Commute to Wood Dale from Mundelein/Grayslake/Gurnee?? (Chicago, Aurora: apartment, how much)

[txnmom]

We are relocating to the area and are looking for a "reasonably" priced area to commute from. Everything very close to Wood Dale is just too pricey. Any thoughts on the above areas? Our new realtor has suggested these areas. We would love opinions on schools, crime, commute, etc. We have small kids so safety and schools is a big concern. Thank you in advance!

[wallstreet1986]

Wow that would be quite a long commute. You should have googled it. Gurnee to there is 40 miles and that could take up to 1hr30 minutes on the TriState. You should look out west that might be even cheaper than Gurnee and the trains to the city are just as quick or quicker as those from way up north.

Areas to look at are Batavia, St Charles, Geneva, Aurora. You'd like Batavia. The commute is shorter and nice town good schools not too bad on prices. Good luck.

[txnmom]

Thank you for the advice! The prices are so much higher than we are used to, we are having a hard time finding something we like that is not pretty far away.

[FB1977]

Yes, that would be quite a commute, not to mention how much more time it would take in the snow. My current commute in Illinois should technically only take 40-45 minutes, but with the massive amts of people that live in this area, my commute sometimes takes an hour and a half!

Prices in Illinois are ridiculous. I moved away from IL (where I grew up) for a year and a half. I'm now back, and not liking it all that much. There's just way too many people here for my liking. Are you relocating to IL for work? I can give you info on different towns, but I'm clueless when it comes to the school systems (no kids).

Where in Texas are you now? I'm prob relocating there next summer, when my boyfriend will be stationed at Ft Bliss.

[wallstreet1986]

Theres a reason why so many people are here. Great jobs in Chicago area, friendlier and cheaper than much of the Northeast or west coast, and free from cockroaches.

When you go south to texas or south carolina there are cockroaches. No matter how cheap the price of the house is I could never ever move there. I would be simply terrified to cook in my own kitchen. Life sucks with them around.

[txnmom]

You have got to be kidding me.... I lived my whole life in Texas until the last three years spent in Ohio and I have never had roaches! Give me a break, the only places that have roaches are those where people do not clean their houses....

As for the person possibly moving there, we lived in a suburb called Keller between Dallas and Fort Worth. Great schools and housing prices. Traffic is bad there too, but there are lots of reasonable housing around which can decrease your time.

I am having a hard time knowing which areas in Chicago are truly 45 minutes or in reality will take 1 1/2- 2 hours. My husband's job is taking us there and I do not want him to spend half the day in the car.

[Steve-o]

When I was in Texas I saw them EVERYWHERE. And not in houses, outside all over the campgrounds, on the buildings, at the gas stations. Same with Florida. HUGE mutha roaches. The kind that had landing gear!

I think he was generalizing a little too much, but I can definitely agree with him.

[FB1977]

Yeah, I just lived in Hawaii for the past year and a half, and everyone has roaches there, HUGE muthas, just like you mentioned in Florida, Steve. However, never once did I see a roach in our apartment in Hawaii, although I saw plenty outside!

Don't get me wrong, I love Chicago, I grew up here my whole life, but, I much preferred Hawaii's laidback lifestyle and slower pace. I wouldn't mind Chicago so much if the population wasn't outta control. Plus the weather...I'd rather have year-round sunshine than deal with winter ever again. Living in Hawaii definitely confirmed that for me!

We personally don't have much choice, whether it be Texas or the moon, we go where the Army sends us!

Traffic may not be as bad for your hubby, Txnmom...it's really hard to say because all areas are different. My particular route just happens to be extra congested...but that may not be the case for other areas. Sorry we can't be of more help!

[prairiestate]

Originally Posted by txnmom

You have got to be kidding me.... I lived my whole life in Texas until the last three years spent in Ohio and I have never had roaches! Give me a break, the only places that have roaches are those where people do not clean their houses....

As for the person possibly moving there, we lived in a suburb called Keller between Dallas and Fort Worth. Great schools and housing prices. Traffic is bad there too, but there are lots of reasonable housing around which can decrease your time.

I am having a hard time knowing which areas in Chicago are truly 45 minutes or in reality will take 1 1/2- 2 hours. My husband's job is taking us there and I do not want him to spend half the day in the car.

When you get your travel times from google, simply double them. Seriously, that's going to be your typical commute time, maybe a bit less. Some days it will be more.

[chitownnburbs4eva]

Having made a similar commute in the past (north burbs to Downers Grove), i can tell you that your commute to work should be from 45 min to an hour. I-294 going southbound is pretty smooth with a few delays near O'Hare (depends on the day). Personally, I didnt have problems going to my destination.

The catch with this commute is the return trip to Gurnee/Grayslake/ or Mundelein. Actually it depends on what time your husband leaves work. When I left after 4, I always ended up with a huge logjam everytime i got to Lake-Cook Rd (Lake Co). The commute back ended up being terrible. There would be huge congestion on 294 till i got past 176, which is the Mundelein exit and about 4-7 miles from the Gurnee/Grayslake exit (Lake Co really needs to extend Rte 53). However, if your husband leaves work early, you can get back home the same amount of time it took you to get to work.

and since Texas is where i reside for most of the year i can say that i have not seen cockroaches but there are a lot of fireants in the area