West Burbs Commute to Maywood, feasible? (Chicago, Aurora: crime, house, transfer to)

[KCWKEN]

I'm moving to Chicago from Missouri. I want good schools, single family home with yard in a somewhat affordable neighborhood (approx. $300K). I'm leaning toward Batavia, St. Charles, or Naperville.

I'll be working at the VA Hospital in Maywood area 1st Ave. and Roosevelt Road (near Loyola Med Center). On the map it's 30 miles from Batavia to Maywood on I-88. What is that commute like? Any tips?

[mdz]

It's a bit of a slog. I-88 itself isn't horrible, maybe an extra 10 minutes or so during rush hour, but the fun begins once you merge onto 290. 290 is always a mess and backed up. One thought would be to take i-88 and then get off at roosevelt and just take that straight to the VA--that actually may be the best way.

So depending on where you buy your house and how long it's going to take you to get to i-88, you are looking at about an hour commute each way. If you're working non-rush hour hours it may be a bit better.

[oakparkdude]

If you'd rather take public transit, you can take Metra (Union-Pacific West Line) from Geneva to Maywood and then transfer to a Pace bus which goes to the front door of the VA Hospital.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by KCWKEN

I'm moving to Chicago from Missouri. I want good schools, single family home with yard in a somewhat affordable neighborhood (approx. $300K). I'm leaning toward Batavia, St. Charles, or Naperville.

Naperville is a bit further east than Batavia and St. Charles; additionally, the tollway runs right through Naperville whereas you'd have more street-level traffic to deal with if commuting from Batavia and, particularly, St. Charles. Living in Naperville would save about 15 to 20 minutes of commute time. The commute would be feasible but you'd encounter a good chunck of backup stop & go traffic as you hit 290. Fortunately you will only have to deal with a portion of it if you're going to Maywood. I reckon your commute would be just under an hour from Naperville, and about an hour and 20 minutes from St. Charles, and somewhere in between from Batavia.

Finally, if you're looking out in that area, don't overlook Geneva, which is right in between St. Charles and Batavia.

[KCWKEN]

Thank you all for your advice. We're definetely zeroing in on Batavia, Naperville, and Geneva. The schools here all seem to be rated as excellent according to most school data websites, and the housing prices are not too bad compared with many of the closer-in suburbs. All in all, those things are worth an extra 10-15 minutes on the commute.

Thanks so much!

Ken

[joanne1950]

Originally Posted by KCWKEN

I'm moving to Chicago from Missouri. I want good schools, single family home with yard in a somewhat affordable neighborhood (approx. $300K). I'm leaning toward Batavia, St. Charles, or Naperville.

I'll be working at the VA Hospital in Maywood area 1st Ave. and Roosevelt Road (near Loyola Med Center). On the map it's 30 miles from Batavia to Maywood on I-88. What is that commute like? Any tips?

Hello, I work at Loyola, which is just down the road from Hines Hospital. I live in the Fox Valley, Aurora area. It's a really nice place to live and the housing is affordable. And the school system is great. I am looking for a commute to Maywood on a daily basis and I would definitely compensate for gas. Let me know how things are going for you and what decisions you have made about where you are going to live and what your hours will be when you start work. When will you be starting to work. Hope your commute is a good one.

[gardener34]

I would go for a community with easy access to the I-88 if you are looking farther out for your commute. Like naperville, aurora, north aurora.
The tricities - batavia, geneva. st. charles is hard to get on the I-88 from.
Closer to maywood are Lombard and Villa park for good areas with good schools.

[nanannie]

.You are not strictly limited to just those 'burbs.I lived in Elmhurst and commuted to Maywood every day (nursing school) I drove down st charles rd and avoided hi-way headaches(290 is a straight shot also).You may want to check out that area,its another option,close to Maywood,excellent schools,wonderful parks,thriving downtown,library,easy metra ride to city

[Steve-o]

Id look into Schaumburg, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Warrenville, Winfield also. Those are closer than STC, Batavia and IMO are just as nice. Batavia is iffy. There are absolute lovely spots, then others are neglected and shoddy. Crime isnt bad, so its not like an absolute ghetto, but some of the Batavia neighborhoods remind me of something youd find in the deep south backwoods if you catch my drift. Downtown Batavia is decent, but not nearly as nice as St. Charles or Geneva. Geneva is a true gem of a town, make sure you do yourself a favor and check it out.

Also, 88 is more often than not backed up recently due to construction. Ive been stuck in traffic jams from Naperville all the way to downtown Chicago, on several occasions! If you do take the 88/290 route, be sure to check traffic conditions before you venture out, it could save you HOURS (literally). My last trip from Naperville to the United Center took me just a shade under 3 hours.

[gardener34]

nannie: Elmhurst is NOT an affordable neighborhood anymore. $300K will get you a two bedroom ranch (maybe!) but the Western burbs are a good bet for an easy commute to Loyola.
STEVEo - you are right about the 88. I used to do a commute from St. Charles to Westmont and never took the tollway as it was always backed up usually with some accident. I took butterfield road the whole way in.