Moving from MI to Lake County, need advice. (Joliet, Waukegan: apartment, condo)

[MJK]

I'm thinking about making this move to Lake county or even Joliet. My goal is to become a Union Ironworker in one of the two counties. My question is does anyone know how hard it is to get involved in the unions over there and what kind of housing could I afford with there wages (around $30 an hour)? I'm 22 and single so the move will be just with myself. I would most likely get an apartment or condo first, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on this move? I don't know anyone in the area that could help. Thanks in advance.

[Frank the Tank]

I'm not familiar with how the unions work around here, but Joliet historically has had a lot more industrial companies than Lake County (which, outside of a few pockets such as Waukegan, has mostly corporate office jobs). Housing prices are also substantially lower in Joliet and the surrounding communities when compared to Lake County towns in general.

At the end of the day, though, I'd suggest that you first figure out exactly where you would be working and then find a reasonably priced area close to there (as opposed to the other way around). If you end up with a job in Lake County, you definitely do not want to be making a nightmarish commute everyday from Joliet (or vice versa).

[IllinoiZ]

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

I'm not familiar with how the unions work around here, but Joliet historically has had a lot more industrial companies than Lake County (which, outside of a few pockets such as Waukegan, has mostly corporate office jobs). Housing prices are also substantially lower in Joliet and the surrounding communities when compared to Lake County towns in general.

At the end of the day, though, I'd suggest that you first figure out exactly where you would be working and then find a reasonably priced area close to there (as opposed to the other way around). If you end up with a job in Lake County, you definitely do not want to be making a nightmarish commute everyday from Joliet (or vice versa).

Actually, there are a lot of housing areas in Lake County that are just as cheap as Joliet.

Lake County has plenty of industrial companies. You just need to know where to look. I live there, and drive by industrial companies throughout Lake County all the time.

Not sure about ironworker jobs specifically in Lake County though. But the industrial jobs are there, along with office parks, so it's a good mix. There's a ton of construction in Lake County, which might lend itself to ironwork companies if you do your research.

[outsider1]

Try looking around Waukegan.