Which Chicago suburbs are the best? (Aurora, Naperville: crime rate, broker, hotel)

[daisysforme]

We are relocating from Southern California to a whole new way of living. We want the best for our family good neighborhoods, schools (elementry, middle, and high school). What do we look forward too? Are going to fall in love with the state? How are the people are they friendly is the air quality better. Just need information on best places to live. Thank you

[chicagoland]

North suburbs are the best. South suburbs are terrible and the crime rate is extremely high. The west suburbs and in-between the two. North suburban crime rates are very low. Northbrook, Glenview, Glencoe, Winnetka, Highland Park, Deerfield, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northfield, and Lake Forest have the most expensive homes in the north suburbs. The less expensive north suburban homes can be found in Skokie, Morton Grove, Niles, Lincolnwood, Park Ridge, Des Plaines, and Evanston.

[Sapphire74]

We just moved to MI from Southern Cal (Orange County) in April and will be moving once again to the Chicago area in a month or so. The midwest way of life is MUCH different than out in California. The people are very friendly - you'll be surprised at the difference! I can't recommend any areas to look, since I'm currently looking myself, but good luck to you!

[chicagobob]

Originally Posted by chicagoland

North suburbs are the best. South suburbs are terrible and the crime rate is extremely high. The west suburbs and in-between the two. North suburban crime rates are very low. Northbrook, Glenview, Glencoe, Winnetka, Highland Park, Deerfield, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northfield, and Lake Forest have the most expensive homes in the north suburbs. The less expensive north suburban homes can be found in Skokie, Morton Grove, Niles, Lincolnwood, Park Ridge, Des Plaines, and Evanston.

I totally agree with this

[karabiner]

Go back to California! Just kidding. I've lived in both. Each has pros/ cons. I agree with chicagoland; north good, south bad, west ok, east wet.

[destoria]

I live in Kenilworth, IL and I love it. I have lived here for 17 years since moving from Myers Park in Charlotte, NC. Kenilworth is the most expensive suburb of Chicago. I would recommend Evanston for it's rich culture and beauty. It has all the restaurants transportation and educational institutions. Evanston is growing and changing for the better, many may disagree because of highrises and loss of diversity. Many of the Hispanic and Black population has decreased due to rising prices. Evanston has become a play pen for Chicago's new and old money, it is home to Jeremy Piven, the Cusacks, the Crown Family, and Hyatt Hotel's Pritzker Family. As with many of the North Shore suburbs the PRICE, Evanston is very expensive. I asked my wife who is a broker what she thought of Evanston prices, she said overpriced-you can get much more for less in the other North Shore suburbs she says the average prices you see for Evanston on websites are wrong and low. "A 3 Bedroom 2 Bathroom Single Family Home in a good Evanston neighborhood will run $700,000-$1,200,000. She say's try some of the cheaper neighbors which aren't as nice but their the best you can get ----- Skokie, Lincolnwood, Glenview, Wilmette, Morton Grove, and the Chicago neighborhood Sauganash. Avoid the South Suburbs, and West Suburbs, people who recommend and compare Oak Park to Evanston should be ashamed of themselves because there is no comparison.

Hope this helps,
The Kenilworth People!

[centralillinoisdude]

Well, if you are looking for the true Illinois lifestyle, then look about 2.5 hours south to the central Illinois area. Don't get me wrong, the suburbs are nice but are so overcrowded and sometimes lack things like education and safety. We in central Illinois enjoy a much simpler, and less demading way of life without giving up the nice things that Chicago can offer. Sure we may not have the biggest of a particular something, but hey, that is what we love about it here. In fact, it says more about our communities in general. We dont need the power and crime of Chicago to help our residential sections. The suburbs try to win people over by saying that they have a small town feel. How can they?! There are people everywhere and neighbors really don't know neighbors. I live in a trully small, suburban town between Peoria and Bloomington/Normal. Which is about halfway between both Chicago and St. Loius. The towns here are growing and new houses are everywhere, but people still know each other and once you get out of Peoria, the schools are awesome. Everyone has a real sense of community and we take pride in our youth and want to see them go on to become great. There are award winning hospitals in both cities, and at least five malls within 45 min of my house. Bloomington is a very attractive city by itself. It was recently ranked by MONEY magazine as one of the hundred best places to live. Going head to head with towns like Aurora and Naperville. Just within our community the secondary education is almost endless. Whether you are looking for private or public education, you can easily find it. If not, then the other central Illinois cities like Champaign/Urbana, Springfield, or Decatur will have it. Of coarse our air is better then Chicago. Plus we don't waste fuel by sitting in traffic jams for hours just to go 20 miles. If you are looking for everyone here to be friendly, youre in for a let down. Almost everyone is very nice and are always welcoming. But just like the Chicago suburbs, we have our fair share of the rich and wanna be famous. Towns are always against each other, fighting over something. Of course everyone's kid is the best compared to the neighboring town. The area west of Peoria has a high "redkneck" population, and every now and then you will come across a a small town that would make you think we were from the south. All in all we live a simpler, less formal way of life, but we don't give up the things that bigger suburban families want. I can assure you that your life here will be far different then what you are used to. I hope you check us out.

[M TYPE X]

And what's the kicker, there are radio stations playing things other than country music, unlike Indiana or Ohio.

Grad school for me was a choice between mid-Illinois and mid-Michigan.
Either way, I get to hug the corn [not right now, it's raining].

If you think mid-Illinois is great for being inexpensive and uncluttered, Iowa beckons.

Haven't got hit by a tornado yet, nor has the local Meijer or Wal-Mart.
Check back in a few months.

[Tom Berquist]

Dear knowledgeable Chicagoans;

My daughter who will be teaching at Notre Dame in SouthBend and her spouse working downtown Chicago can't afford the expensive suburbs but want a city/cultural life. Where can you go, be close enough to South Bend to be able to do the commute and still be safe? Really appreciate some suggestions.

[batman]

Originally Posted by daisysforme

We are relocating from Southern California to a whole new way of living. We want the best for our family good neighborhoods, schools (elementry, middle, and high school). What do we look forward too? Are going to fall in love with the state? How are the people are they friendly is the air quality better. Just need information on best places to live. Thank you

many of the suburbs of chicago are quite beautiful, but sadly, the hospitality in illinois is not good. basically, only the top notch popular/rich seem to be accepted into the community in illinois. chicago has a lot of smog, ozone, and pollution. very sadly, from my point of view it is very unlikely that you will fall in love with illinois, unless you are the type of person who likes to be disconnected from the community. schools in illinois, by the way, are very bad.