A new twist: Shorewood to Gurnee, IL? (Milwaukee, Kenosha: for sale, real estate)

[Water 4 the Pool]

Is this do-able? I've been on this board with a number of different scenarios, trying to get the family to the MKE area. I am looking at a good job in the Gurnee area that may fit my professional goals, but we'd prefer to live in Shorewood/Whitefish Bay.

Please give me your thoughts. I know a lot of people must do this type of commute, but I currently live in NYC and my commute now is about twenty minutes via subway and walking.

[Milwaukee City]

Well during the summer and non-snowfall it would be around a 55min drive per Google maps however seeing that you are from NYC and probably drive better than most of WI drivers you could probably shave off 10-15mins off that time. You can drive 65-70 in MKE county and 75 from Drexel Ave down to Grand Ave in Gurnee IL. I would not drive higher than 75 in Racine County as it's Wisconsin's most aggressive speed trap keep it right at 75.. Kenosha County not so much. In MKE they will only pull you over if you are doing 12+ over. I have never been pulled over any where in this state on the freeway doing exactly 10 over and this includes driving right past state troopers and county sheriffs.

All in all 45min sounds about right for your trip. In Winter if the snow hits before or during rush hour it will be an hour-hour thirty. Id the snow hits over night you will have a longer drive in the moring but usually come after noon rush they freeways should be mostly clear. Wisconsin does snow plowing better than any state I have seen. I would like to think we are the best when it comes to plowing major streets and especially the freeways.

I am curious as to why you would prefer in MKE Metro as opposed to Chicago Metro? Income tax is lower in IL but sales tax is more and gas is always 30-50 cents higher in IL it seems. Housing is more expensive in IL but the North Shore isn't much cheaper if any at all. So if you do commute use the gas buddy app and find cheap gas close to the freeway.

If you don't mind a 45-hour drive to and from work it's not that bad of a commute. I enjoy my 30min drive home from work in the western suburbs, bumper to bumper traffic doesn't bother me at all and in MKE it's not bad traffic even in rush hour IMO.

[guitarguy1685]

In california my commute from LA to Irvine was 1hr 15min. That is pretty typical for SoCal. A 45min trip seems like a breeze to me.

I drive to Chicago almost every other week. From downtown Milwaukee to the WI/IL state line is 30min on a friday at 6pm going about 65-70mph. Gurnee is right there so 45min seems about right. Get yourself an I-Pass (Illinois toll pass) to cut your toll in half. IL gets you with a $3.80 toll if you pay cash right at the border. Welcome to IL!!! I swear they tax you almost as bad as Ca

[guitarguy1685]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

I am curious as to why you would prefer in MKE Metro as opposed to Chicago Metro? Income tax is lower in IL but sales tax is more and gas is always 30-50 cents higher in IL it seems. Housing is more expensive in IL but the North Shore isn't much cheaper if any at all. So if you do commute use the gas buddy app and find cheap gas close to the freeway.

Taxes outside of Chicago seem better than WI in general. But when you live in the city buckle your seat belt!

[Water 4 the Pool]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

I am curious as to why you would prefer in MKE Metro as opposed to Chicago Metro? Income tax is lower in IL but sales tax is more and gas is always 30-50 cents higher in IL it seems. Housing is more expensive in IL but the North Shore isn't much cheaper if any at all. So if you do commute use the gas buddy app and find cheap gas close to the freeway.

We both want to return to the Midwest, but have a medium-strong preference not to move to Chicagoland. She is from Wisconsin and--though her mother has passed away and there are few relatives left there--she has a strong desire to live in/around MKE. I really like Shorewood/Whitefish Bay--particularly the homes, the schools and its location right on Lake Michigan. If we tried to recreate that in the northern suburbs in, say, Lake Forest, I think we would end up paying twice as much for a house.

I do some complicated international work, so that limits my Midwest job choices because about half of the jobs in my line of business are in Chicago.

I am deeply concerned about what a commute to Gurnee from MKE would do to my time with my kids. I imagine I will be gone from about 7:30 to 7:00-8:00 every weekday. That's not what I'm looking for long term. But we need to move out of NYC. A 3BR in Manhattan would cost me around $2 million and I am not a banker or a trust fund kid and we just don't have that kind of cash flow. Also, I have little desire to live in any of the suburbs here, though many of them seem very nice and we are also thinking more seriously about that option.

We love living here but it's dawning on us that if we want to help our kids pay for college and even retire someday, we cannot do so on our current financial path. For example, between private schools and a full-time nanny, we pay over $100k annually. Of course there are ways to cut those costs, but I am not so committed to staying in Manhattan that I am willing to give up more than we already have.

Personally, I am not opposed to moving to Chicago. However, I am concerned that if we moved to Chicago we would constantly compare NYC to Chicago (or have that done for us by locals), and they're really two very different places. We won't have that issue in MKE.

[Milwaukee City]

Well for what it's worth I have met and have friends who have moved from Chicago and New York and they all like Milwaukee and my NY friends compare the city of Milwaukee to more like Queens. It's not a direct match but of all the boroughs they said that the most reminds them of Milwaukee. Based on your assessment I think you would love Milwaukee, living on the lake is great and has it's weather benefits as well since you would get lake effect temps. Yeah you definitely will get more bang for you buck even on Milwaukee's North Shore which has high home prices for the area. Plus if you need very upscale shopping or a night in Chicago it's only a hour and half train ride or a hour drive down to some of the suburban Chicago malls. It's only a hour drive down to the closest L station in Chicago. It's really nice to have Chicago so close, you can go down for a day trip in the week and still be home at a decent time.

I prefer "Whitefolks Bay" over Shorewood, on Milwaukee's North Shore is old money and has a large Jewish population especially in WFB. I love that fact that WFB everything is so close and your kids can walk to everything, library school, mall, the lake and it's all within 2 miles. I would live in WFB in a heartbeat, I love the housing styles and the setup of the whole town, the average family income in WFB is $168,000 and WFB has great schools and a sense of community. I really like the area around Klode Park in WFB.

I know you'll be surprised on the amount of great restaurants here and all the things to do for a family in Milwaukee especially in the summer. For a city it's size 2.1M(metro) you have a ton of options and like I said if you need to downtown Chicago is only a 1.5hrs away.

[Milwaukee City]

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[Fishtacos]

I did this type of commute years ago. The 45 minute type of response is about right.

Time of day? Days of week?

Every day for a long time would be challenging. Morning rush is worse. If you can go in to work later or signifcantly earlier, that helps. Traffic gets backed up bad near Six Flags (Lots of locals call it Great America instead). So, traffic won't be an issue until around there much of the time. And, that traffic is moving towards Chicago burbs for work.

Home? Not as bad. Had you been going a little bit farther such as a Lake Cook Road etc....the traffic to get to and from the hwy at rush both ways is bad.

Summer in WI has a lot of construction challenges, lane closures.

I think this is doable for a while. Most of your driving will not be stop and go. It's more of distance and time. It's even more doable if you didn't have to do it every day.

I prefer Shorewood feel to Whitefish Bay, but it isn't about me, and both are fine.

I wouldn't be scared off by this opportunity, at least short term. It'll wear you down physically a bit over time, but I have seen much worse.

[43north87west]

What does your wife do, and will she be working? This might be a factor.

If you already lived in Milwaukee and had a great opportunity in Gurnee, I'd say, take the opportunity and commute. But since you haven't moved yet, don't. You are crazy to exchange 10-15 hours a week, plus wear and tear on a car, plus fuel, plus the hassle, for a life in Shorewood. You can have an equally pleasant life in the Chicago suburbs.

Originally Posted by Water 4 the Pool

Personally, I am not opposed to moving to Chicago. However, I am concerned that if we moved to Chicago we would constantly compare NYC to Chicago (or have that done for us by locals), and they're really two very different places. We won't have that issue in MKE.

The fear of Chicagoans comparing NYC and Chicago is a really strange reason to avoid moving to Chicago. Although, Chicago really is a comparable city, which is probably why New Yorkers dislike it when New York is compared to Chicago. I do agree that Chicagoans are proud that they live in a beautiful world class city which, despite its smaller population, is better than New York in many ways. I also agree that Milwaukeeans would not be as likely to make such a comparison, because unlike Chicago and New York, Milwaukee and New York really aren't comparable. However, I think that you would be better off moving to the Chicago suburbs, as they present the least culture shock, and also the shortest commute.

[Merkin]

It would be cheaper to rent a cheap studio around Gurnee than to drive it 5 times a week

Cost ~$40 per day for gas and pay toll, even more with drive time factored