Advice before you take the new job (Chicago, Naperville: relocate, real estate)

[Windy City John]

1. Determine how long a commute you want to make.

2. Mapquest or Google Map the area of your workplace. Realize there are 2 seasons in Chicago: Winter and Construction --Construction ties up traffic more than Winter -- Winter driving is actually great because there are more salt & sand trucks than democrats in Chicago! Add 30 to 45 minutes for bad days from what Mapquest says.

3. Decide if it is feasible to ride Metra (i.e is your place of work within short walk or on bus route). Go to metra.com and explore the routes.

4. Determine how much green space you want

5. Do you want urban or suburban. ---18.5 miles west, north, or south of chicago you hit suburbia.

6. Review the Illinois school reports, if schools are important---
FYI, better schools = higher real estate prices

7. Determine how much crime you can tolerate.

8. Do a cost of living comparison-- it will deflate your excitement about the offer you just received--unless you are coming from LA, Seattle, Boston, or Long Island

9. Be prepared for differences- - embrace them, otherwise stay put.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Windy City John

1. Determine how long a commute you want to make.

2. Mapquest or Google Map the area of your workplace. Realize there are 2 seasons in Chicago: Winter and Construction --Construction ties up traffic more than Winter -- Winter driving is actually great because there are more salt & sand trucks than democrats in Chicago! Add 30 to 45 minutes for bad days from what Mapquest says.

3. Decide if it is feasible to ride Metra (i.e is your place of work within short walk or on bus route). Go to metra.com and explore the routes.

4. Determine how much green space you want

5. Do you want urban or suburban. ---18.5 miles west, north, or south of chicago you hit suburbia.

6. Review the Illinois school reports, if schools are important---
FYI, better schools = higher real estate prices

7. Determine how much crime you can tolerate.

8. Do a cost of living comparison-- it will deflate your excitement about the offer you just received--unless you are coming from LA, Seattle, Boston, or Long Island

9. Be prepared for differences- - embrace them, otherwise stay put.

Great work. This should help people do their own initial research and cut down on posts.

[Windy City John]

I meant to include this in my original post-- Here is a city-to-city cost comparison calulator.

Cost of Living - Cost of Living Calculator from CNNMoney

[NYrules]

All that was listed in the top 9 is great, but also perhaps VISIT Chicago during it's off season (Nov-March) to see what the "reality" of living here is like. Stay for a week out where you maybe considering to live, (ie, in Skokie, Schaumburg, Orland Park, where ever) and try to make the commute in to where you are going to work during rush hours so your perception of our traffic isn't sugar coated any by driving in on a lets say Sunday afternoon and saying "oh wow, traffic in Chicago is great there isn't any" as some may do by coming here for a "weekend getaway"

Wake up to the gray skies day after day at 7AM as we have been for the past week now and see if you can handle that without being ready to flip out from sunlight deprevation. Pay the tolls as we all do, pay the "rip off parking fees", eat our food, see if this is all for you, then decide if you still want to move here. If you like Chicago still, then this is the place for you.

[Chinolala]

Originally Posted by NYrules

All that was listed in the top 9 is great, but also perhaps VISIT Chicago during it's off season (Nov-March) to see what the "reality" of living here is like. Stay for a week out where you maybe considering to live, (ie, in Skokie, Schaumburg, Orland Park, where ever) and try to make the commute in to where you are going to work during rush hours so your perception of our traffic isn't sugar coated any by driving in on a lets say Sunday afternoon and saying "oh wow, traffic in Chicago is great there isn't any" as some may do by coming here for a "weekend getaway"

Wake up to the gray skies day after day at 7AM as we have been for the past week now and see if you can handle that without being ready to flip out from sunlight deprevation. Pay the tolls as we all do, pay the "rip off parking fees", eat our food, see if this is all for you, then decide if you still want to move here. If you like Chicago still, then this is the place for you.

Good ideas. There is a "cost" to living in this fine city - people need to determine if they're willing to "pay" them.

[Windy City John]

there are a few cost benefits -- you only buy half as much sun tan lotion as floridians & arizonians, only need one bathing suit in Chicago - (bathing suits can be expensive) save on lawncare since your yard is covered in snow 4 months a year, airfares are cheaper due to Midway Ohare competition and carrier competiton,

[Windy City John]

Did I mention the need for a warm coat and boots.....brrrrrr... winter is finally here.

[ham727]

As someone who is looking at moving to Chicago, from Detroit, I appreciate this list of things to consider. Since we are not too far away (4.5 hours), we've been able to make a half a dozen trips out to the Chicago area to check out the areas we want to live. Nothing like driving around and getting a feel for the areas at all hours of the day.

The tolls are something we'll need to get used to---there is none of that in Detroit. The cold we are used to, coming from Detroit, so we're good there. And day after day of cloudy weather is pretty much the norm here, too. The traffic is worse than Detroit, that's for sure, but we'll deal with it.

I'm looking forward to taking the Metra if I end up taking a job downtown. Now, I know that the public transportation system in Chicago has it's problems, but it's better to have a system in place and have problems, than not to have one at all! Coming from another city that doesn't have this kind of transportation, I really appreciate being able to get around so easily without a car.

All in all, we really like the Chicago area and can't wait to relocate. We love Michigan, too, it's a great place to live, but we are leaving for jobs in Chicago, which Michigan doesn't have enough of these days.

[M TYPE X]

Tolls? Get I-Pass. Don't be a martyr for freeways, get the transponder.

Pontiacs? Don't be a martyr for General Motors here. Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, Acura. The neighbors won't appreciate the drop in their property values when you park that G6 outside. This isn't Milwaukee. This is "Global Chicago." That stupid Saturn CUV impresses no one (maybe here in midstate, but not in Naperville).

Traffic sucks. Toto, this isn't Big Beaver or Mound or Telegraph anymore. This is sitting on Roosevelt Road or on the Edens. It's either XM satellite radio or the two Mexican stations on the FM dial.

All on key now ... DA BEARZ! DA BULLZ!

[Windy City John]

People care less about cars here in Chicago than anywhere else in the country in my opinion.