best Chicago suburb? (Naperville, Wheaton, Oak Park: apartments, lease, house)

[emilyrb]

Hiya,

We currently reside in Northwest Indiana and due to a job transfer, we will be moving closer to the city, in particular both airports. I really don't know the west/ north suburbs well so am looking for help in learning more!

Here's the wish list:

Easy reach (less than 30-40 mins) of Midway and O'Hare
Within 45 mins of Chicago
Pleasant village/small town feel with central village/downtown area
Nice parks/ outdoor areas
Affordable housing (approx 300k for 3 bed single family home)
Preferably active, healthier living attitude
Bonus: public transport

Please let me know if such a place exists! We do like Naperville so something similar but more in our price range would be ideal.

Thanks!

Emily

[chet everett]

If you want / need to be within 40 mins of BOTH O'Hare & Midway that is already a pretty limited corridor, mostly along I-88.

The biggest stumbling block will be affordability. $300K still does not go very far, though with need for only 3 bedrooms you can choose from either older homes or newer, the big difference is going to be the neighborhood. Not sure about "active lifestyle" as the suburban areas and even many of the denser more urbanized area are quite car centric.

As for "public transportation" do you mean Metra for journey into Chicago or RTA buses?

If you like Naperville and are just worried about the affordability I would advise you to consider homes that are in Naperville and excellent values:

840 Violet Cir, NAPERVILLE, IL 60540 | MLS# 07385986

826 N Brainard St, NAPERVILLE, IL 60540 | MLS# 07237126

1116 HIDDEN SPRING Dr, NAPERVILLE, IL 60540 | MLS# 07304036


Probably a dozen more, but the theme is simple: none of those are "mainstream dream homes" -- some a bit on the starterish side, other a bit dated, another a 'charmer" that needs to be brought into this century. Lots more like em!

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by mendelman

Which suburb? Well, mine, of course.

I myself do not live in Naperville, and I really don't do much business out there. The fact is that the OP's requirements can be met very well in Naperville, depending mostly on what sorts of house they will be comfortable with.

If I were to suggest that they might also find some of their requirements met in other towns that too would be true, but I firmly believe that it is BETTER to find a home in a town you really like than to try to compromise on locatiom. The home itself can be improved / upgrades over time, or a move to another home in the same time might make more sense as income increases.

It can be very stressful to live in town that does not meet one's needs / desires. Given the current realities of some towns experiencing steep price declines it is more important than ever to be happy with the location dependent factors.

[linicx]

I"m going to stick my neck out and say I don't know if Oak Park would fit you needs or not as I do not fly. http://www.oprf.org

If it interests you there the non-profit OP housing center that can help you get settled. The link is to the office. The video is a sampling of available apartments. Sometimes you can get a short lease while you look for a house. Also there are realtors in Oak Park. The more information you have, the easier it is to make a decision - but your best bet is to come and look for yourself

http://www.apartmentsoakpark.org/

[tammie2]

I grew up in Lisle, IL

The school districts are excellent and offer much smaller graduating classes than Naperville or Downers Grove.

Homes are just slightly more affordable(but many are older). There is a train stop downtown, and direct access to 355(to 55 for midway) and 88(for O'Hare).

Best of luck in your move!!!

[chet everett]

While I am sure that many people like living in Lisle I have to a caution that the "downtown" is a fraction the size of Naperville's and seems to be shrinking with stores closing. Further there are portions of Lisle that feed into Naperville's schools, but most of Lisle is served by a CUSD 202. 202 is not a bad district at all, but it did not make the cut for the US News ranks.

Trends are not terrible, but noticeably below the achievement of Naperville. Size of classes has not been shown to be a reliable predictor of student achievement:

Interactive Illinois Report Card

Interactive Illinois Report Card

[Steve-o]

Look into Glen Ellyn or Wheaton. You can find the price youre looking for if you shop right, and theyre pretty centralized cities and have Metra access and arent too far from highways (mainly I-88 and I-355). Both have all that you desire of a place to live, and both towns are very picturesque and ridiculously safe. I have photos of Wheaton on teh suburbs pic thread.

[supportyourschools]

"Size of classes has not been shown to be a reliable predictor of student achievement" cheteverett

I disagree with this Chet. Ask any teacher with a large class size versus a small class size.

[css9450]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Look into Glen Ellyn or Wheaton.

I agree, and would add Elmhurst to the list too. However, with any of the three, you'd need to look very carefully to meet your proposed housing budget. None are cheap. Not to say there aren't bargains out there, however!

[emilyrb]

Thank you everyone for your input. All suggestions were helpful. Now to check it out!
Emily