At what point do the EXURBS begin?

[reppin_the_847]

I have a relative that commutes from the SW suburbs all the way to Kankakee. Fortunately, it is a really well-paying specialized job at a hospital and well worth it for him to endure the commute from what I hear. Pretty sure he has a 4-wheel drive SUV, so a few crappy days in the winter can still be overcome (this past winter was barely a winter anyway).

Originally Posted by urza216

I've driven down to Kankakee to catch a movie. i've never even heard of the towns in bold.

K3 and Rockford are NOT comparable. Jeez. Rockford is waay more far out from the city. You can get from Kankakee to the south side of Chicago in about an hour. When people talk about the distance being longer than that, they are talking about downtown Chicago not the south side.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by reppin_the_847

I have a relative that commutes from the SW suburbs all the way to Kankakee. Fortunately, it is a really well-paying specialized job at a hospital and well worth it for him to endure the commute from what I hear. Pretty sure he has a 4-wheel drive SUV, so a few crappy days in the winter can still be overcome (this past winter was barely a winter anyway).

A friend of mine worked an entry level position at a steel mill in Chicago Heights. For some time, he had a place with his fiance down in Bradley (just outside of Kankakee). He commuted up to Chicago Heights every day in his regular car. A lot of people do 45 minute commutes. And BTW, the place he was living in was super cheap in a nice neighborhood. The price tag for a home like that was nothing like anything you're gonna find in Cook County or Will County..

What southwest suburb? Obviously a commute from K3 to Oak Lawn is a journey. A commute from Frankfort to K3 isn't so bad if you're getting paid a decent wage.

[ChiNaan]

Kankakee is 60 miles from downtown. It's part of the Combined Statistical Area, but not the Metro Area, so it's debatable.

Rockford is 90 miles from downtown, which is the same distance as Milwaukee or South Bend. That's not even debatable. Not even close.

[reppin_the_847]

He drives down from Willowbrook (right by the Burr Ridge border). So basically he's by where Hwy 55, I-294 & Kingery Hwy (83) all sort of converge.

Originally Posted by urza216

A friend of mine worked an entry level position at a steel mill in Chicago Heights. For some time, he had a place with his fiance down in Bradley (just outside of Kankakee). He commuted up to Chicago Heights every day in his regular car. A lot of people do 45 minute commutes. And BTW, the place he was living in was super cheap in a nice neighborhood. The price tag for a home like that was nothing like anything you're gonna find in Cook County or Will County..

What southwest suburb? Obviously a commute from K3 to Oak Lawn is a journey. A commute from Frankfort to K3 isn't so bad if you're getting paid a decent wage.

[TempesT68]

The "official" when does it become the boonies? code has always been west of 47 (though many will say 59) south of 80, and north is arguable because it's pretty much incorporated all the way to the WI state line.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by TempesT68

The "official" when does it become the boonies? code has always been west of 47 (though many will say 59) south of 80, and north is arguable because it's pretty much incorporated all the way to the WI state line.

Man, north siders know so much about when the boonies start in the Southland. First it's that Kankakee isn't even "exurban" like Rockford. And now Country Club Hills, Homewood and Lansing are the boonies.

Let's be fair. If south of 80 is the boonies the so is west of 294.

[LakeShoreSoxGo]

Rockford is not an exurb. It might be in the whole sphere of influence as Chicago is the nearest big city around. But no, Rockford is not a part of Chicagoland.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by LakeShoreSoxGo

Rockford is not an exurb. It might be in the whole sphere of influence as Chicago is the nearest big city around. But no, Rockford is not a part of Chicagoland.

Rockford is definitely not part of Chicagoland. I agree. But Kankakee County is pretty much economically dependent on the south suburbs and Chicago. And it isn't nearly as far out as Rockford.

The two are not comparable..

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by urza216

Man, north siders know so much about when the boonies start in the Southland. First it's that Kankakee isn't even "exurban" like Rockford.

You mean Kankakee isn't even exurban like New Lenox. Kankakee is arguably exurban, but by most measures (including the official one, the Metropolitan area) falls outside of that.

Rockford falls so very far outside of that, I don't understand why it's being discussed here. It is its own place, separated by an hour of corn fields. That's not an exurb, that's just a neighboring city, like Milwaukee or South Bend.

Not sure why any of this is difficult to grasp.