Moving to the City- But WHERE with Kids :( (Naperville, Cicero: apartment, rental) - Chicago Suburbs - Illinois (IL) - City-Data Forum

Undiscovrd1 · 10-12-2014, 05:56 PM

I recently took a position in the city at the MMart but stay in Plainfield. I have been in the suburbs for the majority of my life and all of my three children s lives. Sounds crazy but I want to move closer to the city because my suburb only offers 3 trains. This doesn't allow me opportunity to leave earlier than 5 p.m. to get home. My sister currently resides with me but will be be moving soon. My budget is only 1500 and I'm looking for a 3 bed 2 bath condo (brownstone) in a safe neighborhood. I have 3 children one in high school, one in middle school (He has autism) and a 3 year old. I'm also going from 2 income to one income. This is such a stressful situation for me, i don't know where to look but I'm working on Faith. Can anyone direct me to areas that are safe and cost effective that will fit my price point? Any direction, ideas etc. would be greatly appreciated.

ToriaT · 10-12-2014, 09:21 PM

Lincoln Square, Portage Park, Norwood Park might be places. Look along L lines for transportation. Its doubtful you will find anything with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths at that price point. You might get an older courtyard building with one bath.

CCrest182 · 10-13-2014, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undiscovrd1

I recently took a position in the city at the MMart but stay in Plainfield. I have been in the suburbs for the majority of my life and all of my three children s lives. Sounds crazy but I want to move closer to the city because my suburb only offers 3 trains. This doesn't allow me opportunity to leave earlier than 5 p.m. to get home. My sister currently resides with me but will be be moving soon. My budget is only 1500 and I'm looking for a 3 bed 2 bath condo (brownstone) in a safe neighborhood. I have 3 children one in high school, one in middle school (He has autism) and a 3 year old. I'm also going from 2 income to one income. This is such a stressful situation for me, i don't know where to look but I'm working on Faith. Can anyone direct me to areas that are safe and cost effective that will fit my price point? Any direction, ideas etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Yeah, sorry to say it, but you more than likely aren't getting a three bedroom two bath for that price, unless you lived I ln a gritty neighborhood. I would not suggest looking IN the city if this is your situation, because what your specifications call for just won't work there. I'd suggest an 'inner-ring' suburb, perhaps Oak Park or River Forest, maybe Elmwood Park. These areas are somewhat reasonably priced and cost effective, and I beliv the schools are good. Just don't look in Forest Park or anywhere west of there, as they feed into Proviso East, which is a horrid high school.

You'd need to go private schooling if you were to live in the city in an 'affordable area'.

Unfortunately, it's becoming harder and harder for folks to find an "affordable", AND "safe" area in/ around a city, because one of those just has to be compromised. Schools are also another factor thä often end up bring another issue.

ChacoGirl · 10-14-2014, 05:24 PM

Perhaps you could move into a suburb with more frequent train service - are you currently taking the RI line? I only ask because my husband takes the BNSF out of Naperville and the service is much more frequent. Perhaps a more affordable suburb with express train service?

Undiscovrd1 · 10-26-2014, 06:04 PM

Thank you all for your wonderful comments and post. Yes, I do take the Rock Island. I would need to move closer to Naperville because currently I am at least 35 minutes commute time from Naperville and the parking. I'm looking every where. This is such a life changing experience for me. I'm soo lost and want to make sure Im making the right decision.

Thank you

chet everett · 10-27-2014, 07:56 AM

Wow a budget of $1500 is just NOT going to be much for a family-sized place in even a kind of awful city neighborhood with poor schools.

Plainfield is affordable because it is does not have a lot a great options for commuting. Although some have suggested "inner ring suburbs" as some kind of magic solution the fact is towns that have desirable qualities like Oak Park are NOT going to have many options in the safer parts of town in your budget range. Other towns like Elmwood Park may be more afforable but the schools are in a whole different category, just no comparisions at all...

If the OP's real motivation is better commute options I would put BROOKFIELD at the top of the list, it is far and away the most affordable suburb with well regarded schools on the excellently served BNSF, but EVEN THEN a place that is going to be big enough for a family with three kids (one of whom is already in high school!) is going to be a TOUGH to do at $1500.

You might be able to find something a wee bit more affordable in Villa Park, there is pretty solid train service along the UP-W, and the schools are not horrible.

Another option might be the greater "southland" where you might find a decent enough rental in a parts of Orland or Palos where you might have better rail options -- Station Locator

Frankly your best option almost certainly would be figure out a way to increase you budget...

prairiestate · 10-27-2014, 08:58 AM

Check out Oak Lawn. A 3 bedroom condo will be more difficult, but two bedrooms at that price are abundant. In addition to Metra the Orange Line is nearby and the schools are decent. It's a walkable streetcar suburb so you won't have to spend all your free time in your car.

chet everett · 10-27-2014, 02:11 PM

While I sometimes do try to encourage folks to consider towns that are a little less than desirable I am not at all sure that Oak Lawn is a wise choice, and I say this as someone whose still has relatives in Oak Lawn that I do visit on a fairly regular basis.

The main barometer of school quality that I and others have used as a short cut has long been household income -- wealthier areas just trounce poorer areas across the board. Some of the reasons for this are surely the fact that parents that have gone to good colleges and work in places that allow them to give their kids all the attention they need are just gonna be way ahead of people that barely get by, but it also comes down to things like the way schools are run, the kinds of teachers that are attracted to good paying districts and a whole lot of other factors that are harder to quanitfy.

In too many of these important catgegories Oak Lawn, like pretty much all the greater southland, is not doing well. About the most optismistic estimate I could find for median household income for Oak Lawn is the the $60K range, in contrast in Mokena it is over $90K, Plainfield is over $110K on those surveys, even Oak Park is greater than $70K...

I don't know that I would call Oak Lawn a "street car" suburb, though there are some CTA routes that directly link into the town I think most folks are using those to get across the suburb to a low level medical related job at Christ Hospital, NOT riding the CTA all the way to the Loop which would be brutal.

There really are no "hidden gems" where a tiny bit of cash is going to translate into a wonderful apartment. The crummy car dealer lots lining Oak Lawn are hardly the kind of "urban environment" one dreams about when envisioning a thriving setting for diverse dining / nightlife. The folks that choose a low cost apartment along 95th or Cicero Ave and doing so out of necessity, not "preference". So too are the box little houses on postage stamp sized lots with often crushingly high property taxes part of the on-going problem with areas that once boomed with post-WWII types that worked in blue-collar jobs in the greater south suburbs that no struggle to find two or more parttime retail type jobs to make ends meet...

holl1ngsworth · 10-27-2014, 03:14 PM

As long as you aren't using vouchers... quick search yielded this in Winfield:

0N164 Elmwood St, Winfield, IL 60190 is For Rent - Zillow

Great schools, great neighborhood, and a short trip to either the Wheaton or Winfield Metra stations. Wheaton and Winfield stations are situated on the UP-W line which provides excellent service to Ogilivie Transportaion Center in the Loop.

prairiestate · 10-27-2014, 06:54 PM

Streetcar suburb is a term that refers to the historic development of certain types of communities.

Streetcar Suburbs 1888 to 1928

The car dealerships aren't exactly lining the village, they're concentrated in a few spots. Oak Lawn may not be a bustling urban environment, but almost no suburbs are. It does have walkable areas, with shops and restaurants available, which is more then you'll find in most suburbs. With a modest budget, you could do far worse than Oak Lawn. There's a new Mariano's!