Where are the best suburbs to live outside chicago?

[sunnyandcloudydays]

You hate the area so much your still looking at the chicagoland discussions
get real

[sunnyandcloudydays]

affordability?

[sunnyandcloudydays]

If your within a decent drive come and visit the area.
You will find Evanston has a lot to offer from what your looking for.

[chicagojlo]

Originally Posted by spectre1983

20 pages of general advice has left my head spinning so let me ask a specific question. First here's my pertinent background information.

I live in suburban Milwaukee and am interviewing for a job 4 blocks north of Millennium Park. I want to live North of the city to be closer to my hometown but am looking for a work commute not much more than 30 minutes via car or train. It seems my best bet would be lower parts of Northern Cook county. I am looking for an apartment so I don't care much about property taxes, home prices, nor do I have any kids so schools are not a factor for me.

My question to you all is, what are some SAFE options in this area of the state that can get me to work in a reasonable amount of time? I know nothing of Chicago or the vicinity so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

If you want to be within 30 minutes of work you need to be looking at the northern parts of the city. I don't know if it's worth adding an extra 20-30 minutes to your day by being somewhere like Des Plaines for the sake of saving 10-15 minutes on your occasional visits to WI. Make your day to day life easier and more enjoyable by living closer to work, especially since you don't have to worry about schools.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by Manigault

Well, I'll beg the question: There's really no good reason to live outside the city at all. We have regional problems and good points.

Candidly it is a matter of personal preferences. The city is too dense for me, and I like living in a town with good schools for ALL residents without having to apply to a magnet or charter school. I like the quieter aspects and the pockets of undeveloped, wooded areas as well. I do not like needing a car to make shopping practical and the lack of choices in good, non-chain restaurants. I like the ease of finding "free" parking and I like my decent 1/5 acre yard. I like being able to hop on my bicycle and safely & quickly be biking country roads in Lake & McHenry County WITHOUT worrying about getting doored or the hassles of urban bicycling.
And as an outside salesman, based from home, this is an ideal area to commute suburb to suburb when visiting clients.
So, I will respect your desire and enjoyment of city life; there are very nice neighborhoods in Chicago and appealing aspects to city life, but there is no need to make disparaging remarks towards those of us who prefer and enjoy suburban living instead of city living!!