Naperville for young professionals? (Chicago, Bolingbrook: apartment, renting, home)

[jman07]

I might get a job in Naperville, but currently live on the north side of the city. I was contemplating moving to Naperville because it seems to be the best suburb for young professionals. I am 30 btw. Anyways, is it worth the drive from the city or would Naperville be alright?

[chet everett]

It really depends on what you value. If at 30 you still feel the need to spend nearly two hours in traffic after work so that you can drag yourself to some hipster filled nightspot in Wicker Park or frat hang-out in Lakeview than that is going to win out over having an sub-half hour commute to a nicer apartment in Naperville that might be walking distance from dozens of resturants and more laid back watering holes...

[jman07]

Originally Posted by chet everett

It really depends on what you value. If at 30 you still feel the need to spend nearly two hours in traffic after work so that you can drag yourself to some hipster filled nightspot in Wicker Park or frat hang-out in Lakeview than that is going to win out over having an sub-half hour commute to a nicer apartment in Naperville that might be walking distance from dozens of resturants and more laid back watering holes...

The problem is that I need a decent social life because I'm single. Plus people in the city just have more going on. It doesnt have to be bars. It could be intramural sports, festivals, meeting in the evening for drinks outside, etc. I basically don't want to become a recluse who sits alone in my "bigger" apartment in Naperville all alone.

[JamieLannister]

The ease of commute should be the top priority. If you stay in the North Side and commute to Naperville, you're going to be too exhausted at the end of the day to do anything. I've done the 3-hour round trip commute before and, trust me, it's not worth it. You'll get home at 7:00 or later every night, be too tired to cook dinner, and basically have an hour or two to decompress in front of the TV before going to bed and doing it all over again in the morning.

Live as close to your job as possible. Your quality of life will be so much better. That, in turn, will give you time and energy to pursue social activities in the Naperville area. Plus, you can always go into the city on the weekends.

However, if you're already renting and have the flexibility to stay in your north side apartment for a few months after taking the Naperville job, then try out the commute and see if you can make it work. You could also use that time to explore the Naperville area to see if you can get comfortable with living there. Good luck!

[jman07]

Originally Posted by JamieLannister

The ease of commute should be the top priority. If you stay in the North Side and commute to Naperville, you're going to be too exhausted at the end of the day to do anything. I've done the 3-hour round trip commute before and, trust me, it's not worth it. You'll get home at 7:00 or later every night, be too tired to cook dinner, and basically have an hour or two to decompress in front of the TV before going to bed and doing it all over again in the morning.

Live as close to your job as possible. Your quality of life will be so much better. That, in turn, will give you time and energy to pursue social activities in the Naperville area. Plus, you can always go into the city on the weekends.

However, if you're already renting and have the flexibility to stay in your north side apartment for a few months after taking the Naperville job, then try out the commute and see if you can make it work. You could also use that time to explore the Naperville area to see if you can get comfortable with living there. Good luck!

Thanks! How long is the commute based on time? What if I start at 7:00 vs 8 or 9?

[chet everett]

To get to Naperville at 7AM you could probably leave Wrigleyvile no later than about 5:55 AM. It is just under 40 and if you can travel just above the posted limits on the expressways and tollroads and don't get stuck at too many stoplights on the surface streets your total trip avg mph ought to be just slightly about 35 mph. The evening commute will be worse, as traffic volumes are more constrained. Even assuming you have the flexibility to leave as early as 4PM the trip back to apartment almost certainly would take about 90 minutes. If you look at a Metra schedule any combination of CTA and Metra service for a reverse commute is going to take every bit of two hours -- no time savings. Wrigley Field, 1060 West Addison Street, Chicago, IL 60613 to Illinois 59 & Interstate 88, Naperville, IL 60563 - Google Maps

Starting at 8AM is not going to do you any good at all. You would probably need to be on the road by 6:45AM and leaving at 5PM for commute back home will almost certainly push your arrival back in Lakeview to 6:45PM. Solid twelve hours outside the home. Figure an hour in the morning to shower and dress, 8 hrs or so of sleep and that does not leave much time for socialization.

There really are lots of place for a 30 something person to socialize around Naperville. Large fitness centers are popular, as are the Forest Preserve and Praire Path trails / bikeways. The wide range of eating and drinking establishments are not a numerous or as jam packed as those on Lakeview but there are plenty of people patronizing them.

Honestly there are thousands of people that survive living outside of the city limits in their 30s...

[ChacoGirl]

As a thirty something I'll give Naperville a thumbs up for young people to do. I originally lived in Wheaton when I moved to the area, but met my now husband in a downtown Naperville restaurant. We've always had plenty to do. We've played league softball, gone to festivals/concerts, enjoyed the parks and river walk.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by jman07

The problem is that I need a decent social life because I'm single. Plus people in the city just have more going on. It doesnt have to be bars. It could be intramural sports, festivals, meeting in the evening for drinks outside, etc. I basically don't want to become a recluse who sits alone in my "bigger" apartment in Naperville all alone.

If this is the way you feel about the suburbs, then don't accept the job in Naperville. Why settle for a situation that doesn't work for you?

I spent many years working in Lisle/Naperville/Bolingbrook, and knew many people that lived in the city and commuted out, but NONE(*) of those people lived on the northside. They either lived south, or south loop, or west loop, or Austin/Oak Park. All places that are convenient to a highway. The Northside is the worst place to live if your destination is West/SW Suburbs.

(*) I did know one person who lived in Rogers Park, and used Touhy over to 294 every day...

[divakat]

We routinely spend days in the city and we live in Naperville, but we spend the ENTIRE day, not just commute in for the nightlife. Traffic gets pretty bad going to the Northside in the evening weekends. Without traffic, it takes about 40 minutes for us to get to the loop. With traffic it's about 1 hour. That's only because we are 5 minutes from I-88 though.

[jman07]

Originally Posted by ChacoGirl

As a thirty something I'll give Naperville a thumbs up for young people to do. I originally lived in Wheaton when I moved to the area, but met my now husband in a downtown Naperville restaurant. We've always had plenty to do. We've played league softball, gone to festivals/concerts, enjoyed the parks and river walk.

"Young people to do", awesome! LOL. I just don't know anyone in the suburbs. Thats my main concern really.