Oak Park vs. Evanston? A gay couple moving to Chicago area (Naperville: house, private schools)

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by smkz

We know that there is a conflict between gay friendly and great schools. Andersonville and Lakeview areas are gay friendly, but the schools are not that good. We live in AZ (the dumbest and the most bigoted state) so we know how bad schools can possibly be. We are tired of being surrounded by stupid conservative people and the sh*t the teachers give us and the kids simply because we are a gay couple. My husband is a pilot based in Chicago O'Hare and I am in the process of changing career so I may go back to school after we move.

I do agree with Chet that gay-friendly, or at least gay-tolerant, suburbs areere fairly numerous in the Chicago region. Obviously there is a spectrum of acceptance, but I think even in the most conservatives parts most people know better than to be openly bigoted in your face. That being said, I'm not gay, so I don't have first hand experience.

FWIW, Oak Park (and probably Evanston) does have a disproportionate share of gay families with kids. They're a visible presence in our community. Two out of seven of the village board are gay, and the previous board president is a lesbian.

Its very easy to commute from Oak Park to O'hare. Probably a little bit less easy from Evanston, but probably close enough for a pilot since he won't be flying every single day. The location of your potential school should obviously be a consideration when choosing where to relocate.

[smkz]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

Its very easy to commute from Oak Park to O'hare. Probably a little bit less easy from Evanston, but probably close enough for a pilot since he won't be flying every single day. The location of your potential school should obviously be a consideration when choosing where to relocate.

Thank you very much for the info!

Commute is not a problem for us since we have two cars. I looked it up on Google Maps. It's only about 9 miles between Oak Park and the airport, 16 miles for Evanston. I know public transportation is a big consideration for many people, but it's not for us. Everybody drives on the west side of the country. People carpool and drive 40, 50 miles to work everyday, so 9 miles or 16 miles is really nothing. Besides, we only need to do that once a week and he has free parking at the airport.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by smkz

Thank you very much for the info!

Commute is not a problem for us since we have two cars. I looked it up on Google Maps. It's only about 9 miles between Oak Park and the airport, 16 miles for Evanston. I know public transportation is a big consideration for many people, but it's not for us. Everybody drives on the west side of the country. People carpool and drive 40, 50 miles to work everyday, so 9 miles or 16 miles is really nothing. Besides, we only need to do that once a week and he has free parking at the airport.

Just keep in mind, traffic congestion is pretty horrible around here. Peak travel times are significantly slower than off-peak times.

[kindrakindra]

It's probably 15-20 minutes to O'Hare from Oak Park without traffic, and the most it has ever taken me is around 25-30. Desplaines River Road is a great route to the airport. As a frequent business traveler, it such a nicer commute to and from O'Hare than my former Lakeview/Lincoln Square commute. For schools, check out Concordia (tons of grad programs, especially teaching related) or Dominican in River Forest.

Unfortunately, 9 miles in Chicagoland could take an hour.

[jared&ben]

Hi, the hubby here chiming in

Some of you mentioned other suburbs that are good to move to. What are the suggestions? And do these places have good schools, open minded about our family?

[kindrakindra]

Chet's going to say Hinsdale. Maybe Wilmette? Lake Forest? I think what you guys need to decide is whether you want to be in town where there are many families of all types versus a town where the vast majority of families are of the traditional sort but people are still accepting of you.

[smkz]

Originally Posted by kindrakindra

Chet's going to say Hinsdale. Maybe Wilmette? Lake Forest? I think what you guys need to decide is whether you want to be in town where there are many families of all types versus a town where the vast majority of families are of the traditional sort but people are still accepting of you.

Thanks for the info but I don't think that will be the decision for us. We really don't care what types of family that we are surrounded. We just want to live in an area with all the open-minded people and decent public schools. We can't afford to send even just one kid to private schools.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by smkz

Thanks for the info but I don't think that will be the decision for us. We really don't care what types of family that we are surrounded. We just want to live in an area with all the open-minded people and decent public schools. We can't afford to send even just one kid to private schools.

If financial considerations are primary, you might consider looking at suburbs further away from Chicago than Evanston or Oak Park, especially if proximity to O'hare isn't particularly important. There are literally hundreds of suburbs to choose from. It would be helpful if you gave some more specifics regarding what you are looking for, to help us narrow down some of the recommendations. Price range would help.

[chet everett]

I agree with OPDude -- if your budget tops out below where even fixer-uppers could be had in an rougher part of Evanston or Oak Park then the towns that are even pricier than those won't really be an option.

I know pilots have a very goofy salary curve, flying second seat for a regional carrier or value priced sub-brand can be 1/4 or less than being a captain on a major... If you are looking for low priced homes and still want a top notch community then you need to look much further afield.

OTOH if your price range tops out in the $600K or higher territory you can certainly find many acceptable homes in a wide variety of towns. Since it sound like your kids are currently middle school / high school aged I would focus on towns that have the best rating for those schools, then focus on towns that have the easiest commute to O'Hare. The lifestyle question is somewhat tricky -- I know that the better schools in the region have a VERY welcoming approach to ALL parents and make efforts to ensure that all students feel they are in an inclusive environment. Now does that mean that you'll never encounter a neighbor that might be an Archie Bunker type stuck with very narrow views? Hard to predict...

[Hatchetman]

As noted, the commute from O'Hare to Oak Park is MUCH better. Oak Park is also more centrally located for job hunting.