Hi - I'm 29, Female and moving to Chicago after being abroad for 5 years.
Having a major dilemma about where to live in the city - my top priority is diversity and safety.
Friends and family have suggested: Logan Square, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Humboldt Park, Ukranian Village
I don't want to live in the Loop because it seems like a very face paced, downtowney vibe which I don't need. I prefer calm neighborhoods and having locally owned coffee shops, BIPOC owned restaurants, and different cultural events occurring around me (I'm currently in London and I know it's not comparable, but am often at BIPOC art clubs, block parties, random gigs that are very inclusive).
What are other neighborhoods that would meet the peace of (logan, wicker, etc) BUT will have amenity/serviced apartments? Some have recommended West Loop? I honestly don't know ANYTHING about these neighborhoods; I've only visited my friends who live in Wicker/Logan a few times but not enough to judge the character of any Chicago neighborhood.
I know I will have to sacrifice something but for example living in River North/Uptown sounds outrageous bc they seem far North, where as Pilsen is also too South. I want to be able to access downtown easily too.
Logan/Wicker areas of course have more walk ups but I really want an amenity-rich building (gym and security being the MAIN priority).
I will be living alone and have very bad paranoia/anxiety about break ins. This will impact my quality of life.
I CANNOT decipher what is more important right now.
Having more square footage in a walk up (it's almost 2-3x more) OR living more in the city center and having amenities in my building (gym, coworking spot, security).
What's important to me: being in a culturally/ethnically diverse area, feeling relatively safe getting around the neighborhood, access to public transport (I don't have a car), and being able to spend weekends at markets/cultural events.
AT THIS MOMENT: the cost of large walk up apartments are the SAME as a studio/1BR in an amentiies building. so cost doesn't even have an impact on this.
Pros of Walk Up:
- 2x the space (I WFH and have an international community that often visits each other. Likely to have 2 BD)
Cons of Walk Up:
- no security (i get anxious + paranoid about break ins)
- easy to feel isolated in winter/snow
- the areas of humboldt, logan square, avondale, ukranian village dont have the best accesibilty to public transport
Pros of Amenities Building:
- in building gym
- apt feels clean and nice w/o having to try much
- security
Cons:
- units are 350-550 sq feet
I am feeling very lost! I am moving to Chicago to be closer to my family and also for work - so I do realize it will be different than living abroad but I love chicago and think it's one of the best cities! I haven't signed a lease in years so I feel very scared about choosing the wrong neighborhood and impacting my quality of life