Moving to IL - is there any future? (Chicago, Naperville: transplants, low crime)

[UMN2BE]

I am originally from the Chicago area (south suburbs) and have lived in MN for 10+ years now. Our office went 100% remote permanently and we are now allowed to work anywhere. My wife and I are thinking about moving back to the Chicagoland area, mostly to be closer to my family to help take care of our two-year old, as well as more job opportunities for my wife once she returns to work.

Literally every article I read about IL is doom and gloom - debt, the pension crisis, decay of downtown, deterioration of services etc. I'm not going to lie, it does worry me to be moving to IL while it seems that so many are moving out. COL in MN comes out a bit cheaper - state income taxes are a little bit higher here (6.5%) but are more than washed out by way lower property taxes, and everything else is lower here.

We'd be looking at north or northwest suburbs like Naperville, Schaumburg, Downers Grove, Vernon Hills... basically areas with good schools and small homes in the $300-400k range that are not in Cook County.

Pre-covid family would come visit us every month or two for a weekend since it's only a 6-hour drive. Part of us wants to move back. On the other hand our 2-year old will soon be in pre-school and life will be easier. We've also been in MN for 10+ years and it feels like home and we have many friends here. But the advice I was looking for was specifically on what current residents see the future of IL as.

[flamadiddle]

If you're from the South burbs, why not look at NWI? Crown Point, Chesterton, Valpo? You can be close to lake, close to Chicago, great schools, without the tax wallop.

If you are biased against Indiana, then out of those you listed, I'd pick Naperville. Taxes will be high and go higher but if paying through the nose doesn't bother you, then Naperville is a great location. You may want to look at the Fox Valley area too, St. Charles, Geneva and maybe Batavia. Lots of good value homes and schools there. That's where I'm at but I'm scratching my head about my future here. Love St. Charles, but one of the reasons we moved back was for proximity to Chicago for amenities, events and jobs. However, given the current unchecked protests, rioting and looting along with the lawless mayor and clown governor, I won't go anywhere near the city of Chicago these days. And like you, I work remote and can live anywhere.

[MSchemist80]

Schaumburg is in Cook Co. To answer your question I would not choose to move to or live in this state if there were alternatives. You could consider northwest Indiana or Wisconsin. Otherwise the govt here is a large enough quality of life problem to cause a significant exodus of residents which in the USA is a rather appalling level of failure.

I don't see a future. A lot of the people inclined to vote for change are just giving up and leaving which leaves the people who caused the problem govt union workers and hardcore leftists an even bigger voice.

[ToriaT]

I will dissent. There will always be a future for Illinois and the Chicago area. Nothing is going to happen other than you know you will have high taxes here. Especially property taxes. The Chicago has some beautiful suburbs with a good quality of life. And we have a diverse economy.

I would stay away from Schaumburg and not a fan of Vernon Hills particularly. I like Naperville, Downers Grove, Wheaton and Glen Ellyn. Beautiful towns, parks, libraries, good schools, low crime rates.

I have no plan to move from Illinois. I never will. I have been born and raised here, have a beautiful home in a nice suburb and I like it here.

[UMN2BE]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

If you're from the South burbs, why not look at NWI? Crown Point, Chesterton, Valpo? You can be close to lake, close to Chicago, great schools, without the tax wallop.

If you are biased against Indiana, then out of those you listed, I'd pick Naperville. Taxes will be high and go higher but if paying through the nose doesn't bother you, then Naperville is a great location. You may want to look at the Fox Valley area too, St. Charles, Geneva and maybe Batavia. Lots of good value homes and schools there. That's where I'm at but I'm scratching my head about my future here. Love St. Charles, but one of the reasons we moved back was for proximity to Chicago for amenities, events and jobs. However, given the current unchecked protests, rioting and looting along with the lawless mayor and clown governor, I won't go anywhere near the city of Chicago these days. And like you, I work remote and can live anywhere.

If this were still the year 2019 we'd probably move back. Yeah, taxes are high and the state is in dire financial straits, but there would be a lot of upsides.

Being driving/metra distance of downtown, being closer to my parents, O'Hare (international flights suck out of MN), being near Chinatown and the Chinese consulate (wife is originally from China), and I legitimately think what's considered a "good" school in IL is much better than what a "good" school is in MN.

Now a lot of those benefits are greatly diminished, plus throw in the financial and political issues (plus the hassle of moving states) and it's not an easy decision at all...

[UMN2BE]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

I will dissent. There will always be a future for Illinois and the Chicago area. Nothing is going to happen other than you know you will have high taxes here. Especially property taxes. The Chicago has some beautiful suburbs with a good quality of life. And we have a diverse economy.

I would stay away from Schaumburg and not a fan of Vernon Hills particularly. I like Naperville, Downers Grove, Wheaton and Glen Ellyn. Beautiful towns, parks, libraries, good schools, low crime rates.

I have no plan to move from Illinois. I never will. I have been born and raised here, have a beautiful home in a nice suburb and I like it here.

Thank you for the dissenting opinion. As expensive as IL may be, it's still cheaper than other areas like NYC/NJ/LA/SF where you have similarly high taxes but homes are 3-4x as expensive.

Can I ask why you're not a fan of Vernon Hills? We have a family friend that's lived there for 20+ years and seems to be happy, although I've never directly asked them what they think of the city.

Thanks again.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by UMN2BE

If this were still the year 2019 we'd probably move back. Yeah, taxes are high and the state is in dire financial straits, but there would be a lot of upsides.

Being driving/metra distance of downtown, being closer to my parents, O'Hare (international flights suck out of MN), being near Chinatown and the Chinese consulate (wife is originally from China), and I legitimately think what's considered a "good" school in IL is much better than what a "good" school is in MN.

Now a lot of those benefits are greatly diminished, plus throw in the financial and political issues (plus the hassle of moving states) and it's not an easy decision at all...

We moved back to Chicagoland. Lower cost of housing more than offset the high taxes. Schools are good. We are back and close to family.

I don't expect for the city of Chicago to make a full recovery any time soon. Fiscal and social issues will continue to be the norm on top of COVID challenges. On the flip side, it has pushed a lot of buyers to the Chicago suburbs. I don't expect Chicagoland suburbs to thrive long term, and am quite sure that things will continue to get worse over time as far as property values and taxes.. But currently, on top of slight increases in property values due to demand, I expect a rebirth of suburban amenities will take shape. Hopefully the city transplants will take with them the appetite for newer, slicker commercial activity in the way of boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, breweries etc. Certainly this already exists, but for every one new-age brick and mortar, there are four strip malls, gas stations, targets, pizza joints. It'd be nice if this meant Chicago suburbs would find a healthier equilibrium like you tend to see in high growth metros around the US.

I digress.

We like more dense, walkable suburbs. But we also wanted to stay in a Tier 1 district for our kids and for property values. Coupled with proximity to family, that meant looking NW and N. We like our neighborhood, and forgot how warm the people in Chicago are relative to the Coasts. So far so good.

EDIT: I saw the inquiry about Vernon Hills. In my opinion, and based on the towns the poster said they enjoy, we'd both tell you it's a fairly vanilla, sprawling, sub-development area. If you like that style, it's a good place to live no doubt. You'll want to be in the Vernon hills District as opposed to further south and west, which aligns to Mundelein.

As for us, and as noted above, we prefer to trade space and sub-developments for more mature neighborhoods and pseudo-walkability. For that, you'd want to inch closer to the city.. in and around downtown Northbrook could be a great option, though it's in Cook County. But, Cook County taxes are generally lower than Lake Counties taxes, so you may be misguided on that front. Highland Park generally has some small homes sub $400k as well, close to both Ravinia and Downtown Highland Park. Libertyville would be another option, as it has a great downtown and a denser core. But, this is more a question for you to answer- What kind of town environment do you prefer?

[UMN2BE]

Originally Posted by mwj119

As for us, and as noted above, we prefer to trade space and sub-developments for more mature neighborhoods and pseudo-walkability. For that, you'd want to inch closer to the city.. in and around downtown Northbrook could be a great option, though it's in Cook County. But, Cook County taxes are generally lower than Lake Counties taxes, so you may be misguided on that front. Highland Park generally has some small homes sub $400k as well, close to both Ravinia and Downtown Highland Park. Libertyville would be another option, as it has a great downtown and a denser core. But, this is more a question for you to answer- What kind of town environment do you prefer?

Thanks for the detailed reply. Walkability is of medium vale to us.

We live in a suburb of Saint Paul MN and can walk to a supermarket + strip mall that has your typical starbucks, dry cleaners, liquor store, Chiptole, etc. We can also walk to an enormous park. Even though this area isn't considered super walkable it's amazing how just being able to walk to Starbucks in the morning improves QOL. Most important is schools and safety for us. Being walking distance to a decent park would be next up.

[Liledgy]

Illinois is great, great schools ( higher taxes), parks, the lake. World class city, great employment opportunity’s (unless your a chemist, lol). Great wages. Affordable housing.

[flamadiddle]

If you want close proximity to Chinatown, I'd take a look at La Grange and Hinsdale. Will be a stretch at your price point, but really good areas relatively close to Chinatown.