Social Life in the Suburbs? (Chicago, Aurora: homes, high school, college)

[Lud Kissel]

For the little time I spent in LA I really have a hard time compairing it to Chicago. Chicago is- the city, inner ring burbs, outer ring burbs, the exurbs. LA seems like its a mish mash of everything. I really would have a hard time identifying anything including in the San Fernando valley that reminds me of a traditional Chicago suburb.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by Lud Kissel

I'll side with urza on this. His main point that the suburbs do have a great nightlife is true. I've lived in the SW burbs all my life and if you know where to go and what night to go you can see some great nightlife.

The best night to go to Lassen's in Homewood is actually Thursday night. I just lumped it in with the rest of the bars in my statement. It's not like Saturday night isn't a good night too..

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by urza216

This issue comes up a lot on here. Everyone seems to say that there is no "night life" in the suburbs and therefore if you are in your twenties, your social life will suck if you move here. And it's almost even stated like it's a fact.

Why do people on this forum talk about the suburbs like there's no young people and what's up with these intense warnings to young people to NOT move to the suburbs? In the end, Chicago suburbs are still a part of the 3rd largest metro area in the country. There's a lot Chicago suburbs have going for them that smaller metro areas don't.

Anyone who says that the suburbs have no "night life" or social life is full of it. I can say my inner-ring suburb, at least, is full of young couples, often without kids, who go out all the time. Parties, progressive dinners, dinner outings into both the City and locally, or just going to the bar and watching the game. I have just as many restaurant/bar options between Berwyn and Oak Park as anyone in Lakeview does. To say otherwise means you have no clue what in the hey you're talking about or you have such preconcieved notions about "The Suburbs" that you seriously need to get out of your little trendy bubble more.

That's the good news. The bad news, however, is that there are few singles and few opportunities for singles to meet other singles. Everything's couple-based. This is where you come after you met your significant other in Logan Square, Pilsen, Lakeview or what have you to settle down, not the other way around. That's even true in the vaunted Oak Park.

There are some people who come to the region who need to be able to meet single friends. Those high school groups you describe do exist in most suburbs but they can be hard to break into if you're an outsider. Social outings and groups not centered on drinking are best if you're the friendless transplant from Michigan -- book clubs, cooking classes, acting classes, sport and social groups, etc. You will find those opportunities sorely lacking in the suburbs. So if that's your situation, the social life in the City is much better.

I guess it's not really a black and white answer. You have to look at the individual in question.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by BRU67

Anyone who says that the suburbs have no "night life" or social life is full of it. I can say my inner-ring suburb, at least, is full of young couples, often without kids, who go out all the time. Parties, progressive dinners, dinner outings into both the City and locally, or just going to the bar and watching the game. I have just as many restaurant/bar options between Berwyn and Oak Park as anyone in Lakeview does. To say otherwise means you have no clue what in the hey you're talking about or you have such preconcieved notions about "The Suburbs" that you seriously need to get out of your little trendy bubble more.

That's the good news. The bad news, however, is that there are few singles and few opportunities for singles to meet other singles. Everything's couple-based. This is where you come after you met your significant other in Logan Square, Pilsen, Lakeview or what have you to settle down, not the other way around. That's even true in the vaunted Oak Park.

There are some people who come to the region who need to be able to meet single friends. Those high school groups you describe do exist in most suburbs but they can be hard to break into if you're an outsider. Social outings and groups not centered on drinking are best if you're the friendless transplant from Michigan -- book clubs, cooking classes, acting classes, sport and social groups, etc. You will find those opportunities sorely lacking in the suburbs. So if that's your situation, the social life in the City is much better.

I guess it's not really a black and white answer. You have to look at the individual in question.

I lived in Oak Park for two years, and totally agree that (and I believe you mentioned this in a previous post) that Oak Park plus Forest Park plus emerging Berwyn, with the two colleges in River Forest plus being easy commutable distance to UIC/Medical district does make the area a great area for a social life for singles. I added however, that I found that still a lot of people in their 20s and 30s were still couples that were making the transition between the urban and suburban life.

Your statement in bold, and the whole last paragraph says it all.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Finally the fact that LA is almost certainly among the MOST car centric of major cities probably goes a long way to explain the patterns of socialization / nightlife that it can support -- so long as there's a valet or decent parking nearby a business can thrive most anywhere. Of course the fact that DUI laws shape behavior also explains why even the rowdiest LA sports fans never get as tipsy as folks tht can stumble back from Wrigley Field or other bars to their nearby apartments. I tend to think that there is kind of mindset tht forces folks that "party a little too hard" to be more atuned to the value of eventually "settling down" and the converse of this may very well be that the more health conscious and mellow LA crowd is likely to be able to maintain a less "intensely wasted" social life for many more years which may very well be a wiser and more sustainable trajectory...

Excellent last paragraph. Explains exactly which I find my niche in LA much better than Chicago.

[BRU67]

Dominican and Concordia are a little odd. The students live in the area but you do not see them as much in the bars as you do DePaul students in Lincoln Park or Loyola folk in Rogers Park. Maybe they're not party schools (I can't believe I just used that term, someone please slap me)? I lived in Oak Park 5 years and didn't see much of them then, and don't really now. But their presence will present non drinking based social opportunities, yes. But certainly that might not help your prototypical Big 10 grad just moving to the City. For that person, Oak Park wouldn't be a wise choice, nor would any suburb.

[chet everett]

I've mentioned before that there is a well-worn path from Big10 schools to Lakeview to frustration with difficulties finding a good match of housing value / easy access to schools / freedom from petty crime / excessive regulation that eventually lands a tremendous number of this folks in the nicer suburbs as they settle down. The shift to having responsibilities that comes with increased authority at work and kids at home means that the extent of these Big10 grads rooting for their team shifts from Lakeview bars to suburban home theatres. The many flags sporting college logos flying from garages and porches during football and basketball season are testament to where these suburbanites loyalties now lie. Funny thing too is an awful lot of these adults did grow up in suburbs of Chicago or their home state -- the "suburbanization" of Chicago's hipper areas is driven by the consumer -- the kids do sorta bring their cars, shopping patterns, and attitudes toward apathetic political complacency with them from suburbs that they were raised in...

Originally Posted by BRU67

Dominican and Concordia are a little odd. The students live in the area but you do not see them as much in the bars as you do DePaul students in Lincoln Park or Loyola folk in Rogers Park. Maybe they're not party schools (I can't believe I just used that term, someone please slap me)? I lived in Oak Park 5 years and didn't see much of them then, and don't really now. But their presence will present non drinking based social opportunities, yes. But certainly that might not help your prototypical Big 10 grad just moving to the City. For that person, Oak Park wouldn't be a wise choice, nor would any suburb.

[chitownperson]

Originally Posted by urza216

I am always saying very positive things about Oak Park in real life to other south suburbanites. It's a great town. But it really annoys me how people on this forum talk about Oak Park like it's the holy grail of neighorhoods..

Much of the talking up of Oak Park it's typically a response to certain people posting misinformed negative posts about the village... These certain people react to those positive posts with more generalized negative comments that are uncharacteristic of the village... And it goes on etc... When OPs come asking questions about a place, they deserve to have a clear picture of what they're looking at, so when some people make it their pet project to over inflate any perceived negatives (as if no other rich suburb has negatives, which some people can't seem to accept), people who know the village well end up jumping in to counter the misinformation, which typically gets taken as cheerleading by some. Ironically, when the negatives of certain rich suburbs are listed, there's typically someone there quick to point out how none of it is true, and that they actually have the best of everything that anyone could ever want, lol. I can think of certain people that consider their rich towns to be the "holy grails" of Chicago suburbs... and frankly, it's a little pathetic.

[urza216]

Chi town Person,

That doesn't explain why some people find it appropriate to recommend Oak Park to anyone and everyone in any and every thread. Like the thread where the OP was asking for a predominately white suburb in close proximity to Hyde Park.

I also don't like how Oak Parkers brag about thier diversity but when I point out that other towns out my way are diverse, their excuse is "well, you guys are leaving soon though." Oh, really, Person Who Lives Nearly An Hour Away? You're telling me that I am leaving soon so the diversity in my town doesn't count??


But I digress. The night life in Forest Park isnt bad, is it? What do you think, Chi town Person?

[prinsessa]

The night life in Forest Park isn't bad. I don't know if I would compare it to some places in the city but it isn't dead either. There are quite a few bars to go to on Madison St. I would really like a place to go dancing close to Oak Park. Not that I go out a lot but it would be nice to have the option.