Moving to IL, help (Chicago, Naperville: best neighborhoods, real estate, renting)

[rcpeb]

My husband is getting relocated to IL with his company and we know nothing about Chicago. We have both lived in the south our entire lives, so I am very nervous about moving. We currently live in a golf cart community (can get anywhere in the city by golf cart paths). I am thinking we cannot find something like that, but I am looking for:

a family friendly community (parks, good schools, activities)
low crime rates
youth baseball
access to a great youth dance academy (ballet, tap, etc offered)
youth theatre programs

I have narrowed it down to the following based on our housing budget and the research I have done so far.....

Lake County~
Deerfield, Barrington, Highland Park, Lincolnshire, Buffalo Grove

DuPage County~
Wheaton, Burr Ridge, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn

Cook County~
Northbrook, Glenview, Northfield, Bartlett, Arlington Heights

Also, I have recently discovered Geneva. It is a little further out than we would like, but we will drive extra to get a great area.

I know this is a lot of cities. But again, I am clueless about the area. Trying to figure it out.

Thank you for any insight! Even the # to a great real estate agent would be nice!

[Doglover5]

Hi -- In order to help more, do you have a sense of budget? That always helps folks on here throw out suggestions that will make the most sense. Also, where will your husband's work be located? This certainly will play a role!

Also, you mentioned that you are seeking a realtor. This is just personal opinion, but I would be very careful not to choose a one-size-fits-all realtor. You are considering many different towns in many different counties. At best, a good realtor can handle a few towns in a particular region (e.g., Hinsdale, LaGrange, Clarendon Hills, Western Springs), but certainly not the northern part of Chicagoland and the western suburbs, too. Maybe start by focusing on a region that will likely suit your needs and budget best, and then figure out if you're talking about such a large swath of towns still, that you might need a couple of realtors. I personally like realtors who are very local to the areas in which they are selling; otherwise, they might not have the very local perspective that you really want in order to make a good purchase (i.e., someone who only has a superficial knowledge of a town might not know the best neighborhoods, the downsides of certain locations, might not have a feel for where people shop or hang out, etc. etc.).

Finally, depending on location of work, preference for type of town (large, small, etc.), you might add Naperville to the list. I say that because it does have a couple of golf communities. I don't know much about them, but it offers a great downtown and solid schools, so it might be a place to consider, too.

[Vasily]

I live in Naperville about ten minutes from the Metra station, and my office is literally across the street from the train station in Chicago. Including the drive to/from the train station and the walk to/from the office, my commute one way is just over an hour, and that's best case scenario taking an express. If you and your spouse are working in the suburbs, that changes the picture considerably.

One of the advantages to Naperville for a commuter is the number of express trains. Naperville should definitely be on your list. I would also suggest Batavia for your list if a long commute downtown isn't a problem.

If you know nothing about the area, I'd strongly recommend renting for a year or two first to get a feel for the area. If you're from the deep South, invest in layers and layers of winter clothing for the family. On the coldest winter days (below zero) I will wear gloves and glove liners, hat and hat liner, face mask, scarf, sweater, long underwear, and a winter coat.

[rcpeb]

His office is located in Rosemont, so I took a 25 mile radius and started researching cities. That is why I have such a list. I know nothing about counties up there. Also, I have not been up there yet to drive around and see things for myself. We did think about renting for a year until we really get a good feel for where we want to be.

Naperville is so big, on paper anyway. Max home budget is $600,000. I really want a community feel (4th of July events, movies in the park, etc). The city we live in is around 30,000, probably a city that size or smaller.

Baseball is one of my sons life, but does not seem to be a big sport up there (weather, I guess). My daughter is a serious dancer, so that will play a role in where we live as well. I want to be within a decent distance of a great dance studio. Also, into theatre.

I am NOT looking forward to the change of weather! I think that will be the biggest adjustment. When it is in the 50's, we are cold!

[linicx]

Winters can be brutal and sub-zero cold due to the "Lake Effect". The Chicago area is 10M population and 8 lane expressways. It gets progressively colder as one moves closer to the Wisconsin border. The food is different too. You can find fried chicken, steak, hamburgers, BBQ, pizza, hot dogs, salads, and fish. I'm not sure about sweet tea, grits, etc.. or even buffet type restaurants.

There are many grocery stores and variety stores. You may not find favorite brands, but you will find national brands, and natiional grocers and pharmacies such a Kroger. Walgreen's, and Walmart. If you like natural products and foods Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are both very popular.

There is a ton of stuff for kids to do, see, and learn. As far as I know Arlington Heights still has two dance studios, plus some pretty good schools, and a variety of housing stock.

Baseball is a big deal in Chicago. With two pro baseball teams. I am sure you can find youth baseball sometimes called "little league". Whether or not you can find dance, baseball and theatre for kids in small communities is a question I cannot answer.

[knitgirl]

I wouldn't live in Naperville if your husband will be working in Rosemont, it's kind of far and it IS a huge town. Geneva is great, but it would be a tough commute for him, especially on days when it's snowing doing his commute home. They do a pretty good job of snow removal in this area, but driving when it's actively snowing can be challenging. I would focus on Barrington, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Elmhurst, Arlington Heights. Maybe Roselle, Itasca and Medinah. I grew up in Roselle and it really is a small town USA kind of place. My parents still live there and one of my brothers is raising his family there. My nephew plays little league ball. I just went to my niece's ballet recital last week.

[nana053]

While Evanston has a larger population than you want, you will find baseball, theater and dance including very good dance and theater there.

It is 16.6 miles and about 40 minutes from Rosemont.

It has the lake front parks and walking and biking trails. It does have a golf course, but you won't find golf carts except on the course) It has its own 4th of July parade and good schools.

Baseball
Evanston Baseball Softball Association ('EBSA') - Baseball
Northwestern Baseball Camps | Wildcat Baseball Camps | Evanston (Northwestern has baseball camps)

Summer camps
GoodSports! Youth Camp: Home
Chandler-Newberger Center - Parks & Recreation | City of Evanston
Summer Camps - Recreation | City of Evanston

There are plenty of other sports options and several sports camps (my son was very involved in sports and could walk to sports camps in the summer).


Theater Programs (Piven Theater classes are fantastic)
http://www.cityofevanston.org/arts-culture/theatre/
http://piventheatre.org/

Dance programs are great (Giordano's for Jazz dance is particularly well-known)

Giordano Dance School
Evanston School of Ballet: Quality ballet education since 1968. Classes from pre-ballet through professional.
Foster Dance Home Page - 915 Foster Street, Evanston IL


The schools (high school) had a wonderful dance program when my daughter was there, though I have not looked into it lately.

She became a technical theater professional and learned a lot at ETHS. She went on the Carnegie Mellon's program

Good luck wherever you land!

[pvande55]

I would not want to be more than ten miles from Rosemont if you have to commute during rush hours, except if there is rail service to your office. Fortunately, Rosemont has decent rail service to many places to the north. While you may have never been on a train except for Amtrak, in Chicago area trains provide a welcome alternative to rush hour traffic. Of those you mentioned, Buffalo Grove is the choice. Geneva and Naperville are good choices except for the commute, which would be arduous. Elmhurst is possible. If you want absolute Propinquity try Park Ridge, which has all those amenities.

[Vasily]

I had a consulting gig near Rosemont some years ago ... it's a brutal commute from Naperville, and (at least for me) a Fox River location like Geneva would be intolerable. Buffalo Grove/Arlington Heights are a decent area; I worked up there for five years. But Buffalo Grove/Arlington Heights as well as a number of the other places listed won't feel like a small town, I'd suggest looking at Barrington which is a very upscale small town and about 25 miles from Rosemont. Chances are your $600,000 isn't going to go as far as it did in a small Southern town.

Your winter gear from the South will probably be sufficient until late October; I'd plan a shopping trip for winter gear around then (I mean to a camping place like REI rather than or in addition to a "fashion" outdoor store like Eddie Bauer or LL Bean). If you layer and dress appropriately, you won't have to worry about feeling cold. You'll all want snow boots for the snowy season, in addition to the items I list above. I also own a pair of Yaktrax for when it's icy (which is pretty frequent).

[Doglover5]

I second the suggestion of looking into Park Ridge. It would give you a small-town feel, and the commute to Rosement would be pretty painless. Also, Arlington Heights would be very doable to Rosemont, too, I would think, and might even offer more options than Park Ridge.