Pre planning a move...what suburbs would fit us? (Chicago: apartment, for rent)

[GreenBored]

In 2 years my wife and I along with our 2 year old child plan to move from Green Bay to Chicagoland.

Figure a household income of $50K for 2 plus baby.
We are 95% sure we want a suburb over a city neighborhood.
We would like a town close to GB's 100K size but with some semblance of an active downtown.

Good public schools and some ok tech schools for me.
Metra into downtown Chicago is must have.
Obviously safety is huge. I want my wife to be able to take baby to the park 2 blocks away without me and feel safe.
We have one car we will keep. I will get to work on foot or bus.

We will 100% rent. We do not do the white picket fence deal.
Ideally an apartment in the downtown would be great.
2 bedrooms in the $800-950 range. Clean,safe and close to metra station most important. Garage and a storage closet are the most vital needs. Nothing fancy.

We like urban brick and glass...hustle and bustle.....people out shopping and living life. So we'd be more for a younger active town over something sleepy and tucked away.

Crime is obviously a concern. A lot of that is based on the unknown more than any real fear. I mean....GB is so dull criminals don't even live here but I am sure a family moving here from Iowa would be concerned until they learned the flow of the area.

My expectations of safety would be that we can walk to get dinner at 8 at night and not be looking over our shoulder constantly.

I would like to have 2 or 3 areas in mind because I think sometime next year we plan to drive down and explore so when it comes time to job hunt we have some focus.

Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks.

[ChacoGirl]

I read my post to our husband and he suggested the near West Side of Joliet or Manhattan, IL. Both have Metra service in the city and reasonable rent within your price range.

[tlm12283]

That is hilarious. I read someone else post and thought Manhattan for them. Then I read this post and thought Manhattan for them as well. Then I said why am I in a Manhattan mood today so I am glad to see your husband thought similar to I.

[GreenBored]

Thanks for the suggestion....I will add it to the list.

[chet everett]

I would not call Manhattan Il "bustle" nor "urban brick and glass", it is basically a farm town that is urbanized a bit...

Similarly the west side of Joliet is very much suburban, and in mostly a sprawl-ish way. Getting to work on foot or via bus is a remote possibility...

With the low household income and small budget for rent the options are not real broad, but since their desire is to rent I would suggest maybe Berwyn as a suburb that has good / great commuting options with combination of Metra, CTA lines (bus and El), and even some employers right in their core (mostly hospital related, but better than nothing...).

A town like Elmwood Park is probably even more affordable, though the exact trade-offs of how important parks / elementary schools might be something they need to see first hand...

Depending on what sort of work can be lined up ahead of time / where job is locations out in the sticks are not ideal, but that might make more sense.

[GreenBored]

Looked at Manhatten and that won't work for my wife. She has degrees in public admin. and law. She needs access to professional office/secretary jobs. it's also 50 miles from downtown...we'd like to be within 30 if possible.

50k for 2 adults might seem low but we live a very streamlined life....not much excess. 50k for us is probably like 60 for many others. It's also until I can finish school and find higher wage job.

The ultimate ideal is to live and work in a city with some life to it....decent public schools a tech school or two.....clean parks...some shopping.....and be able to hop metra and be downtown when we want to go play.

[chet everett]

Morton Community College is in Cicero, adjacent to Berwyn -- low costs and pretty respectable offerings for technical fields.

I agree that if you want to hop downtown Manhattan is too rural.

[tlm12283]

I thought Manhattan might be good because I am not sure if you can get a safe area for that price close to the city. Even the ghetto is that much. Manhattan has Metra access and is low cost. I am not quite sure but wouldn't rent be over 50% more in Berwyn than what he is willing to pay. Granted, Manhattan is rural; would Burbank be an option?

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by tlm12283

I thought Manhattan might be good because I am not sure if you can get a safe area for that price close to the city. Even the ghetto is that much. Manhattan has Metra access and is low cost. I am not quite sure but wouldn't rent be over 50% more in Berwyn than what he is willing to pay. Granted, Manhattan is rural; would Burbank be an option?

Just some random thoughts
Tinley Park
Homewood
Crestwood
Oak Forest

All south burbs and all within easy striking distance of public transportation
access to shopping and a network of forest preserves and off major interstates

[Chummy Waters]

Originally Posted by tlm12283

I thought Manhattan might be good because I am not sure if you can get a safe area for that price close to the city. Even the ghetto is that much. Manhattan has Metra access and is low cost. I am not quite sure but wouldn't rent be over 50% more in Berwyn than what he is willing to pay. Granted, Manhattan is rural; would Burbank be an option?

Wow, I wasn't aware that the current "ghetto" rate for a 2 BR apt. was $850-900. Thanks for the enlightenment.