Chicago Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Relocating to Chicago area ?
We are probably relocating to Chicago as my husbands job is moving to the downtown area of Chicago. What areas near the city are nice to live in, that's not a huge commute. I'm looking in housing price ranges up to $400k with nice school district, shopping areas, stuff like that. I don't even know where to begin looking, as I don't know any names of surrounding areas & then which ones are nice. Thanks for your help!
Re: Relocating to Chicago area ?
Because we're fancy like that.
Generally speaking, (private schools not withstanding), the closer to the city you get the worst the schools are. That being said, you sound like you're looking for a suburb instead of something right downtown. All the suburbs have train lines that run directly into the city, so if he doesn't mind the ride, that's the best way to go. Driving is... well.... you couldn't pay me enough to do that on a daily basis.
So... areas to consider: Northern 'burbs: Schaumburg, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Arlington Heights. These are wonderful suburbs - close to the north side of the city. Very metropolitan area with a great mix of classic "main street" downtown areas and big-city feel. Good shopping and nightlife, entertainment, etc. Schools are pretty good. Taxes are high here, as are house prices, due to the Cook County location (same county as the City of Chicago).
Western 'burbs (where I'm from, so I'm biased): Wheaton, Warrenville, Lombard, Downers Grove, Naperville, Oak Brook, Glen Ellyn, St. Charles, Bolingbrook, Villa Park. Excellent areas with some of the best school districts in the state (and some of the fastest-growing districts in the country). House prices are moderate to high (250 and up), depending on what you want. 400K will get you a nice 4 br/4ba with a 2-car garage and a nice 1/4 acre. More land and bigger house = more money and more taxes. Overall, taxes are much lower due to DuPage County location. Much more suburban feel than the big city. About 35-55 mins by train or car, depending on traffic. Great shopping, nightlife, park districts, etc.
Enjoy your search, and welcome to Chicago!
Depending on how far you want to commute, an area which is great for the train (Metra to downtown) is the NW burbs - Arlington Heights / Palatine area is good for this. AH has a great little downtown area with a lot of new condos/townhouses in that area - prices will vary depending on what you want. The schools out there are great - it's the area where I grew up and my parents are still out there. Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates is also nice, but getting further out...longer commute downtown, but has the best mall in the burbs in my opinion (Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, as well as every other store you could imagine).
You could also check out Oak Park on the western edge of the city. Parts of it are pricey, but somewhat affordable and it has more of a city feel than the typical burb. Elmhurst is pretty nice and homey, but is getting more expensive.
Personally, Naperville and Downers Grove seem way too far for a regular commute to downtown. Northern suburbs will be too expensive (i.e. Evanston, Winnetka, Wilmette, Glencoe).
As a general rule, I'd say if your husband is commuting downtown everyday, don't go more than about 30 - 35 miles from his job location. The commutes can get crazy, especially if driving.