Any Chicago/Naperville ladies?

[FrozenSunshine]

We're contemplating relocating from Seattle. DH's job would be in Naperville.

Local perspective?

Pros/Cons?

[schrodinger]

I did the reverse, Chicagoland to NW Washington. Without a little more info about what you are looking for or enjoy doing, I'll just give you my generic pros/cons.

I hated the size of Chicago, it was just too big for me. Too much traffic, it was such a hassle to get anywhere. Lots of things going on in the city, but if you don't live in the city it was really hard to get there from the burbs. Naperville is a nice suburb with great schools, but its really quite far from the city and most people that I know that live in that part of town never seem to leave the NW suburbs. I do think that the Chicago-area has some of the best park systems.

I really didn't enjoy the weather weather, summers are HOT and muggy, winters can get freezing cold. I love the Seattle weather since its much less varied. If you're out in Naperville, you won't be getting much by way of terrain. No water, no mountains, just lots of suburbs and flat corn fields.

I live quite a bit north of Seattle, so I can't speak to costs of living in the city-proper, but the state of IL is very expensive to live in. State income tax, county taxes, property taxes were all quite a bit higher for me out there. I find the other costs (gas, groceries) to be comparable. IIRC, IL is also really broke and has some serious financial problems. I won't even touch the politics . . .

[FrozenSunshine]

I'm honestly scared to move to the suburbs. I live in Ballard, so a very walkable area of Seattle and I can't imagine anything else. If we moved, I would be working from home, so I'm afraid it'd be easy to get stuck and not go anywhere.

Is it true that a reverse commute from Chicago to Naperville would be miserable? DH's commute now is 40-60 mins depending on traffic.

Are there maybe some in between areas we should look at?

DH is required to have a company car and drive to work, so we wouldn't need to necessarily be on a public transit route, but it might be nice if I want to get out and explore.

Weather isn't a huge concern, I spent 20 years in Alaska.

Thanks for the insight so far.

[Myrrhine]

I grew up in Naperville, and it is a nice suburb with good schools and a pleasant downtown riverwalk area. And an excellent library.

My recollection is that the express train from Naperville - downtown Chicago is about 30 minutes, but if you want to live in the city, you probably won't want to live right by Union Station, so that would extend your commute. I'm not sure what the reverse commute would be like driving. It might depend on where in the city you would live. The highway driving can be absolutely miserable though, especially during rush hour and in bad weather and is the one thing I never miss.

I lived in Chicago during grad school, and I really like the city. I would live there again if it made sense for us careerwise. I'm not sure if I would live there if I had to work in Naperville though.

[schrodinger]

Oak Park would be the only part of town I could think of that I'd like to live in and is between the western burbs and downtown. I love the historic district of Oak Park! I think you would probably find it close to Ballard in terms of social life and activities. Its also has a stop on the L, so it is quick to get downtown and back.

I'm probably painting an overly negative picture of Naperville, but I found suburban living around Chicago was just not for me. I think a lot of young professionals are opting to live in that area, so you could probably find lots of support and groups to become active with. It is easy to get "stuck" out there just because of traffic. I lived there 3 years and have been back to visit quite a bit and can't think of a time when I-88 or 290 have not been under construction.

[SJ]

I'm sending you a pm!!

[keh2oblue]

I actually grew up on the Aurora/Naperville border, and I loved it. It's not that hard to get into the city, you just jump a train. Naperville is pretty expensive to live in, but has great shops, restaurants, parks, schools, etc.

[Daria Morgandorffer]

We moved to N-ville from Phoenix four years ago. I absolutely love living here, aside from commute times to the city (though I love the Metra) and the cost of rent. I completely recommend it!

Also, Naperville itself is very walkable and beautiful.

[Daria Morgandorffer]

Oh and on the reverse commute, it would be hard unless the office were right near the train station.

[FrozenSunshine]

May 20, 2012 18:52:08 GMT -5 Daria Morgandorffer said:

We moved to N-ville from Phoenix four years ago. I absolutely love living here, aside from commute times to the city (though I love the Metra) and the cost of rent. I completely recommend it!

Also, Naperville itself is very walkable and beautiful.

Are there certain parts that are more walkable of Naperville than others? Primarily we'd be looking to walk for groceries, dinner, entertainment.

[FrozenSunshine]

Thanks ladies!

DH would be required to have his company car, so any public transit for commuting is out. So it sounds as if the highways would be a nightmare for a daily commute.

Hopefully we can get out there and check things out before DH has to make a decision.

[MadamePresident]

Naperville is one of the 10 best cities in America to live in per CNN. In 2008 they were ranked #3.

money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/index.html

[fashionx]

Naperville is really nice. I don't know a lot about it, but I do live in the suburbs -- I'm closer to Oak Brook, which is another nice area. Also Elmhurst, and La Grange are good in-between western suburbs that are near the highway 290 to bring you downtown easily. Both of those have walkable downtown areas where you can go out to shop, go to parks, access the Metra train to the city, very easily (speaking for you, not your husband since he needs to drive).

The reverse commute from Naperville to Chicago is only marginally better than the regular commute on 290, but can also depend on the day. If there's any sports game or big event happening in the city, it makes the traffic going in MUCH worse; since those are usually afternoon or evening things, it can make a 30 minute commute into an hour, hour and half, easily.

[Rachael070707]

I grew up in the town north of Naperville - Wheaton. Naperville is one of the largest Chicago suburbs. If you want walkability, you will have to be located near downtown for those options. Every where else is pretty much just driving. From the north end to the south end of town, it can easily take you 30 minutes.

I really think that if you want more options to look into, Wheaton is a great option, especially south Wheaton. There are fantastic schools/sports, lots of parks, dining options and I always found it easy to get downtown via either Metra (train) or expressway (88/Reagan/Eishenhower).

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. If we ever do move back to Chicago, it will be to Wheaton/Warrenville. I love the area.

[ejpint]

I agree, the reverse commute would be just as bad. I lived in the city and worked in a closer suburb (only about 16 miles out), and the commute still took me 60-90 minutes most days. For me, it was worth it to live in the city, but I jumped on the chance to transfer to a closer location as soon as I could.

I like Naperville, but most friends I have that live in the area rarely make it into the city. You'd just have to be okay with that. It's not terrible to try and take the train in for museums, Cubs games, etc., but driving is almost always awful on the expressways aside from a few rare windows of calm.

Downtown Naperville is pretty cute, but the area as a whole is distinctly suburban. You'd be close enough to lots of shopping and dining options - maybe just lacking in many fun/quirky/unique options, which is what I think of when I think of walkable Seattle neighborhoods. I think housing in N'ville is a little higher there than some other nearby burbs.

[Daria Morgandorffer]

I have to echo Racheal about Wheaton- I love Wheaton and when we finally buy, it'll most likely be there.

[SJ]

May 21, 2012 10:03:10 GMT -5 Daria Morgandorffer said:

I have to echo Racheal about Wheaton- I love Wheaton and when we finally buy, it'll most likely be there.

I would love to eventually raise a family in Glen Ellyn/Wheaton (where I grew up) but it's a deal breaker for DH. He feels stifled by the lack of diversity and distance from the city. We compromised on Oak Park but if we have enough money may live in Chicago itself.

[Rachael070707]

May 21, 2012 10:15:53 GMT -5 SJ said:

May 21, 2012 10:03:10 GMT -5 Daria Morgandorffer said:

I have to echo Rachael about Wheaton- I love Wheaton and when we finally buy, it'll most likely be there.

I would love to eventually raise a family in Glen Ellyn/Wheaton (where I grew up) but it's a deal breaker for DH. He feels stifled by the lack of diversity and distance from the city. We compromised on Oak Park but if we have enough money may live in Chicago itself.

Yeah, I just really love where I grew up. If my (potential) future kids are able to go to a school with half the opportunities as I had at WWS, I'll be happy. I miss living there every single day.

[ChiGuest]

May 21, 2012 10:15:53 GMT -5 SJ said:

May 21, 2012 10:03:10 GMT -5 Daria Morgandorffer said:

I have to echo Racheal about Wheaton- I love Wheaton and when we finally buy, it'll most likely be there.

I would love to eventually raise a family in Glen Ellyn/Wheaton (where I grew up) but it's a deal breaker for DH. He feels stifled by the lack of diversity and distance from the city. We compromised on Oak Park but if we have enough money may live in Chicago itself.

What about something like Skokie or Morton Grove? They have some nice homes and I think it's very diverse (I don't live there, but I have friends who grew up there) and you're not far from the city or even Evanston.

[lmb5109]

Naperville is a very cute city, the river walk area reminds me of a Chicago neighborhood. Not sure on a drive out there but I avoid 290 at all costs.

Elmhurst is a cute area with a cute downtown area. It's probably the furthest west I'd move to. There is nothing like living in the city, but I'd stick to the outskirts if I hd to commute to Naperville everyday.

[Rachael070707]

May 21, 2012 11:19:49 GMT -5 lmb5109 said:

Naperville is a very cute city, the river walk area reminds me of a Chicago neighborhood. Not sure on a drive out there but I avoid 290 at all costs.

You take the Eishenhower/290 into I-88 to get out to Naperville. If you were to stay on 290, you end up out in Addison/Itasca. Or I guess if you lived on the very, very south end of Naperville you could take 55/Stevenson in.
I just don't want anyone to get confused on directions, lol.

[dancingirl21]

May 20, 2012 21:24:44 GMT -5 Rachael070707 said:

I grew up in the town north of Naperville - Wheaton. Naperville is one of the largest Chicago suburbs. If you want walkability, you will have to be located near downtown for those options. Every where else is pretty much just driving. From the north end to the south end of town, it can easily take you 30 minutes.

I really think that if you want more options to look into, Wheaton is a great option, especially south Wheaton. There are fantastic schools/sports, lots of parks, dining options and I always found it easy to get downtown via either Metra (train) or expressway (88/Reagan/Eishenhower).

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. If we ever do move back to Chicago, it will be to Wheaton/Warrenville. I love the area.

Ditto this! DH and I bought a house in Wheaton 1 year ago, and so far we love it. He grew up in Glen Ellyn, so is really familiar with the area. Schools are really good and the downtown area is cute. It's also easy to get to Chicago on the train (~35 minutes) or even driving. DH drives to work near Navy Pier (although he goes in really early at 6am) and it only takes 30 mins or less.

We lived in the city for 4 years before moving out to the burbs and it just depends on what your lifestyle is. We loved the city, but quickly realized we weren't using it enough and could get a lot more square footage in the suburbs. PM me with any questions!