Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago Suburbs
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
 
Old 06-10-2013, 03:46 PM
 
4 posts, read 11,929 times
Reputation: 11

Advertisements

Hi guys-

I'll be moving to North Chicago suburbs for work in Lake Forest, IL.

I have a few different options that I've narrowed down to a place in Vernon Hills (3-4 miles from work) and Glenview (17.4 miles ~25 mins according to Google). Both are nice places and seem to be close to the things I need (Petsmart for dogs, food, shopping, gyms, yoga, etc.)

My debate is being close to work vs. being closer to the city. Realistically, I'm not sure I'll make it out to the city except on weekend so that makes me want to lean towards Vernon Hills but then again, I'd like to go out every so often during the week for a drink or a nice dinner.

Which area is better for a young professional (26 w/ no family, 2 dogs), in your opinion and why? Is the commute from Glenview bad?

Thanks!
Quick reply to this message

 
Old 06-10-2013, 04:04 PM
 
2,115 posts, read 5,384,196 times
Reputation: 1138
I think the Glenview commute is actually quite doable and here's why. Even though Vernon Hills is only a few miles from Lake Forest, it's going to most likely be bumper to bumper traffic going from west to east in the morning along Route 60. Coming from Glenview, there might be some traffic going north until you clear past Lake-Cook Road. After you pass Lake-Cook Road and you're continuing north, you'll likely be going against the flow of traffic. You see...in the city there's no such thing as a reverse commute, but in the suburbs there generally still is.

Getting in & out of the city for leisure will definitely be easier from Glenview. I have personally lived in the city, Cook County & Lake County so I've felt the various perspectives the locale can bring. I've noticed that folks in the inner-ring suburbs (Glenview is just about an inner-ring burb really) manage to get in & out of the city much more frequently than the folks in the collar counties and exurban areas. It's just much more of a trek the further out you are. From Glenview also you can actually hop on Metra or even Amtrak for a couple extra bucks to get into Union Station. Driving to Purple Line, Yellow Line or Blue CTA train lines is not too difficult from Glenview either. And of course for driving you can take the Edens / Kennedy or you can even take local roads when the highway is jammed since the distance isn't that bad from the city.

Now the drawback of course is that Glenview is older (housing stock will be older) & arguably more congested. I'm sure it's more expensive than Vernon Hills as well. You'll also spend more in gas obviously for the commute.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DLOVE86 View Post
Hi guys-

I'll be moving to North Chicago suburbs for work in Lake Forest, IL.

I have a few different options that I've narrowed down to a place in Vernon Hills (3-4 miles from work) and Glenview (17.4 miles ~25 mins according to Google). Both are nice places and seem to be close to the things I need (Petsmart for dogs, food, shopping, gyms, yoga, etc.)

My debate is being close to work vs. being closer to the city. Realistically, I'm not sure I'll make it out to the city except on weekend so that makes me want to lean towards Vernon Hills but then again, I'd like to go out every so often during the week for a drink or a nice dinner.

Which area is better for a young professional (26 w/ no family, 2 dogs), in your opinion and why? Is the commute from Glenview bad?

Thanks!
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-10-2013, 04:21 PM
 
4 posts, read 11,929 times
Reputation: 11
Very helpful!

Thanks!
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-10-2013, 06:02 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,928,817 times
Reputation: 18723
I would continue to search for spots that may make more sense. Directly north of Vernon Hills the town of Libertyville has a LOT more to offer a 26 year old than pretty much any other north suburb -- the proximity to Abbott Labs and its large college educated workforce together with its traditional walkable downtown means a really nice mix of dining / drinking options.

Glenview is rather "family oriented" and really not all that close to Chicago (it would require driving through at least two or three towns to get to Chicago city limits and arguably the traffic on the stretches of either the TriState or Edens is worse than coming from a suburb further north...). The mix of transit option in Glenview is not signficantly better than those in Libertyville.

I do agree that east-west routes around Vernon Hills are rather congested but going north to Libertyville actually opens up things a little.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-10-2013, 07:52 PM
 
12,999 posts, read 18,794,920 times
Reputation: 9236
Vernon Hills is the choice. As Chet noted, Glenview is more family oriented. Maybe after you get married and settle down. Neither has much nightlife, VH a little more.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-10-2013, 07:58 PM
 
523 posts, read 837,896 times
Reputation: 643
For a 26 year old with no kids, I would say neither. There are young people that live in the city and do the "reverse" commute.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-11-2013, 07:27 AM
 
Location: not Chicagoland
1,202 posts, read 1,243,548 times
Reputation: 424
It would be the longest suggested commute, but why not look at Evanston?
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-11-2013, 09:20 AM
 
2,115 posts, read 5,384,196 times
Reputation: 1138
I'm very familiar with Libertyville (I've lived there & hung out in downtown Libertyville on many occasions). I like the praise you are giving the Ville, but it is NOT as happening for young folks as you describe it to be. Hanging out in Chicago and hanging out in Libertyville may as well be night & day. Glenview might be fairly family oriented but it is still MUCH closer to Chicago and the north side of Chicago than Libertyville is. Glenview to the Loop is 18.9 miles. Libertyville to the Loop is 38.6 miles. Glenview to Wrigleyville is 14.9 miles & Libertyville to Wrigleyville is 34.6 miles. Evanston to the Loop via Lake Shore Drive is about 14.6 miles & Evanston to Wrigleyville is about 7.4 miles. The Metra ride from Libertyville takes twice as long as a ride from Glenview into the city. It is more than double the time it takes from Evanston to the city.

I definitely agree the poster that suggested Evanston as well. The commute might be a bit worse, but Evanston is truly a stone's throw from the city limits.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
I would continue to search for spots that may make more sense. Directly north of Vernon Hills the town of Libertyville has a LOT more to offer a 26 year old than pretty much any other north suburb -- the proximity to Abbott Labs and its large college educated workforce together with its traditional walkable downtown means a really nice mix of dining / drinking options.

Glenview is rather "family oriented" and really not all that close to Chicago (it would require driving through at least two or three towns to get to Chicago city limits and arguably the traffic on the stretches of either the TriState or Edens is worse than coming from a suburb further north...). The mix of transit option in Glenview is not signficantly better than those in Libertyville.

I do agree that east-west routes around Vernon Hills are rather congested but going north to Libertyville actually opens up things a little.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-11-2013, 10:51 AM
 
Location: Chicago
3,339 posts, read 5,954,405 times
Reputation: 4241
Quote:
Originally Posted by reppin_the_847 View Post
I definitely agree the poster that suggested Evanston as well. The commute might be a bit worse, but Evanston is truly a stone's throw from the city limits.
I also think Evanston is one of the best options out there. I lived there when I was 24 to 27 and I loved it. There are plenty of restaurants, the downtown is very walkable to everything you need, and with Meta and the CTA it is very easy to get to Chicago for nightlife. It will be a longer commute than Glenview or Vernon Hills but it would be a much more interesting lifestyle, IMO.
Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-11-2013, 12:56 PM
 
11,973 posts, read 31,626,695 times
Reputation: 4641
Quote:
Originally Posted by plates View Post
It would be the longest suggested commute, but why not look at Evanston?
This is what I would do if I were in your situation.

And also, the CTA trains will make it easier for you to hang out and develop relationships with people on the North Side, which is the main mecca for 20-somethings in Chicagoland. It's not unheard of for people to go out on the North Side and return to Evanston.
Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


 
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago Suburbs
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top