If you're moving to the suburbs outside of Chicago... (Rockford: apartment complexes, low crime)
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I've lived in Illinois since 1993. I'm familiar with a lot of areas up here. Just thought I'd give my two cents on various areas to answer some folk's questions on here who are considering Illinois.
If you move anywhere in Lake County, it's a good choice because it has office parks all over the place, and then you don't have to commute to Chicago for jobs. Lake and Cook County are pretty populated. Which means, more traffic. Neighborhoods go up overnight here too sometimes. We have just as much urban sprawl as any other counties surrounding major cities.
If you don't mind the winters up here, and traffic, the job market is very strong up here. Cost of living is higher overall then other states, but it varies quite a bit from town to town, so do your research.
Gas is high up here. Very high. Gas heating and cooking bills have skyrocketed. Electric is a little better, but not much. Remember, in the winters up here, you need heat, and heat is expensive up here. We also have the highest gas prices in the country right now to fill up your gas tank in your car. So, get rid of your SUV and get an economy car if you move here.
I'm more familiar with suburbs outside of Chicago since I work and live outside of Chicago, so I will give you the downlow on those.
Northern Suburbs:
Zion and Beach Park - very old areas of Illinois, mixed racially, average crime
Waukegan - mixed racially, large Mexican population, run down in areas, lots of gang activity, but parts of Waukegan are being revitalized.
North Chicago - pretty high crime, but there are some "patches" that are ok, and it's close to Abbott Labs which is a big medical supply company
Lake Bluff and Lake Forest - very expensive, very wealthy, and very white. If you are black and try to move to that area, the cops will harrass you.
Highwood and Highland park - More pricey, large Jewish population
Deerfield, Northbrook, Winnetka, Glenview - more pricey, nice areas
Evanston - liberal area, artsy, college town, can be pricey, eclectic
Antioch - nice, "small town" feel, but gang activity has increased there in recent years
Fox Lake - nice, quiet area. New house prices are in the moderate range
Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park, Round Lake - Round Lake Beach has gown downhill quite a bit over the past decade. All the Round Lake areas are experiencing increases in crime and gang activity, however, there are still nice neighborhoods and new houses are cheaper overall.
Grayslake - small area, still pretty decent and cheaper to buy
Mundelein - Mexican population has increased here quite a bit, but it's mostly families moving in. I drive through there every day, and never see gangbangers. It's still pretty decent and cheaper to buy.
Vernon Hills and Libertyville - very nice areas, but can be pricey in certain parts. Lots of corporate parks in these areas for work.
Long Grove and Lincolnshire - Very expensive, and upscale like Lake Forest
Hawthorn Woods, Lake Zurich, Buffalo Grove - can be pretty expensive in certain areas, but nice areas to live
Palatine, Arlington Heights - Palatine still seems ok, but some of the apartment complexes are experiencing more crime in the area, Arlington Heights can be pricey in certain areas.
Wauconda, Island Lake areas - older towns, but still cheaper then some areas of Lake County. Crime is pretty low overall
McHenry - nice area, low crime, lots of retail
Crystal Lake - ok in certain areas, but it's growing like crazy, so there are areas of Crystal Lake that have increased in crime. But overall, I'd still live there. Lots of retail and things to do
City of Rockford :
From what I've heard from friends who live there, Rockford has seen a real increase in crime in a lot of areas. Schools in Rockford have gone downhill.
Aurora and Joliet:
These are big areas, and both have seen an increase in crime, especially gang activity.
Bolingbrook and Naperville: From what I've heard from friends in those areas, they are still pretty nice. Lots of traffic though.
Elgin and Schaumburg: Elgin has some bad areas, but it's a huge area, so do your research. Schaumburg is nice, but can be very pricey and a lot of traffic
Just remember, the closer you live to Chicago, in suburbs outside of Chicago, the more traffic you will encounter and the more expensive your housing will be in certain areas, if you want a decent neighborhood
Once again the southern and south-western burbs are totally overlooked. Why is this that everyone forgets about the south side of the city? I never understood that, especially since many of the areas that are named in the O/P aren't as nice as areas such as Frankfort, New Lenox,, Mahattan, Green Garden Township, Mokena, Homer Glen, and Orland Park.
The south side is about to see a MAJOR boom in the next few months due to the long awaited opening of I-355 and NOW the much overdue widening of I-55 through Will County. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,5433860.story 06222007 Ramp Opening I355 South Extension (http://www.illinoistollway.com/portal/page?_pageid=54,1532743&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL - broken link) These two projects will be just like opening the flood gates for buyers and businesses into this area, or what I should say is welcome whatever buyers are out there these days to an area that has remained farmland pretty much till about 10 years ago. Some areas south of Rte 30 in Frankfort and New Lenox though are still considered VERY rural, and have some neighborhoods going up where houses are spread far apart from eachother allowing owners to enjoy country style living. True the area is beging to sell properties at a premium rate, but overall it is still lower priced than many areas that lay just to the north of Chicago.
Check out the south-west side for yourselves and see all it has to offer. It kind of remained the hidden jewel of Chicago that many are just now discovering, not to mention, that due to the area being much further south than the far northern burbs, south side areas typically do not receive nearly as much snowfall as areas near the IL/WI border and are not as severely impacted by lake-effect winds in the early spring months which thereby can reduce temperatures some 20 degrees near the lake from surrounding areas further inland.
Just remember, the closer you live to Chicago, in suburbs outside of Chicago, the more traffic you will encounter and the more expensive your housing will be in certain areas, if you want a decent neighborhood
This is flatly untrue. There are plenty of good suburbs close to Chicago with affordable housing (of probably better construction that what you'll find new). Of course, in the American tradition, more has somehow become equated with better. If square footage is all you care about, by all means move out to the middle of a cornfield in a tract house.
Last edited by via chicago; 08-21-2007 at 08:48 AM..
Are any of these suburbs more suitable for a 30-something single?
Naperville has a big young professional crowd, as well as a big college scene. Downtown is lively and is jammed on the weekend with all types of people, great place!
Traffic can be terrible in the far out suburbs, too. Schaumburg has real ignorant jams and there are areas around Oak Brook and the mall which become just about gridlocked during rush hour. So there are tradeoffs to being far out.
Traffic can be terrible in the far out suburbs, too. Schaumburg has real ignorant jams and there are areas around Oak Brook and the mall which become just about gridlocked during rush hour. So there are tradeoffs to being far out.
Exactly. I would argue the traffic in these new suburbs is far worse than what you would find in an inner burb.
"They begin as embryonic subdivisions of a few hundred homes at the far edge of beyond, surrounded by scrub. Then, they grow - first gradually, but soon with explosive force - attracting stores, creating jobs and struggling to keep pace with the need for more schools, more roads, more everything.
And eventually, when no more land is available and home prices have skyrocketed, the whole cycle starts again, another 15 minutes down the turnpike."
"The majority of sprawl in this country is produced by those who are fleeing from sprawl."
-Alex Krieger
I really enjoyed the OP's post -- he obviously posted the suburbs he was most familiar with.
The poster who mentioned the southwest suburbs -- please feel free to add your impressions of those suburbs. I think those of us considering the Chicago area would like to hear about all suburbs -- I know I am most familar with the NW suburbs, but I am interested in all parts of the city and suburbs!
Dude, I'm pretty dark-skinned and of south Indian ethnicity (born & brought up here in Chicagoland).....and I've done delivery driving in Lake Forest for quite a while and NOT ONCE have I gotten pulled over or harassed by the police lol. About two or three years ago I was driving with my brother at night through either Bannockburn or Riverwoods (unincorporated Deerfield I'm pretty sure) on one of their more foresty arterial north-south roads and we did get pulled over (that time the situation was a bit more suspect, I gotta admit, it might've been profiling although I'm not entirely sure). But good old, old money WASP'y east Lake Forest and west Lake Forest have never given me problems. Then again, I drive a pretty decent looking, well maintained Toyota Avalon which has a very Lexus look to it. I'm not driving a run-down, rusted up old Oldsmobile, Buick or 'hood status (with the rims) Cadillac bouncing up & down lol. But I did get pulled over in that "nice" Toyota in Bannockburn / Riverwoods (one of the two) that one time so go figure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IllinoiZ
I've lived in Illinois since 1993. I'm familiar with a lot of areas up here. Just thought I'd give my two cents on various areas to answer some folk's questions on here who are considering Illinois.
If you move anywhere in Lake County, it's a good choice because it has office parks all over the place, and then you don't have to commute to Chicago for jobs. Lake and Cook County are pretty populated. Which means, more traffic. Neighborhoods go up overnight here too sometimes. We have just as much urban sprawl as any other counties surrounding major cities.
If you don't mind the winters up here, and traffic, the job market is very strong up here. Cost of living is higher overall then other states, but it varies quite a bit from town to town, so do your research.
Gas is high up here. Very high. Gas heating and cooking bills have skyrocketed. Electric is a little better, but not much. Remember, in the winters up here, you need heat, and heat is expensive up here. We also have the highest gas prices in the country right now to fill up your gas tank in your car. So, get rid of your SUV and get an economy car if you move here.
I'm more familiar with suburbs outside of Chicago since I work and live outside of Chicago, so I will give you the downlow on those.
Northern Suburbs:
Zion and Beach Park - very old areas of Illinois, mixed racially, average crime
Waukegan - mixed racially, large Mexican population, run down in areas, lots of gang activity, but parts of Waukegan are being revitalized.
North Chicago - pretty high crime, but there are some "patches" that are ok, and it's close to Abbott Labs which is a big medical supply company
Lake Bluff and Lake Forest - very expensive, very wealthy, and very white. If you are black and try to move to that area, the cops will harrass you.
Highwood and Highland park - More pricey, large Jewish population
Deerfield, Northbrook, Winnetka, Glenview - more pricey, nice areas
Evanston - liberal area, artsy, college town, can be pricey, eclectic
Antioch - nice, "small town" feel, but gang activity has increased there in recent years
Fox Lake - nice, quiet area. New house prices are in the moderate range
Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park, Round Lake - Round Lake Beach has gown downhill quite a bit over the past decade. All the Round Lake areas are experiencing increases in crime and gang activity, however, there are still nice neighborhoods and new houses are cheaper overall.
Grayslake - small area, still pretty decent and cheaper to buy
Mundelein - Mexican population has increased here quite a bit, but it's mostly families moving in. I drive through there every day, and never see gangbangers. It's still pretty decent and cheaper to buy.
Vernon Hills and Libertyville - very nice areas, but can be pricey in certain parts. Lots of corporate parks in these areas for work.
Long Grove and Lincolnshire - Very expensive, and upscale like Lake Forest
Hawthorn Woods, Lake Zurich, Buffalo Grove - can be pretty expensive in certain areas, but nice areas to live
Palatine, Arlington Heights - Palatine still seems ok, but some of the apartment complexes are experiencing more crime in the area, Arlington Heights can be pricey in certain areas.
Wauconda, Island Lake areas - older towns, but still cheaper then some areas of Lake County. Crime is pretty low overall
McHenry - nice area, low crime, lots of retail
Crystal Lake - ok in certain areas, but it's growing like crazy, so there are areas of Crystal Lake that have increased in crime. But overall, I'd still live there. Lots of retail and things to do
City of Rockford :
From what I've heard from friends who live there, Rockford has seen a real increase in crime in a lot of areas. Schools in Rockford have gone downhill.
Aurora and Joliet:
These are big areas, and both have seen an increase in crime, especially gang activity.
Bolingbrook and Naperville: From what I've heard from friends in those areas, they are still pretty nice. Lots of traffic though.
Elgin and Schaumburg: Elgin has some bad areas, but it's a huge area, so do your research. Schaumburg is nice, but can be very pricey and a lot of traffic
Just remember, the closer you live to Chicago, in suburbs outside of Chicago, the more traffic you will encounter and the more expensive your housing will be in certain areas, if you want a decent neighborhood
Someone has recently suggested that we need a high speed train system in the United States. By using inductive logic, it seems to me that perhaps we are reaching a saturation point with automobile traffic near the large cities and during rush hours. The I-355 extension is a welcome, I'm sure. However, one should also search out all of the railroad train systems that are down there. As a guess, maybe only one? Since I don't live in that particular area, I don't know for sure.
But what happens if someone has bought his house and then we run out of gasoline?
As an FYI, battery operated electric Hybrid cars are 'no good'. That's because batteries only last about 5 to 7 years on those cars. Then a new set is about $2K to $3K per set.
I don't know the future and nobody does. However, I like to analyze "What might happen in the future?" Have you noticed that people have started to purchase - - in greater numbers - - railroad common stock off of the stock market? That is what the Chicago Tribune Business section recently talked about.
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Inductive Logic Spells Out A Change
