Relocating from Dallas-Ft. Worth (Chicago, Aurora: for sale, houses, job transfer)

[lam3036]

Hello-

Due to a job transfer we will be relocating to Il within the yr.

We are looking for an area that has a highly ranked school district (elementary) as well as an area that offers acreage (3 or more) for our horses. We would like to stay between 400-450K.

My husband's corporate office will be in Rosemont. Commuting an hr or so in any direction is not a problem but would like to stay within a reasonable proximity to Chicago, if possible. I've heard Naperville, Barrington, Wilmette, etc. are nice areas with good school districts. I'm sure there are others...

Also, are the winters (hopefully) getting more mild? I'm not accustomed to too cold of temps and when we do experience them they do not last very long.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[preppyboyofIL]

I have done many posts on this topic and many Chicagoans disagree with me, however, YES due to climate change over the past decade or so, winters here have gotten much more mild by comparison of the winters of the 1960s and 70s where Chicago was getting 60-80 inches of snow per year on average such as the winter of 1978-79.

Just remember as with anywhere, location is everything and this couldn't be more true than in Chicago. Chicago's close proximity to the lake wreaks havoc on our weather making certain areas biting cold in the early spring while areas inland about 40 miles bask in 70 degree warmth. I know it sounds far fetched but surprisingly its not. For instance in the first week of April this year Chicago enjoyed a stretch of warm sunny days pushing temps into the low 70's, UNTIL... (this would be where the drums in a scary movie would go bum bum bum...) those pesky north-east winds formed blowing over 300 miles of 35 degree water, plumeting temps into the upper 40's within a matter of 2 hours! The good news was that you didn't have to go that far inland to be right back in the 70 degree weather as it was just pushed out past Joliet and Aurora.

The snow season has also shifted some from what you might have thought. Verses the 1970s where heavy snows would start right after Thanksgiving and last until late March; today with global warming taking over, the heavy snow season where Chicago runs a risk of being hit with storms producing snow totals of 6-10 inches now typically starts around Christmas and lasts until about March 5. Yes, it can snow outside of those dates, but typically those are little light snowfalls that don't do much other than just make a big mess.

[LkZurichMom]

I'd recommend looking at Palatine, or Lake Zurich, but if you want a horse property, you won't find it there or anywhere close to Rosement for 400-450K

You can get horse properties in North Barrington starting over 700K. Other Barrington areas will be higher priced for horse zoning. Further west, there are larger properties, but I don't know the horse zoning there.

[ChristineR]

You said an hour commute, then you should look out west, especially if you are looking for something with room for horses. You will need to be somewhere a little more rural. I'm from Sycamore and I love it but that is probably more than an hour commute. I would say maybe hampshire, huntley, those homes are closer to I-90...

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by ChristineR

You said an hour commute, then you should look out west, especially if you are looking for something with room for horses. You will need to be somewhere a little more rural. I'm from Sycamore and I love it but that is probably more than an hour commute. I would say maybe hampshire, huntley, those homes are closer to I-90...

Just curious... how can you be from Sycamore, but your location shows DuPage County?

Sycamore is in DeKalb County.

[ChristineR]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Just curious... how can you be from Sycamore, but your location shows DuPage County?

Sycamore is in DeKalb County.

I'm from Sycamore born and raised. I go to school in the suburbs which is where I unfortunately live.

[nanannie]

Barrington area is very much horse country,might be worth a check, as In this market ,there are so many houses sitting for sale,prices are dropping.Schools are very good.You should also look into the Wayne area,again,expensive ,but you never know in todays market.I think Huntley and Hampshire are your best bets,its growing like crazy,but the area is "horsey" and acerage would probably be available in your price,and,as with Barrington a direct easy shot to Rosemont.Not familiar with the schools,but there are plenty of sites to check (like great schools.com)