Please Help!!! (Chicago, Oakbrook Terrace, Fayetteville: cul-de-sac, transplants, new house)

[What do you suggest....]

My husband just got a job offer in Chicago....we have been living in Fayetteville, GA for 12 years just outside of Alanta. I need some feeback on areas you would suggest us to look first. We have 3 Children ages....15,11,1....I don't know where to start...please help! Thanks

[Lookout Kid]

Are you looking in the suburbs again? If so, you should ask the moderators to move this to the "Chicago Suburbs" forum. You will get much better advice there, since the "Chicago" forum is very city-oriented.

If you are indeed interested in the city, what is your price range for a home? Are you interested in good public schools, or will you pay for private? Do you want an dense, urban experience, or something quieter with more green space?

If you are interested in the suburbs, there are hundreds--so I can see why you might be overwhelmed. You may first want to focus on your commute to find a particular suburban area to focus in on. Commute is a big deal in Chicago, and you may even want to look at area that have train access (the Metra is the suburban commuter rail train) just so it's an option if you truly hate Chicago driving. So, where will you and/or your husband be working? And once again, what's your home budget, preference of housing type, etc.? Are you looking for a new house on a cul-de-sac or something in a more established older neighborhood?

[IloveLoganSquare]

I recommend... Just kidding. Not if you have 5 people to be living under one roof in just 3 short years... I do recommend Oakbrook Terrace's new developments though. Very nice, and restaurants, malls and all that good stuff everywhere too. Downtown Chicago will not be easy on you with a kid, I know exactly 1 family that stayed downtown with their kid, and they only have one.

[IloveLoganSquare]

Should have mentioned- unless you make minimum 250k per year combined income, and you've got at least 40k in safe liquid assets, it will be difficult to make life happy downtown with three kids. Balance that equation with +3k cash assets = minus about 1k in salary. In which case you can pay to make it work living right downtown with three kids and those would be the best years of your life.

[aragx6]

Downtown =/= the city of Chicago.

[IloveLoganSquare]

Aragx6, have you send any kids to school downtown yet? At a top school? Not cheap!

Originally Posted by aragx6

Downtown =/= the city of Chicago.

[aragx6]

I don't think you understood what I was saying.

Downtown does not equal the entire city of Chicago. Downtown is one neighborhood out of many neighborhoods in the city of Chicago.

That is all.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by IloveLoganSquare

... I do recommend Oakbrook Terrace's new developments ...

Wha???


http://www.city-data.com/city/Oakbro...-Illinois.html

One of the smallest towns in the region...

[IloveLoganSquare]

Sorry, downtown means within city limits to me.

Chicago's Public Schools Lag Behind other Big Cities on New Test Results. | Article from Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois) (via Knight-Ridder/TribuneBusiness News) | HighBeam Research

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by IloveLoganSquare

...Sorry, downtown means within city limits to me...

Ummm where is it you are from? Nebraska?

Get with the program or get gone.

Born and raised Chicagoans (and well learned/observant transplants) will laugh you out of the room it you say anything within the city limits is downtown-in a public place. Or perhaps they will look at you with a raised eyebrow and ignore anything else that comes out of your mouth.