Trying to find a nice community! (Chicago, Naperville: relocation, real estate, travel)

[brenty]

Hello,

I am a 26 year old from Cleveland, actually Pepper Pike, who made the mistake of moving to San Francisco, Califonia. I live in Walnut Creek and it is a very nice town. It is way to expensive to raise a family and the dating scene really sucks here in Oakland. As I stated in my other post my company has given me the option of living in many places across the country. I am kinda thinking about Chicago. I am looking for a place that has kinda a hip urban feel but still laidback and doesn't have all the problems that the urban areas have. I have done some research and I have come up with Oak Park, Hinsdale, and La Grange as nice places. I would like to stay in the price range of $500,000 to $650,000 for a 3 or 4 bedroom house in good condition, nice walkable neighborhood, and a two car garage. I would settle for a sprawly suburb if I can get more of what I am looking for. My coworker grew up in Oak Brook and he said it is a nice place but it is mostly a family suburb. I wouldn't mind being close to the lake but it is probably to expensive.

[jessiegirl_98]

Originally Posted by brenty

Hello,

I am a 26 year old from Cleveland, actually Pepper Pike, who made the mistake of moving to San Francisco, Califonia. I live in Walnut Creek and it is a very nice town. It is way to expensive to raise a family and the dating scene really sucks here in Oakland. As I stated in my other post my company has given me the option of living in many places across the country. I am kinda thinking about Chicago. I am looking for a place that has kinda a hip urban feel but still laidback and doesn't have all the problems that the urban areas have. I have done some research and I have come up with Oak Park, Hinsdale, and La Grange as nice places. I would like to stay in the price range of $500,000 to $650,000 for a 3 or 4 bedroom house in good condition, nice walkable neighborhood, and a two car garage. I would settle for a sprawly suburb if I can get more of what I am looking for. My coworker grew up in Oak Brook and he said it is a nice place but it is mostly a family suburb. I wouldn't mind being close to the lake but it is probably to expensive.

Oak Park is a good option, and you can just on the el and be in the city in no time. I would also check out Evanston. It's very close to the city (with options for traveling in via both el and metra) and there is a nice downtown area with lots of shops, restaurants, etc. Naperville also has a nice walkable downtown area as well.

[brenty]

Evanston looks very nice. It looks like they have a pretty dense suburban core. I have read posts about crime and racial tensions in Oak Park and Evanston. I have also read that Hinsdale and La Grange can be pretty snooty. Oak Park seems to be a lot more affordable than Evanston, but it also does not have the lake and it has more crime. I know Northwestern University is in Evanston. Is that a problem should I try to stay away from that area? I found a town that has some nice renovated 3 and 4 bedrooms in my range called Wilmette. Is this a nice town that fits my criteria?

[tcs1366]

Wilmette, Illinois (IL) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders

>>I know Northwestern University is in Evanston. Is that a problem should I try to stay away from that area?

I wouldn't think having the University there would be a reason to stay away from it.
Evanston is a pretty bit town, and while there are great neighborhoods, there are the not-so great neighborhoods.
Evanston, Illinois (IL) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders

[Steve-o]

Evanston, Naperville, Oak Park, Hinsdale, Geneva, St. Charles, etc, etc, etc.... there are MANY suburbs that fit your bill. Looking at your age, Id say Naperville would probably be your best bet. Downtown (especially in summer) is jam packed with people that age group, doing nothing but partying at the clubs, etc. Ive got some pics of the downtown area if youre interested, just let me know. Its a nice town with 2 Metra train stations to whisk you downtown Chicago if you want.

[Drover]

How urban do you need? Have you considered Madison WI? It has a surprisingly urbane sense for a city of its size, though nobody will mistake it for Manhattan. Crime is also exceptionally low there. It also fits the "laid-back" criterion very well. It compares pretty well to Berkeley but the politics aren't as hyper and it has four seasons.

[brenty]

I would like a nice large city 500,000+ with a nice homey feeling. I would like a suburb that is as dense as maybe Shaker Heights, OH or Oak Park. I have been looking at homes online in Oak Park and they seem to have much of what I am looking for. Evanston seems to have a very limited options in my range it seems like everything is $800,000 to $1,000,000 and whole lot more than that!

[Don Vito]

Try some where less desirable like Park Ridge.

[brenty]

I took a look at Naperville on Realtor.com and it seems like there is a huge variety of real estate. How is downtown Naperville? It seems like you get a more urban feel there than you do outside of downtown. It also seems way more expensive but certainly cheaper than Evanston, but about the same price as Oak Park.

[Don Vito]

Naperville is sort of a dull suburbsy place. Not really an urban feel at all. Downtown Naperville is really quaint, and there is some amount of vibrant night life. You're going to sacrafice nightlife for monotony when choosing the suburbs over the city. The schools in Naperville are better than in neighboring communities.