Evanston, Illinois
 

what's it like? how's the cost of living? and if you know, can you recommend some good places to live. thanks :D

It's a suburb. There are some nice parts (close to the lake) but they are expensive homes, not apartments. There are also some craaaaappy parts as well. And it's a college town supported by Northwestern University.

-Rudey

Cost of living in the Chicago suburbs is pretty high. Don't just limit your search to Evanston, though. There are lots of surrounding communities that are only a short drive away.

In terms of suburbs, Evanson is very cool -- it's pretty city-like and has many beautiful homes. It tends to be on the expensive side -- if you're looking for an inexpensive apartment, check out Rogers Park, which is the Chicago neighborhood just south of Evanston. I'd try to stay on the eastern end of either Evanston or Rogers Park.

Check out the Chicago Reader Spacefinder which is the best way to find an apartment in the area.

There has been a big condo boom in recent years, so you may be able to get a nice (although expensive) condo in downtown Evanston. Lots of cute shops, restaurants, bars, etc. all within walking distance.

the job is in evanston, therefore i'd be living in evanston

i dont want to commute

Evanston is connected to the trains and it's 20 minutes from Downtown.

Most young people don't live in Evanston. It's a suburb with families, a college town with college kids, and it has a little ghetto ass section with poor folks. You're not going to find much to do there so if it matters consider downtown (including river north, east and gold coast) and lincoln park since they're not too long of a commute.

Chicago overall is pretty cheap to live in and Evanston is even cheaper.

-Rudey

I grew up in Evanston. Wonderful place to be...and I disagree--definitely NOT supported by Northwestern. In fact, Northwestern and the city don't get along...mostly because Northwestern pays them no taxes on all of the property they own, and they keep trying to buy up property!
Anyway...Evanston is pricey, and I don't know what kind of job you have...but there are some nice apartments near the university/downtown area that are semi-reasonable because young professionals and students tend to rent them. With the condo boom there are also lots of people who have bought condos as a money maker who rent them. I would look at places around Chicago Avenue and Clark Street; also on Hinman as well.
Also don't know if you're looking for a roommate or not, but that might be a way of getting a larger place at a more affordable price; I'm sure Northwestern has a listing where grad students tend to look for places...maybe even call one of their graduate schools (although not law or medicine; they're in Chicago) and see if they have apartment listings.

i visited evanston a couple of years ago on retreat during the summer. i thought i had escaped the heat in texas, but evanston was just as bad. we went to the taste of chicago downtown and had a blast. while your there, swing by the SAE national headquarters :).

How is it pricey?? The only pricey area is by the lake. The area by the high school is bad, don't you think?

And it is a college town given that Northwestern is still a rather large school in this suburb.

When I said they were supported by Northwestern, I didn't mean financially (although yes there is financial gain from the university). I meant many people come to the town for the university to study or work as well as enjoy the amenities you find like concerts (for example). You are also not really correct about the issue of taxes on property from Northwestern. I have worked with both Northwestern and Evanston in the past as clients.

-Rudey

SAE HQ is in Evanston?

-Rudey

Yes we are! 1856 Sheridan Rd, Evanston, Il 60201 to be exact.

Pricey in the sense that most of the apartments and condos near downtown are really meant for people with a fair bit of income to throw down. I wouldn't be surprised if the average rent for a one-bedroom was close to 800 or 900 a month. And that's in a suburb. I pay that right now with utilities already included--and I live in a priciest area of St. Louis, which is a medium-sized city; not a suburb. The area by the high school isn't great, no...but there are also few apartments near the high school--it's mostly lower income single family homes that start around 80,000-200,000. You could buy a small condo for that kind of money downtown. I grew up in Southeast Evanston (about 6-8 blocks south of Northwestern and 4 from the lake) and most of the houses near my parents sell for 750,000 (base price--the one down the street is on the market for over 2.8 million)...and the condos near us start at 500,000. That's pricey in my book...especially right out of college or as a young professional. Granted, I'm just a law student who will never be able to afford to live in Evanston until I'm married (since I do public interest work...a $30,000 a year paycheck won't really get me a nice place in Evanston) and who has lived in Boston on an Americorps stipend--so I'm used to being 'poor'...I'm trying to be realistic here...I wouldn't tell anyone that living in Evanston is cheap if they can't pay at least 700 a month in rent.

700 a month would probably be for a very nice 1 bedroom in Evanston. Downtown a studio is around 800-850 in a high-rise. A one bedroom downtown is probably 900+. A one bedroom in lincoln park with no view is probably around 800 - a view takes it upwards of 1500. Anyway, 700 a month is not that pricey to me but then again I've only ever cared about rents in very big cities and Chicago has always been on the lower end.

-Rudey

The rents in Chicago sound amazing to me. But, then again...the only places I've ever done an apartment search are Boston, NY and SF, so what do I know?

What do you consider the "priciest area of St. Louis"? Even $800 seems to be a lot for STL unless you're thinking about Clayton, Forest Park, or the CWE. I know when the Boy was looking for a place in those three areas, his ceiling didn't even reach $800 and he still had a lot of choice.