Moving to Naperville from Minnesota. Need all the help I can get! :-) (Chicago: cul-de-sac)

[Lieke100]

We are relocating from the Twin Cities to Naperville because of my husband's career. I have read a lot of positive information on Naperville, but would LOVE to get some more specific info as it is all quite overwhelming!

1) Where should we buy a home? My husband will be working just north of the 88 (Navistar). We are looking to spend ~350K in a safe, fun, family friendly area with a great school. It would be nice to have easy access to the city as my job might take me there...

2) What are great schools in the area? And what about day care options?

3) My field is Interactive Marketing, any recommendations on agencies or brand companies that are always looking to hire talent?

4) Other tips/advice you would like to share?

Thank you all so much!!

-Angelique

[whakru]

Hi! Welcome to the area! I live in Naperville and love it. The questions that you ask are somewhat difficult to answer becuase there are so many options and differing opinions. There are two school districts (203 and 204) and both are very good. I live in 203 and prefer it over 204. I can go into details if you want to DM me but it really is a preference and nothing against 204 in general.

You can find several neighborhoods in that price range and they all have access to parks, pools, etc. Most of the subdivisions in Naperville have their own HOA and pool club. For the ones that don't, you can usually get summer meberships to the ones that are close to your neighborhood. Othere than that, the Naperville Park District has several options and outstanding programs.

If your husband is going to work at Navistar then you probably want to stay north of 75th Street for your housing options. Unless he doesn't really care about commute time. I live near 75th and Washington and I pass by Navistar on my way to work everyday and it takes me about 15-20 minutes to get there.

As far as day care....I highly recommend Peter Pan Early Learning. There are many options available but I had both of my children there from birth through 1 st grade and we all loved it. My youngest is in 1st grade now and still wants to go back to Peter Pan. The one on 75th street is the main one and is on 2.5 acres of land with vegetable gardens, pool, several outdoor play spaces, etc. The have a lot of extra curricular activities there and the summer program is a blast. Plus....the food is good nutrition.

This is just basic overview of information...if you want more details about Naperville then please feel free to DM me.

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by Lieke100

We are relocating from the Twin Cities to Naperville because of my husband's career. I have read a lot of positive information on Naperville, but would LOVE to get some more specific info as it is all quite overwhelming!

1) Where should we buy a home? My husband will be working just north of the 88 (Navistar). We are looking to spend ~350K in a safe, fun, family friendly area with a great school. It would be nice to have easy access to the city as my job might take me there...

2) What are great schools in the area? And what about day care options?

3) My field is Interactive Marketing, any recommendations on agencies or brand companies that are always looking to hire talent?

4) Other tips/advice you would like to share?

Thank you all so much!!

-Angelique

As the previous poster said, north of 75th may be best for commuting, but I know people that really love south Naperville. Actually, if I wasn't so rigid about staying north of 75th (since I bike to the train), my wife wanted to live down there. When you find a neighborhood you like, make sure you drive the morning commute to better understand it.

Both 203 and 204 are really good districts, that is not a huge concern in my book. There are good and bad for both, but mostly good.


Depending on what you want to spend for child care, Kensington & Chesterbrook are really good options, but not cheap. Also, they have specific time schedules, so understand that. Those are the only ones I know much about.

We have a neighborhood elementary school, which is great, as our kids walk to school. There are options around the city with that. Send me a note and I can shoot you info about my neighborhood.

I don't know much about interactive marketing companies....

[JustJulia]

Good suggestion about staying north of 75th--you will also be closer to the train station. We live just south of 75th, though, and it's not a bad commute. Getting up Washington during rush hour (e.g., if my daughter misses the bus to Naperville Central and needs a ride) is pretty slow, but it's not very far.

I can tell you about my neighborhood too, if you're interested. I know more about this side of town than the northern end.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by irishcahill

Hi Angelique,

Don't let yourself get too overwhelmed....Naperville is a wonderful place to live! It is very clean, safe, and has the BEST school system in the Chicago land area. If you are interested, I have a 4 Bedroom, 2 1/2 Bathroom Naperville home- located on a Cul-de-sac, For Sale. It is in a great location and is in Close proximity to Navistar.

Please feel free to contact me if you are interested and or need any help with Naperville in general.

Moderator cut: Contact one another through direct message. Don't post your personal email here.


Thanks,

Angela

It's so wonderful that you're leaving.

[acdevane]

If you're looking to stay in the vicinity of Navistar, don't rule out Lisle. Some parts of it actually attend Naperville 203 schools and Lisle's Dist 202 schools are pretty good also. Staying north of 75th St would place you in a closer proximity to the train should you need to commute for your job once you find one. With two little ones, I imagine least amount of commute time would be a priority. You should be able to find something that fits the bill in either Naperville or Lisle. If you'd like further answers to other questions, please feel free to DM me.

[Masonmove]

Hi - Don't know if you are still looking or not but my husband and I are looking for a professional couple or family to rent our ranch home near downtown Naperville. Older home in great neighborhood. Large yard, screened porch & patio. Full basement partially finished (new walls and floor & bar). Currently have it on "roommates.com" under "naperhome". Since roommates.com only allows for 'shares' we mention in the details that we are looking for one renter to rent the entire house. We'd prefer a professional couple or family to rent it. It is in 203 school district.

[ToriaT]

Also do not forget South Wheaton has good schools and amenities too. You could look in the Danada area, in Stonehedge and some of the other south wheaton areas. Very accessible to Navistar.

[divakat]

I would stay North of 75th and East of Route 59. That is considered the core of Naperville, and has the best access to highways, great school district 203, and established neighborhoods with lots of trees and parks. I would recommend you look check out the subdivision of Cress Creek. It is a very desireable area and many homes sell as soon as they're listed. It is extremely close to the highways, and it would be a very fast commute for your husband to Navistar----probably under 10 minutes. In this market, you could probably get something for around your price range, though it is somewhat low for North Naperville. As long as you are ok with living with less than brand new, and don't need luxury items like granite and hardwoods, it's doable. Here's one I found, which is a very good price for the area...

1505 Inverness Ct, NAPERVILLE, IL 60563 | MLS# 07880425

The market seems to have picked up over the last few months. Homes seem to be selling as soon as they are listed here in North Naperville for the most part, especially in the 350-500 price range.