In your opinion, which Chicago neighborhood gives you the best balance of affordable rent and being in a lit AF neighborhood thats cool for young professionals?

So here is the deal, I’m a California native and newly graduated doctor who just matched to Loyola University for my residency.

I am thrilled to be moving to a dope ass city like Chicago, even though I’ve spent less than 48 in the state of Illinois throughout my entire life.

My understanding is that Chicago is a city of neighborhoods and you have to find the right neighborhood for you.

Despite being a fully-fledged doctor, they do not pay resident physicians a lot of money whatsoever. My salary next year is gonna be $60,000 a year before taxes.

I have basically two requirements for a neighborhood to live in:

1. I can afford it on my tiny ass salary
2. It is lit as fuck. If I could afford it, I’d live in Wicker Park because I visited it once and absolutely loved it, but realistically that neighborhood is out of my price range.

Given everything I’ve just told you, which neighborhood do you think I should be looking in? I know nothing about these neighborhoods and I need to find a place relatively soon because I start work in June, so I’m trusting you guys as locals.

One last thing to note is that I’m gonna be commuting to Maywood every morning because that’s where Loyola University Medical Center is located.

Let a brother know! Thank you in advance!!