Moving From the UK to Chicago (Naperville, Wheaton: best town, to rent, crime)

[blitzen001]

Hi all,
I hope you can help an Englishman in need.

OK
I am looking to move to Chicago around Xmss time as part of a promotion from my job.
I am looking to rent a house in one of the suburbs for a year and need a bit of advice as to which part you would recommend.
Here are my details:

- There is me
- My wife
- 9 year old daughter
- 4 year old daughter (she has a mental disability

We are looking for an area where:
1. Its accessible by public transport to 51st street
2. There are good schools for my 9 year old daughter
3. Good support and care for my 4 year old daughter
4. Somewhere we can all feel safe at night
5. Somewhere that is not 'Alive and Kicking until the early hours of the morning
6. Somewhere where i can rent a 3 bedroom house (or bigger) for no more than $2000 per month.

Your help is VERY VERY appreciated

[At1WithNature]

You must choose the north side! If anything, choose the Naperville area towards the west but i think you would be very happy in the north burbs to northwest burbs, with naperville being the exception. of course if you are concerned about commute time, then you can consider some select few southern suburbs like Frankfort, IL. but most of the surburbs in the south aren't too family orientated (safe). I am going to stick with the Naperville area, though, as your best bet. Good Luck!

[blitzen001]

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

You must choose the north side! If anything, choose the Naperville area towards the west but i think you would be very happy in the north burbs to northwest burbs, with naperville being the exception. of course if you are concerned about commute time, then you can consider some select few southern suburbs like Frankfort, IL. but most of the surburbs in the south aren't too family orientated. I am going to stick with the Naperville area, though, as your best bet. Good Luck!

Thanks for that. In fact i have justg been looking at a house in Naperville
Is the child care and support for disabled children good or not (if ou know)?

I must admit, i cant wait...........bit worried about all i have read about tornados though

Last thing...
Are there any local costs to consider?
We have things such as local council tax. Do you have that kind of thing to pay for bin emptying etc?

[At1WithNature]

I do not have specifics regarding child care and support for children with special needs, however the Naperville area is known for its' excellent schools and community support. I can't imagine the area being poor for this, i would GUESS that it would be superb. However, I can not say definitively.

The local costs are nothing to be concerned about, especially since you are renting opposed to owning.

I'm sure there will be more welcoming chicago posters who can fill in the blanks.

[aragx6]

Where on 51st street are you working (it's an east/west street that goes through many neighborhoods) Maybe near University of Chicago? or Midway airport? This will help us give you ideas.

[blitzen001]

51st West.
Is the street that big ?

Also, in case the house falls through, is there anywhere i need to avoid?

Thanks everyone for your responses

[fairmarketvalue]

Originally Posted by blitzen001

51st West.
Is the street that big ?

Also, in case the house falls through, is there anywhere i need to avoid?

Thanks everyone for your responses

Naperville is a good community where I would guess there is support for a child with special needs. My only advise is that depending on how much you want to be home and how often you will be going downtown, the commute from Naperville will be long and take away from time at home.

There are many suburbs all around Chicago that are closer in proximity to your job with good schools to offer your daughter and family. There is a line that runs through the western suburbs from downtown Chicago to Geneva, IL. Many suburbs on that train line are fantastic with great schools. We live in Wheaton and I know our friends moved from Oak Park so their child with special needs could attend schools which have a great system for children with special needs that starts at the pre-school age (3). Glen Ellyn is the next suburb east and closer to the city with good schools as well. Suburbs whos schools you should look at are: Lombard, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, St. Charles, Geneva. Also, look at Downers Grove, Lisle, LaGrange, as all these towns also have a train to the city as well. Naperville is very big(150,000 population) and although it has train access, getting around the roads and city to get to puplic transportation can be a problem. Any, including Naperville, will have a nice house to rent for what you are willing to afford so no problems there. Good luck and welcome. You have time since you are not coming until December so take time to research your choices. Hope this helps.

Take Care
FMV

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

You must choose the north side! If anything, choose the Naperville area towards the west but i think you would be very happy in the north burbs to northwest burbs, with naperville being the exception. of course if you are concerned about commute time, then you can consider some select few southern suburbs like Frankfort, IL. but most of the surburbs in the south aren't too family orientated (safe). I am going to stick with the Naperville area, though, as your best bet. Good Luck!

Most of the southern burbs are not family oriented? You SERIOUSLY need a reality check and need to come down here. You're right places like Orland Park with it's Sandburg High School with over 4000 kids and then Tinley Park with it's two high schools litterally bursting at the seams must be shipping the kids in from those "family oriented" places like Naperville. Then the same burbs aren't safe? Palos Heights, Park and Hills, Oak Lawn, Hickory Hills, Orland and Tinley Park, Oak Forest, Worth, Mokena, New Lenox, Lockport, Homer Glen, Lemont, just to name a few that are just unbelievably dangerous? I know, you gotta watch those old guys on the golf carts at Silver Lake (they've been known to even use a curse word occasionally) and the kids...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOQNh...eature=related Yikes, I mean we are talking convicted felons here.

Look at how chilling it looks around here. Watch everyone dodge the bullets flying by.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJcbMK21s5c

Here comes a drive by now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYBaHiuJL5Y

and La Grange Road. WHOA!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrFlq...eature=related

Notice how chilling these neighborhoods look with the limos and all those rich little white kids! WOW LOOK OUT NOW!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DDuJxmsQRo

NOTE the lack of children in this non-family oriented video here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkBwIh7Ckrc BRRR Chilling. I mean we are almost talking Fort Apache the Bronx there.

Look at how unwelcoming this neighborhood in Richton Park/Crete looks to young families with all those little pools and swing sets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FXwC...eature=related (That little girl sounds too cute! and Im being serious there, she is adorable)

Seriously anyone saying that there is a lack of family-ness on the south side has SERIOUSLY gotta be posting the most stupid thing I have read yet on here! ITS pretty much ALL YOUNG families!

Lastly, how are the northern burbs easily accessible to 51st Street (which I'm assuming we are talking about the one near Archer Ave????) They aren't. And Naperville to the Midway airport area on a good day, meaning people actually know how to drive for a change and not play bumper cars with eachother out on the Stevenson, there are no sprinkles, flurries, gusts of wind, sun (sunshine delays), and all your planets are aligned perfectly, then yes you might get to the 51st Street area in Chicago in under an hour. Get the hint OP? Traffic around here is not known to move all that well during the day. And if you get one of these little guys to move over the area here and produce lots of white fluffy stuff, this is what you get.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX-y7c_kO5Y

Best advice, come here, stay in a hotel in Naperville and wake up at the time you would need to for work and try to make it in to where you are going to work on lets say a Tuesday or Wednesday. NOT A SUNDAY like most visitors would. That takes the fun out of the whole experience! heehee. Oh and do it in our "real" weather; rain, snow, clouds, wind, one or all of those, not the pretty sun and warm weather we have from Jun1-Sept 1. The rest of the year isn't like that that often here. See if you would like to make the commute everyday, or choose to choose a closer "non-family oriented dangerous" south burb like the ones in the videos I posted links to to live in?

[At1WithNature]

Orland Park, Tinley Park...okay why didn't you bring up Calumet City, Glenwood, Lansing, Park Forest, Blue Island, South Holland, Lynwood, Matteson, Chicago Heights, Dolton, Robbins, Harvey, Ford Heights, Markham, East Hazel Crest...shall I go on?

Give it a rest, the south suburbs are notoriously crime infested. that is what city data is for. check the statistics. There are few good suburbs in the south and the ones that are good are the FAR south suburbs. The suburbs you listed are very FAR out. I'm talking about the south suburbs that everyone associates with crime and broken familes.

And please don't bring up Oak Forest, that town is going down the tube...FAST!

anybody can post youtube links:


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rzTKYbcjjLU


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tNk9EjPtEF4


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LmKTGrdNfVc

And that is real!

Besides, Tinley Park and Frankfort Square are seeing an influx of urban influence. In fact, Frankfort has had a massive increase in home burglaries, particularly in Prestwick right off of the Old Plank Trail which connects frankfort to places like Park Forest.

And why would you bring up Richton Park??? that's not the best town proven by its' crime statistics, not to mention my personal experience.

[sbd78]

Tinley Park is seeing an influx of urban influence??? Where are you getting your stats on this? This is news to all my in-laws who live there, are raising families there, have no problems with crime, and love it there. I spend A LOT of time in that town and have seen nothing to suggest this.