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Chicago Suburbs? Please help!!
Me and my bf are getting a house in Chicago to be closer to our family when the baby comes. Can anyone suggest a great suburb? I'm looking for good malls, restaurants, beautiful, big homes, etc. Nothing too far north bc my family lives in Springfield and I don't want to add on too much time to that drive.. Thanks so much! (i know nothing about chicago or surrounding areas so I really appreciate it!)
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Re: Chicago Suburbs? Please help!!
K, I just read your post on the BF wall, but I'll respond here.?
I am from New Lenox. It is a southwest suburb and really easy to get to Springfield and the city. It used to be a small farmtown when I was growing up, but it has BOOMED with restaurants, malls within short driving distances, and EXCELLENT schools. If I could afford to live there (it's not outrageous, just more than what we can afford) or could gulp living with my parents, I would. Just for the schools, actually. It's safe and really located well, IMO. There is a train station that will take you to Chicago in 45 min to an hour. I could go on and on. PM me if you want to know more. I could totally hook you up.?
ETA: There is a hospital in Joliet (St. Joseph's - about 15 minutes away) that has an AMAZING maternity ward.?
There are many areas like that in the Chicagoland area. It depends on your budget for a house, where you'll be working and what you are looking for in a home. Also, how close do you want to be to the city? We have an express train that only takes less than 40 min., but there are many other factors to the commute.
We live in Rolling Meadows and I love it. My two boys are in District 15 schools which have been great. The older one just started in their gifted program which is just amazing - I wish they'd had a program like this in my area when *I* was a kid.
Rolling Meadows is a stone's throw from Schaumburg, which has lots of businesses, Woodfield Mall, restaurants, etc. We have a great park district and are nestled into Arlington Heights and Palatine, which also have great park districts. We can walk to the UP Northwest Metra Line, which is about an hour to downtown. We're right on 53, which meets up with 90 and merges with 290 and 355 if you are commuting south.
Friends in the neighborhood have delivered at Northwest Community Hospital and have only good things to say (I'll be driving into Evanston, though, because I love the doc I've had since my NU student days). I have has good experiences with NCH for all of my dealings with them, however, so if I were to have an Emergency and be unable to make it to Evanston to deliver, I would have no concerns about going to NCH.
Another nice thing about Rolling Meadows was that we found it much more affordable than the surrounding suburbs when we were house hunting 8 years ago. The houses were built in the 50s and aren't huge, but they are fine for a small family (and plenty of people have built on, as we eventually plan to do). Most of the yards are quite spacious - we absolutely love ours, it was the big selling point for us.
So, yeah, I recommend Rolling Meadows. Arlington Heights, Palatine, Schaumburg, and Mount Prospect are all good too if you're looking for a bigger, more expensive house that's still in the good school districts.
Your budget will be a major factor in determining an appropriate suburb. What is your budget? Are you looking for an apartment, condo, townhouse, house?
I would suggest the Lombard/Downers Grove area. Close to highways. 2 malls in the area. Tons of resturants. Close major highways. I love, love, love Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.
I am sorry, but I have to disagree about St Joe's, at least for their emergency room. I was there last year and I felt like I was in a third world country. My doctor was so disappointed with the lack of treatment I was receiving that he had me transferred to Good Sam. Maybe their specialized floors are better, just hope you never need the emergency room.
Oak Park and Evanston are both good bets -- very close to the city so everything's accessible. Oak Park is right off of the Eisenhower expressway too. Neither are inexpensive, however...