Young couple/family trying to decide which suburb is best

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by sfcambridge

Why not Oak Park? It's seems the most convenient for you, and schools are fine.

You don't have a shopping center right there, but there are assortments of strip mall/chain stores in towns nearby, and you can drive to Oakbrook.

Makes the most sense. Though Chet doesn't like the town too much.

[jtamay3]

I would say LaGrange which has a nice downtown or Naperville which also has a nice downtown, is it's own community, can get you to downtown on the Metra pretty quick, very walkable, and has outdoor things like the Riverwalk and Centennial Beach.

[SisterGoldenHair77]

You don't want to stay in Elmhurst? You could get something decent in that price range. It would probably need work, but you can afford something there. I like Elmhurst because it's easy to get to the city from there, as well as Oak Park, and it has a decent downtown area. Plus, it is close to Oakbrook for shopping. A couple of things I don't like about it are that some of the neighborhoods are sandwiched between North Ave., Rt. 83, and 290 (which I'm sure you know cause you live there). I find that to be really ugly and gross. I recently moved from Elmhurst to a far west suburb, and its such a change. Quiet, peaceful, lots of grass and trees, it just feels more calm out here. Downers Grove does nothing for me. I don't know why people like it. The downtown area is pretty nice, I guess.
I would only live in Naperville if I could live near the downtown area. Naperville is so huge and spread out. To me, it's not much of a small town, community type place, which is what I like. The far west suburbs are great, but will be a bad commute to Oak Park or the city.

[divakat]

You have a lot of options. I too would check out La Grange or Downers Grove. They are less city-like, but still very walkable with really cute downtown areas. Plus, very safe and within your price range. La Grange Park may also fit the bill.

[chitownperson]

I would recommend Oak Park also, but it's really dependent on one's specific likes and dislikes. As for the crime and schools... I was initially concerned about safety when I was searching for a suburb, but after doing some research, talking to residents and living in OP for a while, I came to realize that it's not a big deal. As is has been mentioned, much of the crime is property crime and can largely be avoided by practicing some common sense. To put it into context, it's got a lower crime rate that Lincoln Park, which is one of the most affluent areas of the city. As for the schools, there are excellent educational opportunities for students who try, and parents who are involved... students who are not motivated with uninvolved parents are not going to do great in any institution. A lot of high level academics that teach in places like Northwestern, U of C, UIC... move to Oak Park to raise their kids, and have them attend the public schools, and I think that they are the kinds of people who really care and know about what makes a good educational experience.

If Oak Park is still not the right feel for you for whatever reason, Riverside may be good to look at.