westernmost suburbs? (Chicago, Aurora, DeKalb: big home, employment, university)

[Fearringtonflash]

In the 1970's, I taught at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, and the Dekalb/Sycamore area was definitely not considered suburban or exurban to the Chicago burbs. St Charles, Aurora, and the other Fox River towns were the 'outer limit'

Is that still true today? Or has the sprawl reached out to DeKalb and environs?

[oakparkdude]

Not quite yet, but the Metra has been extended to Elburn and there is (or was at least) a lot of new housing going up there.

[Steve-o]

As sukwoo stated, its not there yet, nor will be for awhile. There is just too much farmland inbetween Rt.47 and Sycamore/DeKalb to ever see the suburbs to connect. However, small, far-out towns like Cortland, etc, are growing pretty quickly. Towns like Elburn, Wasco, were once the "boonies" and are now fully developed and quite nice!

[TennisDD]

Randall Road use to be the line, but it is now Route 47 for the far western burbs.

[sgresident]

we live here in sugar grove and are definitely part of the western suburbs. I would concur that dekalb is a little too far to fit this description..at least right now.

[chet everett]

The farms along 90 are still yielding to developers pretty quickly, and well west of 47 -- basically right through McHenry County. I think most people doubt that farms will be a majority of land use except in a few townships there within the next several decades. It is sorta silly too, as there is little chance that living so far away from the employment centers of the region is almost certainly a hugely wasteful way to go, but people loves them big houses...

[TennisDD]

As business build off the highways(i.e. I-88, I-90) people will continue to move further west. Dekalb will be a suburb in 10 years. Already many people commuting from Dekalb/Sycamore to Fox Valley area.
Chicagoland is massive and being close to Chicago is no longer needed.
Of course things have shut down due to the recession we are in. But once this cycle comes out, you watch, more homes and business will be built out further west for land is cheaper and just as Americans like big cars, they will always like big homes.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by TennisDD

But once this cycle comes out, you watch, more homes and business will be built out further west for land is cheaper and just as Americans like big cars, they will always like big homes.

We'll see about that if gas hits $10/gallon.

[TennisDD]

If gas hits $10 a gallon, we are going to have a larger crisis on our hand and we would be in a greater depression than the 1930s. Obviously anything can happen, but that is unlikely.

[Lookout Kid]

I wouldn't be surprised if it happens in the next ten to fifteen years. The price of oil is rising much faster than inflation, and supplies have been even or dropping in recent years.