Oswego? (Chicago, Aurora, Naperville: real estate, crime rate, houses)

[momandwifefromcali]

Hello,
We are still wondering between Naperville and Oswego.
The only difference is that in Oswego we can get a bigger and much newer house than in Naperville. But we do not know much about Oswego schools, crime, people... shops, activities for the kids... etc
Would anybody please help us with some information about Oswego, IL?
Thank you so much

[Chinolala]

I'm not really familiar with Oswego. I looked at houses there about 7 years ago and deemed it too remote for my liking. They didn't have a Metra train station of their own so commuters to downtown had to drive to Naperville to get on the train and there was a waiting list at the Naperville train station so no option to park there. Too much of a hassle. Naperville is much more established, has a downtown, lots of restaurants, jobs, shopping, etc. That's why it cost more. In my opinion, get a smaller place and look at Naperville. I wouldn't worry about crime in the either area.

[Windy City John]

as long as you dont need to commute to Chicago it's fine

[scl83]

We moved to Oswego from a suburb of Baltimore, MD last year. We decided to go with the house in Oswego versus Naperville for similar reasons: bigger house and more land for less money, about the same commute. I drive into Chicago, but mostly due to my irregular hours (who wants to take the Metra at 11PM?) to make getting home easier. Thats the only drawback to the area. Naperville has essentially two train stations for the Metra trains into Chicago, but parking is impossible, and with the time it took to get to the train station (20 minutes), the train ride (45 minutes on the express) and then to my job (another 30 minutes for a grand total of basically an hour and a half) driving is actually shorter (one hour but I leave for work early).The station in Aurora is also an option for people in Oswego--parking there is better but there is still a waitlist for a reserved spot (two years versus 5 year wait for Naperville).
We have two small children, and like the area very much. As far as schools go, we are quite pleased with the elementary school (Churchill, which opened about 3 years ago). We have no experience with the other schools in the district, but a coworker whose daughter is an Illinois school administrator tells us the Oswego district (308) is quite well regarded. I am a graduate of an Ivy League university, and I interview applicants for admission---we saw lots of applicants from various Naperville high schools---I wasn't that impressed to be honest.
Crime appears low (many neighbors leave their doors open during the day, and children in our development play outside without problems, although I don't think I will ever allow that...) and looking at the police blotter for the town newspaper, the are only occasional incidents of drunk driving arrests or stolen property (also our development had one or two reports of items taken from inside unlocked cars last month). Good luck with the move and hope this information was helpful

[tcs1366]

http://www.city-data.com/city/Oswego-Illinois.html

my sister lives there and really likes it. she does not have kids, but has friends who do, and say the district is pretty good.

It is growing ... and currently has A LOT of homes on the market.

neither she nor her DH have to commute to the city ... so being that far from the city is not an issue ... they actually prefer it.

[Windy City John]

What's your price point? If it is below $500K and you want NEW go to Oswego. If you are in the $600K-$900K range and want NEW or NEWER go to Naperville.

It's crazy traffic and lots of road construction in Oswego and far from the city-- but it all depends on where you have to go to work and when you have to leave for work--

With the exception of June-August you will most likely be commuting in the dark, rain, snow, and drizzle both to and from Oswego. 3 hours a day times 250 days a year that's 31.25 24-hour days(a month out of a year for commuting!) over 12 years thats 1 full year of nothing but commuting.

before other posters jump on my case-- If you dont have to commute than Oswego is fantastic in terms of value-- but be aware that infrastructure which is paid for by taxes is just in its embryo stage.

[tcs1366]

....and according to that "sheet" i added th link to regarding Oswego... real estate taxes are 2.2% !! on a 500k house, that's a lot of cash.

so again ... a lot depends on what you are looking for in a house.

just browsed Realestate at Yahoo.com and there are PLENTY of home under 500k that are quite large. 300osq.ft+
one i looked at was 475k and taxes were over 9k.
so you have to figure, 2.2% of the selling price.

you can get quite a home between 300-400k too.

[iac74205]

I have been looking at Oswego, and actually decided on Montgomery. I do work in Chicago, and the difference in commute time is neglible to me (about 10 extra minutes). Since both cities are still growing, (compared to Naperville) check out their websites for future zoning and development. If you are going to be staying there for a few years, that cornfield may not be a cornfield for long.
The Route 34 corridor in Oswego is not bad, if you want to have lots of easy shopping, and don't mind the strip mall look. But if a relaxed stroll through downtown on a weekend morning is your thing, go for Naperville.

Naperville is (relatively) lower on crime rates, but also expect to be ticketed for every driving infraction in Naperville. You don't have to be worried about being mugged or robbed in Oswego, and I haven't heard of any crimes in the city.

I grew up in Naperville, and went to District 203 which serves the northern part of town. Both 203, and very much so 204 (which services the south side of town, along with plainfield) are very competitive. Above average kids in any other districts would be square in the middle in Naperville, by my reckoning. There was a girl in my class who had an asteroid named after her, and several patents... and she wasn't even valedictorian. I have a friend who has worked as a teacher in 204, and she has told me she is alarmed at some of the stress the kids are under over there. Mind you, I'm not trying to scare you off, just alert you to some of the issues that aren't reported in Money or Fortune, or whatever magazine it is that ranks Naperville as #1 to raise a kid in.

As far as activities, the Naperville park district has a lot of programs and facilities (such as Centennial beach) that kids will enjoy. I'm not as familiar with Oswego, although I believe they fall under the multi-city Fox Valley Park District, so, you should also have plenty of options there...

[ahava]

Originally Posted by iac74205

Naperville is (relatively) lower on crime rates, but also expect to be ticketed for every driving infraction in Naperville.

This is true. The only time I've ever been pulled over was in Naperville for expired tags, of all things.

[acdevane]

Issues to consider -

Distance - (as Windy City John points out) If you are commuting, this could get old quickly. It's all about quality of life. If you've never done this before, it sounds good in theory, but the reality is - your family will miss that commuting time.

Competitiveness - (trying out for teams, sports, etc) there will be fewer offerings to try in Oswego vs. Naperville, but the opportunities for success are greater in Oswego.

Crime rate is not much of an issue in Oswego.

Schools while not at the level of Naperville are certainly acceptable.

I'd venture to say that the pace in Oswego is somewhat slower than Naperville, and that's what makes it desirable to some. Not so much keeping up with the Jones'.

Plainfield might be another consideration for you, being a little further east. Although south, there are better access points to the Interstates.

As far as citations, it does my heart good to know that our men in blue are doing their job. (Taxpayer’s money at work). Yes, there are stops, and many are let off with warnings, however they are also keeping drunks off our roads by following up on the menial things. If I have to be out driving anywhere on New Year's Eve, I'd rather be in Naperville, where the threat of being pulled over will deter anyone from drinking and driving!

Have a SAFE & HAPPY New Year's Eve all.