Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-09-2019, 10:28 PM
 
1 posts, read 773 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

I've been searching posts about the reverse commute to Oak Brook from the city but many seem very old and outdated so I am looking for some new opinions. Recently I have just accepted a position in Oak Brook and will be moving from Michigan. I have potential roommates that have an apartment in Lincoln Park which allows me to pay a really low rent compared to typical rent in the area which is why I would be leaning more towards reverse commuting out to Oak Brook rather that living in the suburbs. I'm just wondering how bad the commute actually is? Some have told me 40-55 mins which I am totally okay with and some have told me 2 hours. I am also not from the area so I have no real idea on public transport but I do know that Oak Brook does not have really any options regarding it. Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-10-2019, 12:54 AM
 
Location: Illinois
3,208 posts, read 3,547,333 times
Reputation: 4256
Quote:
Originally Posted by foggy068 View Post
I've been searching posts about the reverse commute to Oak Brook from the city but many seem very old and outdated so I am looking for some new opinions. Recently I have just accepted a position in Oak Brook and will be moving from Michigan. I have potential roommates that have an apartment in Lincoln Park which allows me to pay a really low rent compared to typical rent in the area which is why I would be leaning more towards reverse commuting out to Oak Brook rather that living in the suburbs. I'm just wondering how bad the commute actually is? Some have told me 40-55 mins which I am totally okay with and some have told me 2 hours. I am also not from the area so I have no real idea on public transport but I do know that Oak Brook does not have really any options regarding it. Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated!
You would need to drive, and that drive would be a nightmare. You are talking about upwards of an hour during rush hour. I guarantee it. Chicago's vehicular traffic might not be as notorious as a city like Los Angeles or Atlanta, but it is very very bad. You would be shocked at how much traffic there can be, and more often than not is, on weekends as well.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-10-2019, 06:20 AM
 
Location: Oak Park, IL
247 posts, read 236,183 times
Reputation: 809
Lots of people live in the city and commute to the burbs for work, so you wouldn’t be alone on your drive. On a nice weather day, probably 45-60 minutes, but in rain or snow plan for double that time...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-10-2019, 06:59 AM
 
2,561 posts, read 2,180,727 times
Reputation: 1672
These are probably accurate. It really depends where you are in Lincoln Park too. It's a bit easier if you live at the western edge near the highway. It also depends on if you head to Oak Brook very early. These factors will only marginally improve your commute. Unless you go to the gym or something after work and don't head back til about 7pm, your commute home will probably suck.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-10-2019, 08:57 AM
 
846 posts, read 1,400,433 times
Reputation: 1020
I worked in Oak Park for awhile (I realize, not Oak Brook). I lived in both Uptown and Loop during my employment out there. Another coworker lived in Lakeview. I could not stand the commute from either location and enjoyed it more on my bike. Whereas my coworker loved it. It's all personal preference and threshold for the mere enjoyment of driving.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-10-2019, 11:59 AM
 
629 posts, read 543,220 times
Reputation: 994
Quote:
Originally Posted by foggy068 View Post
I've been searching posts about the reverse commute to Oak Brook from the city but many seem very old and outdated so I am looking for some new opinions. Recently I have just accepted a position in Oak Brook and will be moving from Michigan. I have potential roommates that have an apartment in Lincoln Park which allows me to pay a really low rent compared to typical rent in the area which is why I would be leaning more towards reverse commuting out to Oak Brook rather that living in the suburbs. I'm just wondering how bad the commute actually is? Some have told me 40-55 mins which I am totally okay with and some have told me 2 hours. I am also not from the area so I have no real idea on public transport but I do know that Oak Brook does not have really any options regarding it. Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated!
that literally sounds like a soul crushing idea

there is no public transit out there depending where you work, it is possible there could be a shuttle bus from the metra station, but in all likelyhood you would have to drive and dear lord spending that much time in horrible stop and go traffic 5 days a week... just no! Traffic is worse than ever too compared to even a few years ago.

Oak Brook is a very nice suburb though so if you work there, I would highly suggest living there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-10-2019, 02:30 PM
 
504 posts, read 495,913 times
Reputation: 523
Don't live in LP. I know many people that have done this commute from Old Town / River North / Lakeview via public transit and cars and they all questioned whether they could do it for more than a year.

Even if the rent is great in LP (which is a great neighborhood), you won't be happy with your commute. Live in the West Loop/ University Village/Pilsen or close to Oak Brook in Oak Brook/Oak Park/Forest Park/Berwyn.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-12-2019, 05:55 AM
 
Location: broke leftist craphole Illizuela
10,326 posts, read 17,425,894 times
Reputation: 20337
I had a coworker commute from Lakeview to Lombard which is a few miles west of Oak Brook and she eventually quit because of it. 290 is not fun.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-12-2019, 06:39 PM
 
13,005 posts, read 18,903,092 times
Reputation: 9252
This may be going in a different direction, but commuting to the Lake County suburbs from Chicago is an arduous undertaking, with heavy delays on the Edens. To provide an alternative, Lake County Partners and Metra teamed up to provide reverse commute trains on the Milwaukee North line.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-12-2019, 07:02 PM
 
Location: ✶✶✶✶
15,216 posts, read 30,553,434 times
Reputation: 10851
Oak Brook is hard to get to. Two Metra lines pass somewhat near there, but probably not where you need to be. 290 is as bad as advertised, and there's no avoiding it.

Living in LP is great and all, but you won't be able to enjoy it much working and driving (slowly) for much of your time.

If you live in Oak Park or Forest Park, you're still on the CTA El train system, and you can go ride into the city whenever you want.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:45 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top