A place to call home (Chicago, Aurora: renting, houses, buying) - Chicago Suburbs - Illinois (IL) - City-Data Forum

dwoodawood · 10-18-2009, 01:51 PM

I am taking a construction job in the chicago area. Looking to move my family down from a small city in northern MI. I will be travelling to many areas for work so were to call home is not set in stone. I have a large family so good schools and affordable housing are a must. I would appreciate any comments. Thank you.

bulldawg1594 · 10-18-2009, 04:26 PM

berwyn, summit, elmwood park, oak lawn, addison. those are just some of them, it depends on what kind of city you want to live in.

Steve-o · 10-18-2009, 04:29 PM

Do you want another small town, somewhere thats relatively close to Chicagoland? What can you afford? Those are necessary questions to point you in the right direction. Oh, welcome to Chicagoland, too!

jojo9090 · 10-18-2009, 05:12 PM

aurora, naperville, plainfield, bolingbrook & romeoville has affortable houses

sgresident · 10-18-2009, 05:19 PM

I would need some more info in order to offer suggestions..how large family, amount to spend for housing, geographic area for work. the chicago area is really large, so it would help to narrow things down.

dwoodawood · 10-18-2009, 06:43 PM

We have 5 children from baby to teens. We would prefer a small town or one with that type of atmosphere, culture shock will be an issue anywere in this area but one has to work. Im starting to think the price i was thinking doesnt exist in nicer areas. As far as my work area goes, i will be doing industrial constuction anywere from wisconson to indiana, basically the greater chicago area.

suzie9998 · 10-20-2009, 10:48 AM

Since location doesn't seem to matter to you, what about the Fox Valley? South Elgin, Geneva, Batavia, St. Charles, and Aurora all might have that "small town" feel you are looking for and the schools are good. You can then drive around the city to get to WI and IN instead of through it. Or maybe try McHenry county and the Lake in the Hills/Crystal Lake area, though I think the schools are not as good there. The prices in these outer "suburbs" will be cheaper because they are outside what many consider a reasonable daily commuting distance to downtown.

middle-aged mom · 10-20-2009, 02:06 PM

What does "affordable housing" mean to you?

Renting or buying?

There tends to be a huge difference in the cost of living between most areas in Michigan and the greater Chicagoland area. The majority of that difference is attributed to the cost of housing, including property taxes.

almost3am · 10-20-2009, 02:25 PM

Maybe the northeastern part of IL or Southeastern WI, there are some small towns scattered in there near the border, especially when you cross into WI.

dwoodawood · 10-20-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by middle-aged mom

What does "affordable housing" mean to you?

Renting or buying?

There tends to be a huge difference in the cost of living between most areas in Michigan and the greater Chicagoland area. The majority of that difference is attributed to the cost of housing, including property taxes.

We are leaning toward renting, at least for a while. I feel we could easily afford about 1,000 a month. I have done enough research to reliaze that this will not get us much. If we tighten are budget we could get this to around 1500 a month, which also doesnt seem to get much. You are very right about the difference in cost between MI and Chicagoland. So we will have to not only have to deal with culture shock but financial shock.

Thank you for your time.
Don Wood