Are Joliet and Aurora really that bad? (Chicago, Naperville: fit in, condos)

[CoffeeAddict]

I've been reading up on Naperville and Wheaton and they seems like a great places to live, however they're WAY out of my price range.

It seems like Joliet and Aurora have a lot of really affordable homes and are quite close to Naperville. I was all excited until I came on here and read some previous threads where people say they're terrible areas.

Are they REALLY that bad?

Let me be more specific. I just don't want to have drug dealers on my street corner, gangs within rock throwing distance, or have to worry about my house being broken into. I'd like to be able to walk my dogs without being worried about getting mugged.

I don't care that I may not see any McMansions, or that Mr. and Mrs. Jones probably won't live next to me with their big house and fancy cars.

I just want to feel safe. Looks like there's plenty of "upscale" not even ten minutes away in Naperville, I'm okay with not living directly in it.

So are Joliet and Aurora really that bad? And if so, anyone got some suggestions for relatively safe areas close to Naperville or Wheaton that are actually affordable for someone on a single, average income?

Edited to add: Mapquest is not my friend tonight, apparently Joliet is 40 min away from Naperville which is too far. So scratch that one.

My questions still stand for Aurora though.

[sbd78]

What is your price range for a home? I'm not as familar with Aurora, but I am very familiar with Joliet. A lot of the city of Joliet has some shady areas, especially the East side, which is where Joliet gets its negative rep from. Joliet is a very large city however, and there are many areas of Joliet that are safe and very far from the crime ridden areas. I live in a very far western part of Joliet, most people don't even know where I live is considered Joliet, as it is West of route 59 and in between Plainfield and Shorewood. We are Kendall county Joliet (most of Joliet is Will county.) It is about a 30 minute drive from where I live to downtown Naperville, straight up route 59. When we moved out here, we were looking to move to Plainfield and stumbled upon our subdivision (we built new construction) and really liked it and got a great deal on our house. (2000 sq. feet, 4 bed. 2.5 bath and basement for $235K.) You can't touch that price in other Chicagoland areas, which is why we moved here. Also, Joliet schools are bad, the area we live is in the Minooka school district which is good and a million times better than Joliet schools. So overall, I really like this area. Although Joliet can have a negative rep, the area I live is very nice, safe, full of families, good schools, close to shopping, and we got a great deal on our home. It is a world apart from the bad areas of Joliet people think of. Also, a large upscale mall is planned for the area. http://www.bridgestreetchicagoland.com/

[Steve-o]

There are bad areas of Aurora and Joliet, yes. However, if you live on the far west or east side of Aurora, its really nice. The far west and north edge of Joliet are also nice. If you dont have kids, Id suggest the move. If you have kids, make sure you try hard to find an area of those towns that bus kids to Naperville/Plainfield schools, as Joliet and Aurora's schools are not good whatsoever.

[CoffeeAddict]

I don't have kids and don't plan on having any for some time, so I'm not worried about schools.

Any chance you have some zip codes for the safe parts of Aurora? I see plenty of affordable homes listed there on Realtor.com but it would really help to be able to narrow it down by zip.

Under $200,000 is my price range. Obviously I don't mind not being in a new house, I expect that I'll have to buy one that was built in the 50s or something like that, and I'm ok with it. This will be my first house purchase and I expect a starter home to actually look like a starter home. lol
Being so close to all the amenities of Naperville would make it a heck of a lot easier though.

Thanks!

[jessiegirl_98]

Other places to consider are Plano or Plainfield. I honestly don't know too much about them, but my friends just bought a new house in Plano and their commute about 25 minutes to work in Naperville. Where are you going to be working?

[CoffeeAddict]

I'm a freelance web designer as my "day job" so I work from home. But I also do a lot of dog training currently, which is why being so close to Naperville and Wheaton appeals to me as much as it does. Aside from being beautiful places they also appear to have the type of demographics that would support a dog training business very nicely.

Would plano or plainfield fit into my price range?

[sbd78]

Yes, you could find an older home in Plano or Plainfield for your price range, or a newer townhome. Also, Yorkville is over by Plano and is an area that would fit your budget. Even though you don't have kids, its still a good idea to pay attention to schools for resale value. So if you choose Aurora or Joliet, it might be a good idea to move to an area that isn't in their school district, and there are many areas of these towns that don't fall into their school district.

[acdevane]

Would you rule out townhomes and condo, or are you set on a single family home? If townhomes or condos are a consideration, you CAN find them within your price range in Naperville.

Lisle should be consideration that is a mere 5-10 minutes east of Naperville and SE of Wheaton. There is a community called Four Lakes that is quite affordable, allows pets, however townhomes with garages are premium. Most of the parking here is spaces not garages, This a great active community - boasting four lakes for fishing, volleyball courts, mini ski/snow boarding hill, walking/running trails, swimming pools, and a pub hosting community events. This might be something worth pursuing.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by CoffeeAddict

I'm a freelance web designer as my "day job" so I work from home. But I also do a lot of dog training currently, which is why being so close to Naperville and Wheaton appeals to me as much as it does. Aside from being beautiful places they also appear to have the type of demographics that would support a dog training business very nicely.

Would plano or plainfield fit into my price range?

You should also look into Elburn. Its a bit outside of Geneva (another beautiful, wonderful town), but within 20-30 minutes of Naperville.

[CoffeeAddict]

I cannot live in a townhome or condo because I have 3 dogs and 4 cats. I really need a house with a yard, not to mention that most associations would not let me in due to the animals.

I'll check out Elburn too thanks!