Best suburb to raise kids with best schools and quality of life?

[ImaloneJill]

Well, we live just a few minutes from I80, not gonna lie, could be driving a bit briskly at 5 am. I have driven with him a few times to go to seminars and have been amazed that traffic moves quickly before 7 am.
Glad you don't know what he drives.
Point is, the ride down 94 is so much better since they improved the ramps.

[chet everett]

Completely agree. And goodness know he is not alone in moving "briskly" early in the morning. I just wanted to give folks a more realistic view of the 'typical' commute times {and maybe tweak you a bit too }

[ImaloneJill]

LOL. Tweak taken.

[pop77]

Hi 'earlyretirement'. I sent you a private message with some of my thoughts/opinions and answers to your questions. let me know if I can provide any more insight

[candy007]

I would have to agree with one of the other post. Some of the best areas in the southwest suburbs are New Lenox, Mokena, and Frankfort. They have a really great school district as well as shopping. Wheaton is also great although it is not a southwest suburb.

[bmwjerry]

We all have our biases but I haven't seen anyone suggest Chicago proper, or my personal favorite is Oak Park, just on the border- three trains and the Eisenhower- ten or twenty minutes downtown, all the museums, cultural - Frank Lloyd Wright homes, and exceptional schools in Oak Park, and very diverse-- a lot of kids grow up in these outer burbs and never go downtown-- or see any face that isn't white-- and the world they will become adults in is diverse-- plus hospitals, medical facilities, colleges, etc. We could move away but choose to stay. If in Chicago you need to be able to use private schools unless you can get in one of the better public-- lots of games being played there-- so that's a problem-- yet Chicago has some of the richest cultural attractions in the world-- if you're in the city or near it you'll have a chance to enjoy the museums, festivals, lakefront - have a sailboat? you've come to the right place.. - Mokena? Arlington heights? highland park? these are nice places but realistically-- you won't get in the city but once in a fortnight. and as the kids get older you'll never get there-- and you'll miss out on that world-- Why are you coming to Chicago anyway?
You might also take a look at Hyde Park in the city- home of the Univ of Chicago--
j

[candy007]

Originally Posted by bmwjerry

We all have our biases but I haven't seen anyone suggest Chicago proper, or my personal favorite is Oak Park, just on the border- three trains and the Eisenhower- ten or twenty minutes downtown, all the museums, cultural - Frank Lloyd Wright homes, and exceptional schools in Oak Park, and very diverse-- a lot of kids grow up in these outer burbs and never go downtown-- or see any face that isn't white-- and the world they will become adults in is diverse-- plus hospitals, medical facilities, colleges, etc. We could move away but choose to stay. If in Chicago you need to be able to use private schools unless you can get in one of the better public-- lots of games being played there-- so that's a problem-- yet Chicago has some of the richest cultural attractions in the world-- if you're in the city or near it you'll have a chance to enjoy the museums, festivals, lakefront - have a sailboat? you've come to the right place.. - Mokena? Arlington heights? highland park? these are nice places but realistically-- you won't get in the city but once in a fortnight. and as the kids get older you'll never get there-- and you'll miss out on that world-- Why are you coming to Chicago anyway?
You might also take a look at Hyde Park in the city- home of the Univ of Chicago--
j

BJ you have a point about us missing out on what the downtown area has to offer. Here is where we differ.. Oak park maybe nice but look at the boarder one block maybe Oak Park and across the street is the west side of Chicago. Now in the south suburbs you have a better chance of the whole area being nice versus a couple of blocks. Now I am from Chicago and I don't touch the West Side. Just like any other city the suburbs is a sanctuary and the city is loud. You can always experience the city when you want to and then go home to your sanctuary in the suburbs. To each is own.

[chet everett]

I know lots of folks that commute into the City DAILY from the towns you say are "once a fortnight a way" Heck I personally know middle school age KIDS in AH that are very comfortable taking the train into Olgivie and then the El to Wrigley Field with nothing more than cell phone to ward off an evils of urbanism...

Let's be realistic about some of the unique offerings of other towns too --Highland Park is a great place for kids on Lake Michigan through the park district. Can you get something like that in Chicago itself? Hmm, I wonder why not, with all the lake front you'd think it would be easy enough, if the Park District was not run as corrupt little enclave for clouted up Union types and the donation dolling out private firms that run the marinas...

Oak Park's schools are exceptionally inefficient with their tax dollars, and yet the towns fails to reach the upper slots of achievement of even neighboring River Forest --
Top 100 elementary schools in Illinois :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education
Top 100 middle schools in Illinois :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education

Kids in most high achieving towns can see all kinds of faces that are Asian or Indian in their schools too. I literally cannot think of ANY town in the whole region where Hispanic folks of all levels of income are not present. Diversity is pretty wide spread depending on what you really are looking for...

In my experience Oak Parkers are some of the most insular folks in the whole region, unsure of where placs like Woodfield are even located, let alone knowing anything aboutits importance as a landmark in the model of commerce that has had more influence on more people than any other business devlopment in the 20th century...