Relocating to Chicago from Dallas (Rockford, Aurora: budget, for sale, travel)

[tx76051]

We are relocating to Chicago in several months and are trying to find a good place to live. I will be working downtown and willing to commute 45 -60 mins using public transportation. We have 3 young kids and so schools and sports programs are important. House range will be 300k - 400k.

Any recommendations on suburbs to consider?

[chet everett]

Lots of threads on this, my general advice is to pick the best the town with best schools you an afford even if that means a smaller house. Surprisingly MOST EVERY TOWN has some stuff in the $400K range, though of course in SOME towns that will mean a really rough older, smaller home.

Generally the BEST SCHOOLS will also have pretty good PARK DISTRICTS for sports programs and such.

The towns with the BEST SCHOOLS will generally also be safest, both in terms of crime and financial stability.

If you stay on the BURLINGTON line that runs between Union Station and Aurora there a lot of expresses that will get you downtown VERY quickly. If you live within walking distance you can save on not needing two cars.

Good Luck!

[IbeDavid]

Chet nailed it well.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Lots of threads on this, my general advice is to pick the best the town with best schools you an afford even if that means a smaller house. Surprisingly MOST EVERY TOWN has some stuff in the $400K range, though of course in SOME towns that will mean a really rough older, smaller home.

Generally the BEST SCHOOLS will also have pretty good PARK DISTRICTS for sports programs and such.

The towns with the BEST SCHOOLS will generally also be safest, both in terms of crime and financial stability.

If you stay on the BURLINGTON line that runs between Union Station and Aurora there a lot of expresses that will get you downtown VERY quickly. If you live within walking distance you can save on not needing two cars.

Good Luck!

Wouldn't that be the case with ANY Metra line? There are lines that can get you from just about anywhere in the metro area to the Loop in under 70 min and there are express trains on more lines than just the Burlington line.

Take a look at this... Metra - Metra System Map

So, that being said, to be honest the whole area is pretty much merging together and not too much is really defining any one area at this point. Races are mixing more and more throughout the area which IMO is nice to see that the blacks and whites are starting to play nicely together here FINALLY and you don't see the for sale signs go up all the way down the block when an African American family moves onto a block. Heck one just moved onto my block in Orland and they cleaned the house up dramatically, so hats off to them. Anyways, that being said, to be honest not much will change from area to area within your budget other than for areas of higher crime and higher home prices, but within your price range you can get into some really nice homes in really nice areas.

At this point its up to you if you want to live in the north or the west, or the city itself, or the south. All areas have great things to offer, and one thing that many people don't realize is how much the climate changes over the metro area from the north to the south and how close you are to the lake greatly affects your weather too. North gets more snow and cold weather, south gets much hotter in the summer and stays just above freezing much of the winter and thus gets far less snow. About half as much actually. So that may be another deciding factor in all of this because often times I hear from friends from Skokie, Deerfield, Rockford, Marengo, etc. who come to visit me time and again in Orland, how much different the weather is vs where they just came from. I found it funny when my friends came down over this past winter that is just ending and the first thing they would say would be, " WTF, you don't have ANY snow down here?!!!!" I had a foot of snow in front of my house when I left, I should move down here, I HATE snow!" I got a laugh out of that. But it is sooooo true. Chicago's weather is probably one of the most interesting characteristics about it. So that may also alter your decision on where to move around in the area here.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by tx76051

We are relocating to Chicago in several months and are trying to find a good place to live. I will be working downtown and willing to commute 45 -60 mins using public transportation. We have 3 young kids and so schools and sports programs are important. House range will be 300k - 400k.

Any recommendations on suburbs to consider?

Like others have said, there are a quintillion other threads just like yours. You should read through some of them and narrow your choices down.

In my weekend travels, I often bring my camera with me to take snapshots of towns, etc. I have compiled TONS of photos of many towns if youre interested. I have posted the link below... as they say: "a picture is worth a 1000 words".
Some suburb pics (56K BEWARE!)

[chet everett]

There are some differences in not just the total commute via a Metra express(which is probably only a little bit quicker per mile of distance), but the frequency. This time of year, with kinds trying to do soccer or baseball, if you have to rely on an express so that you can coach (or even watch) practices and games this is a rather big deal.

On the Burlington the express trains work better -- they start earlier and are more closely spaced. This is not to criticize the other lines, merely to point out that differences are real. I suspect it has a lot to do with how straight a run it from Union Station out west, and why Amtrak uses Union Station too. The other train line run through sections of freight that are probably too busy.

Maybe it is not that big a deal for many, but for those who ask about working downtown and having kids in sports I can honestly say it is a factor.

I'd also add that I think is a big reason why there is so much office space south of the river and east of dearborn -- it a lot better to get to the train.

[Ophidian14]

Originally Posted by NYrules

Wouldn't that be the case with ANY Metra line?

Not really. The fastest express trains on the BNSF will get you from the Naperville stop to Union Station in 35 minutes without stopping. It actually skips over 20+ consecutive stops.

Contrast with, say, the MD-N line -- the express trains mostly only skip the stops in Chicago (which are also served by CTA) and some of the smaller stops past Libertyville. Thus, traveling an equal amount of distance (~30 miles) will take significantly more time.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by chet everett

There are some differences in not just the total commute via a Metra express(which is probably only a little bit quicker per mile of distance), but the frequency. This time of year, with kinds trying to do soccer or baseball, if you have to rely on an express so that you can coach (or even watch) practices and games this is a rather big deal.

On the Burlington the express trains work better -- they start earlier and are more closely spaced. This is not to criticize the other lines, merely to point out that differences are real. I suspect it has a lot to do with how straight a run it from Union Station out west, and why Amtrak uses Union Station too. The other train line run through sections of freight that are probably too busy.

Maybe it is not that big a deal for many, but for those who ask about working downtown and having kids in sports I can honestly say it is a factor.

I'd also add that I think is a big reason why there is so much office space south of the river and east of dearborn -- it a lot better to get to the train.

Yea, it mainly boils down to freight traffic I think. While an incredible amount of freight does travel the BNSF line, Metra has uncommonly good relations with BNSF, and the commuter trains on that line are very rarely delayed for freight reasons (i take it daily and you can't even remember the last time). On some of the others its a daily occurrence. Heres an (albeit older) article that lays it out;
On shared track who pays for what?(Chicago, Illinois, railroads

[NYrules]

Of course there is the other way to get downtown WHENEVER you want, of which I know I will get tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, and whatever else thrown at me but you can always drive in. (I know I know... Boooo hissssss) lol. Some of the interstates such as 90/94 on the south side have been redone recently and actually move right along even during rush hour, so its just a thought.

[GoCUBS1]

Look at Greatschools.net and Illinois School Reports to narrow down the best school districts. Compared to other states, there can be great differences in performance levels between districts. So I agree you should 1st narrow your search to the towns w/ the best school districts. North/Northwest suburbs have some great school districts that may be in your price range....