Relocating (Chicago, Naperville, Oak Park: real estate, condos, travel)

[RockyJm]

My husband and I are moving in a month to the Chicago area. I would like to live in the city, but he will be working in Downers Grove. Is there any suburbs that are near the city that wouldn't be a hour commute for my husband. We are in our late 20's with no children... I guess what I am asking is what are the fun neighborhoods for young couples?

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by RockyJm

My husband and I are moving in a month to the Chicago area. I would like to live in the city, but he will be working in Downers Grove. Is there any suburbs that are near the city that wouldn't be a hour commute for my husband. We are in our late 20's with no children... I guess what I am asking is what are the fun neighborhoods for young couples?

Well, if he'll be working in DG, you should look into DG, which is rather nice. How much can you spend on a house or rent though? That area is quite pricey, but not astronomical. If youre looking for a 20-something nightlife, Chicago is the place to be. Naperville has good nightlife too and its about 30 minutes from DG on Ogden Avenue. But then again Naperville can be really pricey. Where are you moving from? Are you familiar at all with the area? Will your husband drive to work or want to take PT?

Naperville Restaurants Bars Clubs Entertainment

[OakBrookMom]

I live just blocks from the Downers Grove city limits so I can give you a good indication of the commute times to different areas. If your husband's job is not by the train station he will probably have to drive which eliminates the city if you want to stay within an hour unless you live in the west loop which would put you right at the hour mark during rush hour on a good day. Going west towards Downers from the city you hit Oak Park and Forest Park, both about as urban as you can get in a suburban setting. They are close enough that if you live in one you can take advantage of the offerings of the other. You can also hop on the L (Chicago's subway system) and go downtown Chicago or to any number of the trendy, night-life filled areas of the city. If you are looking for a more urban setting be sure to check these two towns out. Taking the Eisenhower is always a gamble but you could take the back roads - I take Harlem to 22nd which runs right into Butterfield Road in Downers if your job is off of Butterfield. You could take Desplaines to 31st to any number of cut-through streets to Ogden if you job is off of Ogden. On a good day you will have a 40 minute drive to the Highland Ave exit off I-88 from the Eisenhower but it could hit an hour on a bad day. The back roads take about 40 minutes. Going west again towards Downers you have developed suburbs with downtowns full of restaurants, bars, and shops in LaGrange and Elmhurst. Depending on where you live in each town and work in Downers you commute will be 20-30 minutes in good rush hour traffic, 30-40 in bad traffic with LaGrange being closer to Ogden and Elmhurst closer to Butterfield/22nd. Downers' downtown is years behind those two towns but it is planning and development continues at a brisk pace even in this down real estate market. By the time it develops into what you want you might be on to the next stage of your life. Out of all the western suburbs Naperville has the most developed downtown with a real night life scene. Surprisingly Naperville is generally much more affordable than any of the other suburbs mentioned although the downtown area is quite pricey. Naperville is quite large and getting from one end to another can be time consuming. Your commute could take anywhere from 15-35 minutes depending on what part of Naperville you choose and where in Downers your job is located. I have a client that chose far south Naperville who works at Sara Lee in Downers and his commute is 30-40 minutes, from east Naperville it would have been 15 minutes. If you want to be able to walk to all the action, Oak Park and Forest Park offer that option at the most affordable prices because of the large inventory of condos and townhomes. Test the commute on a Friday between 5 & 5:30pm. If you indicate your price range like Steve-O asked and your preference of house vs condo vs townhome, this forum can provide you with more specific information. Price drives the choice of location in many instances.

[sbd78]

Originally Posted by RockyJm

My husband and I are moving in a month to the Chicago area. I would like to live in the city, but he will be working in Downers Grove. Is there any suburbs that are near the city that wouldn't be a hour commute for my husband. We are in our late 20's with no children... I guess what I am asking is what are the fun neighborhoods for young couples?

If you do decide to go with the city, I recommend Wicker Park. Several years back I lived in Wicker Park and my roommate worked in Downers Grove. Wicker Park is a fun neighborhood with lots of nightlife, shopping, and restaurants, and it is an easy drive down Damen or Western to get on 290 to Downers Grove. The city is definately most fun for young people, but be aware that there are days your hubby's commute with be terrible if you decide to go the city route. When I lived in Wicker Park, it took my roommate an average of about an hour, but there are accident, bad weather, and just plain bad traffic days when it took longer.

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by sbd78

If you do decide to go with the city, I recommend Wicker Park. Several years back I lived in Wicker Park and my roommate worked in Downers Grove. Wicker Park is a fun neighborhood with lots of nightlife, shopping, and restaurants, and it is an easy drive down Damen or Western to get on 290 to Downers Grove. The city is definately most fun for young people, but be aware that there are days your hubby's commute with be terrible if you decide to go the city route. When I lived in Wicker Park, it took my roommate an average of about an hour, but there are accident, bad weather, and just plain bad traffic days when it took longer.

I would say the Metra is a better option then the drive. No need to worry about accidents,storms etc. (there is a metra to DG isnt there ? )

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by nanannie

I would say the Metra is a better option then the drive. No need to worry about accidents,storms etc. (there is a metra to DG isnt there ? )

YES, after yesterday's little ordeal it really proved that NOBODY knows crap about driving around here. 30 minutes to go 3 miles and saw 10 accidents.

[aragx6]

Yes there's a metra in Downers Grove, I guess it just depends where he's working. Check out the bus routes and see if that would be a option.

[krwshl]

RockyJM,

Did you ever decide on a place to live? I am going to start working on Butterfield Rd in Downers Grove and am starting to look for a place to live.

So far online I have found Bristol and Lincoln at Seven Bridges. I am in my mid twenties and would like to live downtown but am not sure if I can handle the daily commute. I was thinking that I could just travel downtown on the weekends ... what is everyones thought?? Is it worth the added cost to live downtown in say Bucktown with the added cost and the hour a day commute on the Metra?

Is there much nightlife in the DG area?

Thanks for any help,
Chris