where to live?

[Anthera]

Originally Posted by ima1

thank you everybody for your replies, any ideas/advice regarding the renting/buying alternative? also,what can you tell em about skokie for teenage kid?

What about you? If you rent with the plan to move downtown you would be unlikely to become involved with your community and people are less likely to put themselves out getting to know someone who plans to move.

[SAI126]

Originally Posted by ima1

we are a family of 4 moving this summer from virginia to the chicago area.
our oldest son is in college and our younges will start highschool next year.my housband's job is in Downer's Grove and we are trying to decide where to live considering that school quality is our number one priority.
since we are Jewish we would like to have a strong jewish community around us so areas like buffalo grove/deerfield/northbrook/highland park seem to be quite fitting, with schoold like Stevenson/Derfield high/Glennbrook, anyone have any advise? what is better?
our other option would be to rent for the next 4 years in one of those areas until our son goes off to college and at that point buy a condo downtown. again what suggestions do you guys have? we are quite lost as to how to go about this.i'm fliying tomorrow to chicago to start my search.
thank you

I come to this thread a little late. I understand your wanting to have a strong Jewish community nearby but that commute to Downer's Grove and back from the northern suburbs will turn out to be quite the hassle. Chicagoland's Jewish population does tend to be centered in the northern suburbs but it is much more diffuse and spread out than it was in my long ago youth. There are some top notch school districts in the western suburbs, so I recommend you give that area a seriously long look see before you make your decision. I don't think you will find yourselves that culturally isolated if you move to Hinsdale, Downers Grove, Naperville or some other decent western suburb. Good luck and I hope things work out for you and your family. I'm sure your new neighbors will help you learn your way around the area.

[Paige65]

Depending upon where your husband is going in Downers Grove, what commute he will tolerate, and what times he will be driving, the north suburbs may work. I commuted from Highland Park to Willowbrook for several years, and have been commuting farther than that (to the Oak Lawn area) for 12 years. It takes me an hour. I am generally traveling at least 55 miles per hour, except sometimes in the morning, there's a bit of a back up, and it may take me five minutes longer. The part of your husband's commute that I don't know about is the westbound part (I-88) after he would exit I-294 because I haven't done that portion in twelve years. It may be completely different now.

Highland Park has a strong Jewish community, a great high school, lakefront, natural beauty, etc.

[chitown85]

Highland Park to Downers Grove is a 2 hour commute each way. To make the commute manageable (meaning an hour to 90 minutes) you need to stay in the north/northwest suburbs. The Stevenson High School area is very Jewish, with a heavily Russian Jewish population, while Highland Park, Northbrook, Glencoe tend to be more established communities.

Look at Long Grove, near the southern edge, close to Route 53. Long Grove is in the Stevenson district. Another option is Buffalo Grove--certain areas are closer to the highway and thus better for the commute. The worst part of the commute in that area is getting to Route 53. The traffic on 53 isn't usually terrible. That will cut the commute time and you will still be in Stevenson High School District.

[chitown85]

Realized I didn't get to the other parts the thread here. Hinsdale does not have a large Jewish population. DuPage County, where Hinsdale is located, has either 2 or 3 synagogues out of a total population of nearly one million. Hinsdale's Jewish community is much younger. Buffalo Grove has 6 or 7 congregations alone.

In terms of Skokie, the Skokie of today is not like the Skokie of the 60s 70s and 80s. The Jewish population has dwindled and the community there tends to be retirement age or Orthodox. Skokie is a very diverse community now with a lot of recent arrivals from India/Pakistan, Poland, and Greece.

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by chitown85

Highland Park to Downers Grove is a 2 hour commute each way. To make the commute manageable (meaning an hour to 90 minutes) you need to stay in the north/northwest suburbs. The Stevenson High School area is very Jewish, with a heavily Russian Jewish population, while Highland Park, Northbrook, Glencoe tend to be more established communities.

Look at Long Grove, near the southern edge, close to Route 53. Long Grove is in the Stevenson district. Another option is Buffalo Grove--certain areas are closer to the highway and thus better for the commute. The worst part of the commute in that area is getting to Route 53. The traffic on 53 isn't usually terrible. That will cut the commute time and you will still be in Stevenson High School District.

I've been doing Highland Park to Oak Brook in 35-40 minutes for years. Is the trip from Oak Brook to Downers really over an hour during rush hour?