Looking to move to close Chicago suburb or within city limits

[amac7983]

Thanks everyone for your feedback! Are LaGrange and Brookfield perfectly safe neighborhoods? My husband is concerned that over time the rougher neighborhoods will start to spread there. Anyone else think that is a foreseen future?

[JamieLannister]

Originally Posted by amac7983

Thanks everyone for your feedback! Are LaGrange and Brookfield perfectly safe neighborhoods? My husband is concerned that over time the rougher neighborhoods will start to spread there. Anyone else think that is a foreseen future?

Both are safe.

There's no concern with La Grange. It's always been very nice and is getting even better. Probably has the best suburban downtown outside of Oak Park/Evanston. People are snapping up $500K-$1M homes there in a matter of days right now (granted, the inventory is still really low).

There could be a small concern with certain pockets of Brookfield. However, I think Brookfield is well-positioned remain nice into the future, given its proximity to the Loop and the west suburban job centers (in addition to having good schools).

The Hollywood section of Brookfield is the "nicest" and should remain pretty stable. It's a charming area.

Generally speaking, the areas that tend to get "rougher" over time are those that are/were predominately blue collar/working class, particularly those without a good rail connection to the Loop. Those are the areas that saw and are seeing shifts in demographics and decreased employment opportunities.

[chet everett]

Brookfield is due east of Lagrange so there is not concern about that side of things. To the east of Brookfield the border is Riverside, which is generally more costly so the sandwich is pretty nice. Due north of Brookfield the borders are Lagrange Park and the nicest part of North Riverside, again no concerns. Due south lies the industrial area of McCook (which I believe has no actual residential areas) and a sliver of Lyons, which is working class but otherwise nothing to be worried about...

[reppin_the_847]

Another bonus with these towns is close proximity to Midway Airport for those times when you need to hop on a Southwest Airlines flight outta town. Coming from the north burbs, I've often used the Ogden exit from 294 and navigated through these areas to cut directly to Midway and avoid 55 during traffic times.

Originally Posted by chet everett

Brookfield is due east of Lagrange so there is not concern about that side of things. To the east of Brookfield the border is Riverside, which is generally more costly so the sandwich is pretty nice. Due north of Brookfield the borders are Lagrange Park and the nicest part of North Riverside, again no concerns. Due south lies the industrial area of McCook (which I believe has no actual residential areas) and a sliver of Lyons, which is working class but otherwise nothing to be worried about...

[Midwest Revival]

Originally Posted by amac7983

HI all -

My family and I (3 kids + hubby) currently reside in Grayslake, IL. We both work in Chicago and have had enough of the commute. We want to move closer to the city but we are only familiar with northwestern areas such as Glenview, Northbrook, Buffalo Grove, etc. Plus we are finding that we won't get a lot for our money in those areas.

We are looking for a 3-4 bedroom home, ~2000 sq ft, safe, good schools with a cute downtown area and near big box stores like Target, etc, within the 450k price range (preferably 400 max but we would be willing to extend our budget for the right location and home).

My husband drives to the southside for work every day so a close proximity (within 30 mins) would be ideal. He has gotten stuck in 6 hours of traffic driving back to Grayslake when there is snow so a close distance for him is necessary. I work in the loop so I can take the EL or metra.

We were just looking at areas like Oak Park and Tinley Park, but again are not overly familiar with the areas. I know Tinley has been in the spotlight a few times, but is it really a bad area overall? Would these be areas to consider? We would also consider being within the city limits - Rogers Park? But am not sure we want to deal with CPS.

Any advice or direction you could offer would be much appreciated!

Tinley Park is FINE, yeah it has a few minor incidents every now and then(What place doesnt?) but nothing to be concerned about. Tinley has a Target and is about 5 minutes away from Orland which is the South Suburbs biggest shopping area. Has 2 Metra stops, and I think if your husband drives to work on the Southside Tinley would be a better choice. Has a great park district, and school district.

[chitownperson]

Originally Posted by amac7983

HI all -

My family and I (3 kids + hubby) currently reside in Grayslake, IL. We both work in Chicago and have had enough of the commute. We want to move closer to the city but we are only familiar with northwestern areas such as Glenview, Northbrook, Buffalo Grove, etc. Plus we are finding that we won't get a lot for our money in those areas.

We are looking for a 3-4 bedroom home, ~2000 sq ft, safe, good schools with a cute downtown area and near big box stores like Target, etc, within the 450k price range (preferably 400 max but we would be willing to extend our budget for the right location and home).

My husband drives to the southside for work every day so a close proximity (within 30 mins) would be ideal. He has gotten stuck in 6 hours of traffic driving back to Grayslake when there is snow so a close distance for him is necessary. I work in the loop so I can take the EL or metra.

We were just looking at areas like Oak Park and Tinley Park, but again are not overly familiar with the areas. I know Tinley has been in the spotlight a few times, but is it really a bad area overall? Would these be areas to consider? We would also consider being within the city limits - Rogers Park? But am not sure we want to deal with CPS.

Any advice or direction you could offer would be much appreciated!

Oak Park and Lagrange could be good fits depending on the type of community you wish to live in. You shouldn't have a problem finding SFH with your requirements in either town on your budget. Oak Park has everything on your wish list, and there are plenty of big box stores (Target, Lowes, Home Depot, Office Max etc...) just outside of it's border, plus plenty of public transit options.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by Midwest Revival

Tinley Park is FINE, yeah it has a few minor incidents every now and then(What place doesnt?) but nothing to be concerned about. Tinley has a Target and is about 5 minutes away from Orland which is the South Suburbs biggest shopping area. Has 2 Metra stops, and I think if your husband drives to work on the Southside Tinley would be a better choice. Has a great park district, and school district.

Tinley Park has a/the Super Target.

Lol @ being afraid of "badness" in Tinley Park. I guess the north and west burbs must be paved in gold, huh?

No, Tinley Park isn't a bad area "overall". It isn't a bad area at all.. Although SOME old fashioned blacks are a little afraid to go there..

It is interesting to me that the OP is concerned about crime in Tiney but not Oak Park. Although it's south (like your job), Tinley has less crime and is more family friendly than Oak Park. Something tells me the OP isn't seeking very many of the things that Oak Parkers brag about. Tinley makes much more sense than Oak Park.

[chitownperson]

If Tinley Park is better for commuting and has a cute downtown, then it maybe a better fit for the OP, but I wouldn't say its more "family friendly". As for safety, I'm gathering that the OP is just being overly cautious as he or she may not be familiar with the suburbs around Chi.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by chitownperson

If Tinley Park is better for commuting and has a cute downtown, then it maybe a better fit for the OP, but I wouldn't say its more "family friendly". As for safety, I'm gathering that the OP is just being overly cautious as he or she may not be familiar with the suburbs around Chi.

True.