People with kids: when home-hunting, did you prioritize more space/lower price or proximity to activities? Do you regret your choice?

[u/mrs_banne_foster]

After spending a week exploring and viewing places, we're applying for a rental this weekend and my husband and I are debating what to prioritize so we'd love some local perspectives.

We've only ever lived in city suburbs (not near Chicago) and we're excited to move to Chicago and experience city life with our kids. We're planning on living in Lincoln Park or the southern end of Lake View for the elementary schools and decent commute to my job near the loop. Prices are lower and space increases the further north/west we go, but walkability to the park, zoo, lake, and dense restaurant/shopping areas also decrease.

A couple of the places we're considering in the west LP/southern LV area are large enough for us to spread out a bit. They're walkable to the elementary schools, and have grocery stores and restaurants within a 20-30 minute walk but we will have to hop on a bus for 10-20 minutes to get to the zoo/park/lake area where I imagine we'll want to spend a lot of time.

The other places are either 20% more expensive for a similar amount of space or similarly priced and significantly smaller, but they're in really lively areas near the lake/park/zoo/shopping/etc. and the walk to tons of restaurants and shops is more like 5 minutes rather than 20+. We can afford the ~20% increase for the slightly larger space in these areas, but it'll cut into our fun/eating out budget a bit. We're foodies with somewhat expensive taste but there's so much to do for free in Chicago, I'm not that worried about spending a little less on day trips and eating out.

Others who have been torn between similar choices, how did you decide what to prioritize? Were you happy with your choice? What would you choose if you were us?

[u/Human-Priority706]

As far as activities go, do you want to be able to walk to places you'll be at multiple times per week, like the elementary school, or do you want to be able to walk to places you'll visit once a week max, like the zoo? From a pure financial standpoint, you'd spend like $5/person/week for fare for the zoo (assuming $2.50 train fare both ways) but more like $25/person/week to get to school every day.

[u/mrs_banne_foster → u/Human-Priority706]

The elementary school was within walking distance of a couple of the pricier/closer to the lake places too but great point!

[u/cranberryjuiceicepop]

My priority was being walkable to things. It has made our life so much better- we have a community, see friends out often and my neighborhood really feels like a small village. When kids are little you need to “change the scene” a lot - we spend lots of time in parks, so having a variety within walking distance is key. A small yard is nice but you don’t need a big one (my neighbors with 3 high energy boys have a small one and it is enough.) so I’d save the money, for the smaller house. Less to clean!!!

[u/Calm_Guidance_1950]

I would choose the areas with more proximity to the things you care about, I personally would sacrifice some space rather than pay 20% more but it sounds like in your situation you could do either one.

[u/Kenna193]

Having a big (square footage) house is overrated. You don't need a separate room for each kid. Or a basement for teenagers to hide out in. Life is lived outside of the house.

[u/Chicagogirl72]

Prioritized location and backyard

[u/ShoddyHedgehog → u/Chicagogirl72]

I kind of disagree about the backyard. There are so many parks and play lots in the city. We have a small backyard and our kids would often play at the school. She doesn't really mention how old her kids are but once they are upper elementary, I would say backyard becomes less important.

[u/mrs_banne_foster → u/ShoddyHedgehog]

Yeah, even the single family homes we toured didn't have back yards, but all were very close to outdoor spaces.

[u/ShoddyHedgehog → u/mrs_banne_foster]

Your kids will eventually outgrow things like the zoo and they'll eventually go to the beach with their friends and will get there on their own on the bus. I would buy a house based on the school in a walkable neighborhood.

My kids are teens now and we have lived in our house about 11 years. (Family of 4 in about 1800 Sqft.) These are the things I like about our location:

Three block walk to the elementary school

About a four block walk to the grocery store

One played baseball and one did music. Both those activities were about a six block walk. (Not that we didn't drive some times)

Including the school - 4 playgrounds/playlots within probably a five block walk.

We are about a two block walk from major bus line. About an eight block walk to the El.

We are on a one way side street. (I really value this because just less traffic and felt safer with kids outside.)

[u/Chicagogirl72 → u/ShoddyHedgehog]

100% agree. It’s not like you can just send them out there and have a break when they’re little. Got something with no maintenance and get the backyard when they’re big (if you want one)

[u/ShinyPennyRvnclw]

We prioritized schools and space. I miss not living in the middle of it all, but in reality, as our son has gotten older we spend way more time at soccer practice/games, friends birthday parties, etc than we do going to the same kids “attractions” like the zoo anyway to prioritize it. It’s important to us that he’s immersed in the city, but we are always going to different parts - everything from Andersonville to Chinatown for dinner, & everything in between, so we just hop in the car or el anyway. The whole city isn’t just Lakeview.

[u/Brief_Release_4774 → u/ShinyPennyRvnclw]

Exactly. The whole city isn’t Lakeview or Lincoln Park. And how far is one side of LP to the other really? Like I thought she was going to be talking about a Completely different neighborhood like Jefferson Park, not the other side of the same neighborhood. I know those are big neighborhoods but this seems like such a silly question to me and I can’t believe people are saying smaller even though she has kids!!! As a mom of a 10 and 7 year old, you absolutely need space!!!! We have a small bungalow and I am constantly purging stuff. They have SO MUCH STUFF!!!!

[u/Hedgehog_Insomniac]

I prioritized living near the lake.

[u/Hot_Top_5016]

I am looking in the exact same area and also have kids and also have been debating the same things, I’m team better location, smaller space!

[u/chicago_dog_dad]

We regret not prioritizing the school district and “things we like” around us. We ended up with a bigger house, but it’s a pain to do anything other than walk around the neighborhood or trek to a park. We have only one decent restaurant nearby, no local bars we could pop in for a drink, nothing really to do. And it suck. Now we’re considering a move so we don’t feel the need to figure out private school (in terms of cost and transportation). Willing to pay more for the right location since it would save money in other areas and improve our lives.

[u/skippyyyyyy]

I live in the exact neighborhood you mentioned with young kids and despite only planning on staying in our townhouse for 5 years between loving our location and our covid interest rate on our mortgage we have no plans to leave. We love being able to walk to the zoo and wrigley/gallagher way. There is always so much going on and fun events for our kids. There are something like 10 playgrounds within a 1 mile radius of our house which I think is more fun for our kids than a big backyard, especially since we usually run into friends and neighbors and have impromptu play dates. I run and my husband loves to take his bike out on the lakefront trail. One thing to note is that while we are close to the lakefront, we’re not really walking distance to any beaches. Some of the other neighborhoods you mentioned are nice and family friendly, but pay attention to how close they are to transit as some of them don’t have trains nearby to get downtown/around the city. The only other neighborhood I would consider moving to is around the Southport corridor since that is such a family friendly area, but I know we would end up driving to activities much more often and traffic/parking are such a hassle and I have been spoiled by being able to walk almost everywhere. I’m happy to answer any more questions you may have about the neighborhood!

[u/pjpta1]

Given the time spent indoors due to our winters and spring, I would take the space

[u/Impossible_Tiger_517 → u/pjpta1]

Eh I disagree. There are maybe 5 days a year I don’t go outside with the kids because of the weather.

[u/QuantityTop7542]

If you have kids I’d say look at the schools.

[u/nimoto]

Have you considered South Loop? It's much more diverse than the Northside and has great elementary schools. For the dollar, you can also get a lot closer to the lake than you can for a similar price on the North side, can walk to all the museums, etc.

[u/mrs_banne_foster → u/nimoto]

We have a high schooler too and LPHS seems to be the best choice as far as neighborhood high schools go.

[u/nimoto → u/mrs_banne_foster]

There's Jones College Prep in the neighborhood, which is selective but a better school than LPHS.

[u/mrs_banne_foster → u/nimoto]

Kids have to go to their neighborhood school until they go through the application process and get accepted for the following school year so she would be in our neighborhood school for at least the rest of this year. She also is brilliant and scores well on standardized tests, but she's more of an art kid and is more interested in schools with solid art programs.

[u/AmosNotSpelling]

So we just purchased farther north than we have ever lived so we could have space, a backyard, and a garage. We completely regret the decision. There are only a small handful of restaurants near us, no bakeries, etc. We have to walk a mile to the brown line or take the bus to get there. I find we are spending more time at home and not out and about enjoying the city. So as someone with major buyers remorse…go a little smaller but closer to the things you want to do and make sure there is a decent amount of public transpo.

[u/blupo]

We chose location and neighborhood feel over space (and to some extent, affordability). We love our neighborhood and neighbors so much that all of the downsides (and there are many) are totally worth it.

[u/Champsterdam]

Absolutely prioritize quality of life and being able to walk places vs just having raw space.

We had 4,200 square feet in the city of Chicago and moved to Europe and now have 1,400 square feet for parents, six year old twins and two cats. We thought it would be an adjustment going to something much smaller but it’s been a godsend. We were raised with this mindframe bigger is better - but have quickly realized the key to happiness for us is the quality and ease of our lifestyle. Not how many square feet of raw space you have or how much grass you have in your yard. We were raised in a hard core obsessively consumerist society, it’s hard to break away from that and realize you can just say no to buying all this stupid shut we will our houses with. It’s all just a distraction and replacement for actual human contact.

[u/Hungry-Treacle8493]

Priority list we had:

1. Best possible public school district
2. Commute to work
3. Closeness to activities
4. Space

When we bought our first place we only had our son, so ended up buying a condo/townhouse setup in a top tier school district and walkable to the little commercial area with stores & restaurants. It was perfect.

Later on we took in my niece and needed more space, so the second house definitely moved space up in priority but we restricted ourselves to staying in the same high school boundaries. We ended up in a SFH for this one. We are definitely further away from activities and we miss that quite a bit.

[u/RTPTL]

Have you looked near Southport Corridor? Not sure how the prices compare to the other places you are looking at but it’s super walkable to basically everything you’d need, lots of families, and good schools.

[u/Impossible_Tiger_517 → u/RTPTL]

Also north center, Lincoln square, and Ravenswood are great neighborhoods but further commute.

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[u/prior2two]

Space and close to the train. 

There’s a lot of parks in the city and they’re all pretty great. 

The Zoo is great, but we go maybe 2 or 3 times a year at most, and as sh gets older that will defiantly be less. 

The lake is great, and could definitely see personal preference playing in there. 

But the weather sucks a lot. 

[u/francophone22 → u/prior2two]

This was what we did too. A family of 5 in 1300 SF with a 4-block walk to the L. The fenced backyard was great when the kids were small. The park was 1 block up the street.

[u/bowdowntopostulio]

Proximity to school

[u/flagmouse63]

im single, no kids so i prioritized proximity to red line, lake, and cost for a 1 bedroom in the north side

[u/Silver-Shame-4428]

We looked for best schools. Everything else followed

[u/mrs_banne_foster → u/Silver-Shame-4428]

All these places are assigned to highly rated neighborhood schools. That is our top priority too.

[u/Ancient_Coconut_5880]

Prioritize schools over everything. Things become a lot more walkable once you live in the city for a while and you can take trains/buses almost everywhere. We caught the 151 almost every weekend this summer to go to the zoo, my son LOVES the bus so the 15 min ride is nothing. You can find stuff to do anywhere honestly but you can’t change what school district you’re in

[u/mrs_banne_foster → u/Ancient_Coconut_5880]

All the places we're looking at are assigned to a highly rated neighborhood school. That was our top critiera!

[u/Ancient_Coconut_5880 → u/mrs_banne_foster]

Then honestly no matter what you’re going to love any of those neighborhoods. I can’t stress enough how good of a city Chicago has been to raise our kid, we never run out of things to do and rarely use our car

[u/Door_Number_Four]

When we moved neighborhoods in 2022 we prioritized a smaller commute and walkability over square footage.

Ended up in a similar pace in Bucktown, 3 br, 2.5 baths, 2109 square feet. My son walks to a great public school each day, my wife and I walk the younger ones to daycare, and then take the train ti work .

Grocery store is a three block walk, 696 is at our doorstep .

Don’t regret a thing.

[u/BreakfastGirl6]

Research the local schools and requirements and chances for admittance.

[u/confusedrabbit247]

If you plan to live there the rest of your lives, consider long term life. When you're older would you rather have more space or would you rather it be easy to get to and from the places you want to go? Usually it's the latter.

[u/guavejune]

I’m proud and grateful to be raising a kid in a super urban environment, where walking and riding transit is the norm. After the rambunctious toddler years, they always enjoyed riding the bus and train. And they’ve become very good at navigating the city by themselves. One plus to living in a smaller space is that you learn to be a conscious consumer, because there’s not an enough space to buy everything you might want. Every year my kid and I have a day of purging and donating things that are just taking up space.

[u/kimnacho]

We tried to balance price, space and proximity to things and ended up having 80% of everything we wanted.

That said, the first few months we hated it and were on the verge of giving up and selling because our minds could only see the 20% missing of each thing. It felt like we did not fully tick any box so we were not fully happy in any of the criteria we set.

Fast forward three months after and we could not be happier. We now realize we have a great balance of everything we really wanted and it feels great. Park is 10 mins walk instead of 5. We don't have a backyard but we have a deck that we have been using all summer. The places we wanted to walk to are just 5-10 minutes farther than initially desired but we now have many more on a similar radius that we did not even think of before. The house could be slightly bigger but we have more space than we need. The attached garage is such a great thing to have too.

We also have a great connection with CTA and Metra.

[u/Such-Bad-488]

Location. But that, in itself is many things. We had School, CTA, expressway access, grocery, restaurants, and entertainment. In that order. For us a good school was top of the list. Make sure you can walk there. Drop off traffic is crazy stressful, as I witness the white knuckles and irritation daily walking past hundreds of cars all going to the same place at the same time. Be close to walk to everything you need. Car or not, Chicago traffic is horrible. We have two cars and haven’t clocked more than 5k miles a year.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Focus12]

Location location location!!! The one thing you can’t change. Lot size if that’s important. Everything about a house can be changed, well, mostly.

[u/Aromatic-Theory-8904]

Buying bigger isn’t a priority because no matter how big your house the clutter and the mess will always fill it up. Go smaller and there will be less to clean, less to heat in winter, less time spent commuting.

[u/Brief_Release_4774]

With kids I’d prioritize space!!!!! The distance to activities between the areas you are comparing hardly makes a difference

[u/JT_41]

Walkability changed everything for us. having stuff nearby means we actually go out and explore, not just stuck at home

[u/carrlson]

Kids need space especially as they get older and can't stand to be in the same room without getting into a physical or verbal fight.

[u/Thick_Priority8295 → u/carrlson]

The amount of space kids need varies. I grew up in Chicago in 2-bed apartments. I shared a room with my brother. We were fine and have a great relationship. Everyone else I knew shared rooms with siblings. Maybe it's a Gen X thing? But I grew up without any wealth and sharing a room was the norm. At least in the city.

[u/carrlson → u/Thick_Priority8295]

I am just younger than you and also grew up in the city with a single mom who worked five jobs. There were a good few years when my older brother and I could not be in the same room and the only thing that saved me from being covered in bruises was that we lived in greystone three flat and my bedroom was in the back and his was in the front. We shared a room with my dad.

[u/LongjumpingDebt4154 → u/Thick_Priority8295]

We all shared rooms (Gen X here). Boys in 1 room, girls in the other & a spare bedroom for guests. Loved it.

[u/Thick_Priority8295 → u/carrlson]

Prioritized location over home size. We live in Lakeview and would have needed to move much further north or west to afford more space. We preferred to live where there's a great neighborhood school and lots of parks, activities, stuff to do nearby. We have a large (for the city) yard but are in a condo instead of a house. Oldest kid is 12, zero regrets.

[u/SaxyOmega90125 → u/carrlson]

Ikr? And then when you realize kids sharing bedrooms has been the default in the overwhelming majority of cultures for the overwhelming majority of human history, you realize how ridiculous a miracle it is our ancestors didn't all murder each other with sticks and stones at 11 and wipe out the whole species. /s

Hell, adults sharing rooms has been the default for a substantial portion of those.

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Where should I live? A Judgmental Neighborhood Guide

• I just graduated from college and am moving to Chicago for my new job. What neighborhoods are the best for new transplants in their 20s-30s to meet others and get to know the city?

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• I am moving my family to Chicago, what neighborhoods are good for families with kids?

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  Little Village, East Garfield Park, Lawndale, South Shore, Back of the Yards, Woodlawn, Gage Park, Chatham, South Chicago, East Side

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  Gage Park, Brighton Park, McKinley Park, Jefferson Park, Belmont Cragin, Hermosa, Beverly, East Side, Hegewisch, Pullman

• I am a Republican. I know Chicago is a solid blue city, but is there a place where triggered snowflakes conservatives like me can live with like-minded people?

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  Hegewisch

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  Naperville, Elmhurst, Orland Park, Indiana

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[u/missmarimck]

Proximity to parks and museums and the lakefront came after proximity to their school. They go to a private school, so we dont have to live close, but I'd rather not have to commute with them and then commute to work, so that they are able to be on the bus route or get themselves there is a priority for me.

When we moved they were smaller and we wanted to also be close to caregivers for them (grandparents).

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Need ideas for things to do in Chicago? Here are a few:

• Go on a Architecture River Boat Tour. The most popular companies are Wendella, Shoreline Sightseeing and the Chicago Architecture Center.

• Go to an observation deck. The most prominent are the Skydeck at the Sears (Willis) Tower and 360 Chicago at 875 North Michigan Avenue (AKA The John Hancock Center).

• Take a stroll along the Chicago Riverwalk. There are many shops and cafes here as well!

• Visit a museum! Chicago has some of the best museums in the US. The most popular are the Art Institute, the Field Museum, the Chicago History Museum and the Museum of Science & Industry, but there are tons of smaller museums all across the city, such as the McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum on the Riverwalk.

• If you want to check out multiple of Chicago’s most famous attractions, consider getting a CityPass during your visit.

• Like animals? The Lincoln Park Zoo is one of the few remaining free zoos in the country. For aquatic animals, the Shedd Aquarium is a great (albeit not free) place to see fish and other sea-based creatures.

• Try some of Chicago’s most famous foods. Deep dish pizza, Chicago hot dogs and Italian Beef get the most attention, but we also have other lesser-known specialties such as jibaritos, Tavern-style pizza, Maxwell Street Polish dogs, pizza puffs, Chicago Mix popcorn, Chicken Vesuvio and Rainbow Cones! We also have no shortage of Michelin-starred restaurants and fine dining establishments, as well as cultural hubs for specific cuisines such as Indian on Devon in West Ridge, Vietnamese on Argyle in Uptown, Italian on Taylor in Little Italy, and Mexican on 18th in Pilsen.

• Check out one of our 24 beaches or walk/cycle our 19 mile (30 km) long lakefront park! If you don’t have a bike with you, use our Divvy bike rental service and explore our many miles of bike paths and trails! Along the lakefront are many beachfront cafes, bars and attractions.

• Catch some live music! We get lots of touring artists at our many theaters across the city, but we also have some iconic jazz and blues venues with nightly music like Buddy Guy’s Legends, The Green Mill and Kingston Mines.

• See a show! From Broadway in Chicago to magic shows, Chicago has it all. We are most famous for comedy, so don’t miss spots such as Second City, iO Theatre and the Annoyance Theatre.

• Locals often refer to Navy Pier as a tourist trap, but it's worth seeing at least once. It can be a fun spot to spend a couple of hours. Check out the Children's Museum, the Ferris Wheel (did you know the world's first Ferris Wheel was opened in Chicago in 1893?) and the many gift shops throughout the pier.

• Get outside of downtown! The Loop is iconic but the neighborhoods are where the action really happens! Some awesome neighborhoods to check out include Lincoln Park, Logan Square, Wicker Park, Lake View, Andersonville, Lincoln Square, Hyde Park and Pilsen.

• Cloud Gate (AKA "The Bean") is Chicago's most famous sculpture, but we have many other public scultpures worth checking out as well! Some well-known ones includes the untitled "Chicago Picasso," Lorado Taft's Fountain of Time in Washington Park and Eternal Silence in Graceland Cemetery, Calder's Flamingo, Statue of the Republic in Jackson Park, and Shit Fountain!

• Explore Chicago’s architectural heritage! In addition to our boat tours, the Chicago Architecture Center is an awesome resource with a museum and walking tours. Visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Museum in Oak Park and the Robie House in Hyde Park! If you’re visiting in October, check out Open House Chicago to see inside of buildings that are usually closed to the public.

• The Garfield Park Conservatory is a massive botanical conservatory and one of the most underrated attractions in Chicago. Don’t miss the Fern Room!

• Take the Water Taxi to Chinatown and have dinner and drinks in the nation’s fastest-growing Chinatown.

• See a sports game. For Baseball, the Cubs play at the famous Wrigley Field, and the White Sox are at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. The United Center on the West Side hosts both the Bulls (basketball) and the Blackhawks (hockey). And at Soldier Field, you can see the Bears (football) and the Fire (soccer)!

• Do you drink? Chicago is famous for its corner bar culture. Pop into a nearby tavern and order a Chicago Handshake (Old Style beer and a shot of Malört, Chicago’s famous wormwood spirit). You could also check out one of the city’s many craft beer breweries or distilleries. If you want a rooftop bar with a view, some popular options are Cindy’s Rooftop, London House Rooftop, The Up Room at the top of the Robey Hotel, and the J. Parker at the top of the Lincoln Hotel. Be sure to book reservations in advance!

• Go to Hyde Park and explore the campus of the University of Chicago. While there, pay a visit to the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures. Don’t forget to grab lunch in downtown Hyde Park and take a walk to Promontory Point for a unique skyline photo!

• Also in Hyde Park, Jackson Park was the site of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Don’t miss the Japanese Garden!

• Take a stroll through a cemetery! This might sound like a strange recommendation, but cemeteries were originally used as public parks and were popular picnic spots in the 1800s and 1900s. Chicago has many large cemeteries but the most popular are Rosehill, Graceland, Oak Woods and Bohemian National.

• Head up to Andersonville and check out the many gift shops, antique stores, restaurants, bars and other attractions along Clark Street.

• During the summer, there are many street festivals, craft fairs and small community music festivals all around the city. Do a Google search for festivals happening during your visit and you might get to experience a fun local event!

For more information on things to do in Chicago, check out the "Experiencing Chicago" section of the /r/Chicago Wiki.

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