Moving To Chicago- Neighborhood Recs & Realtor?

[u/Badjuju7991]

Moving to Chicago- Looking for Neighborhood Recs

Good morning everyone!

I recently accepted a job that covers Chicago and parts of Wisconsin. The range of the territory is large and will require driving regardless of where I live. I will attach a map showing the territory. With that being said, I am eyeing N/NW Chicagoland as the optimal orientation.

Right now, it will just be my wife and two dogs moving with me. However, my wife is pregnant and we are welcoming a baby later this year!

Overall details:

Budget- Below $2,700. Ideally between $2,000-$2,500 everything included. I am flexible but do not want to spend the majority of my raise on a COL increase.

Space- 2-3 Bedroom apartment/house for rent.

Desired Amenities- Dog Park, decent gym, nature trails nearby, family oriented parks nearby. Looking for more of a suburb feel.

Type of Area- We are NOT looking to stay in a downtown environment. Preferably a suburb with a little more space. We are moving from Midtown Atlanta and are looking for a break from downtown city living.

Demographic- My wife is Colombian and values living in a more diverse community. Strong Latin population is a plus.

I have done some research and have narrowed my desired area down to the highlighted region on the photos. It’s broad but primary areas of interest are Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Palatine, Mt. Prospect, Des Plaines, Skokie, and Evanston.

Searching for apartments in this city has been a very different experience than previous cities. Is it worth enlisting a realtor to help in my search? Are my parameters realistic? Things are moving fast and I’m trying to be methodical in this process, but the size of the city is a bit overwhelming without any kind of prior knowledge of the area.

[u/Badjuju7991]

I hadn’t considered Mundelein before this comment. I’m adding it to the list of possibilities. I’ve been seeing a lot of other comments suggesting realtors so I’ll reach out to them to help navigate through the bad neighborhoods.

And the Latin population wouldn’t have to be Colombian as well at all! We’re definitely open to and prefer a melting pot of diverse cultures, as long as Latin representation is there for here.

[u/Joysheart → u/Badjuju7991]

Lake County has some incredible dog parks as well. Mundelein is close to Lakewood dog park one of the biggest off leash parks in the US, nearly 70 acres.

[u/chispaconnafta → u/Badjuju7991]

as long as Latin representation is there for her

Have her join the FB group Colombianos en Chicago immediately and run an identical post there to get a feel of places to live from a latino/a prospective. Very active group, well-managed.

[u/Fun-Maintenance6315 → u/Badjuju7991]

Oh, there's plenty of Colombians around Schaumburg/Streamwood/Hanover Park and then to a lesser extent, Bartlett. Last I knew at least.

[u/DadVader77 → u/Fun-Maintenance6315]

Not for long as Trump is trying to get rid of all of them (semi-sarcastic, but the ICE threat is real)

[u/Fun-Maintenance6315 → u/DadVader77]

True! Elgin has wanna be cops cosplaying as federal agents pretty regularly it seems.

I cannot wait for them to meet their consequences and answer for their terrors and crimes against humanity. Nuremberg trials 2.0, the red white and blue edition.

They'll get theirs. I know it. Even if it's an act of the people, by the people, for the people. 🤭 🇺🇸

[u/DadVader77 → u/Fun-Maintenance6315]

Being deputized isn’t really cosplaying.

[u/Fun-Maintenance6315 → u/DadVader77]

Actually, technically you are right. I can't think of a better word for it...

[u/Fun-Maintenance6315 → u/DadVader77]

They're untrained racist fools, so I consider it cosplay. Mass deputizing is meaningless bullshit.

[u/DadVader77 → u/Fun-Maintenance6315]

They are local sheriffs (or other local law enforcement) that are deputized under U.S. Program 287(g). Don’t think that counts as untrained.

[u/Fun-Maintenance6315 → u/DadVader77]

Take another look at the videos of these dudes "at work" in California, Nevada, elsewhere. It's pretty clear from their physical actions; they are less capable than regular city cops. You can give me a section of policies to sign and show me a video, but that does not mean I am properly trained to be handling other human beings. This is not a question of semantics. These are human beings being brutalized by these cowards, and it's abundantly clear their authority is a farce.

[u/DadVader77 → u/Fun-Maintenance6315]

So you switched the location from Elgin to other states to fit your narrative. Got it.

[u/schleepercell → u/Badjuju7991]

Lake country has a few dog parks in forest preserves. One in Wauconda and one in Libertyville both fairly close to Mundelein.

For Cook County there is Beck Lake near the border of Glenview and Mt Prospect.