Commute from Fox River Grove to Evanston? (Chicago, Arlington Heights: house, transfer)

[lisheyd]

My husband and I are putting in an offer on a house in Fox River Grove. We are relocating to Chicago for my husband's work. I, however, don't have a job. I found a great opportunity for a place in Evanston, but the commute seems a little far. Google maps say about 30 miles, or 1 hour, but how would this be with traffic?

[MannheimMadman]

I pretty much do this commute on some fridays/mondays to pick my son up from Lake Zurich. Any way you slice it, it's horrible. I've tried using Rand RD to Dempster, and I've also used Northwest HWY. I've come to find that most surface streets are not that great in the morning.

[nanannie]

I will second "horrible". Any way you slice it, its a commute to be avoided, I dont know of any easy way. I dont know any way it could be 30 minutes, even at 3 am.
If the job is worth it, you should consider another suburb closer to Evanston.

[chet everett]

There is no way that you could do that in an hoiur at any time day / night. I suspect that taking Metra to Union Station and then taking Metra back to Evanston, which might take over two hours, is only about 20 minutes longer than driving at the best possible time / route. During a normal rush hour I suspect the Metra option would be very close to a wash -- to put this in perspective, assuming a normal 8 hour work day plus hour lunch one would likely be in away from home for 13 hours a day...

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by lisheyd

My husband and I are putting in an offer on a house in Fox River Grove. We are relocating to Chicago for my husband's work. I, however, don't have a job. I found a great opportunity for a place in Evanston, but the commute seems a little far. Google maps say about 30 miles, or 1 hour, but how would this be with traffic?

Another BIG consideration: where does your husband work?

[gramirez2012]

One word: YUCK!

[TinaMcG]

There is no east-west expressway that far north that can make that commute bearable. There is no scenic route. There is no quick route. It will be stop and go all the way, all the time. An hour commute sounds about right when the weather is good and traffic is moving. Plan on a whole lot longer in winter. I lived all my life on the northside and in northern suburbs of Chicago until a few years ago, and the one thing I always wanted to see was an expressway that would link the lakefront to the western and northwestern suburbs. That isn't every going to happen.

[1Prairiegirl]

I grew up in FRG....the sayings is "you cant get there from here" You will be miserable if you try to commute from FRG to Evanston.

[SonySegaTendo617]

So I'm slightly confused(sorry to say), so is this job located in Fox River Grove or the city of Chicago?

I personally wouldn't go for that house in Evanston. If it's possible at all(and that job is in FRG), why don't you look in suburbs like Park Ridge, Arlington Heights, or heck, any communities along the UP-Northwest Metra line? Heck, even Des Plaines would probably have some decent deals on housing as well, and their library is kick-***.

Just wish you had been more specific with where that new job is in, so I could give you the best and most clear advise possible.

[pvande55]

Originally Posted by chet everett

There is no way that you could do that in an hoiur at any time day / night. I suspect that taking Metra to Union Station and then taking Metra back to Evanston, which might take over two hours, is only about 20 minutes longer than driving at the best possible time / route. During a normal rush hour I suspect the Metra option would be very close to a wash -- to put this in perspective, assuming a normal 8 hour work day plus hour lunch one would likely be in away from home for 13 hours a day...

Point of information: UP trains land at Ogilvie Transportation Center, (OTC) not Union Station. It is also possible to transfer at Clybourn, don't know if that saves any time. Your monthly from FRG to OTC will be honored on the train to Evanston. Chief advantage to this is your ability to make use of your time.