which is best chicago suburb for family? (good school, big yard, safe) (Naperville: low income, best suburbs)

[momsuz123]

Thanks again for all your advice. We are looking into every angle you all are giving us. Tell me, what are the benefits of living near Chicago? We are totally suburbinites - never lived near a huge city like Chicago. Honestly, give it to me straight - what are the benefits, because all I see our cons (ie. cost of living is up, little houses, crowded neighborhoods, need to go to private schools, etc) I am not saying this to be rude, just what I am told by those that have lived there, and then came here.
Thanks.

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by momsuz123

Thanks again for all your advice. We are looking into every angle you all are giving us. Tell me, what are the benefits of living near Chicago? We are totally suburbinites - never lived near a huge city like Chicago. Honestly, give it to me straight - what are the benefits, because all I see our cons (ie. cost of living is up, little houses, crowded neighborhoods, need to go to private schools, etc) I am not saying this to be rude, just what I am told by those that have lived there, and then came here.
Thanks.

Besides the world class museums, culture, art, jazz,blues and assorted music, history,orchestras/opera/ballet, restaurants of every concievable nature,top entertainers, excellent transportaion, Universities, Magnificent lake (really an inland sea) Parks, festivals,ethnic pride and communities,Shopping, airport to anywhere, dynamics, diversity and vibrancy of a city.. I cant think of a thing

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by nanannie

Besides the world class museums, culture, art, jazz,blues and assorted music, history,orchestras/opera/ballet, restaurants of every concievable nature,top entertainers, excellent transportaion, Universities, Magnificent lake (really an inland sea) Parks, festivals,ethnic pride and communities,Shopping, airport to anywhere, dynamics, diversity and vibrancy of a city.. I cant think of a thing

...is that if I take a Metra express train to Union Station it is faster than trying to get there from basically anywhere in Chicago where single family detached homes are safe and less costly than where I live (and eastern DuPage Co. Is not cheap by any means...).

Now the fact is that if you live someplace like Lincoln Square (where my childless sister does) you could probably eat in a different restaurant every night for a season all within walking distance, seeing live music at different venue every weekend, which is pretty much impossible without driving a lot in the 'burbs. And of course if you tried to love that kind of life with kids it'd be nuts.

[momsuz123]

wow, barrington does have some nice houses for a decent price. how long a commute is it to downtown chicago if my husband took the train. is it the metra or amtrack? does that even make a difference? is it expensive to take the train every day?

[chet everett]

Metra is our commuter rail authority. Decades ago they consolidated the administration of the various passenger rail lines to simplify fares and such.

The rate is a good deal, lower than what you'd pay for daily parking in the Loop, to say nothing of cash / wear&tear on car. Most folks get a monthly pass which runs from about $6 a $15 daily depending on how far out you station is and how frequently you ride. Many employers will allow you to pay with pre-tax dollars and/or subsidize partially.

Barrington is a really interesting community. It has a reputation as a "high end" place with several very large land owners owning hobby style horse farms and other "county living of the aristocrats" style subdivisions. Surrounding areas that were developed more recently "boomed" big in the late 90's so the subsequent "bust" has seen a much more realistic range of prices for homes that are quite nice, just not the "brand new" or "ultra luxury" that soared in popularity. There are downsides, of course. Except for a smallish area near the train "walkability" is poor, you have to drive to most grocery stores, coffee places, etc. (of course to 95% of surban living Americans this goes without saying but because we have urban-loving folks on the board that sing the praises of inner ring suburbs like Oak Park and Evanston I mention it...) Taxes are on the high side, as there really are few sources of sales tax revenue given the zoning restrictions, but no where near as nutty on a percentage basis as boom towns that had to toss up dozens of new schools at once -- growth in Barrington has been fairly controlled and quite high quality...) If you do not take Metra it is a long commute into Chicago, and even on Metra non- express trains are somewhat pokey (but very pleasant with wide seats so you can easily read or work or sleep in safety), so folks tend. Not to visit Chicago too frequently for it's many cultural offerings (in contrast to towns that are closer in...) If you find a house you like and it is affordable to you I feel Barrington is currently one of the better values in the region and I would expect housing prices to remain stable. Even if major employers in / near Barrington do not expand ( Sear and At&t have large campuses , but empty space is common) the overall quality of the town should continue to attract affluent residents for the foreseeable future. The same cannot ne said for all NW burbs, especially those saddled with poor schools or bad mix of trance t workers...

[chicagojlo]

Check out metrarail.com for schedules and prices. There is also parking information for most stations which is important, since some can run as much as $3 a day while others are free.

The biggest benefit to living in the city itself is the way of life, you are out and on your feet more instead of having to drive everywhere, you can get to all the cultural attractions the city offers more easily, and it can potentially be a shorter commute (but also easily much longer).

City life certainly isn't for everyone, if you are used to a lot of space and quiet and driving everywhere and don't want to give that up then the city isn't for you. Your commute might be longer but again, it's very easy for a city commute to take as long as a Metra ride.

Either way I wouldn't rush to buy anything right away. Rent somewhere in a town you think you would want to live in and see what happens. Areas can differ vastly around here and you don't want to get stuck somewhere you hate in this market.

[MomtoMal]

I just saw this post. Where in WI are you from and traveling to frequently to see family? My husband's parents live Pewaukee and and my parents live in Brookfield, WI. My husband works in Chicago, and we have often thought about moving from Gurnee (where we live currently) to the North Shore for a shorter commute which would be an option for you in this market. Otherwise, you can get a lot more for your money in northern Lake County. We are considering a move from Gurnee to nearby Libertyville because the schools are better, and we like the small downtown area (think safer Wauwatosa). There are plenty of non-north shore suburbs that are nice too. I believe Barrington is very pretty with about the same commute as Libertyville to Chicago. Arlington Heights is supposed to be nice. Let me know if you need any more specific info. I have been weighing our options for our next move for the past 3 years, and we have been in the Chicago area for 8 years.

[momsuz123]

We live in the Delafield area (west of Waukesha, Pewaukee). We have given up on the idea of an acre lot, maybe 1/2 to 1/3 lot will have to do. We are looking still for a commute by train less than 45 minutes into downtown chicago. Nice, safe, neighborhood, great schools. Any ideas?

[MomtoMal]

It's ironic that I am answering your questions because currently, my husband and I are hashing out where we should move next in Chicagoland. 30-45 minute commute via Metra would probably rule out Libertyville, Lake Bluff and anything further north. Maybe try Arlington Heights? It's closer to the city than Barrington, but Barrington is beautiful, if you can handle the 45 to 60 minute commute. It reminds me of Mequon a bit with horses. Would your kids have gone to Kettle Moraine or Arrowhead for high school? Lincolnshire is a little closer to the city driving wise..not sure how the metra is. Stevenson is the high school and from what I hear is very competitive. Sounds similar to Arrowhead to me. I hope I am somewhat of a help, but like I said, my husband and I are dealing with the same issue right now. Ideally, he would have his job in Milwaukee (which doesn't exist there) and we would live in Hartland, but that is not the reality for us. Good luck with you search! Let me know if you need more info.

[momsuz123]

Our kids go to a private Lutheran school in Hartland, but yes we are in the Kettle Moraine district. We bought a lot in a court in Merton, Arrowhead school district, but now may be looking at a transfer to Chicago. I looked at homes in Arlington Heights and couldn't find much for under 600k that seemed nice, they are so old and small (atleast on the website I was looking at) We are use to newer homes, which I know we'd have to give up also. We would like roughly 3000 sf or more. 3 car garage would be nice (we have 3 1/2 right now, that would be so hard to give up). Libertlyville did look nice, how long is the commute via train?