Where should I live in Chicago?

Andersonville or East Lakeview is great. However, they're both predominantly gay, Andersonville lesbian and East Lakeview is sometimes called boystown. Doesn't really matter though. I would go with East Lakeview. You're right by Wrigleyville. Great restaurants. And, you can get a place right by the lake, and, believe me, you'll take advantage of this every day. I lived there, and it had everything. I loved it. It's close to everything. You can part, you can go to galleries. You can be downtown in 20 mins. It's very young. I often said to myself, this place is great, but would be in very better if I were younger. Seriously? I am a little jealous of you being in your early 20s living in this hood. Memail me for neighborhood suggestions if you move here.

Nthing Lincoln Square. I lived there a year and still pine for it! Super sweet neighborhoods, easy transportation, lots of walking distance grocery stores and shops and restaurants. Plus, the Davis Street theater is always a cheap bet. I was in my 20s when I moved to Chicago and lived in East Lakeview/Boystown for a few years. It was *amazing* to be so close to the lake, and I miss that aspect of it. Also, lots of little cafes, coffee shops, and things to do, and good for public transportation. It did become a bit of a nightmare when I got a car, and also tough for car-drivers to come and visit me. One night, friends drove around for an hour in the permit-neighborhoods (they had a visitor pass) and still had to cave and pay $15 for parking. We live in Humboldt Park/Logan Square right now, which is inexpensive and there's some fun restaurants popping up (Urban Belly, Belly Shack? YUM!), but the hipster element is way more intense than Wicker Park/Bucktown. Although, we can walk to both the heart of Logan Square and all of Wicker Park/Bucktown in less than 20 minutes. Good luck!

I'm in East Lakeview / Boystown and I love it (heterosexual couple, professionals, no kids if that matters; we own so I can't really speak to rents in the neighborhood). Clubs, bars, grocery, recreational-shopping, chores-shopping, live music, cheap and fancy restaurants (as well as all kinds of delivery), the Lake, bike paths, the Lincoln Park, all within very easy walking distance. I mostly ride a commuter-route express bus which gets me to the Loop in 20-30 minutes (including walk and wait-time) every morning (although coming home is in the 35-60 minute range) but the Belmont el stop is about a half mile walk, too, I just never use it. I've lived in Bucktown, the Gold Coast, Roscoe Village, and East Lakeview. There's partial-express buses which run to the museum campus. It's about an hour on public transit to either airport and it seems there's a critical mass of local bus routes within spitting distance. I don't get to Wicker Park as much as I used to (when I was younger and when I lived in the Gold Coast and Bucktown, it was one bus ride over, now it's two-bus-with-a-transfer ride), but I have most of what I need nearby. If there is a particular thing in Wicker Park (like the Fluevog store or the Violet Hour) which has no equivalent in my neighborhood, I make the trip; otherwise, I think all the neighborhoods will have something equally appealing as any given spot in Wicker Park. I wouldn't have a car in the city, but I don't find the pace of public transportation frustrating. I guess the inconvenience of the time cost--for me--is well offset by the gains of not woning and never driving a car. The adjustment was one I made without noticing; it's harder on Guy, who remains in the mindset of you should only ever be ten minutes in transit either side of what you're doing. I think the best way to pick a neighborhood in Chicago is to live in a couple of them. And while you're living in one, really live in it. Walk up and down the streets around your place and go in shops to look around, go in bars for a drink, say hello to the people sitting on the stoops. Then find out how hard it is to get to the Indian place up on Devon, or down to Chinatown for dim sum, or to the Logan Square Auditorium for a show. Then consider how often you'd rather do that than something within stumbling distance. You'll figure out soon enough where in the city you should live.

Andersonville and Lincoln Square, definitely. The former if you drive, the latter if you take the train.

When I lived in the city, I lived in Lincoln Square. The rents were reasonable and it was an easy walk to the Brown Line. It's gentrified some, but not too much, I don't think.

We live in southeast Rogers Park, on the edge of Edgewater/Andersonville. I love it. -Yes, there is a commute down to the loop every day, but if you are the sort of person who likes some time to relax, stare out a window (because you'll always get a window seat) and wake up in the morning - like me - that can be seen as a benefit. Wicker park will be a pain to reach by public transit if you don't have a vehicle. I lived here for 1.5 years without a car and was perfectly fine. I now live with my boyfriend who has a car, and we never have troubles with parking. My commute to work (in the Loop) is an hour, door-to-door. -Rent will be much cheaper in the Andersonville area than most other Red Line areas, certainly Lakeview. We have a huge and fantastically maintained 2 bedroom and pay 1000. - Diverse. According to Wiki, "The 2000 census data, like those of 1980 and 1990, showed it to be one of the most diverse communities, if not the most diverse, in the entire country. A robust mix of ethnic backgrounds with over 80 assorted languages flavor the neighborhood. " - Lots of cool shops, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. Sidenote: Wicker park is where I go once or twice a month for an afternoon shopping with friends, or to go out to the bars, or to get my hair cut. I have never been impressed by the selection of restaurants, personally.

Hey, http://chicago.everyblock.com/ could help you. It's local news at the neighborhood level. Gives you a sense of what's happening in any given part of the city, including crime, general news coverage, etc. (Disclaimer: I work for the site.)

I like Roscoe Village a lot. It's a little on the quiet side for a mid-20s sort of person, but you can pretty easily get over to Southport or Wicker Park / Bucktown for nightlife if that is your thing. There's a pretty nice mix of people, it is reasonably close to the El (walk to Paulina Brown Line in 10 to 15 min), and has pretty easy street parking. Another thing that's nice about RV (though, again, this may not be for a 20-something) is that it is really friendly. My sense is it is a little less transitory than some other neighborhoods, people stick around, and you end up with more people saying hi on the street than you might in other places. This may have to do with the rental/ownership ratio, which I think is more skewed toward ownership than in other places (but there are still plenty of rentals). Andersonville is great, but that's a long ride on the Red Line to the loop every day. On preview: when I was in my mid-20s, I lived in East Lakeview and thought it was pretty great too, except that you have to take an express bus downtown because the El is so far.

I live in Roger's Park and I love it. It's not quite so crowded as Andersonville, so parking's easier than in that neighborhood and you don't always feel like people are breathing down your neck. The rent for a one-bedroom apartment is from 500-800 a month, and it's not quite as sleazy as Uptown. There are sections I wouldn't want to hang around at night in [really sleazy laundrymats/dollar shops mostly], but it's still a pretty family-friendly neighborhood. It's a really big Hispanic neighborhood and one of my favorite things about it is all tyhe street vendors. Hot tameles on every corner! At least when the weather's decent.