Another transplant Q--city v. suburb (Chicago, Naperville: condo, house, neighborhood)

[speris]

My DH and I are considering moving to the Chicago area and are wondering if the city itself is what we want, or if we'd be happier in a suburb. Here's some background on us: We have a toddler, with plans/hopes for another kiddo in the future and feel strongly about good public schools. We currently live in Houston, but met when we were both living in Manhattan. I grew up in WI, he grew up in TX. We left NYC mostly because of the crazy cost of living and the undesirable rat-race-ness we felt there. Though overall we both loved the city, the vibrancy, the diversity of all kinds, we just couldn't see our future there. Houston has been a good stop-over destination but it doesn't feel like home either. The city is way too spread out for us, and doesn't have that "alive" feeling you get in big cities like nyc, chicago, london, etc. The weather is also completely miserable. So, we have our sights set on Chicago. We're looking for a house with a yard in a neighborhood with friendly people and good public schools, and our budget is probably under 700K.

First question is, given that all too brief explanation of us, would you recommend Chicago? Also, do you think the city proper is the place for us, or would a suburb like Oak Park or Evanston be a better bet for us at this point? Any other pearls of wisdom you can offer us? TIA!

[lincolnparker]

if you are looking for the type of diversity and vibrancy, you would be happier in the city. I personally lived in the suburbs for a year and hated it. 700k can get you a nice two bedroom condo in places such as Lincoln Park 2520

[Drover]

The quality of Chicago public schools are a deal-breaker for a whole lot of families who would otherwise like to live in the city. Strictly speaking, it is possible to get a good quality education in the city. But you really really have to work at it, and it's a whole lot easier to do it in the suburbs.

[cotyan]

I can't tell you which option would be better but as a fellow parent, we're moving to Chicago and we're choosing to live in the city. Here is why:

1) we want a city lifestyle - we live in the 'burbs now and hate it. We can't get that out here
2) we want our children to grow up in the diversity of the city and have more to do more to see
3) Education is important and there are some excellent private schools in the city - we do public now here in Alpharetta, GA but a good education is more important to us than where it stems from (public vs. private)
4) If we lived in the 'burbs again, how likely would it be we'd get to the city. Not likely, esp if we moved WAYYYY out to like Naperville. We find that now living in the 'burbs here, we rarely make it into the city like we thought we would - you form a niche life where you live and we find that having to make our way to the city is WORK, esp with kids!
5) it's appealing to us to have a great public transportation readily available, scale down from 2 cars to one, do more walking, see more sights and be right in the pulse of the lively place

My kids are older than yours (17 to 7) but we're still young (38) and I envision our life just being full of activities and all kinds of hustle and bustle - we have time to lay on a hammock in 30 years

Good luck in your decision

[Lookout Kid]

Buy a house in Lincoln Square near the Brown Line. For $700,000 it won't be the best house on the block, but it's a great neighborhood to raise kids in with an "urban" lifestyle. Private schools are a must there, however.

[Mister Mappy]

If you do go to the suburbs, the two you mentioned, Evanston, and Oak Park are probably the best. Both have good schools, and that suburban "urban" feel. Also, in the city areas like Irving Park, Roscoe Village, Logan Square, and Ukrainian Village are nice areas. (West Logan Square is still a bit sketchy, though). Irving Park would probably be your best bet for something decent under 700k.

[Steve-o]

Id look into Evanston. Its close to the city, has beach access, wonderful housing stock within your budget, better schools than the city, and is an overall great place to live.

[Avengerfire]

Try the Northwest Side of the city. You will not need to send your kids to private grammar schools in most areas and you can get a house for way way way under 700k.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Try the Northwest Side of the city. You will not need to send your kids to private grammar schools in most areas and you can get a house for way way way under 700k.

"Need" is a subjective term when talking about CPS schools. There are plenty of safe elementary schools on the Northwest Side that will actually teach your kid to read, but they are still just not comparable to a good suburban school. It's a tough choice. A "good" CPS elementary school is usually still pretty bad when you compare it to a strong suburban district like Naperville.

I'm not from the suburbs, nor am I pro-suburb. I'm just pointing out one shortcoming of staying in the city when public schools are in the picture. I'd like to stay in the city myself to raise my kids, but haven't yet found the neighborhood CPS elementary school I feel comfortable with for my daughter (though there are selective enrollment schools that are great). I'm not a Catholic, but am considering going that route. There are some impressive Catholic schools in the city. And I feel I could counteract any brainwashing at home

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

"Need" is a subjective term when talking about CPS schools. There are plenty of ...

I was not attacking the question as "the city is better than the burbs for school." I was just stating if the OP decided on living in the city they would be much better off on the NW side in many ways and would not need to shell out money for a private school nor as much for a house that they would have to if they moved in the "hip" areas of Chicago.