Elmhurst/Downer's Grove (Chicago, Naperville, Wheaton: homes, employment, construction)

[rkyajl]

We've been searching for a suburb that will fit a commuting career, throughout several areas of Chicagoland (Dupage County through Park Ridge). So, a main priority to us is easy access to the interstate system. There will also be travel by Metra downtown on occasion. As of now, it seems like we've narrowed our search to Elmhurst/Downer's Grove. Elmhurst's location seems ideal, size is nice, schools and community seem like it would fit our young family. Where we are struggling, is what we can find space/size wise in our price range (sub $500) and if we'd be happy living in it or if going elsewhere would give us a more realistic house. We've just started looking in Downer's Grove, it looks like it also is a nice community(we don't know as much about), with good schools (We'd be looking at areas in North High School, since they'd be closest to I-88). It looks like our money will go a little further here in regards to space and size of housing with just an additional maybe 15 minutes on the commute if in the Park Ridge area. Any suggestions on either community positives/negatives or another town we should consider? Thanks.

[chet everett]

Not sure that if you really compare "apples to apples" that DG is necessarily less costly than Elmhurst -- the layout of each town is different enough that you need to factor in things like train schedule / access against range of housing and even shopping / dining options.

It is correct that Elmhurst is a wee bit closer to Park Ridge but the actual time spend getting to / from expressways is likely such that total time to either town is nearly a wash.

Personal preferences likely will tip the scale -- if you prefer the more parklike campus of Elmhurst College and the various municipal musesums / library and can find a home close / affordable to the downtown core you likely cannot really find a similar true match in DG, but OTOH if you want a historic home tucked in along a quiet side street of the forested areas of Denburn Woods in DG that does not exist in Elmhurst...

[Lookout Kid]

rkyajl, where are you commuting to via the interstate system? There may be other option that will fit your needs.

[rkyajl]

Thank you. Being new to the area, we don't really know what atmosphere of town we'd like better. Ideally we'd like a smaller town even then them both, but are ok with their size. We're from a Northern Milwaukee suburb, so this area is a bit big for us. North H.S is a little smaller, so that was a plus, though we like the walkability/parks and the one-school district throughout elementary-hs. in Elmhurst.

Lookout Kid- The commute is for a construction job, so the commuting will depend where the project is within the Chicago area and will change monthly/yearly with a continuous, occasional need to go into the city. We like parks/outdoors, community activities, great schools, a small-town feel, if you have other areas you'd recommend or more advice between the two, please do!
Thanks again.

[chet everett]

Glen Ellyn is a smaller town that is pretty centerally located, with acces to 355 really opening up a huge range of options. Downside is probably affordability / value: if budget is under $500k your options are likely limited to older smaller homes and/or homes further from the desirable core...

Depending on how important things like walkable convenience are to your decisions vs larger newer homes vs quality schools it will be hard to find much that offers the great value of towns in Wisonsin. When last I looked at places like Whitefish Bay and similar towns they were a fraction of the cost of similar areas in the Chicago suburbs, the relative tightness of the employment in Milwaukee's constrained financial sector is a factor...

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by rkyajl

Thank you. Being new to the area, we don't really know what atmosphere of town we'd like better. Ideally we'd like a smaller town even then them both, but are ok with their size. We're from a Northern Milwaukee suburb, so this area is a bit big for us. North H.S is a little smaller, so that was a plus, though we like the walkability/parks and the one-school district throughout elementary-hs. in Elmhurst.

Lookout Kid- The commute is for a construction job, so the commuting will depend where the project is within the Chicago area and will change monthly/yearly with a continuous, occasional need to go into the city. We like parks/outdoors, community activities, great schools, a small-town feel, if you have other areas you'd recommend or more advice between the two, please do!
Thanks again.

I lived in Milwaukee myself as a young adult, and think the North Shore of Milwaukee is one of the greatest areas in the Midwest in terms of lifestyle per dollar. It will be hard to match that in Chicagoland without a huge increase in housing costs.

Both northern Downers Grove and Elmhurst are probably good options for you, if you can find a house. And I like your idea of going west and living near a highway. Inventory is still tight and the housing market is still competitive, so you may want to open up your search to multiple western suburbs to give yourself a better chance in the hyper-competitive sub-$500k market. In addition to DG and Elmhurst, you may also want to consider Naperville, Glen Ellyn, or Wheaton. There are also some good options in Cook County, but your money won't go much further closer to Chicago in places like La Grange, Western Springs, or Riverside. Oak Park will have some options as well.