Working in Bedford Park --Where to look for Family friendly suburb with excellent schools (Chicago: homes, construction)

[mk2201]

We may be relocating to the Chicago area. The job location would be in Bedford Park.

We have two elementary aged kids and would like to live in a family friendly suburb with the best possible schools. Our price range for housing is appox. $500,000.00. A commute time to Bedford Park of 40 minutes or (ideally) less would be great.

Don't really have a preference for newer or older construction homes but a nice sized yard (8,000 sqft or so) would be great, if possible.

[myrc60]

Well then that doesn't include Bedford Park which is in Summit's school district which is just as well since housing in the residential area is hard to come by.

How long of a commute are you willing to make? I'd avoid many of the neighboring suburbs too; go west!

[chet everett]

Bedford Park is pretty convenient to towns like Brookfield, LaGrange Park/ LaGrange, and Countryside all of which have good options in your price range. A little further away towns like Western Springs, Willowbrook and Darien are also worth exploring.

[mk2201]

Originally Posted by myrc60

Well then that doesn't include Bedford Park which is in Summit's school district which is just as well since housing in the residential area is hard to come by.

How long of a commute are you willing to make? I'd avoid many of the neighboring suburbs too; go west!

Ideally, 40 minutes or less for the commute. However, if there is some great place (great schools, housing in our price range, nice community) that is just a little further, please let me know!

[mk2201]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Bedford Park is pretty convenient to towns like Brookfield, LaGrange Park/ LaGrange, and Countryside all of which have good options in your price range. A little further away towns like Western Springs, Willowbrook and Darien are also worth exploring.

Thank you! Off to explore the housing/schools in the towns you mentioned!

[pvande55]

I once worked in Bedford Park. People came from all over. Bedford Park itself not a possibility, it is almost all industrial, and the CPC plant emits a diSTINKtive odor. There is a busy railroad crossing 63rd and 65th St (unless it has since been adandoned) which blocks traffic for up to 20 minutes at a time. That makes approaching from the north or west a problem.

[chet everett]

While I have seen the large rail yards south of 65th / east of Harlem I don't believe there is any advantage to trying to avoid living south / east of the area.

Laws have been updated o fine railroads that block roads for excessive periods of time...

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by pvande55

I once worked in Bedford Park. People came from all over. Bedford Park itself not a possibility, it is almost all industrial, and the CPC plant emits a diSTINKtive odor. There is a busy railroad crossing 63rd and 65th St (unless it has since been adandoned) which blocks traffic for up to 20 minutes at a time. That makes approaching from the north or west a problem.

When we moved to the area in 1991 it was much worse than it was when we left in 2003. CPC was required to update their facility to trap more of the fumes. We loved Bedford Park District; such nice people around, but if you're looking at public schools it's not the place to look.

Chicago is the rail capital of the midwest if not the country. You are always going to have slow traffic because there are an abundance of grade-level crossings all over the area. I had to pass 3 different rail lines to get to Berwyn, if I went a certain way, and I almost always got stuck by a train somewhere. I kinda miss the trains but not the traffic hassles they cause. We get one train a day where I live now. It's almost too quiet here!

[mk2201]

Do you think Naperville is too far for a reasonable commute?

I don't know much about the commuter trains but would that be an option for getting to work in Bedford Park?

[chet everett]

Commuter trains in general will not be a good option to get to Bedfprd Park, the specific lines closest to Bedfrod Park are unlikely to have schedules that would work for any kind of work schedule.

As to commute distance from Naperville the short answer is that while "possible" it is far from ideal -- if you were to be in a portion of southern Naperville it is probably least likely to be far from I-55 and would result travel times of about 45 minutes to and hour. If you were coming from a home closer to the desirability core of Naperville which is farther north you would extend your travel time signficantly... I would recommend choosing other towns closer to try our work site.