Moving to Chicago from Dallas- looking for good schools, apartments and hospitals (Naperville: ob-gyn, rentals)

[momandme]

Hello,
We are thinking of moving to Chicago this summer from Dallas and wanted to know which areas to look for an apartment in. An area with some Indian community would be nice. Mainly looking for good schools (elementary- I have a 8 yr old) and near good hospitals (with ob-gyn). I have another on the way !
Husband will be working in Downtown Chicago, so was also wondering how is the public transport system and how do people generally get from one place to another.
Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

[pvande55]

Lucky you! Working in downtown Chicago you can live most anywhere within 50 miles (if you work traditional hours) and have good commuter train service a short drive away. Other considerations: good schools, proximity to airports, golf courses, price range will detrrmine it. indian community: check Schaumburg or Naperville. Wait for Chet to check in for more details.

[Drover]

Schaumburg. Good schools, train access to downtown, and enough Indians that a) you and your family won't feel like you're the only ones, and b) to support a market for South Asian grocery stores and restaurants and the like. Motorola headquarters is a significant factor in the Indian population in Schaumburg.

If you're Hindu, there's a very large Hindu temple/congregation in nearby Bartlett, reputed to be one of the largest in North America, that would surely be helpful in providing and/or guiding you toward relevant community resources.

As for how people generally get around in the area... the answer is, by car. No different from Dallas unless you live within about a 5 mile radius of downtown Chicago.

[chet everett]

Depending on budget I would recommend the towns of eastern DuPage Co / western Cook Co -- Brookfield is the most affordable it is convenient to the very well regarded Loyola Medical Center as well as other hospitals in Berwyn, Oak Pro & Melrose Park. A little further west LaGrange is a lovely community with a good hospital sharing it's name. Western Springs is adjacent and the next town west is Hinsdale with its excellent community hospital. Directly north Elmhurst is a wonderful community with a massively expanded hospital. Just west of Hinsdale is Clarendon Hills which shares top rated school. A little along the BNSF Downers Grove is a very community with another well regarded hospital. A bit further but still served with excellent commuter rail along the BNSF is Naperville. North of Naperville along the UP-W (shared with Elmhurst) lie Wheaton & Glen Ellyn, served by Central DuPage Hospital.

All these towns have very desirbale schools, generally the performance of the schools closely paralllels average income and housing prices -- the priciest communities are strongly associated with the most well funded / highest performing schools but if you shop carefully you can find well priced older homes that represent a terrific value...

These towns mostly pride themselves on having all the schools perform quite well and there is generally a uniform experience for all children in a district regardless of it being a more affordable part of town. Prices in Brookfield range from under $250k to about double that, it is probably the most affordable town mentioned. Other towns may have some starter homes very similar in price but some top out well into the millions. Also important to factor property taxes and other costs into your decision -- this is not a cheap place to live!

Many folks trace their roots to India, towns like Oak Brook have a large number of very affluent physicians and executives. Lots of sources for Indian groceries in towns like Westmont and Lombard. No shortage of religous / community associations in the region either, probably the most in all of Illinois.

[momandme]

Thanks for the great info, pvande55, Drover and chet everett.
I am currently researching the areas you have mentioned. Chet, I'm actually looking for apartments, although I'm checking for them in the areas you have mentioned. Thanks for the list of hospital recos.
As places to stay, yes I believe I can find quite a few from this list, but just wanted to quickly know, is a travelling time of 1+ hrs to office one way, normal for IL?
Is Metra is preferred for travelling to Downtown rather than by car?
And, a kinda weird question, but are there any disreputable areas I should avoid looking at? (i'm apparently watching too many crime TV shows )

[chet everett]

Well, Metra service from the towns I've recommended to the Loop is generally well under 30 minutes. It is absolutely the top choice for anyone that lives in an area with Metra service. If you care to drive it would be longer but certainly not an hour from towns on the east end of corridor like Brookfield or Riverside.

There are some towns that have more apartments and other towns that have a dearth of rentals. Generally speaking the larger towns have more rentals to choose from -- probably focus on Elmhurst & LaGrange.

[Drover]

Commute times of an hour or more from even mid-distance suburbs like Glen Ellyn or Schumburg to downtown are pretty common, and then when you get there parking will cost you a minimum of $15 on a daily basis, or you can rent a spot for roughly $250-$300 per month. So yeah, Metra is a very popular option for those who live near Metra stations and work downtown, to the tune of roughly 300,000 rides per weekday.

[momandme]

Thanks Chet and Drover !!

[momandme]

Another question:
Which is better District 203 v/s District 204, and why?

[Diws]

Originally Posted by momandme

Another question:
Which is better District 203 v/s District 204, and why?

My perception is that they are pretty similar, and both are near the top tier. 204 schools are less established, but seem to consistently get ranked near or above 203.