[stevers11]

I was just wondering where most of the auditors who have main offices in downtown Chicago choose to live. The company I am going to work for mentions that you will need a car to go to clients offices but also need to have reliable transit to the main office in downtown Chicago. I realize this is very typical of most public accounting firms so I was wondering what people thought. I’d like to live in the city for the social scene but at the same time don’t want to be stuck in traffic all day going out to clients. What would you recommend? Thanks!!

[Jay_P_]

I started out in audit at a Big 4 and most of the people I started with lived in the Lakeview and Lincoln park areas. If you live in Chicago, avoiding traffic is probably not going to happen too often. But I'd definitely recommend those two places and surrounding areas if you're looking for a social scene

[Anonymous]

stevers, I have been a realtor in Chicago for over 10 years and know the neighborhoods very well. My advice for easy public transit downtown and also (relatively) easy highway access is an area like Bucktown or Wicker Park. There are Blue Line el stops on Division/Ashland and North/Damen and you can also get on the highway at both Division and North. The social scene in Bucktown and Wicker Park is still good, but a little more “hip” and less yuppie than Lincoln Park and Lakeview. That's a very blurry line though, and the neighborhood demographics in that regard has definitely become more homogonous since I started selling real estate in 2004 (i.e., more yuppification). Getting to/from the highway in Bucktown and Wicker Park will be infinitely easier than it is to/from Lincoln Park and Lakeview, which may not make as much of a difference if you're leaving early in the morning, but it defintiely will when you're trying to get home at night, especially if there is an event going on (like a Cubs game). Prices (both rental and purchase) are also less in Bucktown/WP than LP/Lakeview. Just my 2 cents…

[Author]

Replies