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Old 05-15-2009, 09:37 PM
 
4 posts, read 16,045 times
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I'm thinking of moving to Chicago in the next year or two. By then I should have my Masters degree, at least 6 months of living expenses saved up, and enough legal experience to get a decent job, provided there are any left.

I will also be a single mother of two (12 and 10 by that time) and will be in search of an area that has a diverse population. My children are biracial and it's important for me to expose to them many different ethnicities/cultures. We spend a lot of time in musuems and outdoors so being close to a park with biking and or hiking trails would be ideal. Obviously being in an area with a good school district is at the the top of my list.

I would also like to be close to an area where there is a decent night scene. I like going to live theater, concerts both outdoors and indoors. Basicially I'm a mom with a social life and I would love to find a neighborhood that's balanced.

My intentions are to spend a great deal of my free time exploring Chicago since I'm about 4 hours away and can travel frequently. I just need a few ideas thrown my way so that I'm not all over the place. Any one willing to give me some ideas?
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Old 05-15-2009, 11:29 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,914,994 times
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No offense, but if you are about 4 hours away now that is what, like Iowa, Indiana or Michigan. Seems like a move from just about any of those places to Chicago would be an ENORMOUS cultural shock, especially for middle schoolers...

I would recommend someplace where the odds of getting into a desirable school are not quite so stacked against you and the likelihood of real diversity are better. If you are not already in college town perhaps that would be a better choice.

Additionally if you are serious about the social aspects you might want to consider someplace like an affluent suburb that is close to Chicago, where sitters and childcare may be much more easily verified / utilized.
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Old 05-15-2009, 11:34 PM
 
11,973 posts, read 31,622,124 times
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If you are moving from, say, a Milwaukee suburb to a Chicago suburb, the culture shock will be minimal. Suburbs in the midwest are not really that different from metro region to metro region.

Evanston and Oak Park are the obvious choices for diverse cities with better-than-average schools.
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Old 05-16-2009, 01:37 AM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
328 posts, read 1,390,479 times
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Default From what I know, suburbs

Quote:
Originally Posted by Imsounderrated View Post
I'm thinking of moving to Chicago in the next year or two. By then I should have my Masters degree, at least 6 months of living expenses saved up, and enough legal experience to get a decent job, provided there are any left.

I will also be a single mother of two (12 and 10 by that time) and will be in search of an area that has a diverse population. My children are biracial and it's important for me to expose to them many different ethnicities/cultures. We spend a lot of time in musuems and outdoors so being close to a park with biking and or hiking trails would be ideal. Obviously being in an area with a good school district is at the the top of my list.

I would also like to be close to an area where there is a decent night scene. I like going to live theater, concerts both outdoors and indoors. Basicially I'm a mom with a social life and I would love to find a neighborhood that's balanced.

My intentions are to spend a great deal of my free time exploring Chicago since I'm about 4 hours away and can travel frequently. I just need a few ideas thrown my way so that I'm not all over the place. Any one willing to give me some ideas?
From what I know, the suburbs might be the best for your kids, since they are already in grade school. I know some parents that choose to raise their kids in the city, but they also have to pay for private education. I think that your biracial childen would be really accepted in the city, and should be accepted in the suburbs, unless you live in a very rural, far-flung suburb. I have a friend who teaches in Bolingbrook and he has a broad mix of students from all nationalities and skin colors.

As mentioned by a previous poster, Evanston and Oak Park are good "suburbs" that are still diverse and VERY close to the city.
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Old 05-16-2009, 03:15 PM
 
4 posts, read 16,045 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
No offense, but if you are about 4 hours away now that is what, like Iowa, Indiana or Michigan. I stand corrected. I'm 5 hours away in SW Ohio. Seems like a move from just about any of those places to Chicago would be an ENORMOUS cultural shock, especially for middle schoolers...My family and I have traveled all over the country due to the military so nothing is culturally shocking for either of us. They're well rounded individuals.

I would recommend someplace where the odds of getting into a desirable school are not quite so stacked against you and the likelihood of real diversity are better. So, what is your recommendation? You haven't listed any. If you are not already in college town perhaps that would be a better choice. I'm not thinking of relocating until after graduation so there will not be a need to relocate to a college town.

Additionally if you are serious about the social aspects you might want to consider someplace like an affluent suburb that is close to Chicago, where sitters and childcare may be much more easily verified / utilized.
Thanks, but can you mention a few of these places if you can.
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Old 05-16-2009, 03:20 PM
 
4 posts, read 16,045 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by alwaystraveling25 View Post
From what I know, the suburbs might be the best for your kids, since they are already in grade school. I know some parents that choose to raise their kids in the city, but they also have to pay for private education. Private school may not be an issue for me, but I will definitely take that into consideration! I think that your biracial childen would be really accepted in the city that's how it is here in Cincinnati. When we venture to the burbs to visit our friends the neighborhood kids are a little reluctant to get to know them, but kids will be kids and it's probably just a matter of becoming comfortable, and should be accepted in the suburbs, unless you live in a very rural, far-flung suburb. I have a friend who teaches in Bolingbrook and he has a broad mix of students from all nationalities and skin colors.

As mentioned by a previous poster, Evanston and Oak Park are good "suburbs" that are still diverse and VERY close to the city. Thanks I'll be
looking into those areas shortly!
Thanks for the recommendation that was really helpful!
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Old 05-16-2009, 03:22 PM
 
4 posts, read 16,045 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lookout Kid View Post
If you are moving from, say, a Milwaukee suburb to a Chicago suburb, the culture shock will be minimal. Suburbs in the midwest are not really that different from metro region to metro region.

Evanston and Oak Park are the obvious choices for diverse cities with better-than-average schools.
I will be moving from Cincinnati. I lived in Atlanta prior to the move and Cincinnati is another story when it comes to diversity and culture. I'm researching Evanston and Oak Park. Thanks so much!
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Old 05-16-2009, 03:55 PM
 
170 posts, read 533,416 times
Reputation: 62
Quote:
Originally Posted by Imsounderrated View Post
I will be moving from Cincinnati. I lived in Atlanta prior to the move and Cincinnati is another story when it comes to diversity and culture. I'm researching Evanston and Oak Park. Thanks so much!
For what it's worth, I moved here from Dayton and I have spent a lot of time in Cincinnati as well, and I doubt that it would be much of a culture shock. As long as you steer clear of the worst areas, as most people would, it should be fine.

There are some extremely cookie cutter, pasty white suburbs out here (as it is in Ohio... yeesh!) I'm white and my kids won't be mixed race, but I wouldn't even want to live in some of these totally bleached environments. So boring, and so closed off. Oak Park and Evanston would likely be great, as others have said. I'd love to end up on Oak Park by the time I have children ready for school but I'm afraid cost might get in the way.
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