Rentals in Chicago, IL (775)

A Renter's Guide to Chicago Neighborhoods
Chicago offers a wide variety of rental-housing options. A north-to-south tour of the city's most popular neighborhoods will begin unearthing the hidden treasures available to Chicago renters.

In Rogers Park, Chicago's northernmost neighborhood, renters enjoy low-cost apartments located within walking distance of Lake Michigan's shoreline. Some rooms come right up to the water, overlooking this marvelous lake. Renters enjoy long stretches of family-friendly public beaches for barbecues, picnics and cold-water swimming.

Just south of Rogers Park is Edgewater, a neighborhood brimming with pet-friendly townhouses and duplexes. A walk down Broadway Street reveals Edgewater's striking diversity: American staples such as Coffeeshops and hot dog stands exist side-by-side with authentic Ethiopian and Mexican Restaurants. On Clark Street, a few blocks away, renters frequent a colorful variety of locally-owned restaurants and bars.

A little further south and to the west is Logan Square, known as a hotbed for young and ambitious artistic talent. Renters enjoy the proximity of numerous musical venues that feature less-mainstream elements of Chicago's music scene, such as Indie Rock and Free Jazz. A plethora of authentic Mexican restaurants are affordable options for dining before or after a late-night jam session.

Renters in the further east Lakeview neighborhood inhabit townhouses in an area where culture has developed in the shadow of Wrigley Field. Cubs fans swarm the densely collected sports bars on Clark and Halsted Streets during baseball season, and during the off-season they turn into Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks fans, seeking solidarity in those same bars.

Wicker Park feels like a grown-up version of its northern neighbor Logan Square, infusing an artistic sensibility with more refined tastes. Renters of lofts on Milwaukee Avenue live above esoteric book and music stores, and shop across the street in designer-label shoe and hat shops.

Renters in the Lincoln Park neighborhood occupy stylish apartment complexes with fast and easy accessibility by bus or train to the Chicago Loop. Lincoln Park contains Chicago's largest and most popular public beach on which renters are free to play volleyball and sun-bathe. It also borders on Chicago's fabulous Lake Shore Trail, which offers bikers and joggers an exercise path free of car-congested traffic.

For those who enjoy living in the center of the city's activities, Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood is a perfect landing point. Located along the northern edge of the Chicago Loop, these high-rise apartment and condo buildings give renters immediate access to all the opportunities to work and play in the downtown area. Nearby, Millenium and Grant Parks host free concerts and festivals all summer long, and the Loop itself contains hundreds of clubs, pubs and fine-dining restaurants to ensure that Gold Coast residents are never bored.

Those who enjoy well-furnished rooms with fast accessibility to the Loop but without all the hustle and bustle choose Chicago's Near South Side neighborhood. Renters enjoy their pick of several recently-developed condos, many of which are available on a rent-to-own basis. This is the neighborhood of choice for young families as well as many of the city's most prominent politicians.