Looking for a great Suburb of Chicago (Aurora, Naperville: best towns, rent)

[JessicaMurphy]

Hi there!

My husband and I will be relocating to the Chicago area (hopefully in June), from Germantown, MD (right outside of Washington, DC). He will be working in downtown Chicago so we are looking for a town that has a train stop for him to take into work.

I'm a teacher and I will be looking for a job up there. We've heard that Naperville and Aurora are good places to live. We want to live in a town where there is plenty to do. We love going to the theatre, and hanging out at bars so we want a town that has some good nightlife. I would also like a town that has a great school system too.

Any help anyone has would be fantastic!

[lakecountylifer]

Evanston would be a good choice for you---

[ahava]

If you tell us your price range and how far away you can be from Chicago (your husband's commuting time) we can suggest the best towns for you.

[acdevane]

I've been to Germantown and surrounding towns several times - WAGS (Washington Area Girls Soccer) every year! Love it out there!

You'll LOVE Naperville and all it has to offer. Tons to do, all the time. Lisle, Woodridge, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton and Downers Grove might also be good alternatives from a possible teaching position perspective. (very supportive parents in general) They are close proximity to Naperville so you can still enjoy the amenities the town has to offer. Chicago is under an hour by train from all towns mentioned.

Parking at the train can be problematic in Naperville. PACE Public transit is available to the train station. All the other towns mentioned above are on the train lines with the exception of Woodridge, it would be closest to Lisle.

If you would like further information on any of these communities DM me.

[JessicaMurphy]

My husband is willing to travel an hour by train. Our price range for houses at the moment is 200,000-300,000.

[HOWELL_STREET]

... Your very FIRST priority is to FIRST find a teaching position. After you accomplish that, then choose a railroad community as your residence - - so that your husband will have commuter service to downtown Chicago.

In the Wheaton area, teaching positions - - with one exception - - are filled up and have been that way for years.

The only exception is as a teacher's aid for handicapped kids... and MOST TEACHERS can not handle a handicapped kid(s) position for more than one contractural year.

The law of supply and demand takes effect in Wheaton and many other Chicago suburbs. When a potential teacher finds a good position, then that person stays there for a life time.

SO IF YOU FIND a teaching position in the Chicago area, then be wary that something is drastically wrong with that position.

Carter Glass,
Wheaton, IL

[sbd78]

Naperville might be out with a $200-$300K budget unless a townhome or condo is o.k. with you. Plainfield might be a good choice for your budget, it is just south of Naperville and considerably less expensive, but still close enough to enjoy Naperville's great downtown, nightlife, and shopping. Plainfield's school district is growing like crazy-they have new schools opening every year so you may be able to find a job in one of them. Plainfield's one problem is it does not have a train stop for your husband to get downtown. He would need to travel to Naperville, Lemont, or Joliet to get on the train depending on what part of Plainfield you are in.

[emmi605]

DuPage ROE - Vacancies
Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education > Home
Lake County Illinois Regional Office of Education

Here are links to the county school board vacancy lists. You will see postings year round, but teacher vacancies for the following year usually don't get posted until after January. There is quite a range of pay between districts. You can check out The Champion - Education Issues and School Reform to get comparable salaries. (Keep in mind, though, that these salaries include extra-curricular pay and teacher retirement, so what is listed may not be base salary.) What type of certification do you have? I hope you have also visited the Illinois State Board of Ed site also to begin your Illinois certification process. The better prepared you are before you apply to districts, the better. Once you share the type of teaching position and your certification, I can give some indication on where there may be a need. This may help you plan on a destination. With your current situation, I would probably recommend renting for awhile. 200-300k will either get you a condo, townhome, or a very small home in most areas, but you could rent in many "metra" accessible towns until you get familiar with the area.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by JessicaMurphy

My husband is willing to travel an hour by train. Our price range for houses at the moment is 200,000-300,000.

Forget Naperville. A garage there starts at about that. You may want to look into the southern burbs. There is currently a thread on here about Floosmoor, check that out. You can't go wrong with that town or Homewood, both of which are under an hour by both train and car to the Loop esp with the new Dan Ryan Expressway. But you should be able to find a nice single family house in your price range in either Homewood or Floosmoor and Homewood has a beautiful downtown.

[gardener34]

All depends on where you end up working, as traffic here can be crushing at any time of day.

Do not underestimate the impact driving times will have on your life. I have had numerous co workers quit over the years, because their drive times are too high. They thought they could cope, or it took much longer than they thought the drive would take.