Moving from Scotland to Naperville

[michaelk]

Originally Posted by domergurl

snowgirl ... I'm afraid I'm the one who started it. Apologies again.

MicheleK, I have a girlfriend who moved here with her family from Cambridge and they watch all their UK shows on their tv that is hooked up to their computer. I can't understand a word!!!

You want to try watching TAGGART, STILL GAME, CHEWING THE FAT - you'd have virtually no chance of understanding these without subtitles. These are Scottish shows based on Glasgow characters with the broad dialect. I enjoy them all though, good humour although I'm not sure how it would transfer over to the US.

[domergurl]

I have enough of a hard time understanding Billy Connelly ...

[Paxtonian]

Monarch of the Glen is the only show set in Scotland I've seen here.

[prairiestate]

I'm suprised no one mentioned you will be living in your car. With almost no public transportation in Naperville, you will need to drive everywhere. The roads are extremely congested, so you are going to spend a lot of time sitting in your car. It will probably be difficult to even walk to a convenience store in Naperville, and the kids will need to be driven to all of their school activities and friends houses. There is, however, excellent commuter train service (METRA) into Chicago, and you should use that instead of driving into the city.

There is also going to be far more sprawl then you're used to. Big houses, big lots. Many more big box stores, which will all be larger than anything you've seen in Scotland, surrounded by huge parking lots. Never been to Scotland, but I've been to Ireland, and was absolutely shocked by the cultural differences. I figured, how different could it be, it's another English speaking country, and there are a lot of Irish in Chicago. In hindsight, I was very naive about it.

[goldstone97]

I'm not sure people have emphasised enough the difference in the climate. I'm from southern England so my experience will vary from Scotland (you should handle the winters here better), but after six years living in Chicago, I still find the winters and summers difficult to handle.

It is not uncommon for there to be weeks in the winter where the temperature barely rises above freezing, and it can drop far below that with the wind chill, which is a considerable factor. On the other hand, there is a lot less rain and general dampness than the British Isles.

The summer might be the biggest difference for you. It is not so much the sun and the heat (which is nice), but the suffocating humidity - it takes a while to adjust to, but you will soon learn to love air conditioning, which is used far more extensively in homes, stores, cars etc here than in the UK.

These are things one does adapt to over time somewhat, and I can't say I miss the dreary, grey climate of the UK much either. But compared to many other parts of the States, Chicago does have a tough climate so be prepared.

[Paige65]

I'd look in Downers Grove too since you'll be working there. I'm only familiar with the downtown area of Downers Grove, but from that perspective it seems like a nice community, with a small town feel, and a vibrant downtown. There are lots of charming homes around the downtown area. I think the schools are fine, but I don't know that for sure.

[michaelk]

I appreciate all of the replies, they are helpful to us. Winter sounds harsh but then if this is normal I'd assume that the roads etc are well salted and kept safe. As for the Summer, having lived in Scotland for 40 years it will be fantastic to have a proper Summer. The Scottish summer lasts around an afternoon, then it's back to the rain! That said it is a great country to have been born and brought up in, and now with the chance to live and work in the US I fell that we are having the best of both worlds.

[goldstone97]

The roads are cleared as soon as the snowstorm passes, they are very good at that.

I hope you enjoy the summers. Most of the time it is great to have heat and sun, unlike Britain. But during the heatwaves - more regular here than northern Europe - it's impossible to stay outdoors long, such is the humidity. Oh, and be prepared for yearlong expensive utility bills. On the other hand, everything else is seems considerably cheaper - especially petrol/gas!

On the whole I am sure you will enjoy Chicago, and you will find an endless curiosity (good-hearted) about your accent and your country from Americans. I've had to explain cricket about 70 times to baseball fans here, though as you're Scottish, maybe that doesn't apply...

[Pegs56]

Reading through this whole saga (minus the last post), I'm curious if michaelk ever posted again? Did he decide where to live? Kids fit in? Make it through a Chicagoland winter?

I tried to do a search on his username, but only came up with someone in Boston.

[mattywo85]

OK lets start with the good about Naperville:

-Rated a top three city in America for the past few years now.
-Great downtown with tons of bars, restaurants, and activities.
-Napervilles population is around 150,000 and not too far from Chicago, probably a 30-40 minute drive without traffic.
-A top five destination for schools in the state.
-Violence is almost non-existent, local law enforcement keeps up with the city very well.

The bad:

-Higher priced real estate then surrounding areas.
-Traffic almost anywhere within Naperville, especially Rt.59 and Ogden.
-People that live in Naperville can tend to be "stuck-up" or in other words they think they are better then everyone else.

The bottom line is its a nice area with good schools and Ribfest which is a huge deal, probably second only to Taste of Chicago. A huge downfall for me is the housing is high priced and Naperville has been designated as a "rich zone". People in Naperville are a bit rude and have a bit too much pride.


I'd also suggest looking in near by Bolingbrook(a lot of new housing and seen as Napervilles little brother), Downers Grove(a bit older housing but fairly priced), and Plainfield(booming area with very faired priced new housing).

Hope this helped, good luck!!!