Originally Posted by
DarkSideMoon
You’re not going to find anything in the city in that price range with enough room for a family in a neighborhood you’d want to leave them alone in, unless you’re willing to live in a very old place. I’d check out the north and northwest suburbs. Make sure you check the commute time at various times of day. Traffic is pretty variable around here and just because you can make it to ORD in 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon doesn’t mean you can on a Monday morning.
This. If you were by yourself, I'd say you could stretch $1500 but with a family that may not as be feasible if you wanted to be in the more urban areas. W/NW suburbs are great areas and in a lot of cases, an easy drive to the employee lot.
Take a look at Schaumburg, Arlington Heights area. You can go even further west to St. Charles or Wheaton. All are good areas.
The "Chicago" you hear about on TV is usually Englewood IMO. You're well away from that in the burbs.