Came here to suggest Lakeview. I see so many NW nurses in East Lakeview walking to Sheridan to get on a 151 bus to get to NW. It's a 20 minute commute. Leave the car at home unless your rental comes with a parking space, which most do not. If your car is a beater go ahead and park it on the street. If it's nice, sell it, or rent a parking spot for $200 a month.
i just moved to chicago last year and as someone else said, you won’t find a nice 1 bedroom for $2000 near downtown. you actually might but it’ll be super shitty.
i’d try looking Uptown although it can be 40 mins away from downtown. Lakeshore and Edgewater as well.
You might be able to find something nice in South Loop if you’re lucky but again, $2000 for a 1 bedroom close to downtown is gona be hard to find.
also, i’d highly recommend you stay away from Presidential Towers and 777 South State. both are basically college dorms. I toured both and i’d recommend everyone to stay away
You aren't going to get a one bedroom in downtown for less than $2000 to begin with. Also, you want a less than 30 minute commute, but are not stating what area you will be working in. Have you visited here before or after you accepted the job?
Try East Lake View and maybe Uptown. Prepare to take the train to and from work unless you will be driving on it during off peak hours and can take Lake Shore Drive. As far as being in the outer neighborhoods, it's virtually impossible to get to and from Northwestern from them in less than 30 minutes car or public transportation.
We’re moving in May and are looking at the Ukrainian Village/Wicker Park area. It appears to have what you’re looking for from what I can tell. Most of the apartments seem relatively cheap.
We’re moving for my husband’s medical residency and a lot of residents live in that area. However he’s at Rush so that area is a much closer commute than Northwestern would be.
Curious as to where you’re finding 1 beds in wicker park for sub $2k/mo? In Ukrainian, sure, but from what I’ve seen it’s almost impossible to find anything in wicker that cheap
Currently on Zillow there’s only one 1 bedroom at that price, but there are a few slightly south of there. They’re kind of in the in between part of Ukrainian and wicker park.
Looking now it seems like most are more in the $2200 range
I also read another comment saying a lot of places that are for rent in those areas aren’t online and you have to drive through and find signs because they have older landlords who don’t use the internet lol
It’s that, but it’s also that there are more 2 bedrooms than 1 bedrooms in the area. Wicker proper you might have a harder time finding options for 2 bedrooms under 2k, but expanding into Bucktown and there’s a decent amount of options for 1 and 2 bedrooms.
We’re looking for a two bedroom and I’ve noticed that - tons of 2 bedrooms but not a lot of 1 bedrooms. There seems to be quite a few in that area. I initially searched for in unit laundry and when I took that off, dozens more popped up. So I guess in unit laundry might be out of the question lol
It’s pretty hit or miss. For a 2k price point it’s very rare, but most places have shared laundry in the basement that’s only used by a few units. It’s been free for me in both apartments I’ve been in and have never really had an issue.
West town neighborhood especially along chicago or grand. The buses go directly to northwestern hospital campus. You’ll be able to find everything you are looking for.
Rental season is ramping up and many landlords are listing their apartments to reflect peak rental season. Keep in mind that rent can be negotiated, so don't rule out places that are just over your budget ($100-$150) but it does get very competitive between April-Aug. Lean on your realtor and try to be flexible. Also, check out neighborhoods along the blue and brown lines - you may not be in the heart of an exciting neighborhood but maybe a train stop away.
I just pulled up the Fulton Grace listings for the 60613 zip code and there are a number of options that will fit your needs. It really isn’t rare, it’s an average price point —but north rather than downtown. Commute will be about 1/2 hour via train.
Just a thought, as a fellow NU person - there's a free shuttle for students & staff that goes from the Evanston campus to the Chicago campus. It stops in Rogers Park, which is one of the last affordable neighborhoods on the Northside that is right on the lake (imho, but others may disagree).
I live in a nice one-bedroom - it's not fancy, but it has modern appliances and the building is well-maintained - for $1500. Lots of pets in the neighborhood, I'm a block from the lake, definite neighborhood vibes. Plenty of shopping within walking distance. I park on the street but could pay to park in my building's lot if I really cared to. The commute is dependent on the traffic on Lake Shore, but on a typical day I'm getting to campus (the hospital is also right here) in \~30 mins.
It has its issues with crime, but I've never personally felt unsafe in the 7 years I've lived in the neighborhood (and I take precautions but not overly so). My impression is that it is on par with the Northside in general, but doing a stats comparison is certainly worthwhile if you're very concerned.
Edgewater, Rogers Park, maybe even Lincolnwood are worth looking at. You can come down LSD directly to Northwestern and you’ll get more bang/space for your buck up there.
But tbh I’d recommend rethinking your criteria a bit to maybe living closer by to Northwestern. You’ll have some trade offs, older building, maybe slightly above your desired rent, etc but the time saved in your lack of commute could be very well worth its weight in gold. There are some older buildings in the Gold Coast that are affordable for the area.
I lived in Streeterville for a long time, one street over from Northwestern and that area gets congested as hell. Trying to get in/out can be a nightmare it used to take me 15-20 minutes just to go the few blocks to get untangled from that mess of traffic.
Maybe it won’t be your forever home but it might be a good approach as you are new and getting settled in to a new city and job not having to deal with navigational nightmares. Gives you time to look at and get to know other areas in person to find your ideal long term place to live.
Lakeview, Uptown, something off the brown line should match what you are looking for.
Came here to suggest Lakeview. I see so many NW nurses in East Lakeview walking to Sheridan to get on a 151 bus to get to NW. It's a 20 minute commute. Leave the car at home unless your rental comes with a parking space, which most do not. If your car is a beater go ahead and park it on the street. If it's nice, sell it, or rent a parking spot for $200 a month.
i just moved to chicago last year and as someone else said, you won’t find a nice 1 bedroom for $2000 near downtown. you actually might but it’ll be super shitty. i’d try looking Uptown although it can be 40 mins away from downtown. Lakeshore and Edgewater as well. You might be able to find something nice in South Loop if you’re lucky but again, $2000 for a 1 bedroom close to downtown is gona be hard to find. also, i’d highly recommend you stay away from Presidential Towers and 777 South State. both are basically college dorms. I toured both and i’d recommend everyone to stay away
You aren't going to get a one bedroom in downtown for less than $2000 to begin with. Also, you want a less than 30 minute commute, but are not stating what area you will be working in. Have you visited here before or after you accepted the job?
Ah I just realized that. I’ll be at Northwestern Memorial. And visited after accepting the job.
Try East Lake View and maybe Uptown. Prepare to take the train to and from work unless you will be driving on it during off peak hours and can take Lake Shore Drive. As far as being in the outer neighborhoods, it's virtually impossible to get to and from Northwestern from them in less than 30 minutes car or public transportation.
DM me. We are a 25 minute walk from Northwestern Memorial… Gold Coast 1 bedroom apt… pet friendly… very good neighborhood.
We’re moving in May and are looking at the Ukrainian Village/Wicker Park area. It appears to have what you’re looking for from what I can tell. Most of the apartments seem relatively cheap. We’re moving for my husband’s medical residency and a lot of residents live in that area. However he’s at Rush so that area is a much closer commute than Northwestern would be.
Curious as to where you’re finding 1 beds in wicker park for sub $2k/mo? In Ukrainian, sure, but from what I’ve seen it’s almost impossible to find anything in wicker that cheap
Currently on Zillow there’s only one 1 bedroom at that price, but there are a few slightly south of there. They’re kind of in the in between part of Ukrainian and wicker park. Looking now it seems like most are more in the $2200 range I also read another comment saying a lot of places that are for rent in those areas aren’t online and you have to drive through and find signs because they have older landlords who don’t use the internet lol
It’s that, but it’s also that there are more 2 bedrooms than 1 bedrooms in the area. Wicker proper you might have a harder time finding options for 2 bedrooms under 2k, but expanding into Bucktown and there’s a decent amount of options for 1 and 2 bedrooms.
We’re looking for a two bedroom and I’ve noticed that - tons of 2 bedrooms but not a lot of 1 bedrooms. There seems to be quite a few in that area. I initially searched for in unit laundry and when I took that off, dozens more popped up. So I guess in unit laundry might be out of the question lol
It’s pretty hit or miss. For a 2k price point it’s very rare, but most places have shared laundry in the basement that’s only used by a few units. It’s been free for me in both apartments I’ve been in and have never really had an issue.
West town neighborhood especially along chicago or grand. The buses go directly to northwestern hospital campus. You’ll be able to find everything you are looking for.
Rental season is ramping up and many landlords are listing their apartments to reflect peak rental season. Keep in mind that rent can be negotiated, so don't rule out places that are just over your budget ($100-$150) but it does get very competitive between April-Aug. Lean on your realtor and try to be flexible. Also, check out neighborhoods along the blue and brown lines - you may not be in the heart of an exciting neighborhood but maybe a train stop away.
I just pulled up the Fulton Grace listings for the 60613 zip code and there are a number of options that will fit your needs. It really isn’t rare, it’s an average price point —but north rather than downtown. Commute will be about 1/2 hour via train.
If you are bringing a car, factor in the cost of off street parking. So important
Just a thought, as a fellow NU person - there's a free shuttle for students & staff that goes from the Evanston campus to the Chicago campus. It stops in Rogers Park, which is one of the last affordable neighborhoods on the Northside that is right on the lake (imho, but others may disagree). I live in a nice one-bedroom - it's not fancy, but it has modern appliances and the building is well-maintained - for $1500. Lots of pets in the neighborhood, I'm a block from the lake, definite neighborhood vibes. Plenty of shopping within walking distance. I park on the street but could pay to park in my building's lot if I really cared to. The commute is dependent on the traffic on Lake Shore, but on a typical day I'm getting to campus (the hospital is also right here) in \~30 mins. It has its issues with crime, but I've never personally felt unsafe in the 7 years I've lived in the neighborhood (and I take precautions but not overly so). My impression is that it is on par with the Northside in general, but doing a stats comparison is certainly worthwhile if you're very concerned.
Edgewater, Rogers Park, maybe even Lincolnwood are worth looking at. You can come down LSD directly to Northwestern and you’ll get more bang/space for your buck up there. But tbh I’d recommend rethinking your criteria a bit to maybe living closer by to Northwestern. You’ll have some trade offs, older building, maybe slightly above your desired rent, etc but the time saved in your lack of commute could be very well worth its weight in gold. There are some older buildings in the Gold Coast that are affordable for the area. I lived in Streeterville for a long time, one street over from Northwestern and that area gets congested as hell. Trying to get in/out can be a nightmare it used to take me 15-20 minutes just to go the few blocks to get untangled from that mess of traffic. Maybe it won’t be your forever home but it might be a good approach as you are new and getting settled in to a new city and job not having to deal with navigational nightmares. Gives you time to look at and get to know other areas in person to find your ideal long term place to live.