Work in Financial District and Home in Suburb (Chicago, Evanston: crime, house)

[RelocatingVerySoon]

Hi all,

I will be working in downtown Chicago (60606 zipcode - financial district, I suppose?) and husband and I would like to find a home in surburb where commute via public transportation is doable.

I do not want to go through a too long of a commute each morning/evening - max. 40-50minutes or so.

We are looking for 250K - 350K single family home with 2+ bedrooms and 1+ bathroom.

I would appreciate it if you could name a few neighborhoods we should target.

Thanks so much!

[johnm68]

Berwyn, Brookfield or North Riverside. You'll probably be on the higher end of your price range for all 3, but you should certainly be able to dind something nice. Berwyn and Brookfield have the advantage of Metra (commuter rail) stops in town, North Riverside you'd need to drive to the Riverside or Harlem Avenue metra or drive to the blu line L stop (still--we're only talking about a 5 minute drive here). Commute will be about 30 minutes from the Brookfield stop, 20-25 minutes from Riverside/Harlem/Berwyn stops.

[RelocatingVerySoon]

Thanks johnm68 for your reply! Very helpful!

One quick question though. I read on this Chicago forum that you should stick to northern suburbs, and I noticed on a map that Brookfield and Berwyn are located southwestern from downtown Chicago. Are they still relatively safe cities?

Thanks again!

[johnm68]

Well, considering that this is a public forum, I would not take everything to be gospel. The northern suburbs are nice, but at your price point, you are not looking at Winnetka, and probably not even Evanston or Skokie. Maybe Morton Grove or Niles would work, but I'm from the west side, so that's what I stick to recommending.

All three suburbs I mentioned are safe (although the crime at the North Riverside mall skews that towns statistics). Berwyn is the largest and most diverse, and may have more crime in certain areas than the other two, but I think it is still a very safe community. It also has the best housing stock--some gorgeous bungalows and Victorians for very reasonable prices. The issue with Berwyn is the high school--I don't know if that's a concern, but I think even most Berwyn residents would agree that Morton needs improvement. Brookfield and North Riverside go to Riverside Brookfield, which is a fine school.

[BJT83]

Originally Posted by RelocatingVerySoon

One quick question though. I read on this Chicago forum that you should stick to northern suburbs, and I noticed on a map that Brookfield and Berwyn are located southwestern from downtown Chicago. Are they still relatively safe cities?

What you read is just opinion, not fact. Granted, it seems to be the majority opinion, but rest assured there are MANY safe suburbs to the west, southwest, and south of Chicago. Seems that people in northern burbs try to make it seem as though they are an extension of exclusive North Shore communities, but don't buy it.

[RelocatingVerySoon]

Thank you both for replies! Yeah, I will take those opinions/advice with a grain of salt. Thanks again.

[vester72]

There are not only nice and safe burbs to the Southwest and West but some are nicer than some of the Northern suburbs in my opinion (yes, I have been to the North Shore many, many times and have friends and family there.

Take a look at the schools, drive around and talk to realtors - you can find some beautiful areas to the Southwest/West and get a little more house for your money in some cases - and have less traffic to deal with and more space.

Anyway, the North Shore is great, but traffic is brutal and not going to get any better - my point is, there are LOTS of great options if you take a little time talking to realtors and exploring communities.

My wife and I took about a year doing this and things couldn't have worked out better for us.