Possibly relocating to Chicago - help!

[Bobby_Jim]

Oh how I wish I could get back to Chicago! I’m stuck in California… cultural wasteland.

One bit of warning… commutes can take a very long time. Certain commutes that look like they should be pretty quick can actually be pretty slow. E.g. my wife’s commute of about 6 miles (Edgewater to Bucktown) took about 30 minutes. My commute from Edgewater to Evanston (about 4 miles) took about 20 minutes. Traffic is bad in all directions at all times. There is much less of an “against traffic” or “reverse commute” than you find in other places.

I think some of the closer in suburbs and farther out neighborhoods of the city proper have a certain charm about them. Too bad to hear Oak Park has some muggings and crime - that was a very nice area. The parish there - Ascension - is beautiful. If I had a lot of money I would have considered living in that area.

 

[shannyk]

I have lived in Cook County all my life. Born in Chicago proper, I have lived on all sides of the city. The truth is, to live in a “no crime” area you have to pay for it $$$$. No crime + near Metra = $$$$$$$$$$$. Naperville and Aurora are waaay far from Chicago. Aurora is having more crime issues than it previously had. Of course I’m not talking about downtown Bagdhad or anything, but still. Riverside (not North Riverside, but Riverside) is a lovely wooded area near the Metra line. LaGrange and LaGrange Park are others. If you don’t want to spend your whole day commuting I’d say these are a couple of decent areas to look at. Oakbrook and Oakbrook Terrace as well are swanky but accessible to the city (I’m assuming this new job of yours means a higher income?)

Lots of really nice neighborhoods in Chicago are only nice because of “gentrification” and they tend to be islands in a sea of gangbangers. President Obama’s house is by Washington Park near Hyde Park. Not a place to go walking at night without police escort (or in Obama’s case, the Secret Service. Would that we were all President of the United States). I went to Loyola, Lake Shore Campus, and Roger’s Park is/can be a nice neighborhood. It’s one of the better college areas in my opinion, but you’d have to use the Red line rather than have convenient access to Metra (no, actually I think there is a north/south Metra line there now that I think about it. Oops). Oak Park actually reminds me a lot of Rogers Park. It tries to be “the North Side in the Suburbs.” But yes there are areas of Oak Park that are high crime as someone already noted.

Chicago certainly isn’t lacking for parishes, despite the closings. Anywhere you move will be close to a parish. Avoid Jesuit parishes and you should have a parish that is in communion with Rome (being a Loyola grad, I couldn’t help the Jesuit dig. I apologize to any Jesuits that may have been offended).

Here is perhaps a partial list of places that you ***shouldn’t ***

move without a kevlar vest: Cicero (I only just escaped Cicero myself this month!), Berwyn, Maywood, Melrose Park, Stone Park, The West Side of Chicago (the *entire *west side, mind you!) Blue Island, most suburbs near either airport, Summit, Joliet (I once had a history teacher that said if God gave the world an enema, he’d insert at Joliet ), Peoria, Calumet City, am I missing anything? I’m certain that I am.

***(Disclaimer: For all those CAF members who may reside in any of these communities, the opinions expressed above reflect the views of Nom the Wise and do not (necessarily) reflect the views of CAF, its management, staff or advertisers). ***

Fellow Chicagoans! Do you refute me?

I refute you not!

I grew up on the North side (Andersonville, Wrigleyville) and in Evanston and Wilmette which is the North Shore. Moved back to the city, Rogers park and Lincoln Park, when I was going to school (UIC and Loyola) and when I got married, had babies etc. I went back to Evanston to live, had an awesome place just steps from the beach. i miss it

I dunno what you’re budget is, but in general the areas that have good school and are close to train access are $$$$$. I moved when there was nothing on my block under 600 grand to buy. No can do!! Naperville is FAR from the Loop, I would not want to make that commute every day, personally.

I think Nom gave you some good ideas of what to avoid. It’s been a few years since I lived down there and things have changed somewhat, I’m not sure how the current real estate market is affecting the home prices but it seems like not that much, they’re still high.

Nom also hinted to the Catholic climate in the Chicagland area, and it’s definitely in the realm of what could be called ‘cafeteria’ but there are some great, orthodox parishes.

The Glen! Argh…no offense since you worked on it but I miss the Naval base! They had the best fair every summer and you could go on all the planes and heli’s, very fun. Great growing up memories there. Shopping is ok too,if you’re into that.

I love Chicago though and all it has to offer, you’ll never be without something to do with family for sure. Don’t let the ‘city’ aspect scare you off, I’ve never felt unsafe there as a woman walking and taking the EL and buses at night even. No to say don’t use common sense though…The lake is AWESOME. Lincoln park Zoo is the best. Art Institute, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Aquarium and Planetarium, and SO much more.

That all probably not very helpful, but I hope you find a place that suits you and you love it as much as I do!

 

[Nom_the_Wise]

Oh how I wish I could get back to Chicago! I’m stuck in California… cultural wasteland.

One bit of warning… commutes can take a very long time. Certain commutes that look like they should be pretty quick can actually be pretty slow. E.g. my wife’s commute of about 6 miles (Edgewater to Bucktown) took about 30 minutes. My commute from Edgewater to Evanston (about 4 miles) took about 20 minutes. Traffic is bad in all directions at all times. There is much less of an “against traffic” or “reverse commute” than you find in other places.

An excellent point. Driving in the Loop itself can be downright terrifying for anyone not familiar with it, but at least you won’t turn a corner and run into a gang shoot out. In the Chicago neighborhoods, you could be driving along “Gee isn’t this lovely,” turn a corner and wind up in a “Blue Light District” (areas in the city where there is a police camera on virtually every lampost, with a “blue flashing light” on it). And those are areas you cannot escape by driving fast! “Oh honey, look what’s in fashion for the prostitutes this year. I wish the line of cars in front of me would speed up.” Not trying to scare you, just a little humor. I’m sure New York is worse. The late comic Richard Jenni once said of Chicago that it was founded by New Yorkers that felt that NY wasn’t cold enough for them.

So I guess this means that you’ll have to get an apartment in the Loop and walk to work.

 

[OLHope]

I agree to nix Indiana, too. Only needed to go there for the Horseshoe. The Metra is a big one, and for a designer or engineer type…, that 40-60 minutes on the train is a Godsend for double/triple checking your plans/presentations, and on the way back is great to check phone messages or have personal time before you heed to your family’s needs.

My final idea is Des Plaines, not too Highland Park and not too Gary, Ind. Just right for Goldilocks and maybe a starter home, but you would be amazed at the feeling as though you may just want to stay. The Des Plaines Cumberland Stop on the Metra is super convenient in the heart of downtown DP with new Condos and one of the nicest new libraries in the CHGOland area(stay away from any property off des plaines river, constant cresting problems). The home prices are reasonable.

Naperville is like as ritzy as you are going to get for the West, NW, or South burbs. Downers Grove and Lombard are just as average/ok as Des Plaines. Glenview is $$$$. Lived in DP in my youth, it was definitely quiet for me(loved the schools here, but preferred to live in the city at that time, I had to live there to be in district for the schools), stay away from apartments and old condo buildings. It seems to attract some rebels. Find a house, your home is what you make of it. Speaking of Horseshoe Casino, there is a riverboat Casino going up in DP soon which helps the city get extra money and the neighboring town get more entertainment. I don’t know if that might influence your decision at all. Decent to start in and then check around town incase you want someplace better/fancier to settle. Hilary Clinton’s former schools are there, (Maine district), I know not many people like her in these forums, but she is Sec of State now. Hilary Clinton is from Park Ridge, which is Super fun, pricey, too, but if you look around you can find a deal or call a realtor and tell them to look into it for you, maybe a good foreclosure if you ideally want something 200-350k. Rosemont is gr8 because they somehow get this tax loophole, but finding a home there or even a plot of land most times will run you at or around 500k.

If you find a really good realtor, have them set a date that you can fly or drive out on a Friday night to see homes all day Saturday and Sunday, that’s how I looked for a condo, I picked 4 vicinities and checked like 3-4 places, making notes on all of them. It took only 3 hours to see all of it. After my own research, I gave my realtor a huge list of like/dislikes and what I wanted in my price range and bing bang boom, she created a strict schedule and I saw everything, took only one afternoon. So imagine how many more you could see if you had a whole weekend, if you are a designer/engineer then you are pretty handy, too. Most of the homes I mention in this post are developed in 1950’s-1970’s, where as Aurora has super cheap homes, but for a reason, they are super old and need super attention. I could have had done without the realtor, but I get to a point I am fed up with all the computer linking, so I just gave up and had a realtor deal with it.

I agree about the metra site, it BITES! I use google maps because at the lower magnifications, it places the stop directly there, and I think the maps on cta or yahoo even list the time for departure/arrival and precise pick ups with voyage information from train to train, but the idea is to have only one trip. You can use google street view to see exact photos of the neighborhood and streets and exterior of some homes.

Fun example for those who have not utilized this feature yet:

Downtown DP:

maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=60016&sll=41.845611,-87.62851&sspn=0.043415,0.077248&g=60616&ie=UTF8&ll=42.040497,-87.886591&spn=0.020876,0.038624&z=15&layer=c&cbll=42.040533,-87.886688&panoid=cgyf6uqx_tksRnmbSETxrQ&cbp=12,329.0957733448772,0,4.8999999999999995

If things get that bad, I suggest calling House Hunters on HGTV for help. Just watch it in general or online to see old episodes, I saw them showcase a home in Highland Park once for 239k, I thought my eyes popped out of my head, this was when the housing crisis began its decline, though, and it looked real nice and real roomy, I should have sought that out! Now is the time to buy, so I better get hoppin, too!

 

[shannyk]

Hilary Clinton is from Park Ridge, which is Super fun, pricey, too,

I was coming back her to suggest Park Ridge or Niles, which surprisingly has really improved it’s overall look and feel and community amenities, and the prices are not bad, but the homes tend to be on the smaller side, in general. Worth a look though.

Now if you go further north along the lake, you’re going to get into Lake County where you have some nice communities like Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. now lake Forest is very $$$$ and exclusive, million dollar mansions abound, but lake Bluff which is right next door is a nice smaller community, though not cheap somewhat more modest but beautiful old homes. I lived there for about a year when I was just out of HS and it was really nice, very great family place, safe, beach and bike trails were right there, and the Metra too (Up North line), but to the Loop it would be a hike, looks like about an hour on the schedule.

OP I’m curious as to the type of environment and ‘feel’ you have now where you’re living and how old your kids are? Might help us to suggest more specifically for you.

now NO OFFENSE to anyone but…

I have to say, as a disclaimer, though I love the Chicago area, I found it not really the environment I personally wanted to raise my kids in.

It’s a bit…intense and intimidating, very go go go for my tastes, especially out in the burbs. I found other parents to be very competitive and career oriented. They definitely tend to project this onto their kids ( not that i’ts a bad thing, just not ‘me’).

I found it hard as a mom, because I didn’t have my kids in 40 different classes and they weren’t playing sports by age 1, to really find people to befriend. I got tired of people scheduling me in for a 40 min ‘playdate’. Finding other SAHM’s was really almost unheard of, because the cost of living there is so high, most families are two income families. I definitely felt like a fish out of water as a parent there, even though I had grown up there, but the vibe has changed a lot I think. All in all it’s still la great place to raise kids, but not knowing what you and you’re wife are used to, how old your kids are etc. I can’t say for certain that it won’t be a bit of culture shock for you. Then again I’ve never lived in Kansas

Just my personal experience though, but I thought I’d share

 

[yellowbird]

I’m going to suggest you look at the far NW suburbs… Arlington Hts., Palatine, Fox River Grove, Cary, Crystal Lake … all on the metra line but a longer communte than you wanted… The neighborhoods are very safe and much more affordable than those closer to Chicago. Unless you earn $$$$$$ I think you are going to at the housing prices in Chicago.

I think it’s a little more laid back out here… most of my friends are either stay at home Moms or they work part-time. My husband’s co-workers can’t believe that I stay home with FIVE children… how can you guys afford that? They ask him that all the time. The reason we can afford it is because our lovely old home on a beautiful lot cost about 1/3 the cost of theirs with MUCH cheaper property taxes. There are wonderful Catholic schools and parishes, and the park district programs are awesome. My husband wasn’t crazy about the commute, but the trade off was worth it.

I agree with ShannyK’s post… I think the closer you get to Chicago, the more go go go the lifestyle is.

You will love the Metra trains… they are awesome. The kids & I go into the city all the time … on the weekends kids are free and adults are $5 ROUND TRIP. Chicago is a WONDERFUL city… I LOVE it here!!!

God bless!

 

[EricDavis73]

.
OP I’m curious as to the type of environment and ‘feel’ you have now where you’re living and how old your kids are? Might help us to suggest more specifically for you.

Well, it’s a typical suburb. There are a lot of materialistic, high-strung, neurotic people caught up in the race against the Joneses here. Even in that environment, we have a great street that we live on where we know many of our neighbors and can let our 7 year old play at their houses, ride bikes, whatever. We live in a house that is probably too big for us anyway and we already know that we will be downsizing considerably so that I can see my boys for more than 10 minutes before they have to go to bed.

My boys are 7, 5 (going to start kindergarten in the fall), 3 and 19 months.

All in all it’s still la great place to raise kids, but not knowing what you and you’re wife are used to, how old your kids are etc. I can’t say for certain that it won’t be a bit of culture shock for you. Then again I’ve never lived in Kansas

My wife and I have been to Chicago many, many times and we both have an idea of the culture shock that we will have. By the same token, we are really looking forward to the opportunities the boys would have by growing up in a bigger city (not that KC has dirt sidewalks or anything).

I will say that I will probably start my job, find a place to stay temporarily and commute back to KC on the weekends for a while as we work things out. My main concern right now is trying to get a feel for housing costs/mortgage so that I can make a reasonable estimate of the cost-of-living increase. Most ‘salary calculators’ out there are too general and we live on a Dave Ramsey budget so I’m really trying to zero in on what our budget would look like in Chi-town.

Thanks for all the continuing replies.

 

[yellowbird]

I agree with OLHope ~ Des Plains is nice… also Mt. Prospect. Business Week rated Mt. Prospect one of the BEST places to raise kids.

businessweek.com/investor/content/nov2008/pi2008117_238652.htm

 

[OLHope]

I agree with OLHope ~ Des Plains is nice… also Mt. Prospect. Business Week rated Mt. Prospect one of the BEST places to raise kids.

businessweek.com/investor/content/nov2008/pi2008117_238652.htm

Wow I did not even know this, I thought I heard something on the news a bit back, I did not know it was with BW. Good to know!

 

[OLHope]

I’m going to suggest you look at the far NW suburbs… Arlington Hts., Palatine, Fox River Grove, Cary, Crystal Lake … all on the metra line but a longer communte than you wanted… The neighborhoods are very safe and much more affordable than those closer to Chicago. Unless you earn $$$$$$ I think you are going to at the housing prices in Chicago.

I think it’s a little more laid back out here… most of my friends are either stay at home Moms or they work part-time. My husband’s co-workers can’t believe that I stay home with FIVE children… how can you guys afford that? They ask him that all the time. The reason we can afford it is because our lovely old home on a beautiful lot cost about 1/3 the cost of theirs with MUCH cheaper property taxes. There are wonderful Catholic schools and parishes, and the park district programs are awesome. My husband wasn’t crazy about the commute, but the trade off was worth it.

I agree with ShannyK’s post… I think the closer you get to Chicago, the more go go go the lifestyle is.

You will love the Metra trains… they are awesome. The kids & I go into the city all the time … on the weekends kids are free and adults are $5 ROUND TRIP. Chicago is a WONDERFUL city… I LOVE it here!!!

God bless!

I definitely concur with everything you said about far nw burbs. Pretty much all of my relatives live in that vicinity. The far nw burbs do have a ton of programs, you will not be bored there! There is pressure for SAHM/D to volunteer or pitch in service more often than stable working mothers/dads/parents. Not that you can’t or do not have to, but just like missing a no non sense day at work, it is frowned upon. So they are big on contribution, and competition. Michael Douglas said of Chicago once. “I like Chicago, Chicago works.” Some people work so much they suffice for the not so ambitious ones. There is a point you just want to relax, but when you become a hard worker, it sometimes hard to break the habit. I loved working downtown, it is like a big college campus for adults during business times. It is hustle and bustle, though, so raising children obviously not the greatest thing in the city, as you may have heard on the news, but the go go go is definitely business, work, and competion geared. Easier for single/married people with little to no kids because they can delegate more of their time to work, which if they have no spouse or kids, work sadly becomes and may consume their life. That’s why they become city dwellers, it is when they have kids and want more recreation that the burbs look good for space, but have to sacrifice the corner store convenience on every block. When you get the areas that border city into suburbs, you get a spacial mix of both.

Catholic church communities are real nice and tight there as much as most. If you do not want to be too overwhelmed by programming, I would still go back to DP or like yellowbird suggested, MP(they are all next to each other, more relaxed and you can pick and choose what you feel like when you feel like it).

No doubt about it, it does not matter what neighborhood you are in, you always have some bad apples and that strange neighbor that ruins any open houses. Ah well so is life! That is as bad as it gets though, everything else is pretty smooth as silk.

Praying for your direction with all of it, best wishes on your choice and budgeting!
-Hope

 

[OLHope]

Well, it’s a typical suburb. There are a lot of materialistic, high-strung, neurotic people caught up in the race against the Joneses here.

You will not find too much of a differece here. Not quite pleasantville, but not quite desperate housewives. Just everything in between.

A three bedroom is completely fine for your family right now. Boys can and should learn to share, walls and partitions can be built later. I learned so much from having siblings and sharing space and dealing with annoying behaviors, but I love, I love the intimate conversations we had, I still remember and documented some of them. I love that I will have great friends for a lifetime, and I love and appreciate more the life my mother gave, that was hardworking and selfless. Its easy to just keep giving giving giving, but I could have had a complex and dependency issues with that. There is a saying, “Give a man a fish and they eat for a day, teach him to fish, and he learns how to feed himself everyday.” Something like that, I am sure you have all heard it, and get the gist of what I am trying to say.

I learned I could strive to be rich and powerful, but happiness would always be on the back burner, I learned that I could be poor, lowly, and struggling from check to check, but I would never be stable. I learned that if I could find fairness in the two, I would complete in my own understanding the gift of being meek and humble. The concise means of true Catholic contentment. Not too high, not too low. Just right. A logical comment from a Jack Nicholson movie states, “Maybe THIS is as good as it gets?” (He was known in this movie for being very vile, rude, pessimistic,ocd, and impossible to please).

I was unsure as some were at first as well as to what you were looking for but it doesn’t seem too much of a culture shock from where you are at now.

 

[OLHope]

I was coming back her to suggest Park Ridge or Niles, which surprisingly has really improved it’s overall look and feel and community amenities, and the prices are not bad, but the homes tend to be on the smaller side, in general. Worth a look though.

Now if you go further north along the lake, you’re going to get into Lake County where you have some nice communities like Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. now lake Forest is very $$$$ and exclusive, million dollar mansions abound, but lake Bluff which is right next door is a nice smaller community, though not cheap somewhat more modest but beautiful old homes. I lived there for about a year when I was just out of HS and it was really nice, very great family place, safe, beach and bike trails were right there, and the Metra too (Up North line), but to the Loop it would be a hike, looks like about an hour on the schedule

Glad you mentioned Lake Forest. I was at a party here once, WOW! I felt like I was in a well manicured forrested Palm Beach. It was meticulous. Just looking at it made me feel so poor as I am working/middle class myself. But wow! I think Ravinia and the Botanic Gardens are around this area, so I think I would like to catch a little Tony Bennett this summer.

That bike trail has been of interest to me, I think it is a fully paved one that starts at Superdawg and goes to six flags? Im gonna bike it, one day!

 

[shannyk]

Glad you mentioned Lake Forest. I was at a party here once, WOW! I felt like I was in a well manicured forrested Palm Beach. It was meticulous. Just looking at it made me feel so poor as I am working/middle class myself. But wow! I think Ravinia and the Botanic Gardens are around this area, so I think I would like to catch a little Tony Bennett this summer.

That bike trail has been of interest to me, I think it is a fully paved one that starts at Superdawg and goes to six flags? Im gonna bike it, one day!

Actually it goes all the way to Kenosha Wisconsin, if you’re so inclined Does it start at Superdawg? I didn’t know that. Good excuse to stop for a Whoopercheesie.:yyeess:

 

[OLHope]

Actually it goes all the way to Kenosha Wisconsin, if you’re so inclined Does it start at Superdawg? I didn’t know that. Good excuse to stop for a Whoopercheesie.:yyeess:

Woo, KenWi? Wow I will really have to have the spirit move in me to push for that kind of ambition!

I once got put in the corner for ordering a hot dog instead of a superdawg, you always get reprimanded. They put a dunce cap on a host of a FoodNetwork show for doing the same thing. Glad the humor goes a long way.

Yes I believe it is that very intersection into that wooded/forest preserve area that the northbranch trail begins. I do not know for sure.

 

[manualman]

Westmont is your ticket. I’d live there myself if I worked downtown (assuming I chose NOT to kill myself over working downtown…)

1. Metra has an express line from ‘downtown Westomont (LOL)’ to union station. Plan on living close though because there’s little to no available parking (unless Holy Trinity still rents day parking on their lot - see below)
2. It used to be a blue collar town, so the homes are smaller and simpler than the adjacent snooty towns of Oak Brook and Clarendon Hills. But you’re still close to their superb shopping locations and restaurants. The word has gotten out and prices are rather up, unfortunately. But still only awful, not nose-bleed level.
3. Holy Trinity parish (with a school). A great parish, no nonsense and a large community of faithful catholics (though many of them home-school). A large cell group of the lay Brothers & Sisters of Charity (John Michael Talbot founded them) calls this parish home.
4. More stay at home moms in the area (but far fewer than there used to be).

PM me if you want a contact name from this parish to talk to.

Lombard is similar in background and has at least two good parishes with schools. No sure if they are a Metra express stop or not.

 

[Cat]

I have lived in Cook County all my life. Born in Chicago proper, I have lived on all sides of the city. The truth is, to live in a “no crime” area you have to pay for it $$$$. No crime + near Metra = $$$$$$$$$$$. Naperville and Aurora are waaay far from Chicago. Aurora is having more crime issues than it previously had. Of course I’m not talking about downtown Bagdhad or anything, but still. Riverside (not North Riverside, but Riverside) is a lovely wooded area near the Metra line. LaGrange and LaGrange Park are others. If you don’t want to spend your whole day commuting I’d say these are a couple of decent areas to look at. Oakbrook and Oakbrook Terrace as well are swanky but accessible to the city (I’m assuming this new job of yours means a higher income?)

Lots of really nice neighborhoods in Chicago are only nice because of “gentrification” and they tend to be islands in a sea of gangbangers. President Obama’s house is by Washington Park near Hyde Park. Not a place to go walking at night without police escort (or in Obama’s case, the Secret Service. Would that we were all President of the United States). I went to Loyola, Lake Shore Campus, and Roger’s Park is/can be a nice neighborhood. It’s one of the better college areas in my opinion, but you’d have to use the Red line rather than have convenient access to Metra (no, actually I think there is a north/south Metra line there now that I think about it. Oops). Oak Park actually reminds me a lot of Rogers Park. It tries to be “the North Side in the Suburbs.” But yes there are areas of Oak Park that are high crime as someone already noted.

Chicago certainly isn’t lacking for parishes, despite the closings. Anywhere you move will be close to a parish. Avoid Jesuit parishes and you should have a parish that is in communion with Rome (being a Loyola grad, I couldn’t help the Jesuit dig. I apologize to any Jesuits that may have been offended).

Here is perhaps a partial list of places that you ***shouldn’t ***move without a kevlar vest: Cicero (I only just escaped Cicero myself this month!), Berwyn, Maywood, Melrose Park, Stone Park, The West Side of Chicago (the *entire *west side, mind you!) Blue Island, most suburbs near either airport, Summit, Joliet (I once had a history teacher that said if God gave the world an enema, he’d insert at Joliet ), Peoria, Calumet City, am I missing anything? I’m certain that I am.

***(Disclaimer: For all those CAF members who may reside in any of these communities, the opinions expressed above reflect the views of Nom the Wise and do not (necessarily) reflect the views of CAF, its management, staff or advertisers). ***

Fellow Chicagoans! Do you refute me?

?? Peoria is no where near Chicago.

 

[Tenebrae]

Now that I look closer at your exact dimensions, **Riverside **would be a dream neighborhood for you. Or LaGrange/LaGrange Park or even Westmont perhaps. Actually, Riverside is *my *dream neighborhood and I am projecting it on you. 4 br. 3.5 baths are a steep bill to foot wherever you go in the Chicago area that *isn’t * a high or moderate crime area. On the expressway or the train your commute wouldn’t/shouldn’t be more than a half hour from the suburbs I mention here (except Westmont, 35-45 minutes). Neighborhoods around Westmont tend to be more “family friendly.” I used to live in Westchester, but that neighborhood has changed some since I was last there, but overall another good candidate I would say.

The south end of Westchester isn’t bad–lots of nice houses, but there is a problem with the public high school where you’d have to send your kids. Not a good one. Most people send their kids to Catholic high schools, but the tuition is a bit pricey. No Metra service, but it’s a short drive to the La Grange Metra stations. Finding a place to park when you get there, however, is another matter.

 

[Norseman82]

I live in the Galewood community of the NW side.

My suggestion is to first look at a location close to both public transportation (METRA or ‘L’) AND near the expressways. Then, consider your hobbies and interests (especially if you believe in the secoind amendment and own firearms, since Chicago and some suburbs STILL have restrictive anti-handgun laws that have yet to be struck down even in wake of the Heller decision).

If you like being closer to the lakefront or the hustle and bustle of the city, or if you would like to bicycle into work in nice weather, then the city or the near north suburbs might be convenient. In the city, the Jefferson Park / Six Corners neighborhood on the NW side is a commuter’s dream - major CTA ‘L’ stop, several stops on TWO different METRA lines, and close to the Kenendy and Edens expressways.

If you want the suburbs, the Norridge / Harwood Heights area is enclosed in the city just to the west of Jefferson Park. You may not be able to walk to the METRA, but you can probably take a bus there or walk to one of the ‘L’ stops.

Oak Park is another area that is convenient for transportation (two ‘L’ lines, one METRA, plus you have the Eisenhower Expressway), but it is very liberal politically.

If you are looking for other suburbs, you may want to consider Elmhurst (west) or Roselle (west-northwest). Both are along METRA lines and are near expressways. There is a good orthodox parish in Northlake (next to Elmhurst) that has a Tridentine Mass. Additionally, there is the Prairie Path for bike riding, and if you or your children play ice hockey, there are a few rinks close by. Although I don’t know the recent crime statistics for Roselle, it is good transportation wise, plus you are near the Schaumburg / Woodfield shopping districts.

Another question is do you care about the ethnic flavor of a neighborhood? Are you looking for Polish delis or Italian fruit marts? Edison Park has an Irish flavor to it, Norridge / Harwood Heights / and the rest of the NW side has a huge Polish population, and closer to Harlem Avenue and Elmwood Park you are wandering into traditional Italian neighborhoods.

 

[Nom_the_Wise]

?? Peoria is no where near Chicago.

Well, neither for that matter is Joliet. I just like telling that joke about Joliet. And Joliet and Peoria are linked in my mind for some reason as places to avoid like the plague. I admit I went too far with Peoria.

 

[Nom_the_Wise]

The south end of Westchester isn’t bad–lots of nice houses, but there is a problem with the public high school where you’d have to send your kids. Not a good one. Most people send their kids to Catholic high schools, but the tuition is a bit pricey. No Metra service, but it’s a short drive to the La Grange Metra stations. Finding a place to park when you get there, however, is another matter.

Proviso West is a world of trouble, yes. But **St. Joseph High School is in Westchester **(which famously produced both Isaiah Thomas *and *Nom the Wise) The school has gone all laptop! If you want your kids to be way computer savvy, St. Joseph is the place. **Go Chargers! **