cybersecretary

Hi - anyone living in Illinois (outer suburbs of Chicago).

Whats it like?

Manc

depends

today it's probably gorgeous.

middle of January it is brass monkeys.

tony126

This is not the answer you want but yes there are lots of people living in Illinois. If you are after some specific info then no one is goin to be able to help you with the question. I can say it gets very cold in the winter.

cybersecretary

ok ok - spot that i am new to this forum stuff???!!

Possibility that me and my family may be relocating from the UK to the outer suburbs of Chicago. I have absolutely no idea what it is like but looking at the real estate websites its v expensive to rent/buy property!

HappyHammer

I live in Mount Prospect - NW Suburb. 35 mins Expess train to downtown. Great place for familes, bringing up kids, good schools and very low crime. Younger career building types might prefer Arlington Heights or Schumburg - a bit more going on but if that's what you're looking for then why not live downtown ?
All I can say is it depends on what you're looking for.

cybersecretary

Hi there. it would definately be out of town and we would prefer a family orientated area with good primary schools and generally kid friendly. Have you reloated from the UK?

anotherlimey

I live in Schaumburg; there are lots of families here, however it's very expensive to buy property.

EDIT: I'm probably not the best person to ask about school and family related stuff, but I know what the weather is like today

helenw

Hi, I am not there yet, but will be at somepoint. I will be in Naperville. Lovely place. Its school district 203 has award winning thingys. (I know I looked into it, I have 3 kids myself.) Ok found this quote: Naperville is the fourth largest city in Illinois with about 135,000 residents. Ranked as a top community in the United States to raise children, retire and start a home-based business, the city boasts nationally acclaimed schools, the best public library system in the country and an exceptionally low crime rate.

You will find lots on it if you google it. This is a good one here It really is a very nice place, very cleanand everything.

Manc

I'm amazed it is so close to Gary, IN

Hiro11

Uh, Naperville is nowhere near Gary.

You can't easy capture the entire Chicagoland (yes, that's really what they call it) area in a few sentences. There are some of the toniest towns in the world (Winnetka, Glencoe, Lake Forest) with opulence that beggers belief. Then there are hardscrabble, run-down old industrial towns (South side suburbs) that are dying. then there's everything in between. This is a huge city with one of the biggest networks of suburbs in the US (and perhaps the world). The flat topography and lack of boundaries means that the city just sprawls in every direction except East.

Chicago and its suburbs do have some distinguishing characteristics compared to other American cities:
- it's generally very clean, I mean immaculate. The lawns look like bowling greens, the houses look like the owners scrubed thm with lye.
- the suburbs are generally very white. There are pockets of ethnicity here and there, but in general, we're talking white people
- everything is much newer, bigger and shinier than stuff on the East Coast.
- the people are much, much friendlier than your typical American

The classic John Hughes movies (Ferris Bueller, Breakfast Club etc) were all set and shot here, most movies featuring 1950s America (white picket fences, clapboard houses, oak trees etc) could have been. If there's a place in the US that gets close to fitting the typical "American" stereotype, it's probably the Chicago suburbs.

I love it here.

Manc

I was joking cos Gary is such a complete and utter shithole.

anotherlimey

Halloween was also set here; the first one at least!

BritishInOhio

Gary is not that bad, but there again I used to live in Rhyl!

I live in Chicagoland and love it.

Glen Ellyn Westside 'till I die!!!

Haggischomper

I'll second that. Although I am currently in Westmont, we were married at the Naper Settlement in Naperville and it seems to be quite a cool place. Actually, when the sun was shining last weekend we wandered around downtown and it seemed quite touristy almost.

HappyHammer

Been here 9 years now. Have a house now, but we lived in and out of apartments for a few years until the sprogs sprung. Moved all the way from Folkestone in Kent in 1996. I agree with one of the other replies, Naperville is a nice place. Schaumburg too. Park Ridge is very nice too, more expensive, but you get the small community suburb feel, but only 20 mins from downtown. You might want to check metrarail.com, as they have all the rail links to downtown, and you can get a feel for how far out you are from the city. Primary school ? - I think over here that would be Junior High