suburb help moving from AZ (Chicago, Aurora: homes, school district, to live in)

[Kristen81mp]

My husband and I are possibly moving to the Chicago area from Arizona and have never lived anywhere near Illinois. We would like something somewhat near Willis Tower, good schools, safe, small community feel where your neighbors look out for you and have community events. Somewhere that has lots to do and is kid and pet friendly. We are not sure of our price range yet as we are finding Chicago area to be much more expensive than Arizona which is hard to swallow. Any advise would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[chet everett]

Willis Tower, still referred to as Sears Tower by many locals, is easily accessible via excellent commuter rail service but it is not near anyplace that has the rest of qualities you describe as desirable for a family.

I would recommend focusing on towns that have good connections to commuter rail. Many towns are going to be rather high priced, but with careful shopping you could find something more affordable in Lombard or Villa Park on the UP-W line that might be the sort of newer home common in Arizona.

I would also recommend Lisle and the portions of Aurora that are convenient to the Rt 59 BNSF stop. The train commute is very pleasant, expresses cover the distance in under an hour and seating makes it easy to work, answer emails via smart phone, read, etc... Cost is about $7/per trip with multi-ride passes / apps.

Along the UP-NW line there are some well priced newer homes in Palatine & Barrington.

If you scan through the listings in these towns and decide you are not happy with what you budget will get you maybe you could ask for an increased housing allowance; many retirees from the Chicago area love ye affordability of Arizona so I assume employers understand there are vastly different housing costs...

[JJski]

Hello expensive life --- price to live in a top 3 US city... Im still trying to swallow this price tag myself...

[Daze55]

This might come as a shock to you, but I suggest you look at Northwest Indiana- particularly the towns of Munster, St. John, Schererville, and Dyer. The main reason is because it is MUCH, MUCH cheaper to live in NW Indiana than anywhere in Illinois, and you also don't have to deal with the corrupt government of Illionois. The school systems in all four of these towns are good (St. John, Dyer, and Schererville all actually share the same high school). The proximity to Chicago is about the same as any other family-friendly town with a good school district that isn't ridiculously expensive-45 minutes on a good day traffic-wise. There is also the option of using the train, but you would have to drive to Hammond or East Chicago to take it, until they build the new station planned in Munster. I'm not sure exactly where you're working, but if it's somewhere downtown or in the south suburbs, then I would definitely look into Indiana.

[zizu]

Originally Posted by Kristen81mp

My husband and I are possibly moving to the Chicago area from Arizona and have never lived anywhere near Illinois. We would like something somewhat near Willis Tower, good schools, safe, small community feel where your neighbors look out for you and have community events. Somewhere that has lots to do and is kid and pet friendly. We are not sure of our price range yet as we are finding Chicago area to be much more expensive than Arizona which is hard to swallow. Any advise would be much appreciated. Thank you.

If you like nature and the outdoors, this is not the place to be. That said, try moving to inner suburbs along metra rail.. Great communities and easy commute to Willis (I'm a local and no longer call it the Sears tower. Sears is a dead brand from a prior era.)

[AZgarden]

The small village of Riverside may be a good choice. Lots of seniors are getting out and have to sell. My Mom was one of them. It's a wonderful village in the park, with lots of huge trees, parks, victorian homes and curvy streets. Very different from AZ and desert environment.

The metra stops there and you are 15 minutes from downtown Chicago. Definitely nice neighbors. Yes it will be more expensive than AZ but so is everything these days. Good luck.

[CCrest182]

Originally Posted by zizu

If you like nature and the outdoors, this is not the place to be. That said, try moving to inner suburbs along metra rail.. Great communities and easy commute to Willis (I'm a local and no longer call it the Sears tower. Sears is a dead brand from a prior era.)

I'll bet you put ketchup on your hot dogs too.

[4122]

NWI or Riverside is where you should look. Or Lisle would be good too