How long of a commute?

[ContagisBlondnes]

Check out Vernon Hills, Palatine, Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights, Wheeling, and Libertyville. LOADS closer than Grayslake, Gurnee, etc. Metra trains run by, from Vernon Hills and Libertyville it takes about 45 minutes on the local, on the others imagine about 10 minutes less. On the express its about 25 minutes, not bad at all.

If you're going by car to DOWNTOWN Chicago, at the height of the morning rush its about an hour and a half from the suburbs I mentioned, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours from Gurnee, Lake Villa, Grayslake area. Maybe a little less with Grayslake, not much. If you go just before or just after the height of the rush, imagine 45 minutes to an hour for those suburbs, and about 1 1/2 hours for yours. Middle of the night (no cars on the road, I mean) it's about 20 minutes to Chicago TOPS from those suburbs, 45 mins to an hour for yours.

Pay the money. Live closer. It's worth your time, and its worth your weight in gas money.

[rrah]

My parents previously lived in Lake Villa. The area has grown tremendously in the past 10 years or so. My father worked on the northside of the downtown area. Unfortunately the train was not an option. His commute averaged about 75-90 minutes a day each way. He did this for over 10 years. Each year became worse. If he was lucky enough to leave midday/early afternoon he could do it in about 50-60 minutes. During the summer it's a constant battle with various construction projects. During the winter you can always plan on adding time for a sudden snow storm(although "they" do an excellent job of snow removal in Chicagoland!). Someone mentioned Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, etc. I don't really think the commute from those areas is a heck of a lot better. You might consider some of the close in suburbs or even some of the more residential city neighborhoods. There is lots of info and comments on this forum regarding those.