Neighborhoods/suburb question. Lively/walkable but family friendly? (Chicago, Aurora: rentals, homes)

[MarketingGuy]

Looking for neighborhoods or suburbs that are:

• Family/children friendly, safe, with great schools
• Lively center/walkable districts. Like Lincoln Park and Old Town, etc.
• All of that, and rentals for under $2K.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[knitgirl]

How big of a place do you need for your 2k?

[MarketingGuy]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

How big of a place do you need for your 2k?

3/2 or 4/2. 4/2 preferred.

I really like Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Old Town, Logan Park etc. those are kind of areas I like. Realistic areas for my goals?

My office would be in Elmhurst, although i wouldn't be going to the office every day. Wife is stay-at-home, so we need an area where she can feel safe, and be able to enjoy the shops/restaurants etc nearby without having to pile in to the truck every single time.

[tompope]

You mentioned a few of the coolest, most in-demand parts of the city, which would certainly fit your criteria wonderfully. Those are all terrific places to be and to live, but realistically, your housing dollar doesn't go nearly as far there as in other places. But if you decide that it's worth it, then you'll definitely be happy there.

In case your interested in some other areas that might also meet your needs (as long as you don't need to be in the "hippest" part of town), and where your money would go a lot farther, I might also consider:

Bridgeport on the near Southwest Side
Beverly on the far Southwest Side
Oak Park, Forest Park, River Forest, Berwyn, and maybe parts of Cicero, adjacent near western suburbs
Irving Park, Jefferson Park, Albany Park on the Northwest Side
Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, West Rogers Park on the North Side
parts of Evanston and Skokie, adjacent near northern suburbs

Those areas are not quite as trendy, and maybe not as "lively," as Lincoln Park or Old Town, so it may take a little more looking within each of those areas to find a specific place that works for you. But all very nice, conveniently located, fairly walkable, and have a reasonable amount of activity and things to do. Just my two cents.


P.S.: By the way, it's "Logan Square," not "Logan Park." Just so you know.

[jsk1983]

Why not just live in Elmhurst? Personally I think it has a more lively business district than most Chicago neighborhoods, though most homes in Elmhurst aren't going to be in walking distance of it.

[MarketingGuy]

Don't know a whole lot about Elmhurst at all, to be honest. I need to read more. Where is the business district at, or some of the business names so I can spend some time google'ing..?

Does Elmhurst fit my needs, price wise?

And lastly - How long is the commute in to downtown Chicago? I won't have to work there, but just curious for things to do on the weekends with the family. I'd imagine 30 mins or so by looking at the map, worst case, but have no idea.

[tompope]

Yeah, I hadn't thought of it, but actually the older, downtown areas of Elmhurst might be a good fit for you, at least depending on how far you're willing to stretch the definition of "lively." It's actually pretty decent for a suburban downtown district (the area along and around York Road between about North Avenue and St. Charles Road), and there are some nice old-ish homes there, some of which I'm sure could be rented. It fits most of your criteria by being definitely family- and child-friendly, statistically pretty safe from crime, and has good schools. The older parts of town are reasonably walkable, and it's fairly vibrant nowadays, with a lot of businesses and activity, although it's hardly Lincoln Park or Old Town. It's pretty affordable, and certainly more so than many of Chicago's other western and northern suburbs. It's an easy commute to downtown Chicago from Elmhurst on the Metra commuter rail (which stops right downtown), and it's also an easy drive on the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290), at least during non-peak hours. So it might be a good place to look.

The only drawback I can see is that it's definitely more suburban in feel than the other areas mentioned, which means that it may not be lively enough in the sense you were thinking of. And it's farther away from both downtown Chicago and the city's major nightlife districts than the other places suggested, so it wouldn't be quite as convenient for taking advantage of the big city amenities. But it has enough else going for it that it may be worth considering.

[MarketingGuy]

Great feedback.. Thank you. Keep it coming guys!

[MarketingGuy]

What are the thoughts on Aurora?

[chirack]

Originally Posted by MarketingGuy

Don't know a whole lot about Elmhurst at all, to be honest. I need to read more. Where is the business district at, or some of the business names so I can spend some time google'ing..?

Does Elmhurst fit my needs, price wise?

And lastly - How long is the commute in to downtown Chicago? I won't have to work there, but just curious for things to do on the weekends with the family. I'd imagine 30 mins or so by looking at the map, worst case, but have no idea.

If you are going downtown check the public tranist scedule. Basically due to traffic and parking most people take public tranist downtown. Metra is the commuter rail from the burbs. PACE is the suburban bus system. CTA mostly covers the city and some very inner burbs with the EL and busses.

If you want to gauge driving Oak Park is about 15-20 mins non rush to downtown and 30 mins rush.