Is Joliet In Any Way Desirable? (Chicago, Naperville: new house, job market, transfer)

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by Bardot

...what I don't understand is why Chicago SUBURBS are so expensive. The highlight of most of them is that they have a Whole Foods. Their schools aren't phenomenal. They still have crime. Most of them are still an hour commute from the city...

This is not true at all. Perhaps in Joliet, yes. But Chicago's desirable suburbs rank among the nation's best for quality of life, schools, and safety.

[destination-unknown]

Originally Posted by holl1ngsworth

This is not true at all. Perhaps in Joliet, yes. But Chicago's desirable suburbs rank among the nation's best for quality of life, schools, and safety.

So much misinformation on this board it's amazing. Add to that Chicago is a world class city. Quick access to all that Chicago has to offer comes at a cost. I don't understand why this is such a difficult concept for some to grasp.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by destination-unknown

So much misinformation on this board it's amazing. Add to that Chicago is a world class city. Quick access to all that Chicago has to offer comes at a cost. I don't understand why this is such a difficult concept for some to grasp.

I understand where they are coming from. Suburb A in Chicagoland may look identical to Suburb B in Columbus, Ohio in terms of housing types and layout. Or to thousands of other suburbs across the country. So it's hard to understand why you would pay more for the same setup in one location over the other, particularly when you add in the hassle of traffic, taxes, and shear distances.

But you are correct, it's all about access to Chicago and to the larger economy of the area. We entertained the idea of moving to a smaller, cheaper metro area before our kids were school age--to the point that we actually interviewed for jobs. But my wife was seeing salaries that were literally half of what she was making, and little room to advance or move to other companies if things didn't work out. I found my opportunities much more limited as well. And we felt strong ties to Chicago, with many friends in the area and a lot of history here.

I think the key is to find a suburb with some unique offerings. A suburb that feels like a real "place" with central public spaces, parks, unique neighborhoods, interesting traditions. Suburbs like Geneva, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, La Grange, Riverside, Flossmoor, and Oak Park are all unique places. The North Shore is a very nice place to live with unique characteristics. Even some of the blander suburbs have strong community cohesion and good people or interesting enclaves.

And you have to keep going to Chicago. A lot of suburbanites fall in to patterns and rarely visit the city, but if you have access to Chicago it's important to use it on a regular basis. Otherwise you might as well live in a more expensive version of Peoria.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

Not too big and it needs serious remodeling inside. >

4 Black Walnut Trail, Palos Park IL For Sale | Trulia.com

I think you and I, or you and most posters on here, have varying ideas of what "big" really is. That house is over 7,000 square feet....

[destination-unknown]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I understand where they are coming from. Suburb A in Chicagoland may look identical to Suburb B in Columbus, Ohio in terms of housing types and layout. Or to thousands of other suburbs across the country. So it's hard to understand why you would pay more for the same setup in one location over the other, particularly when you add in the hassle of traffic, taxes, and shear distances.

But you are correct, it's all about access to Chicago and to the larger economy of the area. We entertained the idea of moving to a smaller, cheaper metro area before our kids were school age--to the point that we actually interviewed for jobs. But my wife was seeing salaries that were literally half of what she was making, and little room to advance or move to other companies if things didn't work out. I found my opportunities much more limited as well. And we felt strong ties to Chicago, with many friends in the area and a lot of history here.

I think the key is to find a suburb with some unique offerings. A suburb that feels like a real "place" with central public spaces, parks, unique neighborhoods, interesting traditions. Suburbs like Geneva, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, La Grange, Riverside, Flossmoor, and Oak Park are all unique places. The North Shore is a very nice place to live with unique characteristics. Even some of the blander suburbs have strong community cohesion and good people or interesting enclaves.

And you have to keep going to Chicago. A lot of suburbanites fall in to patterns and rarely visit the city, but if you have access to Chicago it's important to use it on a regular basis. Otherwise you might as well live in a more expensive version of Peoria.

It's just frustrating. People expect the best of everything on a modest income and minimal savings. There's a reason the prices are what they are - people are willing to pay them. It is what it is but some folks are just unwilling to accept this fact.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by Bardot

^But we don't. We have higher property taxes than both of those major cities. Illinois is the 2nd highest only to NJ (and apparently approaching THE highest) in the country. Sorry for venting my frustrations, it's just frustrating. And believe me, if there were jobs of my caliber anywhere else in the state I would move.

It's not as if a lot of these areas with high property taxes have exceptional schools either. I think they just need the income because they're royally effed up their finances and choose to burden the tax payer.

Not sure what you mean by "jobs of my calibre", but in central Illinois you have the global headquarters of the likes of Caterpillar, Deere, and State Farm Insurance. And other major global company facilities like Mitsubishi Motors. These companies did not get where they are by not employing the best and the brightest. Have you considered looking downstate? Quality of life can be pretty good and housing would be much more in your ballpark. And you could be working for some of the most prestigious companies in the country. And at least in the Bloomington Normal area, schools are good.

[destination-unknown]

Originally Posted by wjj

Not sure what you mean by "jobs of my calibre", but in central Illinois you have the global headquarters of the likes of Caterpillar, Deere, and State Farm Insurance. And other major global company facilities like Mitsubishi Motors. These companies did not get where they are by not employing the best and the brightest. Have you considered looking downstate? Quality of life can be pretty good and housing would be much more in your ballpark. And you could be working for some of the most prestigious companies in the country. And at least in the Bloomington Normal area, schools are good.

I'm trying to figure out why a job of distinction only allows for a home budget in the range of $200-250k?

[JTW2013]

Originally Posted by destination-unknown

It's just frustrating. People expect the best of everything on a modest income and minimal savings. There's a reason the prices are what they are - people are willing to pay them. It is what it is but some folks are just unwilling to accept this fact.

I don't think people expect the best of everything for nothing.

The Chicago area is a great place to be upper middle class. The upper middle class suburbs have great schools and provide a high quality of life; charming homes, downtowns, etc. There are more upper middle class jobs in Chicago so there's more mobility and opportunity for advancement.

I think the discontent comes from the fact that it's not such a great area for middle class families who are getting pushed out of the desirable areas. The second tier suburbs can't keep up and their schools are getting worse. The demographics in those towns are changing.

A second tier city is probably a better option for a middle class family. Salaries will be less but not enough to offset the lower COL. Plus in a smaller metro area, the desirable suburbs are more diverse because there aren't enough upper middle class people to fill one suburb.

[destination-unknown]

Originally Posted by JTW2013

I don't think people expect the best of everything for nothing.

The Chicago area is a great place to be upper middle class. The upper middle class suburbs have great schools and provide a high quality of life; charming homes, downtowns, etc. There are more upper middle class jobs in Chicago so there's more mobility and opportunity for advancement.

I think the discontent comes from the fact that it's not such a great area for middle class families who are getting pushed out of the desirable areas. The second tier suburbs can't keep up and their schools are getting worse. The demographics in those towns are changing.

A second tier city is probably a better option for a middle class family. Salaries will be less but not enough to offset the lower COL. Plus in a smaller metro area, the desirable suburbs are more diverse because there aren't enough upper middle class people to fill one suburb.

There are a number of posters here that are frustrated they cannot find a nice house in a very good school district with a modest income and minimal down payment. Expectations do not align with reality in many cases. And you are right, they probably are better off in a second tier city if they are able to find a job that pays somewhat comparably. But that's often the biggest challenge. It's just tiring to read the same complaints over and over about the high cost of real estate in this area. Everyone just needs to accept the fact that there is a reason it is higher than some random suburb outside of Nashville.

[JTW2013]

Originally Posted by destination-unknown

There are a number of posters here that are frustrated they cannot find a nice house in a very good school district with a modest income and minimal down payment. Expectations do not align with reality in many cases. And you are right, they probably are better off in a second tier city if they are able to find a job that pays somewhat comparably. But that's often the biggest challenge. It's just tiring to read the same complaints over and over about the high cost of real estate in this area. Everyone just needs to accept the fact that there is a reason it is higher than some random suburb outside of Nashville.

Are you suggesting that only upper middle class and wealthy people should expect to be able to buy a "nice house in a very good school district?" Access to a "nice" house in a good school district has pretty much defined the American middle class for generations so I think I can understand why that bothers people.