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Questions about living in Chicago
Hey ladies,
Anyone care to humor a TX nestie dreaming about moving back to a place with seasons? We're seriously considering a move, and coming to town in a few weeks to explore.
I'd love your opinions on good neighborhoods to consider--we have a 16 month old, so need good schools. We'd also like to stay relatively urban, with a short commute (40 mins or less?) to downtown.
Hmm, what else can I tell you. DH works from home and I'll likely end up in downtown if this works out...The neighborhood we're in now is mostly bungalows and victorians with a great neighborhood feel, which we love...
So far friends have said Evanston, Skokie and Oak Lawn are good 'burbs to consider--thought they don't have kids yet and still live in the city. Any thoughts on these or any other places, or what the avereage commute time might be from any of them?
Thanks so much, I appreciate any wisdom you may have to offer!
Re: Questions about living in Chicago
Oak Park and River Forest are both great suburbs close to the city.
Good Luck on your search!
Thanks ladies!
We'd be looking for at least 4 bedrooms and a decent yard for under 700K (hopefully well under, but I understand that might be tough).
**running to chicagotribune.com to check out these new recs**
Because we're fancy like that.
I recently moved to Elmhurst and just LOVE LOVE LOVE it here! ?Great schools, 30 min Metra ride into downtown, amazing main street with an excellent community feel. ?
The DH and I had an incredible realtor who specializes in relocation (we moved from NJ) and knows Cook and DuPage counties like the back of her hand. ?She's high energy, but very sweet and not pushy at all. ?One of the other Nesties just used her as well, and closed on her house last week! ?I'd be happy to give you her info if you'd like... I'm sure she'd be happy to show you around when you come to visit ?:)?
I grew up in Lincolnwood, IL. It's very close to the city, it's a small suburb, and has a great school system. It's right around Sauganash, Skokie, Rogers Park, Evanston.
I would highly recommend it, and you will definitely find houses under 700k, but not drastically under 700k.
Good call, Lauren! I forgot all about Elmhurst..
Downers Grove is another option. It has 3 different train stations, is close to the major highways, has a cute downtown and good schools. There is a good mix of bungalows and both old and new big houses.
Good luck with your search!
The western suburbs are very good, and are a decent commute via the Metra - about 30-45 min depending on what town you're coming from. 1 hour+ if you're driving during rush hour.
Check out Downers Grove, Wheaton, Warrenville, Naperville, and east Aurora (area code 60504). Lisle and Lombard are very nice, and a little closer to the city for a shorter train ride. Oak Brook is a very nice suburb, a little on the higher-priced side, but still very nice. All the above-mentioned cities and towns have excellent school districts and are very vibrant, lively areas with tons of shopping, parks, entertainment, etc. Taxes are generally lower as well, as all are in DuPage County, which has signficantly lower taxes than Cook County.
For your budget, you can get a beautiful home with a great yard in any of those areas. On average at the moment, a 4-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom ranch or split level on less than 1/4 of an acre will run you $200-$400K, so that's well within your budget.
ha, we're the opposite - considering moving from Chicago to Texas to get AWAY from the seasons
The grass is always greener on the other side I guess. Wanna buy my house?
We live in Woodridge, and like most towns has it's good & not as good parts, but those are in low rental apartments not the single family home areas of town. We have a great house on the north side of town, near the parks, lakes, activities. We have excellent Downers Grove school district. Homes range from $200k-$900k in this area, so you can find anything. This is the western suburbs. There are Metra train lines from many suburbs. check out www.metrarail.com which will get you into the city for work.
Western suburb recommendations: Naperville (voted a few years as one of the best places to live in the U.S.!), Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Hinsdale, really depends on your budget.
Also check out southwest suburbs: Orland Park (zero crime rate, and a wonderful place to raise a family), Lockport (growing town, lots of new shopping and schools = high taxes)
I don't know anything about North or Near West suburbs. Tell us what price range and what type of house, and we'll be able to help you better.