Lisle vs downers grove traffic and friendliness (Naperville, Joliet: houses, schools)

[Law.mks]

Hello all. We are looking to move to either a home in lisle, close to the train, right by the library, or downers grove, on Fairview ave about halfway between 75th and 63rd. My husband needs to have easy access to expressways, as he regularly drives to surrounding suburbs including wheaton, st Charles, Joliet. I go into the loop one or two days a week. We have a 6 year old son and great schools are important, so it seems both lisle and downers grove are good choices. Family oriented is also important, bc we love being out and about and seeing neighbors, and I'm not sure if either of these locations would be good for that.

Can anyone give some advice on how the traffic is in both these areas? We want to be able to get around quickly. The downers grove home is beautiful, but it is right on Fairview. At 2:30 in the afternoon it was fairly busy... Does it get really bad during rush hour? Will it be difficult to get to the expressways? Does anyone know what it is like living in those subdivisions around there?

It seems easier to get to the expressways at the lisle location, but we like being a little closer to the city. The lisle location also seems priced high, but that may be bc it is walking distance to the train.
Thanks!

[chet everett]

Train service to / from DG is better, schools are a notch or so more desirable, amenities like parks & libraries are nicer...

Trade off for location right on a busy street could be a huge factor. Fairview is a thoroughfare. If house is on large lot set way back that might be an offsetting factor..

Traffic rarely gets "snarled" but there will be times that you might have issues with leaving driveway...

Expressway / tollroad access is actually TOP NOTCH with more options to MORE roads than really any place else -- I-355 off Maple, 55 off Cass or Lemont Rd., 88 off Midwest Rd...

[Law.mks]

Thanks, that is really helpful. How long does it take to drive to the loop from downers grove/fairview avenue? Also, is parking readily available in downers grove or fairmont ave?

[chet everett]

Driving is highly dependent on factors related to traffic volumes and average speed. The obvious slow downs include rain / snow. Less obvious factor is even bright clear skies -- this AM the path of 88 & 290 puts sun glare right in the windshield of inbound commuters.

Off peak you can get from Fairview and Ogden to the Loop in under 30 minutes. Best AM early rush hour you can grab a donut at Dunkin at 6AM and be at your desk, car parked in an "in-building garage", for a 6:45A call. Drive home is always longer, add 10 minutes on a good day. Depending on how close office is to Union Station you would lilkely do better on Metra -- excellent express service to / from DG. Parking is pretty good, they have relaxed the amount of the space reserved for "shoppers" in the large Main St garage and there are generally good options near Fairview too.

When there is heavier traffic /slight weather issues it more likely that travel times increase to something more like an hour door-to-door AM and probably 70-80 mins best case evenings... If things REALLY get out of whack it could be much worse.

[ToriaT]

I think I would pick Downers Grove. I like the downtown area and the schools are a bit better. Trains go into the city pretty fast.

[mattywo85]

The train to Downers or Lisle is really the same, they both are on the same line, a few minutes difference. Downtown Downers is nicer and offers more options. Both Lisle and Downers have busy streets right by the train and can get crazy at rush hour. Driving from Downers or Lisle to the Loop would be roughly 35-45 minutes, without traffic of course. Schools are better in Downers, not to say Lisle has a bad school system. Keep in mind you can probably get more for your money in near by Bolingbrook, Romeoville, or even Plainfield but the school systems are not that great and no direct train access.

I'd be more then happy to get you in touch with a realtor so feel free to contact me.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by mattywo85

The train to Downers or Lisle is really the same, they both are on the same line, a few minutes difference.

Not really. They are both the BNSF, but there is an express train that goes straight from Main Street Downers Grove to Union Station without any stops. It also stops at Belmont before going express at Main, so those two stops have faster rush hour service than anything in Lisle. HOWEVER, the Fairview station doesn't have this express service, so there is no advantage to the Fairview Station over the Lisle station.

If you live in Downers Grove, the Main and Belmont stations are pretty awesome. Fairview? Not so much.

[mattywo85]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Not really. They are both the BNSF, but there is an express train that goes straight from Main Street Downers Grove to Union Station without any stops. It also stops at Belmont before going express at Main, so those two stops have faster rush hour service than anything in Lisle. HOWEVER, the Fairview station doesn't have this express service, so there is no advantage to the Fairview Station over the Lisle station.

If you live in Downers Grove, the Main and Belmont stations are pretty awesome. Fairview? Not so much.

There is also express trains that just go to Lisle, Belmont, and Main Street then straight to Union. There is also trains on the way home that may make a few stops then go to just Fairview. So like I said a few minutes difference.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by mattywo85

There is also express trains that just go to Lisle, Belmont, and Main Street then straight to Union. There is also trains on the way home that may make a few stops then go to just Fairview. So like I said a few minutes difference.

The best train I could get from Fairview to get me to work on time would be 37 minutes, verses the consistent 27 minutes from Main Street Downers Grove. That extra 20 minutes every day adds up. And most of the trains from Fairview are closer to that 44-50 minute range, even during rush periods.

Those Main Street Downers Grove express trains are pretty special for all of Metra's lines. The 36 minute Naperville expresses are also pretty unique.

[Law.mks]

Good to know about naperville and downers grove express. The houses around those two stops aren't quite what we are looking for. The home near the lisle stop is nearly perfect. My only concern would be whether my 6 year old would have any playmates among the neighbors. I didn't see very many backyard playsets, so I worry that could be too isolating.