Originally Posted by
PacNWflyer
We recently moved up to Chicago and are renting while we house hunt. When I got hired here a while back, we decided that me commuting wasn't a good option and of all the base choices Chicago made the most sense (until the Seattle base reopens).
That being said, we have a lot of new hires coming on board and I would like to hear from them as well as some of the old timers as to where we should settle down in Chicagoland.
We are looking for a younger suburb with some diversity, good schools (we plan on having kids), nice downtown, etc. that is reasonably close to downtown. We rent in Naperville now, and although it is nice, it feels a little to isolated.
We have been looking in Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, and Downer's Grove. I'm thinking about expanding the search to Oak Park as well (I hear it has sketchy areas but it's a great location). I don't need to be on the airport blue line.
I know there are older threads that discuss this, but I'm looking for some fresh opinions. Thanks for the input. Go Hawks.
A decent compromise between city for fun and 'burbs for schools/kids is being close to a Metra line. You might look at Geneva, Batavia or St Charles. All are less than an hour to the parking lot. Schools are almost all good, some are great, try to avoid U-46; it's an amalgam of Elgin, Bartlett, Wayne and a few other towns.
Be aware, annual property taxes will be about 2% of your house's purchase price. All of the collar counties are at or near this rate, Cook is lower.
Enjoy the honest, cheap, effective government !