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Milly, I am from the Deerfield area (right next to Northbrook) and I live in the city. I don't know how close your new job will be to the Northbrook Metra station-----but if you wanted to live in the city, you could just commute in via the Metra.
There are a couple of "apt complexes" in Northbrook to stay away from---Will you be relying on public transit, or will yuo have a car?

Hi Milly,
Northbrook is a very nice community, but I think it might be more fun for you to live in the city and commute, as chesrow78 has suggested. Evanston, the first suburb north of Chicago, is another possibility--it's closer to Northbrook than Chicago and has a more cosmopolitan/urban/funky feel than most for suburbs on the North Shore. I don't know whether you're single or married, but live in Evanston and its great for singles and families alike, whereas I think of Northbrook as being a more family oriented community.

I agree with shan...Evanston is great. Close enough to both Northbrook and the city that you can enjoy both without too long a commute. Evanston is the perfect combination of having stuff to do so you don't feel like you're in a suburb yet you are able to "get away" from the hectic pace of a city.

I lived in NB for four years after I graduated college while working in Deerfield. It's a great community, good shopping and centrally located. Even had a 2 bd/2 bath. However, few friends ever came over because they all lived in the city and didn't want to drive up. If you are single, I agree with the other posts and take advantage of Evanston or Chicago, but also consider your commute schedule. Good luck!

I live in Chicago and commute to Northbrook via the Metra.

I lived alllll the way in Fox Lake, IL but commuted to Chicago by Metra. I'm not much of a help with the whole where to live question, but just wanted to say that you should look into areas that are close to a Metra line. I now live in Madison, WI and although I absolutely love it here, I miss the train dearly!

If you're a young, single professional then I'd try to live someplace that's more oriented to that lifestyle. Northbrook is primarily families with children. I grew up in Highland Park, which is a suburb just to the East.

I'd recommend looking at the north side of Chicago -- Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Roscoe Village, Lincoln Square, etc. Focusing on finding an apartment someplace closer to the expressway or train station (depending on how you plan to commute) can cut much of your commute time. If you want to stay in the suburbs, I'll echo the recommendations from others to look at Evanston, which has more of interest to a young professional.

Milly,
I agree with Shan-Evanston is a great area. It has the Chicago feel and it's extremely convenient for commuting. There are a lot of little cafes, shops, whole foods, younger people and younger couples....a lot of hipsters, etc. (Northwestern University is the main focus of Evanston)
The only cons of Evanston (just in my opinion) are that there really are not too many bars, or "foodie" options....although there are some great places to eat there.

I agree that you might find living in Northbrook stultifying as a young, single person.

You definitely want to be near a Metra line if you plan to live in the city. Driving between the city and the north suburbs every day will wear you down quickly.

The Northbrook station is on the Metra Milwaukee North Line, which has stops in western areas of the city.

The Metra Union Pacific North Line runs more centrally through the city, but it doesn't have a Northbrook stop.

Evanston is about a 20-minute drive from Northbrook with no traffic. I live there and I love it, but it is sleepier than the city.

Northbrook, though lovely, is a ways away from the city. If you'd prefer to stay near it, look into Then Glen in Glenview. It's a community developed at a former naval base that has typical suburban streets, but also a well developed downtown with apartment buildings. The last time I visited, it still had a Disneyesque fake quality since it all sprang up so fast, but if you want to stick close to your office, it might be a good option.

Otherwise, I'll agree with the other input here; living on the north (Lakeview, Roscoe Village, Andersonville) or west (Bucktown, Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village) side of Chicago would provide both interesting locales and easy access to the Kennedy Expressway. I agree that Evanston is delightful, but if you plan on commuting by car, living near your major travel artery (i.e. 90/94 or 294), will make life easier for you. In downtown Evanston, 90/94 is a bit of a crawl West on roads that tend to get slow.

Best of luck and welcome to the area!

Edgewater is convenient for commuting to the north shore - easy driving (multiple routes) and I suppose metra, depending on where you work and your hours. Plus rentals in town are generally less (if you search and are savvy) than in the burbs.

I take 94 (aka the Edens) to Northbrook from Evanston once a week, and it rarely takes more than 20 minutes. Evanston is two or three miles from 94, but it's a straight shot west on Dempster and doesn't take long.

I live in Wheeling (the suburb just to the west of Northbrook) and have a 2 bed 2 bath condo I can sell you! But if you are single and are looking for a bit more excitement, then I do recommend Evanston. Northbrook does have a cute downtown area though!

I used to live in Pilsen and made that commute every day for 4 years. One day I did the math and realized how much of my life had been wasted in the car.

I wholeheartedly support the notion of living close to work (which kind of defeats the purpose of an exciting move to Chicago, if you're just going to do the 'burbs) or making sure that your new home is very close to a Metra line.

Oh-- and there's an easily accessible Metra stop just off the edge of Bucktown. I see it all the time but don't know the name of the stop. It'd be a quick bike ride or a reasonable walk from a lot of the apartments there.

If you call ApartmentFinders, they can help dial you in a little better to places that would be near Metra stops.

http://www.chicagoapartmentfinders.com/

Good luck! And WELCOME! I moved here from Texas 11 years ago and never regretted it for a second.

The METRA Train stop you're referring to, is called the "Clybourn" stop. This stop is indeed walking distance to the Bucktown neighborhood - a great place for a recent Transplant.
The only issue with getting off the train in Northbrook (which I did once, for a year), is that the Train stops much further to the East, than Northbrook-
requiring either,
a taxi, a pre- planted Bike,
a friendly co-worker to shuttle you....
along Dundee Road, (which doesn't even have sidewalks in many sections)....to your workplace....

I live in Evanston and we drive to Northbrook frequently. Evanston is more of an urban suburb, but you might look at apartments away from downtown if you dont like the loud college crowd.

I'm selling a one bedroom condo with a den in Palatine, about 30 minutes drive west of Northbrook. The only reason my husband and I are moving is because we are outgrowing the space. I first moved to Palatine when I was commuting to Northbrook from further out in the burbs. While Milly would have to drive to work, there's a Metra Station, making trips to the city convenient.. There are also a bunch of restaurants, but it's a quieter, less urban area than the north side or Evanston.

It's a great community, and close to everything.

Milly, I am relocating to Chicago from the pacific northwest too. Chicago is my hometown and I will be glad to get back. Living in the city is best. If people can commute from the suburbs to work in the city, so can you live in the city and commute to the suburbs. I will be living in Rogers Park and will not have a car but public transit has always worked for me. Rogers Park is the northern most neighborhood along the lake. Good luck on your move and new job.