Commute to rosemont...where to live? (Chicago, Schaumburg: houses, neighborhoods, school)

[Mucord]

Hi everyone
My wife, daughter (1) and I are considering a move from Munich to Chicago. The job is in Rosemont. We live in the city now (similar to a lincoln park type neighborhood). We dont really want the suburban lifestyle and would like to be close enough to the city as possible with a reasonable commute for me( under 35-40). Any suggestions? We hear Lincoln Square, logan square, etc. We would like an area where we can walk to something....even if it is a coffee shop. We clearly wont do it all the time, but when we do, we want to have the option vs getting in the car . We would also like to have a home with a small amount of green space for the kids to play a bit. I know we are specific, but several moves have thought us what we like /appreciate.

Any help would be apprecited.

[Doglover5]

I have to throw out this suggestion b/c I think it actually works quite well for commuting to Rosemont: If you live in Oak Park or River Forest (Oak Park being the more urban feeling of the two), you can commute locally right up Des Plaines River Road (known as "River Road"). I imagine it would take 20 minutes. Just something to consider....

[chicagobear]

Is your job within walking distance of the Blue Line Rosemont stop on the El? If that is the case, your best bet is one of the neighborhoods on the Blue Line like Wicker Park or Logan Square.

[marothisu]

Rosemount is on the Blue Line, so depending on where your job is in relation to that, you could commute on the Blue Line. What is your budget and what kind of housing would you like (bedrooms, and bathrooms)? I think if you can get from the Blue Line to your workplace easily, then areas like Wicker Park, Bucktown, and parts of Logan Square would be good. Maybe even parts of Ukrainian Village.

If you don't want to take the train, these areas are all still right near the freeway that goes up to Rosemount. But other areas like Lincoln Square/Ravenswood or Andersonville would be good too if you plan on completely driving to work. Lincoln Park and Lakeview could of course work too. If you want quieter, then maybe areas of Irving Park which is a lot closer to work, or even Jefferson Park, but around Jefferson Park gets a little bit more suburban than a Wicker park, Bucktown, Logan Square, and UK Village..Ravenswood and Andersonville are pretty quiet too.

I guess it depends on budget and some other things though.

[aragx6]

I think we'd really have to know your budget to make the best suggestions -- especially if you're looking for a bit of green space.

[chet everett]

...the layout and overall developent patterns for MOST of Rosemont is far more "carr centric" than "walkable". This is epecially true of the builidings nearer Higgins where the road repairs routinely ade little / no effort to keep pedestrians safe...

I suspect that the OP will probably end up driving or at least needing to take the bus for some portion of their commute and therefor the SHORTEST commute will be best. The core of towns like DesPlaines or Park Ridge are VERY walkable anb almost certainly FAR shorter commute times that any other suburb / most spots inside Chicago. The ease of getting into a good school is far simpler than inside Chicago too, though with only a 1 year old they could probably learn the ropes before kindergarten.

Personally I think Edison Park and Jefferson Park are perfectly acceptable to consider, though Park Ridge is cerrtainly more upscale and probably makes more sense for someone who is likely if not an executive than at least someone valuable enough to their firm that a trans-continental job is warranted. The abundance of larger yards would also be a plus for someone that longs for more family play area. Park Ridge is not "wide open spaces" but I have inlaws in both Park Ridge and Jefferson Park and the different in yard configuration is dramatic...

My sister lives in Lincoln Square and it is a lovely part of Chicago but the distance is really not worth the trade-off for a commute to Rosemont.


I further would not recommend the trendier areas along the Blue Line to someone that is not specificallly looking for a happening nightlife scene. Certainly there are folks with kids in those areas but I would be surprised if they did not move there prior to having children...

[peterparker20]

The core of towns like DesPlaines or Park Ridge

These towns are full-blown suburbia, however.

[chet everett]

Maybe you need towns where the towers are close enough to swing from web to web, but by regional standards the VERY walkable core of Park Ridge or DesPlaines compares extremely well. "Full blown suburbia" might apply to towns with no Metra service nor any appreciable central business district that is attractive for walking or pushing a baby in a stroller -- places like Glendale Heights or Schaumburg would epitomize very car centric devvelopment.

The OP expressed a desire to able to occaisionally walk to coffee shops or other daily needs and given the way that shops and resturants are clustered around the rail stations of pretty much any of the desirable towns with Metra service that would be easy. The kicker is the job in Rosemont -- being ten minutes or less in Park Ridge makes this a slam dunk.

Originally Posted by peterparker20

These towns are full-blown suburbia, however.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by chet everett

...the layout and overall developent patterns for MOST of Rosemont is far more "carr centric" than "walkable". This is epecially true of the builidings nearer Higgins where the road repairs routinely ade little / no effort to keep pedestrians safe...

I suspect that the OP will probably end up driving or at least needing to take the bus for some portion of their commute and therefor the SHORTEST commute will be best. The core of towns like DesPlaines or Park Ridge are VERY walkable anb almost certainly FAR shorter commute times that any other suburb / most spots inside Chicago. The ease of getting into a good school is far simpler than inside Chicago too, though with only a 1 year old they could probably learn the ropes before kindergarten.

Personally I think Edison Park and Jefferson Park are perfectly acceptable to consider, though Park Ridge is cerrtainly more upscale and probably makes more sense for someone who is likely if not an executive than at least someone valuable enough to their firm that a trans-continental job is warranted. The abundance of larger yards would also be a plus for someone that longs for more family play area. Park Ridge is not "wide open spaces" but I have inlaws in both Park Ridge and Jefferson Park and the different in yard configuration is dramatic...

My sister lives in Lincoln Square and it is a lovely part of Chicago but the distance is really not worth the trade-off for a commute to Rosemont.


I further would not recommend the trendier areas along the Blue Line to someone that is not specificallly looking for a happening nightlife scene. Certainly there are folks with kids in those areas but I would be surprised if they did not move there prior to having children...

I think we need to stop assuming that OP doesn't want X and OP obviously wants Y without them even saying it. Believe it or not, there are some people who work in the suburbs who would rather live in a great neighborhood and sacrifice an extra 40 minutes total per day commute than live in a boring part of town or a suburb. I know, it's REALLY hard to believe, but those people do exist.

I also wouldn't necessarily call Bucktown 100% trendy. Logan Square? Sure, part of it. Part of Wicker Park? Sure, but there's parts of all those areas that are not even close to hipsterville or trend central. Even in Logan Square tons of areas like that exist. Not everything along the blue line is TRENDY. Go near Kedzie and Armitage in Logan Square and actually tell me the entire area is trendy. It's like a regular neighborhood with houses.

[Doglover5]

Not sure where my brain was, as I sort of forgot about the blue line to Rosemont. Yes, you can do the drive from Oak Park, but the other blue line city suggestions and the Park Ridge suggestions make a lot more sense!