Need moving advice for Chicago...close to Willis Tower (Naperville: rentals, good schools)

[bgaviator]

Hello,
I am just doing some preliminary research as I may have a job opportunity soon in Chicago. The job would be near the Willis Tower. My wife and I have always lived in suburbia Ohio and are not used to big city life. We have a 3 year old son, and naturally my wife is concerned about him going to a good school.
Where in Chicago could one live that has good schools, but also doesn't necessarily feel "big city" as the thought of this makes my wife a little uneasy? Are there any suburbs further out that would be what we have always been used to, but would still allow me to get to the area I would be working fairly easily? Thanks.

[chet everett]

The ease of commuting to Willis Tower via the BNSF from a relatively close in suburb like LaGrange ought to be ideal -- the train ride is about 20 minutes, LaGrange has a nice mix of well priced rentals, good schools and nice pattern of development that has many features of traditional commuter suburbs as well as enough features to make a walkable lifestyle very comfortable.

[bgaviator]

Wow, after some research it seems like almost all the schools along this corridor are great ranking schools.....LaGrange, Naperville, Downers Grove.....all look pretty good school wise. Prices are a lot higher than what I'm used to dealing with, but I know that comes with the territory of living in a more popular area like Chicago compared to Ohio cities.

[Hatchetman]

Willis Tower is centrally located relative to any of the Metra stations downtown. So, virtually any suburb with Metra is going to be an option. The two constraints are budget and commute time. Some of the far out suburbs can have a Metra ride of an hour or more. Account for time to get to and from the train station round trip and your daily commute time is like three hours. Is that what you want?