Naperville for young professionals?

[chet everett]

I definatey agree that social life is very different today than it was before the era of text messaging and instaneous webernet connectivity. I also think that the shear size difference and demographic trends of Naperville almost certainly gives it an edge over more mature suburbs in terms of having large numbers of young professionals. Compounding that effect is the fact that Naperville's many attractions keep people who work in the area to spend a little time out immeadiately following work as well as drawing both residents and workers from surrounding areas. The situation is rather different in more mature towns that have no signficant office complexes and are surrounded by areas that are somewhat of an employment dead zone. I suspect that folks that have limited / long ago experience area would not fully appreciate the range of amenities that make Naperville attractive.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by linicx

The dating scene is not the same as when your parents dated. I think it is harder today to be single in a new town you are not familiar with.

I would say the opposite is true, actually. I think it's much easier to date in a new town than it used to be, as long as that town has enough people in the demographic you're seeking, and you don't have any hangups about using the internet.

[chet everett]

...I suspect that just like back in the days of "Reader Matches" there are plenty of folks that will state "no 630s" in their on-line ad as their own personal bias shines through...

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

I would say the opposite is true, actually. I think it's much easier to date in a new town than it used to be, as long as that town has enough people in the demographic you're seeking, and you don't have any hangups about using the internet.

[jman07]

I should probably clarify further. The potential job is in Carol Stream. So there would be some commute still.

[chet everett]

That really is quite a bit different. Carol Stream is an extremely car centric place and the commute to that town from just about anywhere with anything resembling an entertaining scene is going to be tough. The drive from even the northernmost parts of Naperville is probably around 30 minutes in the morning and 40 in the PM.

The comparative distane to Carol Stream from the northside does not add signficant distance but the time involved with having to head up to North Ave and then dealing with the traffic that often does get quite heavy in that area would add signficant travel time. Like probably 90 minutes when leaving (so you really could not get to work before about 7:30 AM unless you left home well before 6AM) and very nearly two hours in the even (so that leaving work at 5:30PM would likely result in being on the road until nearly 8PM). To my way of thinking this really gets into "too little time to enjoy anything" range of commute.

In all honesty trying to get Oak Brook / Westchester is like a halfway point from Carol Stream...

Originally Posted by jman07

I should probably clarify further. The potential job is in Carol Stream. So there would be some commute still.

[jman07]

Originally Posted by chet everett

That really is quite a bit different. Carol Stream is an extremely car centric place and the commute to that town from just about anywhere with anything resembling an entertaining scene is going to be tough. The drive from even the northernmost parts of Naperville is probably around 30 minutes in the morning and 40 in the PM.

The comparative distane to Carol Stream from the northside does not add signficant distance but the time involved with having to head up to North Ave and then dealing with the traffic that often does get quite heavy in that area would add signficant travel time. Like probably 90 minutes when leaving (so you really could not get to work before about 7:30 AM unless you left home well before 6AM) and very nearly two hours in the even (so that leaving work at 5:30PM would likely result in being on the road until nearly 8PM). To my way of thinking this really gets into "too little time to enjoy anything" range of commute.

In all honesty trying to get Oak Brook / Westchester is like a halfway point from Carol Stream...

Its only 11 miles away from Naperville. So whats my best option? Still looking at 4 times the commute from the city. I was actually thinking of trying to rent a temporary room a few days a week from someone in the area.

[chet everett]

I still like the idea of trying to make your current situation work. If you decide after a few months that you can move to the burbs at least you will have a solid idea of what sorts of trade-offs you can accept and what you can't.

The problem getting to Carol Stream from Naperville is less about the distance than it is about the routes between them. The direct links basically go right through downtown Wheaton, where trains and school zones and 25 mph speed limits mean you put-put along. The route that relies on the tollways swings you IN toward Downers Grove then UP and then you have to take North Ave back OUT all the while with LOTS of other commuters...

Coming from the northside of the city (or even a suburb that borders the city) STILL has you snaking around several REALLY HEAVY traffic choke points...

[jman07]

TO be specific, I live around belmont and ashland. I guess this is one of the negatives of living in Chicagoland. I guess I'm getting a little ahead of myself considering I haven't even had an in person interview yet. But I have had two successful phone interviews.