Neighborhoods/suburb question. Lively/walkable but family friendly?

[aragx6]

I can only name a handful of neighborhoods where I would ever feel uncomfortable in the middle of the day. I don't get it -- you really think the OP's wife is going to be petrified of Lincoln Park?

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by MarketingGuy

Any thoughts on some of the threads discussing crime issues in Oak Park?

//www.city-data.com/forum/chica...-oak-park.html

Anything to be worried about?

If you would be comfortable living in Lincoln Park or Old Town, you should feel comfortable with Oak Park. The crime statistics are comparable.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by MarketingGuy

I was looking around Elmhurst on Google Street view, and the York area and it doesn't really look like what i'd call a walkable/lively district (to rival some of the Chicago city limit areas like Wicker, Lincoln, etc).

I don't mind doing a suburb, but I definitely want something trendy and lively.

If you think Elmhurst is too sleepy, Oak Park is the only nearby suburb that has a chance of fitting your liveliness criteria. Naperville has a nice downtown, but its a bit of a drive to Elmhurst from there.

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I can only name a handful of neighborhoods where I would ever feel uncomfortable in the middle of the day. I don't get it -- you really think the OP's wife is going to be petrified of Lincoln Park?

I actually don't think the OP's wife would be uncomfortable in Lincoln Park at all. The problem is, you cannot rent a 3 or 4 bedroom place in Lincoln Park for $2000, especially if you need parking (which the OP would living in that location and working in Elmhurst). If his budget was compatible with Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Lakeview, Old Town, etc. then I think the city could be the way to go. The other problem though, is that he has one child and wants more. Schools in Chicago are complicated, to say the least. I don't know much of anything about CPS, except that if I worked in the suburbs, I would 100% move to the suburbs for the school system alone if I had children. There are private schools in the city that are great, but they are definitely not cheap and if $2000 is the max payment for housing, I don't know how private school would fit into the budget as an additional cost...

That's just my guess as to why people are steering the OP toward the suburbs more... I know those were my reasons.

[tompope]

Originally Posted by nikitakolata

I don't know much of anything about CPS ... if I worked in the suburbs, I would 100% move to the suburbs for the school system alone if I had children.

Brilliant.