Moving to Chicago from Atl, Ga

[Bluefox]

I don't know. Glen Ellyn and Wheaton seem like places for families who are primarily concerned about schools. I can't imagine there being a huge population of young people in their 20s who aren't somewhere in the married/having children phase. I frankly think the OP would be miserable there and really missing out on Chicago living for an early 20 something. Oak Park would be the clear winner here. Not an unbearable commute. An urban suburb with culture and character and easy access to the city on the weekends. Way more single young people.

Unless the OP likes outer suburbs which isn't the vibe I'm getting.

[marothisu]

The OP really needs to give us an idea about budget. Until then, this is all pointless. And yes, they could live in the city under a few circumstances, but I'm guessing it's going to be a suburban recommendation in the end.

[knitgirl]

I actually have a friend who is early 30's but has lived in Wheaton for years, no kids. She loves it.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

I actually have a friend who is early 30's but has lived in Wheaton for years, no kids. She loves it.

I have a co-worker that is a very interesting guy. Late 40's or early 50's. Very professional. He enjoys being 'totally single'. Claims to never had any kind of "personal relationships" male, female or otherwise.

He enjoys travel, takes at least two major trips a year, I am talking things like eco-safari to the Amazon, train ride across China, dive trip to Fiji. He is a great photographer. He brings back incredible pictures, usually has the best "screen savers" you've ever seen. He likes to talk about where and when each photo was taken, incredible memory for details

He also is a very accomplished musician, plays in several semi-professional groups. ICO

While he will have a beer when the whole office goes out for events or such he is not somebody that enjoys the typical sports bars / nightlife of Chicago.

My point is that for folks that like the safety / convenience of being close to work and are not driven by a need to be around crowds of people things can be quite nice in a quiet area.

Now there are PLENTY of spots in the burbs for folks that do like more traditional kinds of entertainment too, and I don't want to give the impression that every suburban single is as far from the mainstream as my co-worker, but the reality is for people like the OP they will have to strike a balance between how much of the common kinds of "hang out, drink, shout over the music, try to hook up" bars that are MUCH more prevalent in Chicago they'll miss if they do live close to work...

[oakparkdude]

For those who haven't driven in Atlanta, they do a pretty good job of having horrible, horrible rush-hour traffic even in the absence of snow. Its quite impressive actually.

I might be biased, but I'd consider Oak Park for the first year, the commute will be 30-40 minutes unless there's a bad snowstorm (which are actually pretty rare). I've done this drive many times over the past 10 years so I know from experience. On a nice enough day, you could even take the train to Glen Ellyn and ride your bike from the train station to work (its under 2 miles on residential streets). After a year you could reconsider and move closer to work or into Chicago.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

For those who haven't driven in Atlanta, they do a pretty good job of having horrible, horrible rush-hour traffic even in the absence of snow. Its quite impressive actually.

I might be biased, but I'd consider Oak Park for the first year, the commute will be 30-40 minutes unless there's a bad snowstorm (which are actually pretty rare). I've done this drive many times over the past 10 years so I know from experience. On a nice enough day, you could even take the train to Glen Ellyn and ride your bike from the train station to work (its under 2 miles on residential streets). After a year you could reconsider and move closer to work or into Chicago.

Although Oak Park has only a tiny of nightlife, there is quite a bit more to in nearby Forest Park and even Berwyn, plus there is decent enough access to Chicago via Metra & CTA. That would allow the OP to stop home before heading out, and shave some time off the commute.

It is not the best long term solution, and frankly I suspect that the drive even to Glen Ellyn from Oak Park may get the OP looking for work inside Chicago itself, but it is way to at least test the waters...

If the OP does "settle in" to Oak Park it is on the same train line at Glen Ellyn, but depending on where the office location is they almost certainly would do better relying on some kind of "car pool from work" or at least a pick up from folks that pass by the train station that trying to ride a bike. There really are nearly no offices that would not force them to bike through some ugly traffic and when there is snow and such it just too messy along Roosevelt to consider a bike...

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by DougStark

I agree with this post. Why deal with an agonizing daily commute? Find a place near your work.

If you want Chicago night life, hit the city on the weekend.

But the Chicago girls, once they find out OP lives in the burbs, won't want to deal with him. City girls won't date a guy they can only see on Saturdays.