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Old 07-07-2006, 10:25 PM
 
9 posts, read 54,837 times
Reputation: 15

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If you are looking for low crime rates and good schools... Naperville is getting very popular. They have very good schools and the town is nice. But- the downside is that it's getting expensive to live there. Another nice area is the Fox River Valley... St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia. Even the towns further north are good, like Algonquin. Elgin is a big suburb, but it has a few problems with crime. It is where I grew up. However, the town is expanding westward a lot and that part of town (near rt 20 and Randall Rd.) is a very nice area. You might like school district 301. The last place I would recommend looking into is the northern suburbs such as Grayslake.

 
Old 07-09-2006, 11:47 PM
 
20 posts, read 132,827 times
Reputation: 27
Don't be a chicken, and move into the city. Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, and Beverly, in my eyes, are good for families. The stereotypes are from the 60's and into the 80's. Times change, and cities change. If you prefer less traffic issues, then look into urban lifestyles.
 
Old 07-14-2006, 11:58 PM
 
1 posts, read 33,813 times
Reputation: 12
Default from criket

I lived in Illinois for the past 3 years and I have one very important thing to say...NAPERVILLE....NAPERVILLE.....NAPERVILLE!!!!! It is a GREAT place to live. I have 4 children and they really miss it since we had to move. It is the #1 school district in the U.S. It was rated the #1 most child friendly city in the U.S. It is great for adults too. The downtown has adorable shops and an old quarry that was turned into a public pool (beach) kind of thing called, Centennial beach. I REALLY recommend Naperville! The only downside is that people are wealthy there and a little on the snobby side...but I loved so much about it that was not a big deal.
 
Old 07-15-2006, 02:42 AM
 
50 posts, read 595,466 times
Reputation: 41
You forgot the other "important" thing...TAXES....TAXES.....TAXES!!!!! I'm telling you, Harwood Heights and Norridge are where it's at. All the benefits of the city (surrounded by Chicago) 10 miles to the Loop, close to O'Hare, Midway not far, good neighborhood, good schools, houses still on the rise with new builds and tear down/rebuilds of expensive homes, not to mention one of the lowest property tax rates in Cook County despite the high property values. Take my word for it, watch closely and get in and buy one of the 50's brick ranches, you'll have rapidly increasing equity from day one!
-----------------------------------



Quote:
Originally Posted by criket
I lived in Illinois for the past 3 years and I have one very important thing to say...NAPERVILLE....NAPERVILLE.....NAPERVILLE!!!!! It is a GREAT place to live. I have 4 children and they really miss it since we had to move. It is the #1 school district in the U.S. It was rated the #1 most child friendly city in the U.S. It is great for adults too. The downtown has adorable shops and an old quarry that was turned into a public pool (beach) kind of thing called, Centennial beach. I REALLY recommend Naperville! The only downside is that people are wealthy there and a little on the snobby side...but I loved so much about it that was not a big deal.
 
Old 07-15-2006, 09:14 AM
 
Location: Turn Left at Greenland
17,764 posts, read 39,721,897 times
Reputation: 8248
Affordable real estate.
 
Old 07-15-2006, 02:23 PM
 
Location: central IL
68 posts, read 568,555 times
Reputation: 55
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xing
Don't be a chicken, and move into the city. Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, and Beverly, in my eyes, are good for families. The stereotypes are from the 60's and into the 80's. Times change, and cities change. If you prefer less traffic issues, then look into urban lifestyles.
when my husband & i graduate we would ideally love to live in the city (we have considered licoln park b/c of their outstanding school sys). but, i'm going to be a nurse& he a radiological tech. we'll make good money but will be far from rich. can we afford to buy a 3 bdrm condo in those good parts of the city??? we want 2 kids so it has to be a 3 bdrm. plus, how hard is it to find a condo w/ a patio & a place nearby where the kids can run around? one of the reasons we may up in the burbs is b/c we want a backyard for our kids to run around in & somewhere where we can bbq (oh ya, & having to put up w/ constantly monitoring how loud our music is can be very annoying). still, we just love love love the city & i would much rather raise my kids there where there would be DIVERSITY & culture! sorry, but i couldn't stand living in yuppy, cookie-cutter naperville. i actually HATED growing up in the suburbs. to me it feels so lifeless & boring.
 
Old 07-16-2006, 07:54 AM
 
Location: San Marcos, CA
215 posts, read 712,673 times
Reputation: 90
If you want to live in a suburb that is safe and close to the city, I would reccommend Oak Park. It has the two lines of the subway that go into chicago, and has the metra line as well in case you want or need to go farther out in to the suburbs. It has excellent schools and several cute streets as well. Lots of great architecture(Frank Lloyd Wright). I always felt very safe when I lived there. I would walk three blocks to the green line and take the L to my job in to the Loop. Only used my car to get groceries or to leave town. Check it out:

http://www.oak-park.us/
 
Old 07-16-2006, 07:46 PM
 
Location: Nowhere near Elko, NV
246 posts, read 329,034 times
Reputation: 52
Quote:
Originally Posted by domergurl
Affordable real estate.
Not affordable, cheap. The homes being built in the exurbs are crappy construction. Those balloon-framed Tyvek boxes won't last the duration of the first mortgage.

Magpies
 
Old 07-17-2006, 02:27 AM
 
50 posts, read 595,466 times
Reputation: 41
Sorry, but you and your husband are living in dream land! No, you will NOT be able to afford a 3 bedroom condo in Lincoln Park or surrounding areas on those salaries. Closest might be Rogers Park but it's a load of crap over there. Even the once cheap south side is becoming untouchable though the crime is still high.
At some point, somebody planted a seed into your little heads that living in the suburbs made you inferior and that you must've had a sheltered life....and you bought it. Not when the suburbs are within a couple blocks or a few miles of Chicago city limits.
Go ahead and deal with the parking and high taxes and "diversity" and crime....I'll stay here in the so called suburbs and take the 3 minute walk into the city and then leave when I'm ready while you deal with that mess. Get yourself a couple lawn chairs too for the winter time to save your street parking spaces that you had to hand dig because the city workers are too lazy as they collect their tax payer funded salaries!

Now, the reason many people are moving way out is because property values anywhere near the city, in the safe areas, are too expensive for todays young families. But they often get hammered by taxes in many of these areas too and the property is not impressive. And as another person here mentioned the construction is often very crappy. Yet, these idiots buy this crap right up.

Lastly, Oak Park is no great neighborhood. There may be expensive homes but it is far from safe. My brother bought a half million dollar home 1/2 block south of Madison a couple years ago and has since sold it after making $100,000 in just two years. But this does not make it a great area. I spent time there and had people walk up the stairs and stare in the front windows at me in the house! I've watched crime happen right out in front and the paper reported plenty more. My other brother was walking nearby at another time and had a "nice, young African American man" sneak up behind him on the street and beat him in the legs with a chunk of asphalt! Let's not forget the young college professor walking to his home last year who was attacked and killed by a "nice, young African American man" wielding a sledge hammer!
You can keep your Oak Park!
---------------------------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by crazylilkelly
when my husband & i graduate we would ideally love to live in the city (we have considered licoln park b/c of their outstanding school sys). but, i'm going to be a nurse& he a radiological tech. we'll make good money but will be far from rich. can we afford to buy a 3 bdrm condo in those good parts of the city??? we want 2 kids so it has to be a 3 bdrm. plus, how hard is it to find a condo w/ a patio & a place nearby where the kids can run around? one of the reasons we may up in the burbs is b/c we want a backyard for our kids to run around in & somewhere where we can bbq (oh ya, & having to put up w/ constantly monitoring how loud our music is can be very annoying). still, we just love love love the city & i would much rather raise my kids there where there would be DIVERSITY & culture! sorry, but i couldn't stand living in yuppy, cookie-cutter naperville. i actually HATED growing up in the suburbs. to me it feels so lifeless & boring.
 
Old 07-17-2006, 06:28 AM
j33
 
4,626 posts, read 14,083,905 times
Reputation: 1719
Honestly, I don't know how anyone can afford a 3 bedroom condo in Lincoln Park. I rent on an academic salary because well, I can't afford a condo anywhere (including most of the burbs) which is one of the reasons I stay in the city. It is cheaper for me, in my current situation, to stay here than to live anywhere else in the chicago area (and I'm able to live within my means, pay down student debt and save some money, even if I am 'throwing it away' on rent every month). Suburban rental housing is more expensive than a lot of the city rental housing (if you don't live in Lincoln Park or the Gold Coast) and if I moved out there I'd need to buy a car adding even more to my costs, but I am still shocked at what housing is going for now.

I know that one of these times I may make the move to one of the inner ring burbs (no I'm not one of those people who hates the burbs) as I wouldn't mind being able to have a bit of land, especially if I have kids, but what I don't want it to live far aware from public transportation, a downtown, etc. I guess it is because of how I grew up, but if I had to live somewhere way out there and drive a car to everything, I'd find it depressing.

Last edited by j33; 07-17-2006 at 06:45 AM..
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