Where are the best suburbs to live outside chicago? (Naperville: house prices, to buy)

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by trinity7774

If I could live anywhere (after living all over the place) I would choose Elk Grove Village. I grew up there and after getting older and living in many other places. I wish I could afford to live there now. There is NO better town in my eyes! Best schools, best houses, best shopping, best park district, etc. EXCELLENT town to raise your kids!! Too bad I'm stuck in Oak Lawn and prices won't go up. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr

WOW-"no better town""best schools,shopping,park district??!!??!!-I have not heard such praises heaped on EGV before.Are you sure you arent the mayorGlad you love your hometown though

[labnu]

what is villa park like?

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by labnu

what is villa park like?

Semi-decent. Some parts are ok, others leave something to be desired. Its strip-mall hell and the traffic sucks, especially along North Avenue. Its a very diverse area, and I dont hear anything bad coming from the town, so I suppose its ok. The only reason I go to Villa Park is to hit up the car parts store, the junkyards, and the Odeum.

[HeyItsME]

Evanston
Oak Park
Naperville
These areas have more active downtowns

[J Randolph]

naperville, Wheaton, elmhurst, glen ellyn, hinsdale

[punkerjim]

Originally Posted by sbd78

I would look into Plainfield. Its a very nice area that is growing tremendously. Nice place to raise a family, close to Naperville, decent schools, and your $350K housing dollars will go much further in Plainfield than a lot of other suburbs.

i think $350k will buy half of plainfield!

but, yes, deffinately a cheap place (as of right now) and is fairly close to the good schools in naperville.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by jenne03

Hi guys,

I am looking to find the best suburbs outside of Chicago. We may be moving into the area. My husband would work some place in Chicago..though i am not exactly sure where.
I am looking for what a lot of others want...low crime, good schools, nice area.

What neighborhoods should I begin with my research? What is the housing like in chicago? I live in Maryland now, where the housing is outrageous...is it a similar market? Or will I get a little more for my money in the chicago area.

Honestly, what are the negatives and positives of the area? Crime, weather, the people, the traffic, the schools?

Thank you so much for your advice!!

Here is a bit of advice to help you with our ever floundering housing market. You will want to buy in an area where property values are still reasonable or on the low side, but are expected to rise quickly, this way you can build up a nice bit of equity in your home in a relatively short amount of time. Right now though with the condition of the housing market, nobody is really making out like bandits as they were 5 years ago, so you need to consider other factors that will make an area very enticing to potential home buyers and nowhere is more enticing in the Chicago area right now than the land that is near the much awaited I-355 extension. Homes, subdivisions, Super Wal Marts, shopping plazas, and office buildings are popping up like dandelions in the 355 area making the area a potential gold mine to homeowners. Here is a link to better inform you about the 355 extension by allowing you to watch a video. ABC7Chicago.com: End of construction for I-355 extension in sight

[Miserable in Florida]

Can anyone give me some advice on the best places to livre right outside of the city?
I'm not sure that I want to venture back into the burbs.Our daughter is in high school, so we'll be empty nesters in about three years; so we would like to find a place that would provide great schoolong for our daughter, and also a city feel for us..Any advice?

[Miserable in Florida]

Can anyone give me advice on the best places to live right outside of the city?
I'm not sure that I want to venture back into the burbs. Our daughter is in high school, so we'll be empty nesters in about three years; so we would like to find a place that would provide great schoolong for our daughter, and also a city feel for us..Any advice?

[nanannie]

Evanston or Oak Park