Newer, more urban/less sprawling suburbs? (Chicago, Naperville: townhouses, neighborhood, college)

[HockeyFan]

Well, it's not so much urban vs suburban as just finding the type of housing and neighborhood I'm looking for. From what I see, the suburbs here are about quiet streets, big lots, and restaurants that close at 9. It's very different from what I'm use to in suburban areas, which is why I'm asking questions here.

Is giving up regular, day trip, out of town travel necessary for me to fit into the urban lifestyle? If so, I'm probably not ready for that.

[Steve-o]

Have you looked near downtown Naperville? The energy there on the weekends is insane, especially in summer. Its true that most Naperville neighborhoods are quiet at night and its not a urban experience, but there sure is enough energy in downtown to rival most Chicago neighborhoods. No joke.

[HockeyFan]

I was down in downtown Naperville on Christmas, so naturally it was quiet. The downtown seemed quaint and nice, but I didn't see much to Townhomes right downtown. Are there neighborhood bar types of places there? I noticed a lot of upscale, but not much corner pub type of places. But it was a brief visit to be sure!

[prairiestate]

I think I know just the place. Cheap homes, lots of open space, crazy excitement.

Harvey!!!!

[adele115]

Originally Posted by kindrakindra

Try Lincoln Square, Roscoe Village, Andersonville, North Center, Ravenswood, Independence Park and Old Irving in the Chicago city limits. I love North Center, Ravenswood and Lincoln Square.

I would agree - these are great areas and you can even find decent street parking if necessary.

If you go the "urban burb" route, I would also recommend Oak Park. The sidewalks don't roll up at 9 p.m. There are some great restaurants popping up there (Trattoria and Briejo in the arts district, Klay Oven) Fitness Formula Health Club is awesome. Go to Philander's bar at the Carlton Hotel for live jazz and great ambience. blah blah blah...you can rent or purchase well within your price range, have a garage for two, and take the green or blue line downtown.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by adele115

I would agree - these are great areas and you can even find decent street parking if necessary.

If you go the "urban burb" route, I would also recommend Oak Park. The sidewalks don't roll up at 9 p.m. There are some great restaurants popping up there (Trattoria and Briejo in the arts district, Klay Oven) Fitness Formula Health Club is awesome. Go to Philander's bar at the Carlton Hotel for live jazz and great ambience. blah blah blah...you can rent or purchase well within your price range, have a garage for two, and take the green or blue line downtown.

And Oak Park is quite close to the Madison Street bars in Forest Park...

I still think Evanston is a better fit for this guy. There's more night life, though some of it is too college-oriented for me. And there is more new dense housing in Evanston. HockeyFan, how old are you again?

I've heard that downtown Alrington Heights has some new condos and townhouses by the Metra stop, but I really can't vouch for the rest of the downtown there. I haven't really been there in years (though I may be visiting a friend there in a couple of weeks).

[cubssoxfan]

Downtown Arlington Heights does not roll up all the sidewalks at 9PM. It's a smaller downtown than Evanston, Oak Park and Naperville, but has movie theaters, live theater, restaurants, coffee shops, grocery store and diversified housing stock within walking distance of downtown. Metra train for trips downtown Chicago. There are new townhomes going up at the corner of Dunton and Euclid right across from the awesome public library. Decent distance to several recreational leagues for hockey. Buffalo Grove has a good adult non-checking league and have more advanced league as well. You are also close to rinks in Rolling Meadows, Glenview and Northbrook. You may also want to think about your summer sports as well. If you are a long distance cyclist, like me, Chicago proper kinda sucks. You have to either battle dense vehicular traffic (even with the semi-useless bike lanes) dense pedestrian traffic on the Lakefront path or drive somewhere to begin your ride. In Arlington Heights, I leave my garage on bike and have only light to modest traffic density, almost no parked cars to worry about, wide streets and can cycle or drive to several nearby paved paths. So think of your other pursuits and see if they're available in a hassle free way.

[Lookout Kid]

Uptown Park Ridge is another area you might want to look into (not to be confused with Uptown on the North Side of Chicago). Here's a link to a pic:

http://flickr.com/photos/norab_photo/2819574458/

And here is what some of the newer housing developments look like:

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/7...ences016wb.jpg

[johnm68]

Have you looked at Berwyn? Affordable, has the kind of urban feel you're looking for, and I'd think you could find a decent size garage. It's cLose to 2 major expressways, and a 15 minute drive to the United Center for Hawks games. Plenty of neighborhood bars, and close to the livlier nightlife in FOrest Park. Plus, for some reason, it has a bit of hockey history--a lot of Hawks players (well, 4 or 5 anyway) lived there in the 1970s.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by johnm68

Have you looked at Berwyn? Affordable, has the kind of urban feel you're looking for, and I'd think you could find a decent size garage. It's cLose to 2 major expressways, and a 15 minute drive to the United Center for Hawks games. Plenty of neighborhood bars, and close to the livlier nightlife in FOrest Park. Plus, for some reason, it has a bit of hockey history--a lot of Hawks players (well, 4 or 5 anyway) lived there in the 1970s.

I don't think there's all that much new construction housing in Berwyn, which seems to be the primary requirement for Hockeyfan.