"Night before had a date with a boy from Highland Park. Said he'd meet her at the diner at 9 o'clock. Leather boots, eyeliner laid on extra dark." (- Mayer Hawthorne, "Her Favorite Song")
Highland Park is a popular residential area with professional sports personalities based in Illinois. The convenient proximity of Highland Park to world-class sporting facilities combined with the suburban, relaxed charm means that, should you choose to rent a townhouse in Highland Park, you just might end up neighboring a Chicago Bull. The city runs along Lake Michigan for nearly five miles, providing great location shots that have been used in a number of popular movies. Rent an apartment here and you would have the distinct privilege of calling this picture-perfect suburb home.
Budget For the Extras
"Night before had a date with a boy from Highland Park. Said he'd meet her at the diner at 9 o'clock. Leather boots, eyeliner laid on extra dark." (- Mayer Hawthorne, "Her Favorite Song")
Highland Park is a popular residential area with professional sports personalities based in Illinois. The convenient proximity of Highland Park to world-class sporting facilities combined with the suburban, relaxed charm means that, should you choose to rent a townhouse in Highland Park, you just might end up neighboring a Chicago Bull. The city runs along Lake Michigan for nearly five miles, providing great location shots that have been used in a number of popular movies. Rent an apartment here and you would have the distinct privilege of calling this picture-perfect suburb home.
House Hunting in Highland Park
Budget For the Extras
When looking for a rental home in Highland Park, keep in mind that the rent for some properties includes utilities while others may not. Higher-priced apartments normally include utilities such as heat, electricity, and cable. Paying more for such an apartment might mean that you pay less overall.
Be Well Prepared
Rental housing in Highland Park tends to move rather quickly, so it helps to have your references and checkbook at hand when you begin your apartment hunt. Expect to produce a security deposit, a month's rent, and more often than not, a broker's fee. You'll feel a sufficiently large dent in your wallet or piggy bank the day you seal the deal.
Don't Forget the Paperwork
While most apartment communities will typically have a contract, you might come across a few landlords who may be more lax about paperwork. No matter who you're dealing with, don't rely on a handshake to close the deal. Ensure that your lease addresses important clauses such as the notification period prior to moving out, and whether your security deposit is refundable.
Neighborhoods in Highland Park
The neighborhoods of Highland Park boast a perfect mix of housing, from the historic colonial townhouses of the mid-1800s to a range of contemporary bungalows, condominiums, and high-rise apartments.
Highmoor: Should you choose to make Highmoor your new home, you'll be in one of the richest communities in the nation, with a mere 0.4 percent of the nation's neighborhoods being wealthier. If you own a luxury car or two, and frequently holiday in Europe, you'll fit right in here. But what really stands out in the Highmoor area of Highland Park is that it has more four- and five-bedroom homes than a staggering 97.3 percent of the rest of the country's neighborhoods. While most of the walking that the residents of such wealthy neighborhoods undertake typically takes place within the confines of their homes, many people's commute to work in Highmoor literally involves a walk from the bedroom to the home office, with 14.4 percent of its residents working from home.
Western Avenue/Hill St: The vacancy rate in the urban area of Western Avenue/Hill Street normally hovers close to zero, so the probability of snagging a good deal is relatively nil. However, if you're persistent enough and check with a number of realtors, you will increase your chances of landing a great apartment. If you're looking to settle in an area with an active nightlife, this neighborhood isn't the best of places to start your search. Renting a property here would mean that you could count among your new neighbors a large number of urban sophisticates and active retirees.
Braeside: Many of the houses in the urban neighborhood of Braeside are historic, having been built in the 18th and early 19th centuries. If you're a regular patron of the arts and enjoy your weekly trips to the ballet, you'll fit right in with the folks of Braeside. The people here are characterized by their refined tastes and cultural inclinations. Approximately 66 percent of the working population in this locality is employed in managerial, executive, and technical occupations.
The High Life in Highland Park
Highland Park has a pulsating downtown shopping district that features a vast array of shopping and dining options ranging from high end options to classic street fare. The renowned Ravinia Festival, which hosts classical, pop, and jazz concerts in the summer, is held in the old artist's colony of the Ravinia district at the southern end of Highland Park. The Festival runs from May until September, the sole consecutive-night summer offering in America. Most locals spend their summer evenings picnicking on acres of beautifully landscaped grounds before and during the concerts. Highland Park is also close enough to Chicago that relocating here would be ideal if you work in Chicago but want to live away from the buzz of big-city life.
