iray

Chicago is a great city, no doubt. But to buy in to the whole "the city that works" notion is ridiculous, as is the idea that it's a fact midwesterners don't have fences in their backyards. Sorry to sound so blunt, but to say that's a fact is just naive.

Monkey2RatsandRabbit

Thanks again chaps, all food for thought. I won't really be able to decide until I come for a reccy in 2 weeks time - I'm looking forward to it.
Cheers!

omnebonumabalto

Wow I have never been called naive but some people just love lambasting people.
Chicago is a city that works. I have always admired not only the work ethic of the people who live there but the city workers etc. You don't find many cities that can patch a 6' wide by 3' deep hole in the expressway overnight, and have it open for business at 6 am when it is 10 below freezing. I have worked for Chicago companies for the last 30 years and have been visiting the city that log plus all the conventions I've worked,plus all the dealers and sales calls I've made. So I think I know Chicago pretty well and I like it.I loved going to meetings on W.Wacker catching a train in from O'Hare for a $1 and slipping out at lunchtime to visit a museum. Are you saying that Chicago doesn't work, I think it works in many ways.
We Brits are used to having our fences and our back yards and I was appalled when I lived in the Midwest when neither were evident.It just wasn't the done thing and nobody thought of it. Many Suburbs of Chicago I have seen the same thing and I was just trying to warn the gentleman about a possible culture shock.
So IRAY go have a nice day and try not to be condescending next time.

Nutmegger

Not just the mid-west -- a fence is not the norm in the areas of NY and CT I've lived in either. In fact I joke that you can tell everywhere I've lived -- as I've left a sturdy fence, erected to keep my dogs safe, behind me!

iray

Strange then that as I look out of my window, in my house in Chicago, I see five fences. Fact.

Jerseygirl

Many gardens are like that in NJ...unless you have a pool.

Monkey2RatsandRabbit

That may explain some of the house photos I was looking at! Couldn't believe the size of the garden, anf couldn't figure out where it started and ended! Just looked like a big field.

Yeah, you're right, that would be a culture shock! I'd need to find somewhere with a boundary. No disrepect to the neighbors or anything, we just like to have privacy, and safey for the kids. That being said, I think people generally get on better when they can interact. Take my parents times, when they used to chat and socialise over the short back yard fence. These days, they build 6ft high fences and socialise rarely, probably only face to face when they want your over protruding tree clipped or something of a complaining nature. Social media is the new back fence, which is sad in many ways.

keira-2007

We moved to the Chicago suburbs nearly four years ago... (Wow! Was it really that long?)

My priority was a good school district, so we picked Kildeer Countryside District 96 in the Long Grove/Buffalo Grove/Kildeer area. It has an excellent school system and feeds into Adlai Stevenson High School, which is nationally recognized for its academia and has a wonderful reputation. Of course, you pay for it in your property taxes - be warned, they are astronomical round here! Long Grove is quite a quaint little village (and has a cute British shop called British Accents.) Kildeer has a nice outdoor shopping area. Buffalo Grove has lots of businesses and restaurants... Cheesecake Factory - YUM!

It takes about 45 mins on the train to get downtown. If the traffic is bad, it might take over an hour to drive.

The weather is CRAP in the winter. Be prepared not to see the ground for at least three months. You forget what grass looks like... seriously! And digging out your driveway when it's 15 degrees is NOT fun.

House prices are getting better. We rented when we first moved here and I can't remember what our rent was... I think it was under $3000 a month, and we had a nice three-bed detached with a pool in the back yard and all the mod cons. We then bought, less than a year later, a 4-bed detached, 2700 sq ft house on half an acre for $550,000. We have just sold that same house for $465,000 3 years later after spending well over $100,000 on it - go figure!

Anyhoo, I would definitely recommend Lake County and the surrounding suburban area. I don't know about preschools, but I'm fairly sure there is a Montessori kindergarten-type place in Long Grove that is well thought of. I believe one of the Chicago Bears' kids goes there and his older one goes to Country Meadows Elementary. (If you're interested in that sort of thing.)

Now I've said all that, I should say that today is my final day in the fair State of Illinois. We move tomorrow to... drum roll, please... Louisville, Kentucky! I've heard the weather is better, but I'm to be wary of the toothless hillbillies that roam around sans shoes! Should be interesting...

Best of luck with your move. If I can answer anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask. I check every now and then, when I get a chance.

Best, Keira.

dave2702

I used to go to British Accents quite frequently when I first got here, but these days World Market and (even) Jewel have fresher & Cheaper produce

I was so happy that the Feb 1st Snowfall was the last of the season I don't think I could have survived another. Still since then I've moved and now got a home with a very long driveway so I guess it's time to buy a Snow Blower

keira-2007

Yeah, British Accents is a bit pricey. I feel really sorry for the poor bloke who runs it. He barely makes any money out of it anymore. He keeps thinking each season is going to be his last. And if the rest of the stores that are in that area are anything to go by, it won't be long before he does. That village is becoming a bit of a ghost town. It's a shame. Hopefully the economy will pick and businesses will be able to thrive again.

And Feb 1st... that wasn't the last snowfall, was it? Wasn't it like the 8th or 14th or something that we had that record snowstorm that left us pinned behind 8 feet of snow inside our house??? And then it just kept snowing and snowing and snowing the whole month? I swear it was still snowing in May this year... it was a crummy winter... blah!

I'll be pleased to see what a Kentucky winter has to offer as compensation for 4 years of Chicago winter hell.

bobbedford

I am really getting quite worried about the Winters. We are moving in Jan, and my wife suffers from SAD...

Better fit the light box into her case I think.

dave2702

The Dark isn't a problem Often the Winter's are very bright and sunny. Unfortunately those bright and sunny days are also the coldest

If you're used to British Winters than a Chicago Winter is much more sunny, because we're further South we don't get quite as short days (It think the Sun rises at about 7am and sets around 5pm)

Funnily it tends to be cloudier in March/April/May when it can't decide whether Winter has ended or not

Bob

Yeah, it's a little unsettling to be out in the sun, yet have the snot in your nose freeze solid while your fumbling around trying to get your car keys out of your pocket

Then again, once it warms up to freezing, it's all about the t-shirts and shorts because it's so much warmer than usual...very surreal

Scouse Express

St Valentine's Day was the day we got blasted with a Major Blizzard. Even my 4-wheel drive got stuck in the drift, in the alley. I had parked it at the back of the house, to make room for the snow plow to go down the street.

Jim.

keira-2007

You're absolutely right about the sun on the coldest days. You can look out your window and think that it's summer. Then you step outside and quite literally can't inhale because the air is so frigid.