Somewhere in the middle? (Chicago, Rockford: apartment complexes, condo, homes)

[ellybelly83]

I live currently live, own properties, have shared custody of kids and work in Rockford
The bf lives in Northbrook and works downtown Chicago.
He is not open to changing Jobs and there's no way I can cut all my ties to Rockford unless I can magically convince my ex to move closer to the burbs.

Requirements.

I want to be within an hour drive to Rockford
He wants to be close to the Metra and no more than a 1hr train ride to downtown.
Good school district (great school rating 7 or above)
Under 450k for a 3/4 bed house/condo
Safe neighborhoods with sidewalks and a good park district.

I know the budget is going to be a problem but i don't mind small homes or fixer uppers.

Both myself and the BF moved to the Chicago area as adults so we don't know what neighborhoods are good to raise a family in.

Thanks for your help and advice.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by ellybelly83

I live currently live, own properties, have shared custody of kids and work in Rockford
The bf lives in Northbrook and works downtown Chicago.
He is not open to changing Jobs and there's no way I can cut all my ties to Rockford unless I can magically convince my ex to move closer to the burbs.

Requirements.

I want to be within an hour drive to Rockford
He wants to be close to the Metra and no more than a 1hr train ride to downtown.
Good school district (great school rating 7 or above)
Under 450k for a 3/4 bed house/condo
Safe neighborhoods with sidewalks and a good park district.

I know the budget is going to be a problem but i don't mind small homes or fixer uppers.

Both myself and the BF moved to the Chicago area as adults so we don't know what neighborhoods are good to raise a family in.

Thanks for your help and advice.

That's a tough one. There's lots of suburbs along I-90 that are like 75 minutes to Rockford with pretty good access to downtown Chicago and meet your other requirements.


I'd suggest looking at data on illinoisreportcard.com rather than relying on Great Schools ratings.

[aga412]

Crystal Lake, Cary, Western Elgin (zoned to Burlington schools), Barrington (might be tough with the price).

[born2flyy]

Schaumburg fits your criteria...its underrated on this site bc its not in Dupage County...and it does have a Metra stop which is also ignored....Other posters will complain about traffic...but that's a sign of a prosperous area.

[damba]

Arlington Heights. Very good schools and park district, a little over an hour to R.

BF could get downtown via metra easily; also easy for you to get to NB.

If you end up in Schaumburg try to look in areas that feed into Conant HS.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by born2flyy

Schaumburg fits your criteria...its underrated on this site bc its not in Dupage County...and it does have a Metra stop which is also ignored....Other posters will complain about traffic...but that's a sign of a prosperous area.

Schaumburg is partially in DuPage. Arlington Heiggts is in Cook and mentioned frequently. I think it doesn’t get mentioned regarding Metra because it’s a longer Metra ride and at one end of town. The town does not have a walkable core like many surrounding towns. That being said, it may work for the OP if her bf can tolerate an hour plus door to door commute.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by fusillirob1983

Schaumburg is partially in DuPage. Arlington Heiggts is in Cook and mentioned frequently. I think it doesn’t get mentioned regarding Metra because it’s a longer Metra ride and at one end of town. The town does not have a walkable core like many surrounding towns. That being said, it may work for the OP if her bf can tolerate an hour plus door to door commute.

I don't think that is correct. The Arlington Heights train station is right in the middle of downtown Arlington Heights which is quite nice and walkable. It is not on the edge of town. You may be thinking of the other station at Arlington Park Race Track. The express trains to/from downtown Chicago are generally between 35 and 40 minutes. The 5:16 to Arlington Park is 33 minutes. Not bad at all and a bit faster than the ride from Northbrook on the MD North Line. The one thing to be aware of is schools since Arlington Heights covers a lot of ground geographically and you could be in any number of school attendance areas depending on where you live (I think there are 4 public high schools that serve parts of Arlington Heights - Hersey, Buffalo Grove, Prospect, and Wheeling). The first three are all pretty comparable and are always in the upper end of ratings. You cannot go wrong with any of them. Wheeling is not that bad and would be considered top notch in many parts of the country, but does not stack up well against the other three using most rating metrics. But Wheeling does have some specific programs that are at the very top of area schools, so it is a hard school to get your arms around. There is also St. Viator if you want to go the private school route. Also highly rated.


But it would be more like 75 minutes to Rockford from AH - maybe more depending on where you live in AH and time of day. Good park district and single family residential areas are safe. There are a few sketchy apartment complexes, like pretty much anywhere, but those are easily avoided. But "sketchy" by AH standards is nothing like "sketchy" by Rockford standards!

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by wjj

I don't think that is correct. The Arlington Heights train station is right in the middle of downtown Arlington Heights which is quite nice and walkable. It is not on the edge of town. You may be thinking of the other station at Arlington Park Race Track. The express trains to/from downtown Chicago are generally between 35 and 40 minutes. The 5:16 to Arlington Park is 33 minutes. Not bad at all and a bit faster than the ride from Northbrook on the MD North Line. The one thing to be aware of is schools since Arlington Heights covers a lot of ground geographically and you could be in any number of school attendance areas depending on where you live (I think there are 4 public high schools that serve parts of Arlington Heights - Hersey, Buffalo Grove, Prospect, and Wheeling). The first three are all pretty comparable and are always in the upper end of ratings. You cannot go wrong with any of them. Wheeling is not that bad and would be considered top notch in many parts of the country, but does not stack up well against the other three using most rating metrics. But Wheeling does have some specific programs that are at the very top of area schools, so it is a hard school to get your arms around. There is also St. Viator if you want to go the private school route. Also highly rated.


But it would be more like 75 minutes to Rockford from AH - maybe more depending on where you live in AH and time of day. Good park district and single family residential areas are safe. There are a few sketchy apartment complexes, like pretty much anywhere, but those are easily avoided. But "sketchy" by AH standards is nothing like "sketchy" by Rockford standards!

Correct, I am referring to Arlington Park being more accessible to part of Schaumburg. What I was stating was at one end of town was the Schaumburg Metra station.

[aga412]

I feel like AH and Schaumburg are getting a little far for an hour from Rockford, especially given how congested those areas can get.

[ellybelly83]

Thanks for the input everyone.
I have looked a bit at Hoffman estates (Barrington schools), Barrington and looked a little at Palatine. Palatine seemed a lil sketchy but like one of the responses commented, I don't think anywhere will be as sketchy as Rockford. My kids are currently in the Belvidere school district and in order for me to have a good chance moving without resistance from their father I will need to be in a better district.
BF isn't willing to spend much more than an 1hr10mins on the train, he factors in another 15mins to get to his office from the OTC and 15-20min drive to a metra. He currently lives in Northbrook off 294 (willow rd) my AM drive from there is 55-65 mins depending on how heavy my foot is. That will be the only time i will be driving in rush hour traffic, not many folks head west during AM rush hour so it works in my favor.