Coal City, Morris, or somewhere affordable near Woodale? (Chicago, Joliet: condos, high crime)

[benandgrace]

I'm not sure which would be the best choice for relocation. I would be working in Coal City and my wife would be working in the nearest hospital, Morris, so I guess we're deciding between Morris and Coal City to live. The schools in CC have a good rating but they're small schools and small schools don't usually have as much to offer (subjects, sports, activities, etc.) as larger schools, at least according to my experiences. I'm not sure if there are many high crime areas in Morris though. I know CC is safe in that aspect. It seems like the schools in this county don't compare to the western and northern burbs but the price is right for us. I haven't heard many good things about Joliet, which would probably have to be our main shopping area if we lived in CC. Anyway, these two towns seem to be our only choices since I would have to work in Coal City, Calumet City (a rough area to live) or Woodale (surrounding burbs seem to be to expensive for us; Shaumburg, etc.).

[chet everett]

Wooddale??? Calumet City?

How far are you looking?

Yorkville, Channahon, Shorewood, Braiwood, Wilmington even Plainfield are all the "deep fringe / rural border" category as reachable from Morris, but I would not want to rack up the miles driving way up to Wooddale or Calumet City...

[benandgrace]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Wooddale??? Calumet City?

How far are you looking?

Yorkville, Channahon, Shorewood, Braiwood, Wilmington even Plainfield are all the "deep fringe / rural border" category as reachable from Morris, but I would not want to rack up the miles driving way up to Wooddale or Calumet City...

I guess I wasn't clear last post. I could work either in Coal City, Wood Dale or Calumet City. My wife could work in any town/city that has a hospital. So I'm trying to find out which area/city: wood dale, coal city or morris; would be best for us. I'm guessing the wood dale area would be out of our price range, but I'm not too familiar with the area, so I'm not sure of that.

[myrc60]

If memory serves me correctly Coal City is a little over an hour from the western edge of Chicago. We used to canoe in a quarry there. Coal City is probably more affordable than Wood Dale or Cal City. You might want to research home listings to see what is available in all 3 areas to determine where your budget fits in.

[tcs1366]

living up here in Dupage county... and right next door to wooddale... I'd personally look south.

we [DH and I] looked down in Coal City, Morris area when we first got married. Really loved it down there.

There is really nothing economical about Wood Dale and the surrounding areas.

I also guess it depends on where you decide to work.

[RC2216]

Coal City offers a very strong school district. They have excellent facilities and are opening a brand new elementary school this fall. Coal City offers a nice selection of athletics and activities for their students. From football and tennis to speech and band, Coal City High School like most schools its size(650 enrollment), provides opportunities for students to do more than just focus in one area. You might just find that your children will have more opportunities to make teams and compete in a small school then they ever would in a hyper-competitive suburban school.

[benandgrace]

Do you think there's any quality towns/burbs in the direction of lake michigan (north) from wooddale? Maybe between Cicero and Wood dale or something? I might consider going to school around Cicero while working in Wood dale. Not sure if any of those places would be good for family and affordable.

Originally Posted by tcs1366

living up here in Dupage county... and right next door to wooddale... I'd personally look south.

we [DH and I] looked down in Coal City, Morris area when we first got married. Really loved it down there.

There is really nothing economical about Wood Dale and the surrounding areas.

I also guess it depends on where you decide to work.

[benandgrace]

I recently found out that I can only be employed w/ my company in two places within chicagoland, Calumet City and Wood dale. I would have to find a town/burb near one of those places.

[aragx6]

I guess it would help to know your price range and what you're looking for. We could then probably help you figure out which would be the better location. I guess it really depends on if you like a more rural or more suburban setting (and what you can afford)

[benandgrace]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I guess it would help to know your price range and what you're looking for. We could then probably help you figure out which would be the better location. I guess it really depends on if you like a more rural or more suburban setting (and what you can afford)

We could probably only afford a 160-180,000 3 brm house or condo. I like rural best but with our budget, my job choices (woodale and calumet city) and my school choices ( Glen Ellyn, cicero, Des Plaines, and chicago) I don't know if rural is possible. But I know I won't put my family into a dangerous environment. As long as I work for the company I'm with, my family and I would have to live close to woodale or calumet city. We would need to be near a hospital so my wife could work. I'm guessing Tinley Park and the Orland spots are about the only burbs in the southeast that are uneffected by the high crime eastern IL burbs. If Oak Forest can avoid a decline then it could be a consideration for my family and I to move to, though It's closer to Markham and Midlothian than I'd like it to be. I'm not sure if I would consider Thornton or not. For one thing, it's only five miles from Harvey (high crime). Those two seem to be the only other decent places (?) in the area but they might change for the worse in years to come. Any houses or condos around Woodale are probably real high.