Plainfield, Naperville, or somewhere else? (Chicago, Joliet: homes, neighborhood, school district)

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by drss01

According to my friends that live in Naperville, Naperville "hides" a lot when it comes to Naperville

Yeah, hiding Easter eggs is common in the Spring. They do it in many neighborhoods throughout the city.

What a strange and vague comment.

[alibaba1579]

Hmmmm, some interesting comments in this thead. Thank you for the info on Plainfield though, that was helpful. My Dh is sort of nostaglic about living in Naperville since he grew up there, but I imagine it's changed alot since he left in 1997.

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by alibaba1579

Hmmmm, some interesting comments in this thead. Thank you for the info on Plainfield though, that was helpful. My Dh is sort of nostaglic about living in Naperville since he grew up there, but I imagine it's changed alot since he left in 1997.

Yeah, this thread got wierd.

[GolfLover2]

alibaba1579:
Depending on the lifestyle you hope to lead and how much house you want, the answer to your question could be quite different. It's true that the further south you go, the more home your money will buy. (You should consider the taxes on homes as well, as that will greatly effect a monthly payment too.) For a more suburban setting, more north probably suits better. For a more country setting, head south towards Plainfield or Shorewood .. or even into Channahon itself or even Manhattan would be within your 30 minute drive boundary.
I'd suggest talking to an experienced agent that works within all the communities you are considering ... Jim Karges, Karges Realty (jimkarges.com).
Best of luck to you, no matter where you decide to buy.

[mattywo85]

Originally Posted by GolfLover2

alibaba1579:
Depending on the lifestyle you hope to lead and how much house you want, the answer to your question could be quite different. It's true that the further south you go, the more home your money will buy. (You should consider the taxes on homes as well, as that will greatly effect a monthly payment too.) For a more suburban setting, more north probably suits better. For a more country setting, head south towards Plainfield or Shorewood .. or even into Channahon itself or even Manhattan would be within your 30 minute drive boundary.
I'd suggest talking to an experienced agent that works within all the communities you are considering ... Jim Karges, Karges Realty (jimkarges.com).
Best of luck to you, no matter where you decide to buy.

You didn't see my posts before yours about how I work in real estate and to contact me with any questions?

[carrie1148]

I live in Channahon! We have amazing grade schools, and Minooka High is wonderful. Our park district is one of the best in the state and has won many awards. I would not look into Joliet, lived there for most of my life and the schools are not good and the city in general is not nice. We have a very small town feel here in Channahon. But you are close to 55 and 80 so shopping is accessible. Naperville is nice if you like a larger, busier town. I go there weekly to shop at Whole Foods and we go for dinner occasionally, but we are small town people. IF I liked larger, more congested living I'd like Naperville more. It's classy, clean, and lots to do with the kids. Depending on the lifestyle you want, Channahon or Naperville are good choices. But they are complete opposites in terms of traffic, business and access to shopping and restaurants.

ETA...........your husbands commute from Naperville to Channahon is going to be a lot longer than 30 mins. Even from Plainfield.......traffic is horrible during rush hour times. I leave for Naperville after 9 am and it takes me about 40 mins. It will be over an hour during commuter times.

[demouser]

Some of those far west and south rural areas seem to get visited by tornadoes more often than Naperville. The 1990 Plainfield tornado was quite deadly and devastating. If you are from Texas, you would be familiar with the risks.

[BrianHunter]

Your husband grew up in Naperville, I would go by his impressions. I lived there for years and would not hesitate to move back. I moved to north suburb to be closer to family.

Naperville is more expensive but there is a reason, better schools, in some cases lower taxes (I lived on the north end and paid $500k for my house and my taxes were lower than a friend who paid a similar amount in plainfield but his house was bigger etc). Plus Naperville would hold values better in case of another down turn.

There is a reason people pay more to live in a particular suburb.

[Coyote27]

Originally Posted by alibaba1579

And really want to live in a nice area with lots of options for shopping, kids stuff, great preschools and elementary schools, that I'm happy in too. Opinions?

Having grown up in the area, I am very familiar with where your husband will be working. I would add Frankfort to your list of suburbs to consider. The drive east to west using local roads from Frankfort to Channahon would be around 30 minutes or less dependent on the weather. You have access to great schools, shopping, and a tad longer Metra into the city to take advantage of what Chicago has to offer.

On a related subject, you mention that you would probably move in 3-5 years. I assume you would want a house that is in a town where prices have not had wild swings. I would consider Plainfield and Channahon as having both been hit harder by the economic downturn than Naperville and then Frankfort. Price stability is something you may want to consider for a possible short stay in the area.

[carrie1148]

Originally Posted by Coyote27

Having grown up in the area, I am very familiar with where your husband will be working. I would add Frankfort to your list of suburbs to consider. The drive east to west using local roads from Frankfort to Channahon would be around 30 minutes or less dependent on the weather. You have access to great schools, shopping, and a tad longer Metra into the city to take advantage of what Chicago has to offer.

On a related subject, you mention that you would probably move in 3-5 years. I assume you would want a house that is in a town where prices have not had wild swings. I would consider Plainfield and Channahon as having both been hit harder by the economic downturn than Naperville and then Frankfort. Price stability is something you may want to consider for a possible short stay in the area.

I would agree with this assessment.