Taking a Job in Joliet need HELP! (Naperville, Romeoville: for rent, condos)

[woolk]

Hello,
My wife and I are probably going to be taking a job in Joliet and have no clue about the area other than visiting once. We did a quick drive through of Joliet, Plainfield, Romeoville and Naperville and it became very evident (and obvious) that Naperville would be the "desired" place to live but there are a few things I need help with.
1. What would a commute from Naperville to Joliet look like? Even ball park would help.
2. We have dogs which means I need a fenced in yard. Can you find such a thing for rent in Naperville, or even Plainfield/Romeoville for that matter? My goal would be to spend 1300/month or less.
3. Safety. My wife is pretty paranoid about the safety and frankly I am as well. I would like to be able to walk the dogs in the eveing without worry that I might be mugged or worse. I have heard mixed reivews of Joliet, but what do you all think about the other cities?

I think I am willing to obviously pay more money to live in a place such as Naperville but I think the commute factor will be huge and could be the decider so any help would be great. Also are there any other cities anyone can recommend?

[Steve-o]

What time would your commute be? THats makes all the difference in the world.

And there are plenty of nice, new areas of Joliet (particularly the far West side and NW side) that are much cheaper than Naperville and just as safe.

[woolk]

Thanks, I think that I would want to arrive in Joliet somewhere between 7:30-8:00am. What are your thoughts?

[IlWesleyanGuy]

If you can afford to live in Naperville then you can afford to live in the nicer communities in Joliet. A nicer area is the stretch of Essington St. that lies between Jefferson and Black Road and then the stretch of Black Road That lies in between Essington and Bronk Road. These are mostly mature, nice-sized homes in safe neighborhoods. In some of these neighborhoods the prices are pretty much $500,000 and up. Twin Oaks neighborhoods along Essington are nice. The houses run around $300,000 and up but I'm sure you can find some houses that are a bit less. Most of these posters will tell you to not go past Larkin St or don't step foot on the East Side but if they only occasionally ride through Joliet they don't know much about what it has to offer. There are nice and safe neighborhoods in both areas. Undoubtedly, people will suggest the far west side of Joliet. It is newer and those homes are cookie-cutter, if you don't mind. Though, there are a couple of neighborhoods on the far west side that feature large, brick/masonry exterior homes. I guess these are referred to as McMansions. Obviously these homes are on the expensive side. These are just a few options.

I am not sure about commute from Naperville to Joliet but I know that it takes me 30 minutes to drive from the far west side of Joliet to Naperville/Fox Valley Mall using Rt. 59. on a typical Saturday during the summer. And during that drive there is a decent amount of conjestion on the road.

[studedude]

Weslyanguy has some good advice on Joliet's better neighborhoods. If the places he suggested are out of your budget look at Shorewood and Plainfield. Depending on where you are working in Joliet Channahon might also be an option.

Right now they are widening RT59 through Plainfield. It will help traffic when done but it will be bad for another year or so. That being said most of the traffic is north bound morning south in PM so your commute from Naperville would not be as bad.

Personally I commute from Oswego to far south side of Joliet. It takes me 40 min.

[ngrome]

Shorewood and Plainfield are nice and closer to Joliet. I'm a future Romeoville resident myself. I wouldn't commute all the way from Naperville, nice town, but overpriced and you'd have to take 59 all the way south unless you decide to go N/S on 355.

[chitown85]

At that time of hte morning, the commute shouldn't be bad. Generally the morning commutes are not AS bad. However, if you leave a second past 4:15, you could be looking at a much longer afternoon commute. Joliet and Naperville are both large, so let us know where in Joliet you are working. Joliet is a big suburb of about 150K people so plenty of neighborhoods. Generally, the western half of Joliet is nicer than the eastern half, but again, those are big areas.

[woolk]

OK thanks. One question though, when you say "shouldn't be bad" what are you thinking? Any more help from anyone else would be great....

[bulldawg1594]

naperville gots a lot of traffic. if you want to live in naperville, live in the longwood neighborhood because it is the cheapest part of the city, but it is still nice and safe.

[Mamama Mia]

Shorewood would be a great place to live, the housing is much like Naperville, but at a more affordable price point.
I would not at all rule out Joilet. I have mentioned in other threads that my cousin and her family live in the Cathedral District. Their home is magnificient, very close to St. Francis University. They consider the neighborhood to be lovely and very safe. They attend church in the neighborhood and can easily walk there, as well as to one of their favorite restaurants, Truth - it's a very mice area (both are on a divided street, boulevard-like with trees and grass in the center). They are very involved in their community and love it.
I am not sure if you need a house, but there are some condos in vintage buildings in that area, too.