Relocating from UWS Manhattan to Chicago w toddler (Evanston, Oak Park: neighborhoods, school districts)

[nyswede]

Hi there,
We are relocating from lovely Upper West Side, NYC with a toddler. We will be working in downtown Chicago and I am desperate for advice in terms of neighborhoods where the schools are good and the commute is less than 45 mins. Of course we care about pollution, parks, restaurants, and all that stuff. I am born in Sweden and would love some tips regarding any Scandinavian areas as well.
Thank You!

[Drover]

The closest thing you'll get to a Scandanavian area is the Andersonville neighborhood, but I'd guess fewer than 5% of its remaining population is actually Scandanavian (primarily Swedish). But there are some remaining hints of its Swedishness including The Swedish Bakery, Ann Sather restaurant, Svea restaurant, and Swedish-American Museum Center. There's a Swedish-themed bar there too but I can't remember its name other than it starts with a K and it's not particularly Swedish except its name. Oh, and glogg is served at a handful of the bars there in wintertime.

That said, the schools in the area aren't too great. If you want something approximating an urban environment with good schools and a 45 minute or less commute, check out the suburb of Oak Park.

[nyswede]

Thanks,
So are the schools in Oak Park good (even the lower grades)?
Besides Oak Park, what other neighborhoods would you recommend?
Sorry but I don't know anything about Chicago.

[thePR]

Originally Posted by nyswede

Thanks,
So are the schools in Oak Park good (even the lower grades)?
Besides Oak Park, what other neighborhoods would you recommend?
Sorry but I don't know anything about Chicago.

Park Ridge. It's on the Northwest side by O'Hare. The commute would be longer than Oak Park's though. Chicago isn't known for it's Scandinavian population but rather German, Polish and Irish.

[UICJohn]

Park Ridge is a very nice, close suburb. It's just minutes away from the border of Chicago, most of it is within 5-8 minutes of the highway, excellent schools also.

Also, Evanston is a nice suburb, most of it, and it's not a bad commute either and they have a good school system.

Same goes with Lincolnwood.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by nyswede

Thanks,
So are the schools in Oak Park good (even the lower grades)?
Besides Oak Park, what other neighborhoods would you recommend?
Sorry but I don't know anything about Chicago.

The first thing you should know about Chicago is that, at least in Chicago proper, it is really hard to find really good schools, especially beyond the 5th grade. I mean, you live in NYC, you know what urban school districts are like. That's why most of your recommendations are going to be for suburbs.

[nyswede]

How does the inner city areas like Lakeview fit families with young children?
I am not sure I am ready for the suburbs yet.

[seventyseven]

My wife and I moved from the UWS 2 years ago to Lakeview. We have a 21 month-old, and find that Lakeview is great for us. We weren't ready for the suburbs, either.

I would add, however, that some K-8 public schools are good on the northside, and many are lousy.

[Attrill]

Some good family friendly neighborhoods to check out on the Northside are Andersonville, Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, and Roscoe Village. NPN (http://www.npnparents.org/index.asp - broken link) is a good source for info about schools. They have a lot of good info online and run school fairs a few times a year that I've found to be very helpful in collecting info on schools around us. Chicago is the same as any large city for education - there are a lot of options but balancing cost, quality, convenience, etc. can be a daunting task

[nyswede]

Interesting, how was the transition from the UWS and what was your experience in cost of living between the two areas?