'Burb neighborhoods with city feel? (Chicago, Des Plaines: section 8, houses, buy)

[chet everett]

Just about all of Brookfield is walkable from Metra, as I said express is 20 mins from Union Station, local adds 5 or so. That is literally half what you dealing with in DC.

A cab ride would be a lot more money. If CTA access is important then Berwyn or Cicero have better service. Oak Lawn and Skokie are good for CTA service. A cheap car would be nice to have if you want to visit with friends on Paulina and not worry about public transit, most suburban place are gonna have a garage.

[becwells]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Just about all of Brookfield is walkable from Metra, as I said express is 20 mins from Union Station, local adds 5 or so. That is literally half what you dealing with in DC.

A cab ride would be a lot more money. If CTA access is important then Berwyn or Cicero have better service. Oak Lawn and Skokie are good for CTA service. A cheap car would be nice to have if you want to visit with friends on Paulina and not worry about public transit, most suburban place are gonna have a garage.

So Cicero is a nice neighborhood? I like the looks of this -

http://www.dreamtown.com/list/detail...am Town Realty

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by becwells

So Cicero is a nice neighborhood? I like the looks of this -

Login | Dream Town Realty]Login | Dream Town Realty

Uh, not really. At least most people probably wouldn't consider Cicero a nice town. Maybe they'd describe it as not terrible, but nice isn't the first adjective that comes to mind. Real estate is probably cheap, though.

[chet everett]

No, Cicero is not a nice town. It has good CTA service. It is poorly run. It has pollution issues. It has crime issues. It has race issues. It has school issues. It is more affordable for a reason... Darned good looking little house, nice price. Doubt the neighborhood is worth it.

Of the affordable closer towns it is about the worst. But you can take a bus or El there from N. Paulina...

[becwells]

Originally Posted by chet everett

No, Cicero is not a nice town. It has good CTA service. It is poorly run. It has pollution issues. It has crime issues. It has race issues. It has school issues. It is more affordable for a reason... Darned good looking little house, nice price. Doubt the neighborhood is worth it.

Of the affordable closer towns it is about the worst. But you can take a bus or El there from N. Paulina...

Ok, then it's out.

I think we'll keep looking at Berwyn & Brookfield. Maybe La Grange? Isn't Berwyn really close to Cicero? Is there really that much of a disparity between the quality of the two?

[johnm68]

There's a big difference between Berwyn and Cicero. While the latter is by no means the worst place to live in Chicagoland, it is, as numerous people noted, far from the best. Parts of it are ok, but other sections are gang-ridden, high-crime barrios. Berwyn, on the other hand, still retains a white ethnic flavor, to go along with recent hispanic migration and younger folks like yourself moving in, and the 3 groups seem to get along well. You're correct the Berwyn is close to Cicero (they border each other), but both are big places, so the western border of Berwyn is pretty far from the western border of Cicero.

Really, as others pointed out, the nightlife in the western suburbs is limited--theres some good restaurants in Oak Park, FOrest Park and LaGrange, and plenty of local bars scattered throughout all the towns (except for those that are dry), but given your age, you'll probably look to the City for entertainment. I would recommend you expand your search to include North Riverside and LaGrange Park, 2 suburbs in good school districts where you should be able to find a nice house for under 300k.

[chet everett]

LaGrange Park is fairly hefty step up in price, as well as being further west. Now if they needed/ wanted LT vs RB schools than it is makes sense, but otherwise...

North Riverside is in some ways worse than Berwyn (commute situation) but others probably on par or better. Worth having on the list, if only to compare what you get for the money...

[becwells]

Is there anywhere to stay away from in Berwyn, especially given its close proximity to Cicero? I'm finding so many houses there that are way under our max, but I don't know if that's because of location...

For example - Login | Dream Town Realty=

[becwells]

And why can't I post links properly?

[oakparkdude]

You could also check out Forest Park, which is right next to Oak Park. Especially north of the expressway, it shares many features with Oak Park, and Madison St is a hotbed of bars, restaurants, and trendy shops. The downside of Forest Park is the atrocious high school district. I've heard the elementary schools are so-so.