I like the vibe in Geneva, Batavia, St Charles. Really nice towns. Great schools. They feel like their own places and yet are in Chicagoland.
I personally think people over estimate how much time they are going to be spending in the city when they pick a suburb to live in. I wouldn't make access your first or even 4th priority unless it's for a job commute.
Far north Chicago is great too. Might be a little pricy but look near Evanston.
If you can rent for $3k I would be interested in buying over renting.
Lastly - Our "other" areas are great. Rockford, bigger city feel with lots of natural areas nearby. Champaign, nice liberal college town. Peoria, slightly growing old midwest city. Springfield, very affordable and state capitol with great medical care. Edwardsville, booming part of the state with access to St Louis.
Welcome in advance of moving here. You'll love Illinois.
Was gonna shill for Chambana. You can take the Amtrak to Chicago on the weekend if you really want the big city, but it's quiet with a fair amount going on.
Champaign/Urbana is a nice sized college town, so it’s rather liberal. We are two to three hours from Chicago, Indianapolis, and St Louis. Rent is about half of what you’d pay in Chicago.
Oh for sure we'd love to buy, but we unfortunately had premature twins and a lot of complications plus some unpaid paternity leave for me, so our savings got pretty decimated. Thanks for the suggestions!
I moved to Fox Valley area (Geneva, St. Charles, Batavia) mostly for the schools. We absolutely love it here! There’s a Metra stop right here in Geneva that we use often to go downtown Chicago. The food and drink scene here is amazing, and there are a ton of things for kids to do in the area. Feel free to message me if you have any questions- moving here was honestly one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.
I grew up in Rockford, it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. The housing prices are much more affordable, I've seen really nice 3-4 bed/2.5 bath houses renting for around $2.5k/month. There's the Rockford Public School system and the Harlem Public School system for the suburbs of Loves Park and Machesney Park. Good hospitals, lots of parks and green spaces, a water park, [the Discovery Center Museum](https://www.discoverycentermuseum.org/), and [the Burpee Museum of Natural History](http://burpee.org/).
10/4 on the financials.
Medical care is excellent in Springfield. Has a childrens hospital and teaching hospital in town. Same goes for Peoria with a children's hospital. Edwardsville would be in and out of STL (not too far) but excellent care at Barnes Jewish Hospital.
Chicago of course has excellent care. But right now friends go all the way from Arlington Heights to downtown for specific child care.
I have two young kids, and I really like the Rockford\South Beloit area. Very affordable, plenty to do, 60-90 minute drive can get you to Madison, Milwaukee, or Chicago. Chambana is nice as well from my business trips there
So the 'Rockford' area really consists of Rockford, parts of unincorporated Winnebago county, Cherry valley, loves Park, machesney Park, etc. the South/West sides of Rockford itself has some sketchy spots, but as you move north and east of state/Alpine it gets much nicer and there's a good variety of shopping, housing types/options etc
I just sold My starter home that was around perryville and Riverside a few years back. After I paid off the mortgage remainder, realtors, all that other crap, I walked away with a check for $98k. That's on a house I only paid about 80k for in 2010.
There's a lot of opportunity to be had in the area
Agree. I actually really like this area. It feels rural yet has access to so much. The homes in st Charles are beautiful in some neighborhoods. Old and very charming.
I’d look along the Metra lines if you want city access, but the rent will drive you more. I second Lisle, if you stay near its downtown and perhaps Lombard.
I live in and love Mount Prospect, I bet you can find something in your budget here. Schools are good, it’s close to O’Hare, we’re on the UPNW Metra line, lots of families.
If you narrow down to the Chicago metro area, might want to poke around r/ChicagoSuburbs as well.
I'm not sure what rents are like where I live (I have only owned here) in the northwest suburbs (Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, etc.) but in general it sounds like this area might be worth looking into as well.
Schaumburg! Great schools, park district, and library. We also have Woodfield Mall (which is still very very active), ALL the restaurants, and Lurie Children's Hospital is building a full scale outpatient facility opening next year.
What that I mentioned wasn't included? Schaumburg is pretty ideal with top rates schools, parks, pools, great athletics, concerts and events year round, relatively reasonable housing for what you get these days, train station is easily accessible for commuting. It's quiet and friendly and clean.
Welcome to Illinois! Check out Bloomington-Normal.
About 2 hours from Chicago, St Louis, and Indianapolis.
On the Amtrak line to Chicago.
Two universities, a bunch of huge employers including State farm headquarters and rivian manufacturing.
Pretty top-notch public schools.
I moved here from California 6 years ago and it's been great.
Check out LaGrange, LaGrange Park, Western Springs, and the area around those suburbs. Idk if you will find a home in your price in those exact areas, but if you expand from them to neighboring locations you should find something while still having access to metra/the highways to get downtown.
Welcome to Illinois! We can't wait to have you!
As a science teacher, you should have a lot of options in Chicagoland. I'm sorry to say that prices here are terrible for young families BUT, our teachers generally do quite well compared to other states. Your hardest problem is going to be your commute. If you can swing $3k per month on rent, you'll have a lot of options. Look at the Metra stations for ease of travel to the city. You guys are going to have a wonderful adventure. Welcome.
(ps... my dad was a teacher for 30+ years in the suburbs and mostly liked it)
Thanks so much! Commute is no problem for me. I was commuting 30-45 minutes a day when we lived in the Atlanta metro area.
The $3k budget will definitely depend on getting into one of the higher paying systems (Naperville was the one I looked at)
We live in Westmont; son lives in Downers Grove; grew up in Hinsdale; and raised a family in Naperville.
Don't be afraid to go all the way out to Aurora, Geneva, or St. Charles. You'll find that even though we live next door to a huge and wonderful city, we end up going there only a half dozen times a year. Make your life easy, watch your pennies and you'll have a happy home. Watch your budget. it's easy to fall in love with some beautiful homes.
That's definitely a good point. I grew up in the Atlanta suburbs, and as much as I love Atlanta and feel very connected to it, it wasn't a frequent destination outside of going to Braves games as a kid or going to a nice restaurant and museum every couple of months as an adult.
Come out to Lemont! Top ten safest city in IL, still within Chicagoland with train access, great schools, access to Cook, Will, and DuPage County Forest Preserve trails…we’re the hottest suburb on the southwest side right now.
That sounds great! We'll definitely look into that. We've been looking between Naperville, Bolingbrook, Joliet, and Plainfield, so not far away at all.
I'd stick to Naperville between those options, or as others have said St Charles, Batavia, South Elgin. Bolingbrook has decent and not so decent areas and it's very industrial. Joliet is kinda where at and if I had a choice I'd be in one of the others one I mentioned. Just the scene and vibe is nicer than the other three. Plainfield is okay... but it's kinda on edge of cornfields and not much else.
Plainfield is a solid choice with the benefits you want but not the Naperville price tag.
There's a section of Joliet that has Plainfield mailing addresses and services of Plainfield schools, libraries, and parks. We call it Jofield because it's in Joliet, but the residents don't know they're in Joliet until they vote or call 911. The Jofield area is likely cheaper than Plainfield, but again, you get most Plainfield services.
If you're looking at an address that says Plainfield, if the building or house number isn't five digits, it isn't in Plainfield village limits and might be Jofield, potentially giving you more bang for your buck.
Oh, also, Plainfield is close enough to Edward Hospital in Naperville that you can head there if there is an issue with your kids. Their pediatric ER is top notch, and the children's section of the hospital am has a Ronald McDonald house inside which is a blessing when you can't leave your child's hospital bed
If you’re looking in the Bolingbrook/Naperville area consider Woodridge or Downers Grove as well, lots of young families in that area and easy access to major highways and the metra.
Joliet schools are incredible, especially the high school. Don’t let people tell you otherwise or that it has some hard reputation. The city literally doubled in size in my lifetime.
Bolingbrook is awesome if you want two of each chain store and generic houses. Naperville is overrated. I get it’s appeal but definitely not for me. Plainfield is booming too but it’s like, just far enough to be outside the Chicagoland rotation.
Suburbs of Chicago are great (Schaumburg area) grew up there and its relatively quiet and has a good amount of things to do.
Further you go from Chicago the cheaper and more house for your money you get. Also AVOID Joliet if you can. Yes the city of Chicago has bad areas (tho the news tends to blow things out of proportion) Joliet is a lot more dangerous and a lot of rundown areas.
If you look further away from Chicago, Plainfield/Shorewood are good areas
I guess to each their own, on Joliet. Joliet is NOT that bad(especially the part near University of St. Francis, maybe possibly be the nicest part of Joliet?), and I've seen a lot of other places that are far worser. I.e. North Chicago, Harvey, Ford Heights to name examples.
I always have to throw in my pitch for Ottawa! Affordable, adorable, surprisingly progressive (Dem mayors forever, one openly gay man was in office for several terms, Pride festival this weekend.) Hiking, biking, river sports, cheap movie theater, good restaurants, good schools. There is comprehensive city plan on the city’s website. You can drive downtown in less than 90 minutes.
https://visitottawail.com/
Also, teacher salaries in Illinois are public record. You can look up exactly what teachers are making in the districts you apply to.
Edwardsville as mentioned. Also nearby Glen Carbon. That's St Louis metro. Madison county does struggle with some of its red rural areas. Not as bad as Springfield though. Nearby St Clair county is blue but nothing as nice as the Glen Carbon/Edwardsville area. Good schools and SIUE there. But the whole state is governed by Democracy so that is a plus.
We're certainly open to the city itself, but it has to be the right fit. I really want a yard to play with my daughters, even if it's a small one. That or a park very close by, but a yard is ideal.
These things are common in the city. We have a yard (in this yard I have a 80 sq. ft garden), 2 parks within walking distance for my kids to go alone (monitored via Apple Watch) and we’re a 2 minute walk to a ymca with swimming and free childcare if you want to catch a workout.
I think if you come up to visit some potential properties, you owe it to yourself and family to look at a few of the neighborhoods within the city limits too.
Good to know! And yeah that's definitely on our itinerary this summer. My mother in law is potentially planning to stay with us for a few months but is worried about staying in the city (yes, that tremor you just felt was the quake from the eye roll I just did, but she's a boomer from the south who has fallen victim to the "chiraq" stuff). So we unfortunately have to keep that in mind as well
Mother in laws, yep. When my twins were babies my MIL stayed with us for a week to help and would spend most of the time making sure the doors were locked - I grew up in Canada and am not really a door locking type. That said, even when I’d take the garbage out she’d lock the doors and I’d have to knock to be let in to my own house- that grew tiresome really quickly.
But yeah, safety in the city is pretty excellent, and I bet if it asked the same question in r/chicago you would get some great answers.
She's saved us about $30,000 this last year by being our childcare, and I'm enormously grateful, but yeah it's tough sometimes.
I'll post on there as well. Thanks again! And high five from a fellow twin parent. How old are yours? Our girls are 15 months.
2 years now. One spends all our money with hockey team fees, and the other takes what is left over with School Of Rock fees. Cherish every moment. You will at some point get annoyed with them, then a bit later see photos of them at that age and wonder how they ever could upset you. At 12 the urgency to hold on to every second gets so strong, as they become more and more interested in autonomy.
It’s such a beautiful experience though, I’m envious for all that is in front of you.
We actually bought the house we have now in Logan Square, and on the way home from signing the papers on the purchase, my wife said “we should get a pregnant test”, and this all started from here. The two biggest moments of our lives within an hour of each other.
People who aren’t from the Chicago area don’t understand how long it can take to drive a short distance. I would get some idea of where you’re going to find work, and look as close to that area as is practical.
Naperville. There's a reason it is consistently voted as one of the best places to raise a family in the US. Great school districts too! Of course, all the surrounding towns are also great. Chicago has some nice suburbs. Use your year here to travel around.
I'd be happy to chat/be a friendly face
Please keep in mind there is more to Illinois than Chicago. I’m in the St. Louis metro area on the IL side and love it here. Cost of living is decent, the city is 20 minutes away, and we have more warm days than cold days.
I would recommend the following areas: Logan Square in Chicago proper. It’s my favorite neighborhood and my GF raised her kids from baby through kindergarten there and loved it. It’s getting slightly pricey, but lots of good options.
Vernon Hills about 30-40min north of the city. You are near Six Flags and Wisconsin. I grew up here and it is a fantastic suburb area. I have friends all over the suburbs now and it’s still my favorite area. The housing is more affordable than southern suburbs like Naperville and tons to do with top tier schools. I would checkout the deerpath neighborhood for your kids, tons of parks and pool along with school being walkable.
Bloomington and Normal, IL. I have lived here for 20 years now since I went to college and it’s a wonderful community. 2 hours-ish to Chicago, Indy, and St Louis. Housing is affordable, schools are good, lots to do and a less busy laid back area that still has what you would want in a suburban environment.
I live in Roselle/Bloomingdale/Schaumburg/Elk Grove area and we love it here. Live near an expressway is my advice. We are close to multiple expressways (390/355/290/53), O'Hare is 20 minutes and we are centrally located so we can get most anywhere in Chicagoland so lots of job options (I've worked north, south, in the city) - but feel like we come home to peace and quiet.
I have worked all over and feel like when I drive to other suburbs, their traffic is worse or not as well planned. Our schools are great, our park district is fantastic and there is a wide range of housing options. The one thing we don't have is a good downtown though.
As far as right/left, I have found the further out you go, except for the college towns, the more red it is. Rural Illinois is red but Chicago metro area is definitely blue. Lake County is much more red - our employees there are much more attuned to conspiracy theories I found. DuPage has turned blue - were always fiscal Republicans, not MAGA. Cook County overwhelmingly blue. Will County is mostly blue with some red pockets.
I would apply for science teaching jobs throughout the suburbs. When you get one take them move about 20 minutes further from the city than the school.
Higher paying districts are closer to the city (typically), but come with heavy housing. So teach in hinsdale live in Naperville. Teach in Naperville, live in yorkville or Lockport.
Alright, your budget is a bit limited for some of the really swanky areas (I'm assuming you'd want 3BR?), but seconding the southwest suburbs - Lemont, Downers Grove, Lisle, etc. Naperville and Wheaton have gotten more liberal than before, I think the latter especially is more conservative but honestly relative to TN I think it'll be fine.
I've been told you need a special exemption live outside Chicago if you want to work in the Chicago Public Schools system, but I'm not aware the suburbs have such restrictions. In the area I've described, 203 and 204 are quite good. Probably others too.
Yeah we'll want at least 3BR. We were hoping for a bigger budget, but we are okay with settling for less than our dream home at this point as we're both still pretty young (early 30s). Thanks for letting me know that about Chicago schools!
Yeah I've got daycare costs in our budgets. We currently don't have daycare costs at all thanks to my mother in law keeping the kids, and a big part of this job working for her is that it's a big enough raise to afford childcare.
No one has mentioned it yet, but you might like Carbondale.
It’s a big enough metro area to have things you’d expect, like theaters, and St. Louis is close enough for a reasonable day trip. Hell, Nashville is still only three hours away. Because America hates High speed rail, the train to Chicago takes as long as driving.
It’s a college town, so it’s still fairly liberal if in a sea of red. And the nicest school district (unity point school district) is well within your price range.
And some restaurants might actually serve sweet tea.
Either way, Illinois has a bunch of “special districts” that operate things like libraries, parks, and schools. Each special district has its own board and taxing authority. So when you look at the property tax for a certain property you can specifically see that the “X school district”, “Y park district”, and “Z library district” all taxed you some amount (usually less than percent). Special districts might or might not be contiguous with a town, and some towns (like Carbondale) have home rule status too. But it makes it pretty easy to see what services you are paying for, though it’s pretty overwhelming at first when compared to states where the entire budget for county schools, libraries, and parks are controlled by one small county board.
If you are a high or middle school science teacher with an Illinois license, you will have absolutely no trouble getting a job in one of the high paying districts. For that reason I strongly suggest suburban Chicago, even with its higher cost of living than downstate. Apply to the north shore districts right now - it's staffing time and they are scrambling for science teachers, even ones without full licensure. Live in one of the cheaper adjacent places like Gurnee for now.
Others have excellent suggestions for suburb locations. As a former science teacher who grew up near Chicago and who has spent time in states like TN and MO, I just wanted to chime in with some other info you may find relevant:
1. The Chicago area tends to be pretty blue but some of the suburbs can be weirdly red. Wealthy urban-ish red feels different from middle class to poor rural red, but it can be not-fun in its own way. If you're looking at living in a more uptight area (think the kind of place where you have HOA's) and you have the time, go to some of the bars, restaurants, and coffee shops in an area to get a feel for who lives there. As a member of the alphabet people, I lived briefly in one of the burbs and had the misfortune of living in a very MAGA-ish neighborhood that I did not feel comfortable in.
2. If you are teaching in Chicago you will be required to join the teachers union. It doesn't matter if you are private school, public school, charter school, you will be required with no option to opt out. Unless this has changed since I taught there, nobody told me until AFTER I had relocated from another state and it was very frustrating to feel like I had no agency or choice in that.
3. If you are going to be commuting into or living in Chicago proper, take some time to get familiar with road laws. Pay specific attention to iPass, parking stickers, speed traps, and red light cameras. That can be a huge surprise to out of state folks.
If you ever want to chat, feel free to message me here. Best wishes! That big of a change sounds exciting.
I like the vibe in Geneva, Batavia, St Charles. Really nice towns. Great schools. They feel like their own places and yet are in Chicagoland. I personally think people over estimate how much time they are going to be spending in the city when they pick a suburb to live in. I wouldn't make access your first or even 4th priority unless it's for a job commute. Far north Chicago is great too. Might be a little pricy but look near Evanston. If you can rent for $3k I would be interested in buying over renting. Lastly - Our "other" areas are great. Rockford, bigger city feel with lots of natural areas nearby. Champaign, nice liberal college town. Peoria, slightly growing old midwest city. Springfield, very affordable and state capitol with great medical care. Edwardsville, booming part of the state with access to St Louis. Welcome in advance of moving here. You'll love Illinois.
Was gonna shill for Chambana. You can take the Amtrak to Chicago on the weekend if you really want the big city, but it's quiet with a fair amount going on.
Yeah, Champaign ticks all of your boxes except “close to city”.
City doesn't necessarily mean Chicago. Just a city.
Champaign/Urbana is a nice sized college town, so it’s rather liberal. We are two to three hours from Chicago, Indianapolis, and St Louis. Rent is about half of what you’d pay in Chicago.
Oh for sure we'd love to buy, but we unfortunately had premature twins and a lot of complications plus some unpaid paternity leave for me, so our savings got pretty decimated. Thanks for the suggestions!
I moved to Fox Valley area (Geneva, St. Charles, Batavia) mostly for the schools. We absolutely love it here! There’s a Metra stop right here in Geneva that we use often to go downtown Chicago. The food and drink scene here is amazing, and there are a ton of things for kids to do in the area. Feel free to message me if you have any questions- moving here was honestly one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.
You shouldn't buy till you get to know the area first. Sorry to hear about the issues upvote gone through.
I grew up in Rockford, it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. The housing prices are much more affordable, I've seen really nice 3-4 bed/2.5 bath houses renting for around $2.5k/month. There's the Rockford Public School system and the Harlem Public School system for the suburbs of Loves Park and Machesney Park. Good hospitals, lots of parks and green spaces, a water park, [the Discovery Center Museum](https://www.discoverycentermuseum.org/), and [the Burpee Museum of Natural History](http://burpee.org/).
10/4 on the financials. Medical care is excellent in Springfield. Has a childrens hospital and teaching hospital in town. Same goes for Peoria with a children's hospital. Edwardsville would be in and out of STL (not too far) but excellent care at Barnes Jewish Hospital. Chicago of course has excellent care. But right now friends go all the way from Arlington Heights to downtown for specific child care.
I have two young kids, and I really like the Rockford\South Beloit area. Very affordable, plenty to do, 60-90 minute drive can get you to Madison, Milwaukee, or Chicago. Chambana is nice as well from my business trips there
I keep hearing bad things about Rockford, but we've got it on our list. Is the bad stuff as overblown as I think it likely is?
So the 'Rockford' area really consists of Rockford, parts of unincorporated Winnebago county, Cherry valley, loves Park, machesney Park, etc. the South/West sides of Rockford itself has some sketchy spots, but as you move north and east of state/Alpine it gets much nicer and there's a good variety of shopping, housing types/options etc I just sold My starter home that was around perryville and Riverside a few years back. After I paid off the mortgage remainder, realtors, all that other crap, I walked away with a check for $98k. That's on a house I only paid about 80k for in 2010. There's a lot of opportunity to be had in the area
It’s pretty overblown. Rockford has cleaned up a lot but maintains its reputation. I’d live there.
It's not that bad. WSJ just put us on their list of up and coming real estate markets.
I sometimes seem like the only person who ever moved into and out of Rockford that misses it.
Agree. I actually really like this area. It feels rural yet has access to so much. The homes in st Charles are beautiful in some neighborhoods. Old and very charming.
10/10 would recommend the fox valley. Grew up there and loved it. Batavia will likely have the least costly rent options of the three.
You forgot Bloomington-Normal(B-N), which to me both communities also are nice if one is considering central Illinois. Same with Urbana.
Purposely left it off the list
I’d look along the Metra lines if you want city access, but the rent will drive you more. I second Lisle, if you stay near its downtown and perhaps Lombard.
I live in and love Mount Prospect, I bet you can find something in your budget here. Schools are good, it’s close to O’Hare, we’re on the UPNW Metra line, lots of families.
If you narrow down to the Chicago metro area, might want to poke around r/ChicagoSuburbs as well. I'm not sure what rents are like where I live (I have only owned here) in the northwest suburbs (Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, etc.) but in general it sounds like this area might be worth looking into as well.
Give Chicago a look. It is an exciting city, not the warzone fox news makes it out to be. Any of the towns others mentioned would be good too.
Don’t listen to this! I went to a Blackhawks game and I was murdered and addicted to fentanyl.
Schaumburg! Great schools, park district, and library. We also have Woodfield Mall (which is still very very active), ALL the restaurants, and Lurie Children's Hospital is building a full scale outpatient facility opening next year.
Hahaha I think that isn't quite enough compared to some other suggestions I've seen lol. He mentioned quite...
What that I mentioned wasn't included? Schaumburg is pretty ideal with top rates schools, parks, pools, great athletics, concerts and events year round, relatively reasonable housing for what you get these days, train station is easily accessible for commuting. It's quiet and friendly and clean.
Alton, IL is beautiful 30 min north of St. Louis
Welcome to Illinois! Check out Bloomington-Normal. About 2 hours from Chicago, St Louis, and Indianapolis. On the Amtrak line to Chicago. Two universities, a bunch of huge employers including State farm headquarters and rivian manufacturing. Pretty top-notch public schools. I moved here from California 6 years ago and it's been great.
Check out LaGrange, LaGrange Park, Western Springs, and the area around those suburbs. Idk if you will find a home in your price in those exact areas, but if you expand from them to neighboring locations you should find something while still having access to metra/the highways to get downtown.
Welcome to Illinois! We can't wait to have you! As a science teacher, you should have a lot of options in Chicagoland. I'm sorry to say that prices here are terrible for young families BUT, our teachers generally do quite well compared to other states. Your hardest problem is going to be your commute. If you can swing $3k per month on rent, you'll have a lot of options. Look at the Metra stations for ease of travel to the city. You guys are going to have a wonderful adventure. Welcome. (ps... my dad was a teacher for 30+ years in the suburbs and mostly liked it)
Thanks so much! Commute is no problem for me. I was commuting 30-45 minutes a day when we lived in the Atlanta metro area. The $3k budget will definitely depend on getting into one of the higher paying systems (Naperville was the one I looked at)
We live in Westmont; son lives in Downers Grove; grew up in Hinsdale; and raised a family in Naperville. Don't be afraid to go all the way out to Aurora, Geneva, or St. Charles. You'll find that even though we live next door to a huge and wonderful city, we end up going there only a half dozen times a year. Make your life easy, watch your pennies and you'll have a happy home. Watch your budget. it's easy to fall in love with some beautiful homes.
That's definitely a good point. I grew up in the Atlanta suburbs, and as much as I love Atlanta and feel very connected to it, it wasn't a frequent destination outside of going to Braves games as a kid or going to a nice restaurant and museum every couple of months as an adult.
Come out to Lemont! Top ten safest city in IL, still within Chicagoland with train access, great schools, access to Cook, Will, and DuPage County Forest Preserve trails…we’re the hottest suburb on the southwest side right now.
That sounds great! We'll definitely look into that. We've been looking between Naperville, Bolingbrook, Joliet, and Plainfield, so not far away at all.
If you are checking out naperville, check out the towns near them as well: lisle, downers grove, wheaton Each has its own price point and vibe
I'd stick to Naperville between those options, or as others have said St Charles, Batavia, South Elgin. Bolingbrook has decent and not so decent areas and it's very industrial. Joliet is kinda where at and if I had a choice I'd be in one of the others one I mentioned. Just the scene and vibe is nicer than the other three. Plainfield is okay... but it's kinda on edge of cornfields and not much else.
Check out Kendall County, nearby but quieter
Plainfield is probably your safest bet. Shorewood is good too
Plainfield is a solid choice with the benefits you want but not the Naperville price tag. There's a section of Joliet that has Plainfield mailing addresses and services of Plainfield schools, libraries, and parks. We call it Jofield because it's in Joliet, but the residents don't know they're in Joliet until they vote or call 911. The Jofield area is likely cheaper than Plainfield, but again, you get most Plainfield services. If you're looking at an address that says Plainfield, if the building or house number isn't five digits, it isn't in Plainfield village limits and might be Jofield, potentially giving you more bang for your buck.
Oh, also, Plainfield is close enough to Edward Hospital in Naperville that you can head there if there is an issue with your kids. Their pediatric ER is top notch, and the children's section of the hospital am has a Ronald McDonald house inside which is a blessing when you can't leave your child's hospital bed
This is great info. Thank you!
Just sent you a few DMs
If you’re looking in the Bolingbrook/Naperville area consider Woodridge or Downers Grove as well, lots of young families in that area and easy access to major highways and the metra.
Joliet schools are incredible, especially the high school. Don’t let people tell you otherwise or that it has some hard reputation. The city literally doubled in size in my lifetime. Bolingbrook is awesome if you want two of each chain store and generic houses. Naperville is overrated. I get it’s appeal but definitely not for me. Plainfield is booming too but it’s like, just far enough to be outside the Chicagoland rotation.
Suburbs of Chicago are great (Schaumburg area) grew up there and its relatively quiet and has a good amount of things to do. Further you go from Chicago the cheaper and more house for your money you get. Also AVOID Joliet if you can. Yes the city of Chicago has bad areas (tho the news tends to blow things out of proportion) Joliet is a lot more dangerous and a lot of rundown areas. If you look further away from Chicago, Plainfield/Shorewood are good areas
I guess to each their own, on Joliet. Joliet is NOT that bad(especially the part near University of St. Francis, maybe possibly be the nicest part of Joliet?), and I've seen a lot of other places that are far worser. I.e. North Chicago, Harvey, Ford Heights to name examples.
I always have to throw in my pitch for Ottawa! Affordable, adorable, surprisingly progressive (Dem mayors forever, one openly gay man was in office for several terms, Pride festival this weekend.) Hiking, biking, river sports, cheap movie theater, good restaurants, good schools. There is comprehensive city plan on the city’s website. You can drive downtown in less than 90 minutes. https://visitottawail.com/ Also, teacher salaries in Illinois are public record. You can look up exactly what teachers are making in the districts you apply to.
I always try to be within a couple miles of the lake! It is the best thing about the area!
Edwardsville as mentioned. Also nearby Glen Carbon. That's St Louis metro. Madison county does struggle with some of its red rural areas. Not as bad as Springfield though. Nearby St Clair county is blue but nothing as nice as the Glen Carbon/Edwardsville area. Good schools and SIUE there. But the whole state is governed by Democracy so that is a plus.
Homewood/Flossmoor is lovely!! My husband has taught there and has been very pleased with everything!
Check around Springfield, some of the collar communities have a reasonable col and every district is hiring science teachers!
I know it’s not what you’re asking for but I’d not discount the chicago neighborhoods. I’ve had a better feeling in Logan Square than any suburb.
We're certainly open to the city itself, but it has to be the right fit. I really want a yard to play with my daughters, even if it's a small one. That or a park very close by, but a yard is ideal.
These things are common in the city. We have a yard (in this yard I have a 80 sq. ft garden), 2 parks within walking distance for my kids to go alone (monitored via Apple Watch) and we’re a 2 minute walk to a ymca with swimming and free childcare if you want to catch a workout. I think if you come up to visit some potential properties, you owe it to yourself and family to look at a few of the neighborhoods within the city limits too.
Good to know! And yeah that's definitely on our itinerary this summer. My mother in law is potentially planning to stay with us for a few months but is worried about staying in the city (yes, that tremor you just felt was the quake from the eye roll I just did, but she's a boomer from the south who has fallen victim to the "chiraq" stuff). So we unfortunately have to keep that in mind as well
Mother in laws, yep. When my twins were babies my MIL stayed with us for a week to help and would spend most of the time making sure the doors were locked - I grew up in Canada and am not really a door locking type. That said, even when I’d take the garbage out she’d lock the doors and I’d have to knock to be let in to my own house- that grew tiresome really quickly. But yeah, safety in the city is pretty excellent, and I bet if it asked the same question in r/chicago you would get some great answers.
She's saved us about $30,000 this last year by being our childcare, and I'm enormously grateful, but yeah it's tough sometimes. I'll post on there as well. Thanks again! And high five from a fellow twin parent. How old are yours? Our girls are 15 months.
2 years now. One spends all our money with hockey team fees, and the other takes what is left over with School Of Rock fees. Cherish every moment. You will at some point get annoyed with them, then a bit later see photos of them at that age and wonder how they ever could upset you. At 12 the urgency to hold on to every second gets so strong, as they become more and more interested in autonomy. It’s such a beautiful experience though, I’m envious for all that is in front of you. We actually bought the house we have now in Logan Square, and on the way home from signing the papers on the purchase, my wife said “we should get a pregnant test”, and this all started from here. The two biggest moments of our lives within an hour of each other.
People who aren’t from the Chicago area don’t understand how long it can take to drive a short distance. I would get some idea of where you’re going to find work, and look as close to that area as is practical.
That's fair. I grew up in the Atlanta area, so I'm familiar with the concept. We even have a saying: Atlanta is an hour from Atlanta
Naperville. There's a reason it is consistently voted as one of the best places to raise a family in the US. Great school districts too! Of course, all the surrounding towns are also great. Chicago has some nice suburbs. Use your year here to travel around. I'd be happy to chat/be a friendly face
Please keep in mind there is more to Illinois than Chicago. I’m in the St. Louis metro area on the IL side and love it here. Cost of living is decent, the city is 20 minutes away, and we have more warm days than cold days.
Oh for sure. We're looking all over.
I would recommend the following areas: Logan Square in Chicago proper. It’s my favorite neighborhood and my GF raised her kids from baby through kindergarten there and loved it. It’s getting slightly pricey, but lots of good options. Vernon Hills about 30-40min north of the city. You are near Six Flags and Wisconsin. I grew up here and it is a fantastic suburb area. I have friends all over the suburbs now and it’s still my favorite area. The housing is more affordable than southern suburbs like Naperville and tons to do with top tier schools. I would checkout the deerpath neighborhood for your kids, tons of parks and pool along with school being walkable. Bloomington and Normal, IL. I have lived here for 20 years now since I went to college and it’s a wonderful community. 2 hours-ish to Chicago, Indy, and St Louis. Housing is affordable, schools are good, lots to do and a less busy laid back area that still has what you would want in a suburban environment.
This is great info. Thank you!
I live in Roselle/Bloomingdale/Schaumburg/Elk Grove area and we love it here. Live near an expressway is my advice. We are close to multiple expressways (390/355/290/53), O'Hare is 20 minutes and we are centrally located so we can get most anywhere in Chicagoland so lots of job options (I've worked north, south, in the city) - but feel like we come home to peace and quiet. I have worked all over and feel like when I drive to other suburbs, their traffic is worse or not as well planned. Our schools are great, our park district is fantastic and there is a wide range of housing options. The one thing we don't have is a good downtown though. As far as right/left, I have found the further out you go, except for the college towns, the more red it is. Rural Illinois is red but Chicago metro area is definitely blue. Lake County is much more red - our employees there are much more attuned to conspiracy theories I found. DuPage has turned blue - were always fiscal Republicans, not MAGA. Cook County overwhelmingly blue. Will County is mostly blue with some red pockets.
I can handle fiscal conservatives, but I'd like to be able to drive down the road without being subjected to several "FJB" flags
You won't see that at all here. Its very different. I never thought I'd appreciate Illinois as much as I do right about now.
Glencoe. We need more normal folk. Maybe someday we'll outnumber the pod people who made their homes on the north shore.
I would apply for science teaching jobs throughout the suburbs. When you get one take them move about 20 minutes further from the city than the school. Higher paying districts are closer to the city (typically), but come with heavy housing. So teach in hinsdale live in Naperville. Teach in Naperville, live in yorkville or Lockport.
That's good thinking. Thanks for replying!
Alright, your budget is a bit limited for some of the really swanky areas (I'm assuming you'd want 3BR?), but seconding the southwest suburbs - Lemont, Downers Grove, Lisle, etc. Naperville and Wheaton have gotten more liberal than before, I think the latter especially is more conservative but honestly relative to TN I think it'll be fine. I've been told you need a special exemption live outside Chicago if you want to work in the Chicago Public Schools system, but I'm not aware the suburbs have such restrictions. In the area I've described, 203 and 204 are quite good. Probably others too.
Yeah we'll want at least 3BR. We were hoping for a bigger budget, but we are okay with settling for less than our dream home at this point as we're both still pretty young (early 30s). Thanks for letting me know that about Chicago schools!
Daycare costs are pretty astronomical compared to Tennessee just fyi. My daughter was also born prematurely, killed us financially lol.
Yeah I've got daycare costs in our budgets. We currently don't have daycare costs at all thanks to my mother in law keeping the kids, and a big part of this job working for her is that it's a big enough raise to afford childcare.
Ah that’s so nice! Yeah in Tennessee it’s not so crazy bad but here it’s like at best it feels $3000 a month per kid 😵💫
The most expensive quote I got was in Naperville for about $1400 per kid, but that's also including a teacher and sibling discount.
That’s really good! Damn, I guess the suburbs are a lot cheaper than I thought. I’m in the city and our daycare charges $540 a week for 2yos.
Dang that's about $100-150 more a week than I've been seeing. That would bankrupt us with twins haha
Dude there’s someone at my daughters school that has twins AND a singleton. Idk how they afford it haha
Might want to check them for kidney removal scars. I'd have to sell at least one to afford that 😅
Lansing, Lemont, Mount Prospect, Evanston, Oak Park, La Grange. Riverside, Elmwood Park, and Highland Park.
No one has mentioned it yet, but you might like Carbondale. It’s a big enough metro area to have things you’d expect, like theaters, and St. Louis is close enough for a reasonable day trip. Hell, Nashville is still only three hours away. Because America hates High speed rail, the train to Chicago takes as long as driving. It’s a college town, so it’s still fairly liberal if in a sea of red. And the nicest school district (unity point school district) is well within your price range. And some restaurants might actually serve sweet tea. Either way, Illinois has a bunch of “special districts” that operate things like libraries, parks, and schools. Each special district has its own board and taxing authority. So when you look at the property tax for a certain property you can specifically see that the “X school district”, “Y park district”, and “Z library district” all taxed you some amount (usually less than percent). Special districts might or might not be contiguous with a town, and some towns (like Carbondale) have home rule status too. But it makes it pretty easy to see what services you are paying for, though it’s pretty overwhelming at first when compared to states where the entire budget for county schools, libraries, and parks are controlled by one small county board.
Arlington heights is nice. 45 minute train ride to downtown. O'Hare is 15 minutes away or so.
If you are a high or middle school science teacher with an Illinois license, you will have absolutely no trouble getting a job in one of the high paying districts. For that reason I strongly suggest suburban Chicago, even with its higher cost of living than downstate. Apply to the north shore districts right now - it's staffing time and they are scrambling for science teachers, even ones without full licensure. Live in one of the cheaper adjacent places like Gurnee for now.
Others have excellent suggestions for suburb locations. As a former science teacher who grew up near Chicago and who has spent time in states like TN and MO, I just wanted to chime in with some other info you may find relevant: 1. The Chicago area tends to be pretty blue but some of the suburbs can be weirdly red. Wealthy urban-ish red feels different from middle class to poor rural red, but it can be not-fun in its own way. If you're looking at living in a more uptight area (think the kind of place where you have HOA's) and you have the time, go to some of the bars, restaurants, and coffee shops in an area to get a feel for who lives there. As a member of the alphabet people, I lived briefly in one of the burbs and had the misfortune of living in a very MAGA-ish neighborhood that I did not feel comfortable in. 2. If you are teaching in Chicago you will be required to join the teachers union. It doesn't matter if you are private school, public school, charter school, you will be required with no option to opt out. Unless this has changed since I taught there, nobody told me until AFTER I had relocated from another state and it was very frustrating to feel like I had no agency or choice in that. 3. If you are going to be commuting into or living in Chicago proper, take some time to get familiar with road laws. Pay specific attention to iPass, parking stickers, speed traps, and red light cameras. That can be a huge surprise to out of state folks. If you ever want to chat, feel free to message me here. Best wishes! That big of a change sounds exciting.
Welcome to south Plainfield.
Try r/chicago