Moving to Chicago from California (Wheaton, Oak Park: lofts, condo, how much)

[lealaalana]

We are moving to Chicago at the end of June. We are looking at buying a condo or loft in the city. Don't know anything about the areas, looking for something safe, walkable, close to coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques. We have a son who will be starting High School also. Any suggestions on an area?

[sfcambridge]

Do you have a price range/number of bedrooms that is ideal?

Is commute to work an issue? Where will you be working?

That will help us a lot.

[lealaalana]

My husband will be working in St. Charles.
Price range up to 600k

[soulful]

Does your husband plan to drive to St Charles? Or take Metra (and if so does he have transportation from the train station to his place of employment)?

There are a number of lofts just west of Greektown that might be a good fit. You mentioned a loft. Also, some cool lofts in Printers Row just south of Congress.

You could also live in Lincoln Park or Lakeview close to the park/lake. Both neighborhoods have many shops, restaurants, etc. I lived in a loft at one time, but prefer being close to the lakefront trails now.

Another possibility is the Gold Coast, River North, or Streeterville. You have a ton of options in your price range and a lot will depend on your husbands commute and how much driving he is willing to do (or would he prefer to live close to Metra in the city).

Also, will you be sending your son to a private or public school?

good luck to you

[chrawnick]

Originally Posted by lealaalana

My husband will be working in St. Charles.
Price range up to 600k

The commute via Metra train would be around 1 hour and 30 minutes.

If he drives from Chicago to St. Charles, that would be about an hour.

Have you have guys possibly discussed living in a suburb outside of Chicago?

[synapse]

I agree with Chrawnick - that's a long haul. I mean, you can do it, but have you considered nearby suburbs? Oak Park is great - it's connected to the L through Chicago, but it's a cute community in its own right. Or you could live in between in a suburb like LaGrange, which has a nice downtown but is still easy access to both Chicago and St. Charles via Metra.

[Stew Pitt]

If you have a high school-aged son, then I'm assuming you've enrolled him in private school. If not, then you probably should consider the suburbs. I'm aware of only a few reputable public high schools inside the city, and those are still iffy. Seriously, if you move to the city and you have a school-age child that you can afford to place in private school, if you fail to do so, you're abusing him. If you have the money, find a private school pronto (they have long wait lists) or move to the suburbs. Besides, St. Charles is as far outside the city as you can get without calling it the prairie.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Stew Pitt

If you have a high school-aged son, then I'm assuming you've enrolled him in private school. If not, then you probably should consider the suburbs. I'm aware of only a few reputable public high schools inside the city, and those are still iffy. Seriously, if you move to the city and you have a school-age child that you can afford to place in private school, if you fail to do so, you're abusing him. If you have the money, find a private school pronto (they have long wait lists) or move to the suburbs. Besides, St. Charles is as far outside the city as you can get without calling it the prairie.

Interesting, the best hs in the state is a cps school.

[ToriaT]

St. Charles and Geneva are both wonderful places. There is no reason to look anywhere else especially if you are working there. Living in the city would be a horrible commute, it would be over an hour. It takes an hour to get where I live in Wheaton from the city and St. Charles is farther and not the closest to the expressways. If you want to live equidistant between St. Charles and the city there there are other options. I would say you have three options one, live in the st. charles or geneva area, two live in another suburb where it would be easy to get to st. charles three live in the city somewhere. Of course a fourth would be to live in another suburb inconvenient to st charles like oak park.

[Jay Pet]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Interesting, the best hs in the state is a cps school.

The 'magnet' schools in Chicago have to be guarded to keep the gangs from attacking the kids looking to get an education. They are like targets. As one mother of a magnet student said about the schoolchildren, "they are like lambs surrounded by wolves." Where are the progressives helping out people like this woman and her kids? They are marching alongside the wolves!