moving from Schaumburg to Connecticut (Chicago, Des Plaines: home, job market, living in)

[netb2b]

I am planning to move from Schaumburg to Conencticut due to job. I am still not sure if its a wise decision to make. I liked Chicago/Schaumburg and the suburb area is very neat and clean. Not sure how is Hartford in Connecticut and related CT areas and the State and if its a wise decision to move.

Any thoughts?

[knitgirl]

Did you try posting in the CT forums?

[netb2b]

Sorry about that. I thought it was related to Illinois but I will post in CT forum too.

[nanannie]

Hartford has some very bad areas and some very nice ones, like any city. Not all of Hartford is "neat and clean" but its a much larger area then S'burg, which to me is lacking in any charm or interest other then business/shopping.
The countryside,history, and New England towns around that area are far superior aestheticly to Illinois. I would like to have NYC or Boston and those magical New England Villages to explore. The ocean? As nice as Lake Michigan is, its not the ocean. Real mountains close by for skiing too is a plus. Salsbury and Litchfiedl County, and the history of the towns,villages-wonderful.
BUt it depends on the job, where your family is and what you want out of your life now. Whats the opportunity like for you in both places? Chicago is a first class city but I would look into your East Coast opportunity.

[middle-aged mom]

Sperlings shows that greater Hartford area with a cost of living index of 95.25 versus Schamburg at 119.65.

No doubt this will be influenced by where you call home, in Ct.

[westender]

West Hartford is a lovely traditional suburb, with a vibrant town center, and is generally neat and clean. Also, the West End of Hartford is neat and clean (west of the Park River) You probably don't want to live in the rest of Hartford proper.

If you are open to a commute, the Farmington Valley (Avon, Farmington, Simsbury, Canton) are nice but distant suburbs. They are west of the mountain ridge which runs north-south along the west border of Bloomfield and West Hartford.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by nanannie

Hartford has some very bad areas and some very nice ones, like any city. Not all of Hartford is "neat and clean" but its a much larger area then S'burg, which to me is lacking in any charm or interest other then business/shopping.
The countryside,history, and New England towns around that area are far superior aestheticly to Illinois. I would like to have NYC or Boston and those magical New England Villages to explore. The ocean? As nice as Lake Michigan is, its not the ocean. Real mountains close by for skiing too is a plus. Salsbury and Litchfiedl County, and the history of the towns,villages-wonderful.
BUt it depends on the job, where your family is and what you want out of your life now. Whats the opportunity like for you in both places? Chicago is a first class city but I would look into your East Coast opportunity.

We have a lot of towns in northeast Illinois that have a historic charm that is New England-like. (although actually white settlement many not be quite as long in IL).

Towns along the Fox River, some areas along the north Shore, the lower Des Plaines (Lemont and Lockport), McHenry County (Woodstock) not to mention places even further west alon the Rock River and around the Galena Driftless area. Wisconsin has some fairly large hills, and mountains in southern New England are not mountains compared to many other major mountain ranges.

Overall, I think the northeast and the Great Lakes region have more in common than different, and that moving to somewhere within 2 hours of New York is really not that much of an adjustment to moving somewhere with 2 hours of Chicago.

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

We have a lot of towns in northeast Illinois that have a historic charm that is New England-like. (although actually white settlement many not be quite as long in IL).

Towns along the Fox River, some areas along the north Shore, the lower Des Plaines (Lemont and Lockport), McHenry County (Woodstock) not to mention places even further west alon the Rock River and around the Galena Driftless area. Wisconsin has some fairly large hills, and mountains in southern New England are not mountains compared to many other major mountain ranges.

Overall, I think the northeast and the Great Lakes region have more in common than different, and that moving to somewhere within 2 hours of New York is really not that much of an adjustment to moving somewhere with 2 hours of Chicago.

Yes, I would agree some SECTIONS of towns in Illinois are a bit "New Englandish", but other then say, Galena, I dont think anything around here compares.
Driftless region is nice, very pretty and "hilly", but again, is not on par for what New England offers. No, they are not the Rockies but certainly are more then hilly areas.New Glarus(Wisc) reminded me of bit of some Vermont Villages.
Chicago, as I said, is a first class city,,but it aint New York.

[Pcjamn1]

Funny- but I am considering almost the opposite move since my husband's job may take us from Connecticut to the North Shore of Chicago. We are not from the Hartford area (we are from Fairfield county, closer to New York) but I have relatives who live in Windsor/ Windsor Locks area right outside of Hartford, and it seems like a nice suburban area there. I am a true New Englander at heart, so the thought of leaving is hard, but I can tell you that although Hartford as a city is not all that exciting, you are within an hour and a half from Boston (a great city and my original home town!) and two hours from New York. You are also within 2-3 hours of some really great Vermont skiing (Okemo and Killington mountains the best in the East in mho), and you are also within an hour and a half from great beaches in Rhode Island (Newport and Narraganset- great New England Beach towns and the ferries to Block Island- a really quaint rustic island.

Can you tell I am envious!!! Good luck with your decision.

[bobsmith319]

I moved from Mt. Prospect to Connecticut five years ago for a similar situation. I really dislike Connecticut. Hartford is nothing compared to Chicago. You do have New York City and Boston, but both are sort of far away. I love Chicago, and and I really regret leaving with all my heart. I'm planning to move back within and a year and a half or so. There really isn't a whole lot to do here. The job market isn't all that good either. I'd say if it's not too late, and if you can find another job, then stay where you are, trust me, take it from someone who knows!