Moving to the "city" need help with suburbs

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

...There is METRA rail service between DT Crystal Lake and DT Des Plaines. Unless your employer is near the tracks, there is generally no service between the station and the area you are working on...

And how would you know this?

The OP did not state exactly where the job is located.


"1. Route 209 - Busse Highway Wheelchair Accessible
Provides service between the Harlem Avenue CTA Blue Line Station and the Des Plaines Metra station. This route parallels a portion of the Metra Northwest line including the Park Ridge and Des Plaines stations.
Route 209 Schedule | Route 209 Map


2. Route 234 - Wheeling - Des Plaines Passenger Notice Wheelchair Accessible
Provides service between Wheeling and downtown Des Plaines. Serves the Wheeling Municipal Complex, the Mount Prospect Metra Station, Randhurst Mall, Woodland Creek Apartments, Holy Family Hospital and Wheeling High School. Rush hour service is extended to the Buffalo Grove Terminal with midday and Saturday service ending at Strong and Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling.
Route 234 Schedule | Route 234 Map


3. Route 221 - Wolf Road Wheelchair Accessible
Provides service between North Prospect Heights, Kensington Business Center, Western Des Plaines, and the Rosemont CTA Blue Line Station. Midday service operates south of the Cumberland Metra Station. Extra service to the Allstate Arena is operated for selected events.On school days this route operates two afternoon trips servicing Maine West High School.
Route 221 Schedule | Route 221 Map


4. Route 223 - Elk Grove - Rosemont CTA Station Wheelchair Accessible
Provides service between Elk Grove Industrial area, United Airlines Reservation Center, and the Rosemont CTA Blue Line Station.
Route 223 Schedule | Route 223 Map


5. Route 226 - Oakton Street Passenger Notice Wheelchair Accessible
Provides weekday service between the Jefferson Park CTA Blue Line Metra Station and Oakton and Hamilton in southern Mt. Prospect via Des Plaines Metra Station. Stops also include Edgebrook Metra Station, Village Crossing, Oakton Community College/Prairie Center, Niles West High School, Oak Mill Mall and Maine West High School.
Route 226 Schedule | Route 226 Map


6. Route 208 - Golf Road Passenger Notice Wheelchair Accessible
An east/west arterial route serving Golf Road from Davis Street CTA Purple Line/Metra Station in downtown Evanston to the Northwest Transportation Center in Schaumburg. Service is provided to Evanston Township High School, Des Plaines and Cumberland Metra Stations, and shopping centers such as Woodfield, Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard and Golf Mill. Service to Skokie Courthouse is provided Monday - Friday only and to Oakton Community College Monday - Saturday only.
Route 208 Schedule | Route 208 Map


7. Route 230 - South Des Plaines Wheelchair Accessible
Connects the Rosemont CTA Blue Line station to the Des Plaines Metra Station, Southern Des Plaines. Rush hour extension to the western part of Des Plaines. Stops include Maine West High School, Prairie Lakes Park Community Center, Salvation Army HQ and Elmdale Apartments. Certain rush hour trips serve the O'Hare Lakes Office Complex.
Route 230 Schedule | Route 230 Map


8. Route 250 - Dempster Street Wheelchair Accessible
This line links downtown Evanston to the Des Plaines Metra station via Dempster and then south to the O'Hare Kiss-N-Fly ATS Station. Service along this line includes the Davis Street CTA Station (Purple Line), the Skokie Swift CTA Station (Yellow Line), Notre Dame and Main East High Schools, and Lutheran General Hospital.
Route 250 Schedule | Route 250 Map


9. Route 272 - Golf Mill-Westfield Shoppingtwn Hawthorne-Milw Ave Wheelchair Accessible
Provides weekday and Saturday service between Golf Mill Shopping Center in Niles and Westfield Shoppingtown Hawthorn in Vernon Hills via Wheeling along Milwaukee Ave. Regular stops along this route included the restaurants along Restaurant Row and Palwaukee Airport. This route makes select weekday trips to businesses in Lincolnshire, Busch Parkway, Hewitt, the Corporate Woods Parkway and the Buffalo Grove Metra Station.
Route 272 Schedule | Route 272 Map


10. Route 606 - Northwest Limited Wheelchair Accessible
Provides service between the Rosemont CTA Station and Woodfield Corporate Center, serving Woodfield Mall and business and commercial areas in Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows and Mt. Prospect. These businesses include United Airlines HQ, Pace HQ, Illinois Department of Employment Security, Meadows Corp. Center, Hyatt Regency Woodfield, and the Northwest Transportation center. Operates via the Northwest Tollway between River Road and Elmhurst Road.
Route 606 Schedule | Route 606 Map"

http://www.pacebus.com/sub/schedules/search_results.asp

[awaywiigo]

I appreciate all responses. We will likely look to rent if we end up with the transfer for the first year unless we can narrow down the home search while there. We are used to a 30-40 min. commute so an hour seems big. I know not very city like, but I guess we will learn!

[OakBrookMom]

Unfortunately, your price range puts you in a bind in our metropolitan area. You will be on the fridge if you want a 3 bedroom 2 bath home with a 2 car garage and basement that doesn't require a good deal of updating. The problem with Crystal Lake is it's location, because not only is it on the fringe but it is no where near a major highway. As Chet pointed out, you may be in a bind later on down the road if either you relocate or change jobs. Also while mass transit seems like a great way to go - unless the job is walking distance from the Des Plaines station like jlawrence01 said - you can forget it. I've have a few buyers in your situation and oddly they have all chosen townhomes - nice 3 bedroom, 2.1 bath with 2 car garages and managable commutes plus locations that allows the opportunity for ample future jobs. This market gives you the great opportunity to get into certain communities that just a year or two ago you would have no options - you have to search but you can find bargains. I think the hardest part is only having one or two options, not 20-30 options like you would out in Crystal Lake. So since you don't know the area, you really don't know how great a deal a few of these really are. Like Chet said, not all distressed sales are distressed properties - you can find a deal on a move-in ready home. If you can use the Metra, I'd try to stick to Cary and Fox River Grove for housing options. If the Metra doesn't work then I'd expand my search. For example, I'd include the few nice, large updated townhomes in Mundelein which would give you easy access to I-94 and put you on the fringe of the North Shore if you don't want a smaller, older home. Every once in a while a townhome will surface in the Barrington area under 200K. If you want to stay off I-90 so that you still have access to the Schaumburg area for jobs, Lake in the Hills and Huntley would offer really nice newer townhomes as well as some great deals on a few single family homes right now. I wouldn't pass up an updated townhome in Schaumburg or Palatine either. The nicer homes closer in tend to not have basements which is why they are in the price range. In many close-in areas like Arlington Heights or West Deerfield this might be your best option if it is in an area with teardowns because the lot has value, not just the home. You will only have one or two of these rehabbed options. If a rehab special is even a consideration I'd look at the one or two options you'd have in Park Ridge.