I am moving from Boston to Chicago.My office is in Naperville, but want to live closer to the city.Any ideas?

Question

I don't mind a commute, which I know I'm going to have. I just want to be fairly close to the city so I can enjoy it. I'd like to be fairly close to a major highway so I don't have to spend 20 minutes just to get on it. I'd like to know which areas are good/safe.
Thanks

I don't mind a commute, which I know I'm going to have. I just want to be fairly close to the city so I can enjoy it. I'd like to be fairly close to a major highway so I don't have to spend 20 minutes just to get on it. I'd like to know which areas are good/safe.
I do really want to be within 10 miles of the city at most.
Thanks

Answer 1

You could always just live in Chicago and communte on the Metra rail service. Lots of people do the exact opposite (Live in Naperville and commute to work in Chicago). According to the Metra website, the train leaves downtown Chicago Union Station and takes about an hour (http://metrarail.com/Sched/bn/bn_wko.shtml). You could live in the city and skip the driving commute all together. Granted you have to get up a bit earlier to get downtown to the train station in the first place, but it beats spending gas driving back and forth. And you get to live wherever you want in Chicago.


As for good/safe areas to live, depends on how much you want to spend. There are a lot of new lofts/condos going up around the area known as Greektown. You could live there and pretty much walk to Union Station in the morning to catch the train to work.

Answer 2

Being 10 miles of the city is not going to help you be any closer to the action. I'm not sure how familiar you are with Chicago, but it's big. Being 10 miles from the city's edge still brings you at least 30 to 45 minutes from downtown (driving), where most of the things you want to enjoy are.

Also, Naperville does have expressway access. 88 and 355 are there. But what's even better is that Naperville has direct train access via the Metra into Chicago, which makes it extremely easy to go have fun in the city (and not worry about driving there and back).

If you must be centrally located to the fun in Chicago, you need to be IN the city. Hyde Park and the north side are good places to check out. However, I think you should reconsider this. You'd have about an hour commute one-way to get to work. Balance those two hours each day with how often you're really going to explore the city's museums and theaters (everything else, like bars and restaurants, Naperville has just as well as Chicago).

Answer 3

If you want to be in between the city and Naperville, take a look at suburbs like Hinsdale, Downer's Grove, and LaGrange. Those are all nice and place you on the highway in between Naperville and the city.

However, as a lot of people have pointed out, Naperville is pretty darn nice in its own right. It's like Chicago in the suburbs - many similar restaurants, a terrific riverwalk, friendly people, and easy transporation on Metra into the city.

The other option would be to live in the city and take the Metra to and from Naperville - since you'd be doing the reverse commute it'd be even easier. That way you could live in or around Union Station, where the Metra trains to Naperville come in and leave from (the West Loop neighborhood, where Union Station is, is terrific and in the heart of the city) and walk to and from your condominium at the beginning and end of the day.

Answer 4

Naperville is large and is a pain in the butt to commute in even during off-peak hours. However, you're from Boston, so I'm sure you're used to pain in the butt commuting. :)

Are you looking at commuting via mass transit or in a car? Chicago and the 'burbs aren't like Boston in that you can get pretty much anywhere you want without a car. If you live in Chicagoland you're going to need a car.

Ok, but back to your question. If I were you, I would look to live in Naperville if that's where you're going to be working. It's a very yuppie-ish town, so if you can stand the yuppy mentality of much of the population there, you'll find that there's just about every type of resteraunt, entertainment, shopping, etc. that you could possibly want. You'll also be close to highways.

If you really don't want to live in Naperville, a couple of other suburbs to look into would be Wheaton or Downer's Grove.

For more information about Chicagoland mass transit visit:
www.metrarail.com
www.transitchicago.com

Good luck! Chicagoland is a wonderful place to live.

Answer 5

Closer or maybe half way to the city would be LaGrange. It's a really nice neighborhood especially if you have a family. If not, you could live in Oak Park which is also nice but more trendier. I would also suggest using Metra instead of driving just because it will cut your time in half. You can always live in the city also. But, keep in mind that what everyone has said is true - Naperville is really really nice for singles and marrieds with or without children. Good Luck.

Answer 6

Seriously, Naperville is really nice, I would live there and commute to the city when you want to go downtown.
I would suggest doing one of two things, find a place in Naperville close to I-88, or a place in Wheaton or Downers Grove close to I-55, that way you can drive to the city. If you don't want to drive, find a place close to the Metra / BNSF line so you can take the train into the city.

Answer 7

I would reccommend not commuting to work and commuting into the city when I wanted to go. Chicago's traffic is a nightmare, and you'll end up having to leave over an hour early everyday just to get to work. I'd just stay in Naperville, it's one of the largest suburbs, and there is a lot to do there.

Answer 8

Whenever you hear about those polls magazines take about the best places to live in the country Naperville is always in the top 10. You are within a train line to take into Chicago. Naperville is safe, has a nice downtown area with bars and restaurants and parks.

Answer 9

I would probably stay in Naperville if I were you. It is really close to I-88, which can get you to Chicago in about a half an hour. The community is so much better. Not a lot of crime. As where the closer to Chicago, the more there will be.

Answer 10

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