Best places to live outside Chicago for young female?

[SloopyJ]

Seems like folks are trying to guess on which of your priorities is most important, and it's hard because most singles in their 20s on this forum are looking for activity and other singles, not woods and seclusion. Add to that the fact that most woodsy and secluded surburbs are a long commute (is that OK?) and are typically not very artsy.

IF the commute is a concern, and you're willing to forego seclusion and like the idea of having more artsy people around (in addition to more people generally), Oak Park and south Evanston are good places to start.

IF commute is not a concern, and you want to be near Metra but in a quiet "small town", you might consider places like Long Grove, Libertyville, or Lake Bluff. Libertyville is successful small-town Americana, Long Grove is quaint and a little artsy but not much going on. Lake Bluff is really pretty with a small downtown.

Some of the other places mentioned (Naperville, Lisle, Wheaton) are pretty typical suburbia. Pretty enough, but not particularly artsy nor exciting (Naperville is the exception there).