Within one year, I will likely be moving to Chicago. With wife and young child - want to stay in the Urban Areas, but am not sure where.. I want a townhouse/single family house in a nice neighbourhood but still in the city. I have about 750K to buy. What is the area that is a REALLY good area (clean, schools, relatively green) just North/West Miracle Mile area...the name escapes me: Gold Coast/Streeterville/Lincoln Park?? Any recommendations of where to look from Chi-Town lifers??? Thanks in advance...
It's called the Magnificent Mile. The area near the Hancock Building is called Streeterville. North of that along Lake Shore Drive is the Gold Coast. North of that near the Lincoln Park Zoo is called Lincoln Park. Your budget will get you into any of those areas. There is a glut of stuff in that price range. If you want a high-rise, high-density, wealthier neighborhood, consider Streeterville and the Gold Coast. If you want lower-rise buildings and a little more peace & quiet, consider Lincoln Park and maybe the Near West & Near South Sides.
You won't get a town house in Lincoln Park for that money (not a nice one anyway), look in Buckstown, nice area and for your money you can just about get a decent town house. Good luck with the move.
Seems like prices are reasonable...they look they are building out of control in Chicago....condo's EVERYWHERE!
If you want good schools move to the northern burbs (Winetka etc) cause you might like living in Chicago but your child will have to go to a school like a Zoo, unless you'll pay for a private school.
Are the schools in those areas really bad? Are they that much better in the burbs? Wealthy areas but the public schools are garbage? I want to avoid private schooling if at all possible...
public schools in chicago are pretty much garbage anywhere you go unless you get into a magnet high school. I don't know anyone from Chicago that actually went to a public school. If you want high-rise living try the south loop, cheaper than the near north and almost everything is new. If you are looking for low-rise, try the Bridgeport neighborhood. Its where the Sox play, nice housing, good community, close to three L lines and a little quieter than some of the other neighborhoods described (unless the Sox are hitting home runs and winning, then there are a lot of fireworks going off.)
I was just there last week to check out a friend's new 4 bed 2 car condo in the downtown area. Real nice brand new with some high end stuff but not out of the price range you posted. He's is a 7 minute bike ride to the office in the Loop. Condos are on Racine and W Washington.