Commute from Lake Forest to Pleasant Prairie (Chicago, Waukegan: fit in, daycare)

[chicago101]

Hi,
We are planning to move to Lake Forest. I will be working in Pleasant Prairie. Will that be a reasonable commute. The place of work is very close to tollway in pleasant Prairie
Thanks

[lakecountylifer]

Originally Posted by chicago101

Hi,
We are planning to move to Lake Forest. I will be working in Pleasant Prairie. Will that be a reasonable commute. The place of work is very close to tollway in pleasant Prairie
Thanks

Very Reasonable commute. You'll be doing a reverse commute of what most people who live and work in Lake County do each day basically. If you take I-94 (Tri-State Tollway) and assuming minimal construction your commute will be about 25 minutes. If you take 41 probably 30-35 minutes.

[JanuaryGirl]

Yeah, I used to be one of those people that bought into the whole "reverse commute" time too! The idea of an easy reverse commute is a myth. Maybe there are some time savings, but not much. Lake Forest and Pleasant Prairie are 20 miles apart, there may be less traffic going that way but not that much less. I would say either route will take at least 35 minutes during typical commute times. Not saying it is unreasonable, as far as Chicago-area commutes go that is certainly one of the easier ones.

[chicago101]

Thank you.
We drove around in Libertyville and Lake Forest area, it does not seem like a very practical decision to move there if I have to work in Pleasant Prairie. Gurnee would be a better choice. However Gurnee schools concern me. I have a Kindergartnerer and a 3 year old. We anticipate living in this area at least for 5 years. Can anybody who lives in Gurnee give me an idea how the schools really are? I would love to move to Lake Forest an dwe can afford to buy a house there but just doesn't seem very practical so Gurnee would be a second choice. Also we are of Indian origin, so I would also like to know how diverse these two areas are.
Thank you

[sammy22]

Gurnee is actually very diverse and has many Indian families, Vernon Hills may be another good option for you (a bit more expensive but the schools are better than Gurnee schools)

[chicago101]

Will commute from Vernon Hills to Pleasant Parairie be long?

[chet everett]

My first reaction if that if you can afford Lake Forest -- go for it!

The other immediate reaction is that there are HECKUVA lot of choices between Lake Forest and Gurnee. If you want to be north of Gurnee, Wadsworth is probably better.

There are some advantages to living Wisconsin. I hesitate to directly compare costs, but lower home purchase price is pretty common. May be offset by higher income taxes...

Personally I would rather be south, in some place like Libertyville or Green Oaks. Vernon Hills is going to be south of either, and frankly not as nice. Commute is not a whole lot shorter than Lake Forest, though.


If you can afford Lake Forest and have to commute to Pleasant Prairie I'd say it is worth the trade-off...

[chicago101]

Yeah.. Lake Forest would be good for schools, and we have a couple of friends who live there and love it, but the mothers work in nearby hospitals, so commute is not a problem for them. I am a mother and would like to have a reasonable lifestyle like, dropping the kids off to daycare before going to work and be at home before 6.30. I am going back and forth between quality of schools and quality of life in terms of spending time with kids etc. In that case Gurnee would be a practical choice. Wisconsin is not a choice for us as my husband works in the North Suburb area and we have been living in the city area for 10+ years.
Lake Forest schools are good but I also heard that there may be different kind of pressure on the kids in terms of clothes, accessories ( materialistic) to fit in; even if we can afford it I would not want my kids to have things just to show off and because their friends have them.
I wish there was an easy solution..

[chet everett]

If choosing between Lake Forest means that the kids might face a bit more "materialistic" pressure I am sure that could be overcome by choices that you make in your home -- not closet full of brand new clothes, no racks full of video games and electronics. Trips to donate stuff to the Goodwill in Waukegan. Visits to the handicapped.

The value of home in affluent areas is much more secure than those in areas that have broad income spread. Schools are better too.

Personally this is not a hard choice for me...

[chicago101]

Thank you, I will keep that in mind... I personally want to move to Lake Forest. Once I start the new job I will see how the commute is from our current house and then make a decision.
Thanks