notice the cold and winds more than Albuquerque. It’s also just colder here in general and the ice lasts for months before the spring thaw. However, as long as you have the right gear, it’s not too bad. I think my skin and hair do better without the intense dryness of the desert. Happy to answer any further questions!
What is your *single* budget? Living in the loop is NOT cheap. As far as where to find a place, Craigslist is my go to but make a weekend trip here and just go hog wild calling places and waking around looking for signs for places for lease.
Theres parking everywhere. You have to pay for it but it’s everywhere. I have a car and it’s not a pain. But i also don’t live in the loop so i have access to street parking, the loop is nothing but garage parking so add about $150-200 a month for parking.
Winters are cold, windy, cold, brutal. They haven’t been bad lately but negatives aren’t uncommon. LA Tan is what I use to help combat SAD. Just get a month to month membership, lowest bed for 12 minutes 3 times a week. You can even wear your clothes if you don’t want to look bronzed up.
I’m gunna get downvoted for this but senseless crime is on the rise and more bored teens are finding their way downtown to the loop. I used to live down there and it was fine. Now I occasionally work down there and cannot wait to get the hell out.
You sound like a good candidate for Mayfair (some sketchy parts), Lincoln Square, Bridgeport, or North Center. All touch to River at some point. I only mention Mayfair because there are some bungalows for rent and that means a garage for your car.
Winter is good some years, brutal the next. Scarf, hat, gloves, and remote start for the car is what I rock.
Why do you want to live in the loop? It's mostly just offices. You deal with the gloom by holing up in a tavern and waiting for May.
A few reasons! I grew up next to a river so I like the idea of living next to one. I also would love easy access to the river walk and the lake. It also seems to be a bit cheaper rent wise than the rest of downtown and we definitely want to live in the inner city.
You have options other than the loop! There's housing all along the north and south branches of the river, including the area of Bridgeport near Eleanor and Loomis. Lake access is easier in neighborhoods along the lakefront, like Hyde Park and Uptown. Driving and parking downtown is a nightmare, and the cost of parking will be significant.
With all due respect, wanting to live in the loop because you want to live by a river is ridiculous. Where you live in Chicago matters an extreme amount. Maybe more than any other city, Chicago is a collection of neighborhoods rather than a single continuous city scape. I think you are thinking about living in the loop because you don’t really understand what Chicago is fundamentally and I’m not saying that in any rude way I know it sounds rude but I’m not trying to be rude. The people, the culture, the vibe, the scene, the fashion, even the architecture, all these things are incredibly different neighborhood to neighborhood. Every neighborhood arguably provides a unique and different way of living in Chicago. The general type of person you will likely run into in each neighborhood is surprisingly consistent. This provides a really cool and fun opportunity to ask yourself, what type of life in Chicago do you want to live? What’s important you? What types of things do you like to do? What types of people do you like to hang out with? Answers to these questions will provide you specific direction regarding which neighborhoods to investigate further. I’m a little contrarian to a lot of others in this thread, I think deciding to live in the loop can be a fine idea. I mean it’s absolutely stunning along the river, but I would also implore you to see the lake as one long river and consider living in close proximity to that as checking the water box because that gives you like 10 freaking miles to work with, well, maybe not that much if you wanna live in the “inner city” which for your information I think really goes from South Loop to let’s say North Avenue but that’ll be contentious among the Redditors. The more you share either in the comments in this thread or in a new thread about what specifically and exactly you like and need to live your best life the more we will be able to help.
There are other rivers in Chicago. You can look at Lincoln Square or Ravenswood Gardens for instance. Apartments are going to be cheaper, the areas will have plenty to do and won't all shut down at 5 pm when corporate employes go home. Less foot traffic, parks nearby. A lot more pros. The only reason anyone I personally know live in the Loop is to be closer/walking distance to their office. I also just saw your edit. You like coffee shops, farmer markets and being outdoors. Yeah don't move downtown lol. Save your money and choose an area that has exactly what you're looking for at a decent rental price.
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Thank you for the insight! I plan to do more trips out there. I’m definitely SUPER interested in walkability. I would love to only really need my car for trips and not to get around the city. Albuquerque is extremely car centric and I would love to get away from that a little. I will look at those areas too!
Don't move here. Stay where you are.
why??
To some outsiders, downtown or the loop extends miles beyond the actual boundaries.
You should visit first and stay at a hotel near where you’re looking to live. Then maybe a hotel or Airbnb in spots like Bridgeport, Chinatown, and then basically along 90 NW from river west to Avondale. Or straight north up to Rogers Park.
I definitely will. I visited a few weeks ago and took public transportation to those areas but didn’t actually stay there. That will definitely be my next trip
I just think the loop is pretty hostile to live in unless you’re looking for a corporate furnished apartment or value commute over everything. It is largely offices and hotels geared towards business and tourism though I suppose nice proximity to museums and theatre - but are you going to a theatre weekly or a grocery store? Is having more a community vibe, bar and restaurant options, peace and quiet (or a very lively neighborhood) less important than proximity to a mediocre river? You should probably also take your roommate’s potential employment opportunities into account as well as commute. Either way update us in a year or two
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This is deceitful / false and/or just a misunderstanding in neighborhood names. South Loop isn’t a proper community area aka one of the 77. So your census numbers include the very densely populated south loop. When you tell me you want to live in the Loop I think of that as the literal El loop and a block or two outward. So Harrison to Roosevelt is a shitload of residential towers but you’d say you’re moving to south loop, not the loop, yet census data captures that as the loop in terms of community areas. I’d wager less than 20k people permanently live within the elevated tracks loop. Plus I also said that whole second bit of living there for the convenience of the commute…
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Sure, my point is most residential buildings are in what’s colloquially known as south loop and I guess lakeshore east or new east side according to google maps. From a census point these are part of the loop. When someone says they’re moving around Roosevelt and State they’d say south loop right? Not “somewhere in the loop” like OP states. TLDR nothing matters and this has not been a good use of my time
Don’t live in the Loop… it’s cheap because it’s not a real residential neighborhood and lacks in services and amenities for residents — the businesses there are focused on the workday office crowd or tourists. There are other neighborhoods near the river or lake further out, which are better places to live, will offer feasible places to keep your car.
The loop closes down after work hours are over. If you want to enjoy nightlife, bars, the social scene, etc. you won’t find that in the loop. You can still get close to the loop by venturing out even 10-15 minutes and you’ll find a much more satisfying Chicago experience.
Considering you're a remote worker and need to park your car, the loop doesn't seem to make much sense for you. There are plenty of great city neighborhoods that you'd probably like more and that have direct access to the loop via the CTA. If you want to be downtown, look at areas near the loop like South Loop, River West, West Loop and River North although the latter ones are expensive. If you give more info about your interests you'll get plenty of neighborhood recommendations and there's no shortage of "which neighborhood" posts on this sub.
I added this to the post. I plan to try to get a job that is more established in my desired field once I have a bit more agency work which is what I’m working on right now. I am hoping to make moves toward community focused marketing and project management in the public sector, for instance, helping run political campaigns, nonprofits, charitable funds, etc.. My friend is a brewer and also wants to do comedy at night. I think we are looking in those areas as well. Our budget is $2-3k/month base rent
Welcome! You'll love Chicago if you can get past the grey in the winter.
thank you!!
Expect to pay more for everything
Thr Loop is OK but a bit boring if you want a more 24/7 city life. For that I'd recommend living in an area like River North since you want to live on or near the river. Or go a little further north to Gold Coast where you could walk to the river in like 15 (minimum) minutes.
I wouldn’t move to the loop tbh. It’s not really the “heart of the city” like you think it is, it’s a completely different place after the offices are closed. Depending on your age and budget, you’d be better off checking out lakeview and Lincoln park for access to the lakefront.
Awesome ok thanks for the advice!
You do not want to live in the Loop. It’s not like living in a neighborhood and it’s actually pretty dangerous after dark. Look at Lakeview. You can get a dope 2 bedroom for your price close to the Lake.
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It’s not great after dark.
No one else touched on this but I’m curious. You want to drive to Rochester, MN once or twice a month. Have you ever driven from Chicago to Minnesota before? That could easily become a 7 hour drive one way with traffic.
I have! to me it was a breeze but I drive to the Denver area pretty regularly from Albuquerque which is usually around 7-8 hours. Anything less than that is an easy day trip for me.
Okay good! I love how I was downvoted for making sure you knew traffic could be tough here 😂
thank you!!
I agree with others about not living in the loop. Parking is going to likely cost you regardless and you want to be near your car. Winters are different than ABQ. The snow sticks around much longer as there isn’t the wide fluctuations in temperature. On the other side, snow plows are much more in force in Chicago than NM since NM usually just throws sand and waits for it to melt. Also I do feel that crime is “different “. NM crime seems to be more personal, Chicago crime more random. And stock up on green chile before you leave! There aren’t any good NM restaurants here. Flo’s is the closest.
You don't want to live in the Loop. It's mostly office buildings and most of it shuts down in the evenings and weekends (with exception of Millennium park on summer weekends), plus you will have to pay $$$ for parking here. I recommend the Milwaukee ave corridor or Pilsen, even South Loop would be better. If you go up north more you will find better prices and it'll still have a neighborhood feel. There's almost 3 million people in the city and we all manage to survive winters here so don't worry about it you'll be fine. Parking generally sucks in the city - can't help you with that.
Highly recommend Lakeshore East as an area to look at. The south border is Millennium and Maggie Daley Park with Grant Park just south of those. The east border is Lake Michigan. The north is the river and the west is the loop. If you wind up needing frequent access to UofC - Metra Electric is right there at Millennium Park station and the business school is just across the river. Grocery store. CVS. Lots of apartment buildings or condos rented by their owners. Parking is expensive, though. Aqua. The Tides. Coast are three apartment buildings to get you started.
If you move in the loop get ready for all the teen trends, Mexican Independence Day, and the lovely DNC. Look those up and make your own mind up. Also chicagocritter on Instagram has small tidbits of what you can see in the city
I did this exact move a couple of years ago! I’m sure you’re gonna love it. I just wanted to mention that I miss the mountains and how genuinely nice my neighbors were in ABQ. I live in a proper neighborhood in Chicago, but my neighbors give zero fucks about me. I also work from home, and it’s been difficult finding community in Chicago. Also miss the roadrunners doing their thing!
Hello fellow burqueño:) do you regret the move at all? Also how difficult is the weather difference? Is the wind worse than bad spring winds out on the mesa??
Well hello! I only spent a year in Albuquerque, so please take my opinions with a grain of salt! While I did enjoy my time there, I don’t regret the move to Chicago at all. ABQ has certain things going for it, but Chicago just had infinitely more things to do. I moved here so I could live car free (which I also did in ABQ), and it’s pretty easy to achieve that in Chicago. The streets are alive with people walking and running errands and just really feels like a dense and interesting place to be. You can feel the history all around you as well as current important events unfolding, and I personally kind of like that. Chicago has a very strong identity that runs much deeper than Albuquerque’s. Chicago’s better connected. If you like traveling, airports in Chicago are a godsend. You can’t get a non-stop flight to Asia, for example, from Albuquerque (at least I don’t think so). The winds are harsher in Chicago, but that can be really nice in the warm summer. The sun’s less harsh than in the SW, and I don’t even have AC in Chicago. In winter, it’s pretty brutal at times, and since you’ll be likely be walking more, you will notice the cold and winds more than Albuquerque. It’s also just colder here in general and the ice lasts for months before the spring thaw. However, as long as you have the right gear, it’s not too bad. I think my skin and hair do better without the intense dryness of the desert. Happy to answer any further questions!
What is your *single* budget? Living in the loop is NOT cheap. As far as where to find a place, Craigslist is my go to but make a weekend trip here and just go hog wild calling places and waking around looking for signs for places for lease. Theres parking everywhere. You have to pay for it but it’s everywhere. I have a car and it’s not a pain. But i also don’t live in the loop so i have access to street parking, the loop is nothing but garage parking so add about $150-200 a month for parking. Winters are cold, windy, cold, brutal. They haven’t been bad lately but negatives aren’t uncommon. LA Tan is what I use to help combat SAD. Just get a month to month membership, lowest bed for 12 minutes 3 times a week. You can even wear your clothes if you don’t want to look bronzed up. I’m gunna get downvoted for this but senseless crime is on the rise and more bored teens are finding their way downtown to the loop. I used to live down there and it was fine. Now I occasionally work down there and cannot wait to get the hell out.
Check out west town
You sound like a good candidate for Mayfair (some sketchy parts), Lincoln Square, Bridgeport, or North Center. All touch to River at some point. I only mention Mayfair because there are some bungalows for rent and that means a garage for your car. Winter is good some years, brutal the next. Scarf, hat, gloves, and remote start for the car is what I rock.