tell me about oak lawn (Chicago, Burbank: sales, houses, buying)

[jxn3000]

i am considering a career move from the deep south to chicago. it will be a total change of life...but one i welcome. the potential job is in oak lawn. i know nothing of this place...can anyone provide info? also, would it be feasible to live in lakeview and commute? if so, would you recommend public transportation?

[cdc3217]

OAk LAwn is a big suburb, like 60,000 people. Its close to Chicago and has commuter trains downtown. It feels more like the city than the burb's. It has a good library. There are lots of newer retail/big box stores. Houses are mostly older, bungalows, ranches and wood frames. Lots of different old world 2nd - 5th generation families - Lithuanian, eastern Eurpoean, Irish-American, etc. Main problem with commuting from the city is that you're not right on top of any expressways (except I-294, which goes around the city.) so you have to drive 20 minutes to get to either I-55 or I-57/94 and then fight your way into the city (or the reverse - sorry) There isn't really a reverse commute benefit anymore. If you were commuitng by train, if your place of business is close, there is a train station in downtown Oak Lawn and if you lived downtown, that would be a nice commute.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of job? I mean industry, commercial, public service?

[Oobie119]

Oak lawn is a growing community- Nice family friendly areas with everything at your fingertips, except the highways. No matter where you live, you'll be close to food, grocery, shopping and they have a pretty good school system. You also aren't to far from other south suburbs (orland park, Lagrange). There isn't a whole lot of nightlife around, though. A few bars but nothing fancy..

[jxn3000]

thanks for the info. i am in the healthcare industry.

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by jxn3000

thanks for the info. i am in the healthcare industry.

Well with Christ Hospital right there in Oak Lawn you will have a wealth of possibilities job wise. I would look in Oak Lawn or Burbank for housing. If you commute from the city you are going to be paying higher sales and gas taxes.

The train in Oak Lawn has somewhat limited service to the city. Be sure you check the schedules before committing to that mode of transportation. If you need links feel free to DM me.

[prairiestate]

Don't forget the Orange Line, nearby at Midway. It's part of the EL system, so you get frequent and late night service to the city.

[mdz]

Nearby is a relative term from oak lawn though, no? the orange line is at least 5 miles away from 95th.

[NYrules]

You can't go wrong in Oak Lawn to be honest. It is a very vibrant and fun burb. There are plenty of older folks, but many younger newly weds are buying up the old homes, remodeling them of which is rejuvinating the community. There is talk about tearing down Oak Lawn High School in the next few years to make way for a new school, but it is just talk right now. Traffic can be very bad in town, but the nice thing is that everything is right next to eachother, so you don't have to drive far to get from one thing to another. Yes, as another poster said, Oak Lawn feels just like the city in many parts of it (esp, down 95th) There is a Metra station right off 95th Street and you can get to the Midway el stop in just under 10 minutes (drive). If you are looking to buy, the hot bed of activity is near the new Metra station where the town is working to redo it's little downtown. Some of it already has been completed. Def. this town is a thumbs up!

[freshmtt]

Originally Posted by NYrules

You can't go wrong in Oak Lawn to be honest. It is a very vibrant and fun burb. There are plenty of older folks, but many younger newly weds are buying up the old homes, remodeling them of which is rejuvinating the community. There is talk about tearing down Oak Lawn High School in the next few years to make way for a new school, but it is just talk right now. Traffic can be very bad in town, but the nice thing is that everything is right next to eachother, so you don't have to drive far to get from one thing to another. Yes, as another poster said, Oak Lawn feels just like the city in many parts of it (esp, down 95th) There is a Metra station right off 95th Street and you can get to the Midway el stop in just under 10 minutes (drive). If you are looking to buy, the hot bed of activity is near the new Metra station where the town is working to redo it's little downtown. Some of it already has been completed. Def. this town is a thumbs up!

I would also have to agree with this above post. I was born and grew up in Oak Lawn, spent 20 years living there. It really is a great suburb and my brother is a fireman in Oak Lawn now and my father was a Police Officer there for over 30 years. I really have to say that Oak Lawn was a great place to grow up and I would still live there now if it were not for the heavy traffic and congestion. I feel the home prices are a bit too high and over inflated now and that is another reason I personally would not live there right now. But aside from that, It is truly a great suburb. The library and the park district are really good. I worked in the Oak Lawn Library through high school and most of college and their library is really top notch.

[NY-escapee]

Originally Posted by freshmtt

I would also have to agree with this above post. I was born and grew up in Oak Lawn, spent 20 years living there. It really is a great suburb and my brother is a fireman in Oak Lawn now and my father was a Police Officer there for over 30 years. I really have to say that Oak Lawn was a great place to grow up and I would still live there now if it were not for the heavy traffic and congestion. I feel the home prices are a bit too high and over inflated now and that is another reason I personally would not live there right now. But aside from that, It is truly a great suburb. The library and the park district are really good. I worked in the Oak Lawn Library through high school and most of college and their library is really top notch.

I agree with both of these above posts. I lived in Hickory Hills (neighboring suburb down 95th St) for 5 years. Loved it. Oak Lawn is a good place to be. It's easy access in and out of the city. Nice mix of residential areas and busy city feel. Lots of good taverns and bars.

Forget about Lakeview...at least an hour commute nearly anytime of day to Oak Lawn and much too expensive for comparable housing.