Anyone regret moving to Naperville or later leave? How crowded is it? (Chicago: employment, job transfer)

[damba]

Originally Posted by Faye1361

This is a very interesting thread. I have the same question, mainly asking families with kids.
My family and I are currently in Pasadena, CA and there is an opportunity for my husband to move to another office of his company in Naperville. The craziness of housing prices here is driving us out of CA. We have 2 kids, 10 years old and 1 year old. The pay is the same as here, so I was wondering if financially it makes sense to move to Naperville. My husband and I are both engineers, Structural and Electrical. Any comment on expenses of life and change in quality of life is appreciated.

COL is less here. You get a more house here for the same $. And you wouldn't necessarily have to live in Naperville either, to be blatantly honest . Plenty of other great suburbs.

Quality of life is way too subjective. See the various C-D threads. For example, if you prioritize good weather and access to beaches over COL, CA wins. Being closer to family, or to jobs that are more appealing might tip the scales. Nothing set in stone since it's all relative to one's priorities/tastes.

[Faye1361]

Thanks damba. It is very true, quality of life is indeed subjective. I suppose when people talk about the weather, they don't realize that heat can be as uncomfortable as cold.( Excluding the harror story I read on Google on Naperville winter ).
Here in Pasadena area my son and I are miserable 9 months of the year and can't be outdoors that much. Our bodies run hotter than Average people and we are always baked under the Sun here. Speaking of the beach, last time I was there was 3 years ago. We drove for 2 hours in traffic to get there and 2 hours to get back home. I still dread the traffic and so far haven't gone to West side.Every weekend, we check the traffic and we realize how traffic is limiting our activities.
I hear many people are leaving Illinois, and was wondering if it is that bad.
Many people are also leaving CA , but the hype is that " Where is better than California?"
Anyway, I was wondering if somebody has moved from southern California with kids, and how different it could be for family with kids.

[Faye1361]

BTW, would the suburbs around Naperville have cheaper houses considering the property taxes?
At the moment,COL is a big factor for us.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by Faye1361

BTW, would the suburbs around Naperville have cheaper houses considering the property taxes?
At the moment,COL is a big factor for us.

Based on my own search last year, in terms of property taxes, for towns around Naperville, Naperville itself may provide the most for your money, but it doesn't hurt to pull up a map and look at some of the nearby towns like Wheaton or Glen Ellyn if your budget allows. A portion of Lisle also feeds into Naperville schools and may be more affordable, but it's tough to know what you need to consider without a budget.

[Faye1361]

We are thinking around 450K. I see on Redfin the property tax in Naperville varies from 1.9 to 2.5. Is it true or all are at 2.5.
Looks like other than housing, all expenses are similar to here.

[JoePO]

Originally Posted by Faye1361

We are thinking around 450K. I see on Redfin the property tax in Naperville varies from 1.9 to 2.5. Is it true or all are at 2.5.
Looks like other than housing, all expenses are similar to here.

They really do vary somewhat - I'm at something like 2.2%.

[damba]

Originally Posted by Faye1361

We are thinking around 450K. I see on Redfin the property tax in Naperville varies from 1.9 to 2.5. Is it true or all are at 2.5.
Looks like other than housing, all expenses are similar to here.

It's going to vary a little by location. I would focus instead on the most recent published (current) property tax bills for any individual parcel you are considering (e.g. skip the mil rates once you know ballpark for the area). The county should have them online since often zillow/redfin frequently has an earlier year.

[damba]

Originally Posted by Faye1361

BTW, would the suburbs around Naperville have cheaper houses considering the property taxes?
At the moment,COL is a big factor for us.

It's always a issue with particular properties- they will vary.

[damba]

Originally Posted by Faye1361

Thanks damba. It is very true, quality of life is indeed subjective. I suppose when people talk about the weather, they don't realize that heat can be as uncomfortable as cold.( Excluding the harror story I read on Google on Naperville winter ).
Here in Pasadena area my son and I are miserable 9 months of the year and can't be outdoors that much. Our bodies run hotter than Average people and we are always baked under the Sun here. Speaking of the beach, last time I was there was 3 years ago. We drove for 2 hours in traffic to get there and 2 hours to get back home. I still dread the traffic and so far haven't gone to West side.Every weekend, we check the traffic and we realize how traffic is limiting our activities.
I hear many people are leaving Illinois, and was wondering if it is that bad.
Many people are also leaving CA , but the hype is that " Where is better than California?"
Anyway, I was wondering if somebody has moved from southern California with kids, and how different it could be for family with kids.

Wow, you must be *really* sensitive to heat and sun. Pasadena ranks really high on the comfort scale compared to most places in the US. It's gorgeous there(!) You will be happy to learn that it's a lot more cloudy here by comparison

There are a million threads on 'people leaving IL' to make it worth re-hashing though. It is overblown a little. FWIW, neighbors across the subdivision moved here from LA three years ago and their kids love the schools. I have other friends who moved back to suburban Chicago from Huntington Beach for job transfers. It will likely be similar in popular areas like Naperville. You will discover other transplants if you look around.

[Faye1361]

I am really sensitive to heat and sun. I think probably because I grew up in a City in my home country where 3/4 of the year is rainy and cloudy. Naturally I am in good mood only when it rains and is cloudy. Sunlight also triggers my migraine all the time. I am so sensitive to light that even indoor I wear tinted glasses.
The numbers and data in google is something, and experiencing is something else. For example, if it is 68 and cloudy, it is chilly here and if it is 68 and sunny, it is scorching hot. The sun here is the sharpest I have ever experienced.
However, the main reason we are planning to leave, is the housing price. We live in South Pasadena where all schools are 10 out of 10. Here a small 3 bed house with a tiny yard built in ancient time starts around 1 million. The best we can find is 40 miles inland , which would be 600K ish, event hotter than here, with average 3 hours of commute.
Looking at google data and posts here, I think if we put together the property tax, income tax ( We pay 9.3% for state here), and the housing price, we would still have an easier life over there.
I am glad to hear there are people from LA in Naperville and that their kids are happy there.
I was checking the elementary schools curriculum in District 203 and noticed they teach French/Spanish and the range of sports were impressive. Our school curriculum is not even close to what I saw in Naperville schools. Also, there are at least 30 kids in each classroom here and Naperville says 17 per teacher?
Are the schools there as good as it looks?
Sorry I am asking too many questions. I am excited that I have found real people who live there and can share their information.
Thank you all for your help.