Commuting from Naperville to Oak Park (Chicago, Aurora: home, find a job, university)
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I am a single professional female in my mid-twenties.
I am starting a new job in Naperville.
Ever since I graduated from college, I have been living and working in cities and couldn't imagine living in the suburbs- I think I would become very depressed.
I want to live as close to the city as possible without a horrendous commute, so I was thinking Oak Park.
Do you think it would be possible to live in Oak Park and commute to Naperville? I would leave M-F at 7:30 and leave at 5:00. I would be planning on driving, because I know public transportation would take even longer round-trip.
My job in Naperville is near the McDowell Grove Forest Preserve, if that means anything, and I would try to live in an area of Oak Park that is closer to the commute to Naperville.
My question is- do you think it is reasonable for me to want to live in Oak Park vs Naperville as a single person? I could not find a job in the city at all (I tried there, and for my career the market is very tight). I just want to give myself as many social opportunities as possible, and feel I would have more in/closer to the city. My parents are acting like I'm nuts for wanting to live in Oak Park and do the commute. What do you think? Thanks
I am a single professional female in my mid-twenties.
I am starting a new job in Naperville.
Ever since I graduated from college, I have been living and working in cities and couldn't imagine living in the suburbs- I think I would become very depressed.
I want to live as close to the city as possible without a horrendous commute, so I was thinking Oak Park.
Do you think it would be possible to live in Oak Park and commute to Naperville? I would leave M-F at 7:30 and leave at 5:00. I would be planning on driving, because I know public transportation would take even longer round-trip.
My job in Naperville is near the McDowell Grove Forest Preserve, if that means anything, and I would try to live in an area of Oak Park that is closer to the commute to Naperville.
My question is- do you think it is reasonable for me to want to live in Oak Park vs Naperville as a single person? I could not find a job in the city at all (I tried there, and for my career the market is very tight). I just want to give myself as many social opportunities as possible, and feel I would have more in/closer to the city. My parents are acting like I'm nuts for wanting to live in Oak Park and do the commute. What do you think? Thanks
Tons of people in Oak Park do that commute. Some days it will suck (snow, etc) but totally worth it.
Morning commute will be easy. Evening commute will be a bit more painful. I agree with living in the south part of Oak Park, closer to the expressway to save a little time. Maybe consider the Harrison St. Arts district area. Just a couple blocks from the ramp onto the expressway at Austin.
I might also think about living in Forest Park, near Madison and Harlem. Lots of cute places on Madison (restaurants/pubs etc...) and Harlem gets you to the expressway fast. I would consider Forest Park if you want a little more for your money.
I agree with oakparkdude. My husband used to make a very similar commute at the same time you stated. We lived near Lake and Harlem in Oak Park, and he worked near Diehl and Route 59. Usually took him 35 minutes in the morning and 45-50 in the evening.
There is NO WAY that any mode of transportation short of a chartered helicopter that would make the evening commute anything close to 30 minutes. The closest Metra station is probably in Winfield and the trip to Oak Park is over 40 minutes, you'd need to trek through a fairly significant portion of Naperville and Winfield from offices near McDowell Grove -- Union Pacific / West (UP-W) Schedule
I'd say about 20 minutes if you are really lucky in having good parking -- McDowell Grove County Forest Preserve to Winfield Metra Station - Google Maps
Have looked at the options that are nearer to your employer? There are walkable cores in Naperville itself as well towns like Wheaton and Geneva. Aurora has a lot of the same features that many would associate with an urban setting.
I can completely understand your parents reaction as well as your own desire to maximize your social opportunities. It is unclear to me what would be depressing about living in Naperville. There are students that live on-campus at North Central College as well as Benedictine University in neighboring Lisle and further east at Elmhurst College in town which the name is shared. I would be very surprised if the incidence of depression is any higher at those campuses than at the more urban settings of UIC,DePaul, Loyola, etc...
The commute will not be fun, but not horrible. You can deal with it for at least a year. Don't let your new and unknown job determine everything about your life.
I am a single professional female in my mid-twenties.
I am starting a new job in Naperville.
I want to live as close to the city as possible without a horrendous commute, so I was thinking Oak Park.
Do you think it would be possible to live in Oak Park and commute to Naperville? I would leave M-F at 7:30 and leave at 5:00. I would be planning on driving, because I know public transportation would take even longer round-trip.
My job in Naperville is near the McDowell Grove Forest Preserve, if that means anything, and I would try to live in an area of Oak Park that is closer to the commute to Naperville.
I did a similar commute for 10 years (Oak Park to Lisle, Bollingbrook, Naperville). It is a feasible commute, but like everything in this world it has positives and negatives.
On rainy days, the evening commute becomes a real annoyance. On snowy days the evening commute becomes a nightmare. If you're at work and snow starts falling at 2pm, consider yourself screwed. You're probably looking at a 90-minute drive home, and I'm talking about a regular 2-inch accumulation, not a 6-to-8 incher. If the weatherpeople are talking about 6-8 inches, you should try to leave work and not risk sitting on a highway for 2 hours.
I became very familiar with all the alternate routes - St Charles Ave, Roosevelt, Cermak, North Ave, etc. I'm not sure if any of then really save time versus the Hillside Strangler and the stretch of I290 through Maywood. As others have said, consider living close to Harlem Ave and south of Lake Street. This will shave 5-10 minutes off your commute, as opposed to living in central or north Oak Park. Going crosstown through Oak Park can be annoying.
Other ways to improve your commute - join a gym in Naperville or one of the towns on your commute (Lombard, Oak Brook). This way you can work out after work and let traffic die down a little bit. Leaving the gym at 6:30pm will give you a better commute home than at 5pm.
Of course the positives you already know - Oak Park is beautiful, close to the city, and is bustling in its own right. Also, if you do find a gig downtown, you won't have to move. Don't stop looking - I eventually found a downtown job, and it changed my life for the better. It's almost like once you find the first downtown gig, it's easy to find others - you're become part of the "clique."
You have to decide what is a reasonable commute for yourself, then make your judgement on your own criteria. Many people commute from different parts of the city to the loop and with have a longer commute than you will from Oak Park to Naperville. A lot of people with have an hour commute from some north, south, north west, southwest sections of Chicago to downtown, and happily live where they live... And there are those who want to walk to work in 5 minutes... Saying all that, Oak Park is a great place for singles. It's been named one of the best places for singles (forgot the publication, but will post it if I find it), and it's not some sleepy little suburb with nothing going on where you'll be surrounded with mostly families (some people like that, but I'm guessing your looking for something else).
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