Moving far south rural suburbs, which town is best? (Chicago: rental, crime)

[j_moss89]

Joliet is beginning to get too far out, but is still an option even though I am not really the gambling type so location to casinos really doesn't matter.

After looking over the locations again, Tinley Park and Orland Hills would have to be my preferred area to look first, followed by Orland Park, Frankfort which I haven't absolutely ruled out.

[noid_1985]

Orland Hills is pretty nice- it's a bit cheaper than Orland Park and probably comparable to Tinley Park as far as market rent prices. I'm guessing that Tinley Park has more of an apartment belt than the Orlands though.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by j_moss89

Sometime around summer next year I plan on moving to the Chicago area from Sacramento California. I am in the planning stages (saving up extra money, finding a job and a place to live) as I want to plan ahead way ahead of time.

Regarding where to live I have had interest in the far southern suburban area, as I have extended family in Peotone. I would like a nice rural suburban town like Peotone but don't want to live there as it just seems too close. So my question is where are some of the nicer areas near I-57 and I-80 for a 21 year old white male that can afford 600-1000 in rent? A single bedroom apartment/condo will do and even a 2 bedroom house is fine as long as it fits the price range. I don't care about the quality of schools nor the well being of children, so crime doesn't have to be perfect, but safe enough where you can walk around at night without being worried.

Some towns of interest are Frankfort, Monee, Crete, Beecher, Steger, Park Forest, Richton Park etc. So what areas are nicer but affordable and which ones do I want to stick clear of?

I would definitley give Frankfort a BIG 2 thumbs up. That town has got its act together BIG time. That is the next Hinsdale... True that may be 30 years off, but it is an outstanding town to live in.

You may also want to consider Manhattan, IL too if you are looking for the true "small town" atmosphere where you will still see farm tractors on the "busy" road in town during rush hour mind you (which consists of like 4 cars) and will still see folks horse back riding.

[j_moss89]

Originally Posted by noid_1985

Orland Hills is pretty nice- it's a bit cheaper than Orland Park and probably comparable to Tinley Park as far as market rent prices. I'm guessing that Tinley Park has more of an apartment belt than the Orlands though.

Tinley park look more like a first choice simply because of its location, its right off 57, and places with more apartments means more options.

Originally Posted by NYrules

I would definitley give Frankfort a BIG 2 thumbs up. That town has got its act together BIG time. That is the next Hinsdale... True that may be 30 years off, but it is an outstanding town to live in.

You may also want to consider Manhattan, IL too if you are looking for the true "small town" atmosphere where you will still see farm tractors on the "busy" road in town during rush hour mind you (which consists of like 4 cars) and will still see folks horse back riding.

Manhattan Is cool, but the roads that go through are so out of the way, will take it into consideration though.

[JerichoHW]

Manhattan there is literally nothing to do, literally nothing at all. There is one shopping plaza in the entire town that features a grocery store and a subway I believe. If your looking to meet new people I wouldn't go there. Joliet is the city I was born in, its generally not the best place to raise a family but for a single person it wouldn't be that bad.

Tinley Park definitely has an "apartment belt" as noid said, in some places they actually overbuilt which is a good thing if your trying to negotiate on pricing. Orland Park has a bunch of apartments scattered around as well, but I think you would find Tinley to have a more friendly layout. If your lucky you could find one in Orland Hills, which is a peaceful place between Tinley Park and Orland Park, Plus it has access to La Grange rd. (aka US 45) an alternate route to Peotone. In terms of actually searching to find an apartment All these towns are not connected to Chicago listing, you will have to do an individual search for each. To give you an idea of what your "typical" are apartment is like, here is a sample.

[NYrules]

I saw my home town mentioned. Orland Park is nice and all and yes there is stuff to do, but for someone who clearly stated they want "RURAL" LOL! Orland Park is ANYTHING but rural. Same goes for Tinley Park.

[JerichoHW]

Originally Posted by NYrules

I saw my home town mentioned. Orland Park is nice and all and yes there is stuff to do, but for someone who clearly stated they want "RURAL" LOL! Orland Park is ANYTHING but rural. Same goes for Tinley Park.

Lol not exactly that rural anymore no, maybe if we built a time machine and went back 40 years . I personally think the best place near Peotone that is rural enough, but has a youth crowd around as well is Bradley/Bourbonnais but its kinda excluded from the Chicagoland area. There is a tradeoff between Tinley/Orland and Bradley/Bourbonnais either one gets to be closer to the city and all its happenings but loose the rural environment or they choose to live near Kankakee MSA and keep the rural environment.

[GolfLover2]

If you need help finding an apartment in any of the areas you are discussing, (Frankfort, Orland(s), Peotone, Manhattan, Tinley, etc.) let me know. I have real estate contacts in each town that would be able to help you with a rental. Just write and let me know if you're interested. Best of luck no matter what you decide.

[ImaloneJill]

Frankfort is a great place. There are parts that are heavily wooded or have farm land nearby. Yet, the Old Frankfort area is quaint and Rte. 30 has shopping. Actually, there are some sports bars in the area and taverns that have a neighborhood feel in the Frankfort, Mokena, Tinley Park area.
Bike trails and creek fishing, too.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by NYrules

I saw my home town mentioned. Orland Park is nice and all and yes there is stuff to do, but for someone who clearly stated they want "RURAL" LOL! Orland Park is ANYTHING but rural. Same goes for Tinley Park.

There's absolutely nothing rural about Park Forest, Richton Park or Steger either. I'm just sayin'.

EDIT:
Actually, wait.. That might not be entirely accurate. I'm not sure if you'd call it "rural" but the south side of Park Forest does have some really nice woodsy neighborhoods by the Thorn Creek Nature Center. You'd practically be livng in University Park though. And I wouldn't be surprised if Steger has a few semi-rural options in close proximity to Crete. And if you head a good ways south of Sauk Trail towards the Cook-Will County line, there might be a small handful of semi-rural housing options inside the Richton Park village limits..

Still, for people familar with the area, these three towns really don't bring too many "rural" or "semi-rural" images to mind. However, I suppose they are far enough south for the option to be a possibility.