Where to Livie Choosing a Suburb (Chicago, Naperville: lawyers, townhomes, teaching jobs)

[amd02g]

My husband and I are both teacher preparing to move to the chicago suburbs within the next year. Right now we are trying to decide where we want to settle down. We are looking to be within one hour of the city but as we are both teachers are looking for an oaffordable town that we will actually be able to live and buy a house in. And we are looking for a nice safe school disctrict to teach in and also that when we have kids we would feel comfortable sending them to school in. I would appreciate any and all advice to help us in preparation for this big move. THanks so much.

[dch66]

!0 out of 10 replys to tell you Naperville or the North Shore. I will try to make this as simple as possible. Anywhere aolong the North shore is where you want to work. We have some of the best school districts in the Country. But unless you are able to buy in the $500k range or much higher forget living anywhere near your job. The North shore's residents are CEO Lawyers and Proffesiona athletes. You will have to look in the far north suburbs (Lake County)for affordable housing. A very nice 3-4br home start's in the $250 and up. If at all possible stay away from Townhomes in Lake County. TH's are a bad investment around this neck of the woods. Antioch,Lake villa,Lindenhurst, Gurnee and Grayslake are wonderful towns to call home. Good schools Shopping galore. A quick train ride to downtown Chicago You can't go wrong with any of these towns. Stay away from Round Lake, Waukegan, Zion and North Chicago They have Drug and Gang issues. Naperville Geneva and St Charles are fantastic places to live as well. But the down fall is affordable homes. Most of the towns are very expensive. $350 will get you a decent (starter) size home. Naperville was picked a few years back as the best place in the Country to live. Go to Realtor.com and do your home research. Just keep in mind . The closer you get to the City the small the homes get, and the higher the taxes go.
Good Luck

[Steve-o]

[quote=dch66;846137. Naperville was picked a few years back as the best place in the Country to live.[/QUOTE]

It was this year as well. Its not the top one per se, but in the top 10, thats how CNN/Money Magazine works it.

[ahava]

Originally Posted by dch66

!0 out of 10 replys to tell you Naperville or the North Shore.

I must be the 11th reply, since I wasn't going to suggest either of those places. There are plenty of great places to live where you can find a house for under $500k. In the northern suburbs, Lake Zurich, Buffalo Grove, and Arlington Heights have great schools and I know many people who both live and teach in Buffalo Grove. In the western suburbs, La Grange and Western Springs are close to the city and also have great schools. I could name more; it depends on your price range and for what kind of town you're looking. You'll make the most money teaching on the North Shore but that's certainly not the only good place to teach.

[kmwheel]

Do you already have teaching jobs? I would make sure to get those set up before you decide on an area to live. Some of the commutes can be an absolute bear, and it's extremely difficult to get hired by many of the suburban districts with 200 applications per job opening. I completely agree with dch66 about the towns to avoid and the ones to consider. Also, consider teaching in districts that don't pay as much but have easier commutes from nice towns. With the price of gas and the traffic in Lake County, you'll easily make up a 5k difference in pay with the gas money and stress you'll be saving.

[homewifeev]

Lake County places like Buffalo Grove, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Kildeer, Mundelien, Fox Lake and such are nice but cookie cutter. They have affordable homes. Nice place for 400 to 500. Gurnee has pretty good schools though large and theft is a problem. They have nice shopping and have the best of two world class cities, Chicago and Milwaukee. Stay away from East Gurnee, Waukegan, Zion, Winthrop Harbor, Round Lake Area, and areas bordering Southwest Wisconsin. Travel into the city is a problem but you will probably work in your town right? Stay away of the North Shore. The North Shore is far too competitive and pricey. Some towns like Evanston, Skokie, and Lincolnwood may fit your needs but homes here are pricey and people love to throw money around here.

[sbd78]

I would recommend looking into Plainfield to live. It is one of the top 5 fastest growing suburbs in the country. Nice area, good place to raise a family, and reasonable housing prices for teacher salaries. Plus, it is very close to the top rated Naperville school district if you could find jobs there. (Living in Naperville is very pricey, Plainfield is considerably less expensive and still very nice.)

[DianaIL]

Hi - let's not underestimate the southwest burbs! Tinley Park, Orland Park, Palos Park, (you can get to the city in WAY less than an hour for these 3) and New Lenox, Frankfort, and Mokena are great towns. All have trains that run into downtown.

If you go to realtor.com or one of those sites, the zips on these are 60477, 60487, 60451 -- give those a try -

Best of luck to you!

[homewifeev]

I would look at Evanston/Skokie School District 65, Hinsdale Schools, Western Springs Schools, Maine Township, New Trier Township, or Stevenson. It may be hard to live within your own school district though.