Relocating to Chicago area (safe, move to, close to)

[Shifter125]

Thanks suburb girl, what do you like about Naperville? We've also looked at Elmhurst, but haven't visited yet. Thanks in advance.

[Chicagodarling]

I know you mentioned earlier in your posts that you were considering Lemont. If that town is still a possibility, there are several areas that would provide the type of home you are looking for. One place to start looking are the Equestrian Estates and Equestrian Woods subdivisions. The homes here are all on 3/4+ acre lots and must all be larger than at least 3,000 square feet (I don't remember the exact specification in the neighborhood guidelines). Many of the homes here do infact have pools and the neighborhood is bordered by the Forest Preserve so it is not uncommon to wake up in the morning to find several deer, or even wild turkey in your backyard. Another perk--the subdivision gets its name from the horse farm that is actually part of the subdivision itself, several homeowners board their own horses there.

There are other upscale subdivisons in the area--especially around the dozens of golf courses. One golf course, Ruffled Feathers, actually has its own gated community--with both townhomes and single family homes.

The community does tend to be quiet and its downtown is not quite as developed as that of Naperville. But there are other pluses. The local public school is of high quality--in fact the high school, which was only recently built--is expanding again. Lemont is also close to 55--yes its a mess in the mornings--but from the south suburbs, thats the best way to drive into the city. There is also a train station with ample parking near by, if you want to commute that way.

[Violet5434]

Naperville is a great place and the real estate is booming. The schools are amazing, but yes, traffic is a huge problem.

A few other cities no one has mentioned are Geneva, Batavia, St. Charles and South Elgin. They are all about 40 minutes away from the city They are on the Fox River and on the west side of all the towns are homes like you described. South Elgin is in school district U-46 and just got its own high school (previously they were bussed to Elgin). I would definitely recommend all these places and Geneva has a train station for Metra, which goes downtown. So does Elgin, which is just north of South Elgin.

[rrah]

A couple of issues with Naperville---traffic is bad most of the time. There is a train station to downtown, but the last time I checked finding a space in the lot was pretty tricky. They may have a started a park-n-ride lot to help with that though. I moved away a couple of years ago. Frankly when we did live in that area we purposely stayed away from Naperville because of the non-stop growth, ever increasing taxes, and nasty traffic. The key thing to remember when looking from a distance is that it might appear to be close to the city on a map, but the reality of driving, or even taking the train daily, is pretty different. All of my friends that lived in Naperville have moved out for many of the same reasons.

[hawkfandan]

Naperville is great - but pricey. It's always making the top 5 in quality of life polls - put out by various magazines. If that means anything to you.

[murphymom139]

I just moved to La Grange from a farther out suburb called Tinley Park to shorten my husbands commute. He now just travels 18 minutes into the city and can walk to the train. He saves 2 1/2 hours a day just in commuting time. Our house here is smaller, but I prefer the area and his shorter commute. La Grange has excellent schools, is near both airports and a 25 minute drive to city, plus it has a great downtown area. Consider looking at metrarail.com and decide how far you want your commute to be and also see if parking is a problem at station. We considered Naperville - a 35 minute commute on express train, but then found out no parking near station. You need to take a shuttle from a remote lot to station. No thanks!

[HollyhockGarden]

Hello! I would aim for a classic, older suburb on one of the METRA lines. The shorter commutes and drives to/from the airport(s) greatly improve your quality of life. I would look at LaGrange, Western Springs, Riverside, Clarendon Hills, Hinsdale, and old-town Downers Grove or Naperville. Elmhurst is a beautiful city too, as is Glen Elyn and Wheaton. Oak Park and River Forest are very nice, too. I have not heard anything bad about Lemont either, which was mentioned by some of the posters. It depends on whether you want to be close-in, in a classic old town, or in a newer subdivision where you need to drive everywhere. Be careful buying in an un-incorporated area -- the house may be beautiful but there are trade-offs -- slower snow-plowing service, fire truck response, no library, etc.

[cavewoman]

To me if you want more house for your money and less issues with drugs and gangs, don't buy anywhere but Bolingbrook and drive to the train in Naperville or leave against traffic. (earlier or later)

The postive Naperville quotes are from people who think they are all that or have not lived there long enough. I have not met one person who enjoyed it, cept for one that made 3x there value in there home before it boomed. The property values have increased so much in the last ten years, now you are gonna "overpay".
Poor planning, parents who are not home, and kids who are all alone. I ran a gang education unit in Bolingbrook for 7 years and most of the trouble came from Downers, Joliet and Naperville and Aurora. The first death in Ecastacy was in Naperville. If you don't stay on top of problems, or you think you are perfect, you never learn. Bolingbrook has been planning properly for over 20 years.
Naperville folks need to realize if it wasn't for Bolingbrook , there home values would of never increased.

[soy1998]

Hope you realize that property taxes are about 2% of sale price. Wanting a large beautiful home with a pool 45 minutes from Chicago? Expect to spend a mil. I know I just sold a home there in that range & we had buyers from Arkansas choke on the sticker & property tax shock. Pool use will be for app 10-12 weeks per year, maybe you should stay in Arkansas.

[LIS123]

I think one of the things to realize is that it's a bit naive to expect the same living conditions and lifestyle in Chicago that you have in Arkansas, unless you're very wealthy. This happens often, people saying (in major urban settings and metro areas), "Back in XYZ... you know what you can get for $500K"
I think the previous post is excellent. A very large home in an desirable suburb of Chicago will cost a lot of money, around $1 M. The annual maintenance cost (taxes, utilities, etc) may add up to $30K+. The commute can be long and tiring, whether it's via public transportation or driving.
I would suggest NW Indiana as someone else mentiones. It's no further (and, in some cases, closer) than many of the IL suburbs and much less costly. There's less in the way of entertainment, but you can go to the city or suburbs for that. $500K can get quite a bit out here. Check out Crown Point, Dyer, Schererville and Saint John.