Chicago Area Bills fans...

[Cripes]

I may be moving to Chicago (from Texas) this spring for a new job that'll be downtown -- somewhere on Wacker, north of 290.

 

I've only been to Chicago once, for a one-day meeting in Arlington Heights, so I don't know much about the city other than what I saw between O'Hare and the corporate site I visited.

 

What's the good and bad about the suburbs there -- transportation, commute times, highway construction, cost-of-living, all that jazz.

 

Joliet seems kind of far, but it seems to be the only place with newer homes between $150-$170k, and I'd be only a one-hour train ride from downtown. Is driving even a remote possibility (I know, I know -- it's probably HA!).

 

What about Waukegan? Aurora? The Northwest cities?

 

Any input appreciated. Thanks!

[aussiew]

Visit there for a few days (in the winter) before you accept the job - especially if you have a wife and family. If you're single? Go for it. Great party city.

[Ennjay]

If you have a family you'll want to live in the Burbs. You should think seriously about taking the train to work. It's a lot easier and maybe even cheaper than paying for parking. Try http://www.metrarail.com/ to check out the train routes and travel times, and then you can judge what might be a realistic place to live.

 

The North Shore is great but pricey. A lot of people have headed to Oak Park and Naperville in recent years, so prices have probably gone up there too. But they're still nice places to live.

 

If you're single, take a long hard look at the Lincoln Park area as a fun place to live for a few years.

 

For what it's worth, Chicago's always felt like a bigger, more sophisticated Buffalo to me. Same ethnic groups, etc. But you can't find a decent Friday night fishfry there.