Moving from Norwalk, CT -- deciding between Glen Ellyn or Naperville (Chicago: short sales, real estate)

[blueking]

We're looking for some advice on commuting from Naperville or Glen Ellyn to Chicago. My husband will be taking the train--8, 8:16 or 8:24 from Naperville and 8:13 or 8:41 from Glen Ellyn. We've noticed the wait list for parking permits is 6 years for Glen Ellyn and 10 for Naperville. Is there street parking in either town close to the station? Where we live now he parks on a side street and walks to the station. Also, does anyone take the train at the times mentioned from either location--are there any seats? Thanks for any and all info!

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by blueking

We're looking for some advice on commuting from Naperville or Glen Ellyn to Chicago. My husband will be taking the train--8, 8:16 or 8:24 from Naperville and 8:13 or 8:41 from Glen Ellyn. We've noticed the wait list for parking permits is 6 years for Glen Ellyn and 10 for Naperville. Is there street parking in either town close to the station? Where we live now he parks on a side street and walks to the station. Also, does anyone take the train at the times mentioned from either location--are there any seats? Thanks for any and all info!

There are a few good threads on parking in naperville, like this one. I ride earlier, so my experience will be different.

//www.city-data.com/forum/chica...o-commute.html

Rush hour trains are crowded, but I bet if he stays near the back of the train he would get a seat...a lot of people wait by the front of the train.

[cubssoxfan]

Both good towns; I prefer Glen Ellyn. It is smaller, less traffic and more quaint-in a good way. Is also 15-30 minutes closer to the city drive time.

[Chummy Waters]

Both towns are disgustingly bland, orderly and perfect.

[css9450]

Originally Posted by Chummy Waters

Both towns are disgustingly bland, orderly and perfect.

Where would you suggest as an alternative?

[knitgirl]

Ignore him. I personally prefer Glen Ellyn. It's also closer if you ever want to drive downtown for an event. Wheaton is also nice. Actually, lots of DuPage County is nice, what's your budget? I'm surprised Chet Everett hasn't chimed in yet, he's quite familiar with LaGrange and that area.

[chet everett]

You rang???

But seriously, in addition to currently living in the eastern portion of DuPage Co I have been fortunate to have business interests throughout the region. I have lived or worked in parts of Chicago, Lake Co, Kane Co and DuPage over my life and been able to compare them to other parts of the country on vacations and business trips. There is a lot to like and the resilency of demand for houses and pretty solid employment attest to this -- in fact given the crummy weather that we often get socked with and the horrendous levels of corruption you'd think few people would be headed here, but the very fine enviroment that it makes for a nice range of experiences for having a "traditional" balance of work and life style options.

When comparing Glen Ellyn and Naperville the biggest differences are not just in the size, but also the relative range of housing available. At pretty much every price point Naperville will have more options. If you have a large budget or a small one you will have more options in Naperville. If you want only tradional non-windy road developments Glen Ellyn compares pretty favorably to the "core" of Naperville, but the range of prices and housing styles is tighter. There have been an awful lot of "price reversals" at the tippy top in both towns, but for the most part folks in the middle price ranges of either town have not fared too badly. Even among those "high end bargains" most real estate pros would say that the folks that paid crazy prices for huge newer homes should have known they were boxing themselves into a situation with A LOT MORE downside than potential for appreciation...


When it comes to the specifics of train parking I think the "waiting list" is a horrendous JOKE -- the FACT is downtown Naperville has bunches of daily fee spaces that only a little bit further than the permit lots. The little bit of cost difference is trivial in the overall cost of commuting. It is easier to have a permit mailed out monthly, and with some employers offering paycheck deducations / auto-renewal the convenience factor is nice, but nothing to loose sleep over.
In Glen Ellyn the potential to have a "walk to train" sort of commute is something to think about, relatively speaking it is easier to do than in Naperville as the commercial stuff covers so many more blocks...

I would encourage anyone still in the exploratory stage to also check out other towns along the BNSF and UP-W lines. With a few exceptions you will often find that the mix of how far your housing dollar goes and what pluses / minuses that means for your family life make the task of "narrowing down" pretty challenging.

Specifics of even individual streets can have some nice surprises / tough trade-offs. In even the most desirable towns you need to evaluate the available inventory AND the competing homes in similar areas. Folks that did not do that as the market got hot contributed to the bubble that is deflating at different rates in different towns / price points. If you have say $600K to spend you will have different choices than folks with half that. If you budget is higher it may make sense to look to the pricier areas around Hinsdale. If your budget is tighter you may be tempted to put some short sales on your "worth a look" list, but if you NEED to have a place for relocation the odds of a speedy timeline going with a distressed property in this market remain slim...


If work is ALWAYS 9-5 the various express trains are not super important, but in my experience having a variety of options that still allow an extended work to not wipe out dinner wiith family or a bleary eyed stumble home . As I recall many towns in CT have some "industrial past". This really is such a minor part of most desirable suburbs in DuPage Co / western Cook Co that it opens up many more options, but it also does mean that the history of night spots for folks from the shipyard or naval base is not here. Things are much quieter. Yes you can get a nice meal in the many resturants, and if you want a sports bar to take in a Bulls or Hawks game there are enough around, but for more raucous nightlife you should look toward the youth oriented neighborhoods of Chicago...

[Chummy Waters]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

Ignore him. I personally prefer Glen Ellyn. It's also closer if you ever want to drive downtown for an event. Wheaton is also nice. Actually, lots of DuPage County is nice, what's your budget? I'm surprised Chet Everett hasn't chimed in yet, he's quite familiar with LaGrange and that area.

Why ignore me? Because I speak the truth? There's no flavor in Naperville, or Glen Ellyn, even less in Wheaton or La Grange. You want to sleep, then these are your towns, with some exception given for Naperville having "some" college town feel.

I doubt you could pick towns more homogonized than those 4. There's nothing wrong with bland, orderly and perfect, is there? Also, known as BORING.

[css9450]

Originally Posted by Chummy Waters

Why ignore me? Because I speak the truth? There's no flavor in Naperville, or Glen Ellyn, even less in Wheaton or La Grange. You want to sleep, then these are your towns, with some exception given for Naperville having "some" college town feel.

I doubt you could pick towns more homogonized than those 4. There's nothing wrong with bland, orderly and perfect, is there? Also, known as BORING.

But why even mention those issues in a thread asking about TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS in those two communities? This isn't a thread about the "flavor" or "feel" of those towns.

[blueking]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

Ignore him. I personally prefer Glen Ellyn. It's also closer if you ever want to drive downtown for an event. Wheaton is also nice. Actually, lots of DuPage County is nice, what's your budget? I'm surprised Chet Everett hasn't chimed in yet, he's quite familiar with LaGrange and that area.

Our budget is 400K for a light fixer and up to 650K for done. We have a 4 year old and are hoping to have more kids. Naperville seems like a great family town. I'm sure GLen Ellyn is as well. We were also considering Oak Park and Western Springs. We would LOVE to live downtown but it's too expensive and my husband wants some privacy--lot size .20 and up. No more .15 and under. Also, we're not interested in paying for private schools. In Norwalk, CT where we live now it's wonderfully diverse but the schools are not great. It's so hard to find everything we're looking for.