Living around Chicago IL ?

[DMickey28]

I know there are a large amount of Disers from the Chicago area. As you may recall I recently relocated from MA to Indy... now it looks as if we may make a move to Chicago sometime in the next six months....

I am wondering what areas around Chicago you recommend. The job loction is in Vernon Hills, so something that is not too far from that... we will be renting an apartment at first to see how things go....

Two late 20's, we are getting married this october. no kids yet... don't like to party, are more laid back. Looking for safety and maybe a more affluent area.... what would a typical rent be...

Thanks!!!!

 

[DMickey28]

bumping because board moving so fast!

 

[Lewski709]

Crystal Lake is nice.

 

[crazyme5kids]

I lived for a year in Crystal Lake and loved it.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Crystal Lake is a pretty good hike from Vernon Hills. Any place in VH would be nice, and probably a bit pricey. I have absolutely no ideas what rents are anywhere, but do know VH is a booming area. Libertyville is right there too. Lower rent would be Round Lake and RL Beach areas, Wildwood, Grayslake. Do a Google search. And come to the Chicago DIS meet next month, meet your new neighbors.


Dan

 

[mrsv98]

Crystal Lake is nice but it is fairly far west from Vernon Hills. We live in the northwest suburbs and you would do well in most any of them. Vernon Hills is nice, and so are Lincolnshire, Prairie View, Buffalo Grove, and even Gurnee and Lake Villa. You should be able to find some fairly decent retals, lots of places are offering specials because around here, everyone is buying. The housing market is crazy, we have been in our house 3 yrs and have $100,000 in equity already!

Here is a good starting place:

Chicago Relocation Guide

 

[nuke]

Vernon Hills is a very nice area.

 

[LadyAurora]

Good luck on your move! I moved here from Gurnee, but have also lived in VH, Mundelein, and Palatine.
We paid around $950 for a two bedroom apartment in Mundelein, another $50 for a one car garage.
I don't recommend Round Lake (or RL Park or RL Beach). Sorry if anyone lives there...some of my in-laws do too. That's not why I don't recommend it though
We sold our house in an older area on the western edge of Gurnee for $164500, purchased in 2000 for $132000. Three bedrooms, one and a half baths, ranch. Maybe that would give you an idea.

 

[Otimon]

Crystal Lake is very nice (we lived there for 8 years) and we used to go to the mall in Vernon Hills once in a while. It would be a good drive for you though. One area near Vernon Hills I always liked was Libertyville.

Best wishes to you both.

 

[FINFAN]

Hi, I am not too familiar w/the North suburbs, but you can try www.vernonhills.org there may be some helpful info there. I also was going to suggest Gurnee mostly because you guys are young and it is such a fast growing area, easy to hop up to WI for a weekend, not too bad into Chicago or to O'Hare. One thing I would look for is if the town you are interested in has a downtown area, sort of a center or anchor...some places are experiencing growth that is crazy, yet it is just subdivision after subdivision and roads, schools etc. seem like an afterthought to connect all the houses. I am not sure how to explain it...it's sprawl...I just think areas are more inviting and livable if there is a "town" section. Personal preference. You may also look into www.realtor.com to the left there is a link for neighborhood tours. follow that and you can put in your zip code to find neighborhoods like the one you live in now, or put in criteria for what you're after. It's a start. Now if $$$ were no object and there were rentals available, I would have no problem commuting from Long Grove...it is so pretty there...also Barrington has some VERY upscale homes...not sure about rental properties tho.
There is so much to do in the city that I would think be able to head there would be a plus. Not for the party scene, just because there are so many museums, fests,restaurants,shopping,navy pier....I hope things work out for you. It is hard to relocated so soon after your IN move.
Pam

 

[Jeafl]

Thanks to all who said Crystal Lake is nice, especially since I live there!

It takes me about 40-45 minutes to get to Vernon Hills though. My sister lives in Gurnee, and although it is a very nice area, I would avoid it if you plan on having children. Right now the growth has been staggering and the schools are extremely overcrowded. The school where my nephew went had 11 sections of first grade alone! My sister recently pulled her kids out of public school and is sending them to Catholic school because of the overcrowding and poor education.

Vernon Hills itself is a nice area. Libertyville is also nice, and a very short drive to Vernon Hills. Mundelein has some new construction for very reasonable prices.

I've lived in this area pretty much all my life, so if you have any specific questions, please let me know.

 

[KarenC]

I grew up in Libertyville and remember when Vernon Hills was a sleepy little town of less than 1,000! The whole village came to be over the last 30 years or so. Libertyville is pricier than Vernon Hills. Vernon Hills has a fair amount of multi-family housing, so it'll probably be easy to find a rental.

Lake Forest is just east of Vernon Hills. Its one of the most upscale communities in Chicago, but it's very charming and on the lake (with a nice community beach). I had a few friends who rented apartments in the older section of town when I got out of school. I have NO idea what's available now, but you might want to check it out. Palatine and Arlington Heights are also good bets--property taxes in Cook County are much lower than in Lake County (Lake/Cook Road is the divider). Wheeling has a lot of great restaurants along Milwaukee Avenue and I think a fair amount of multi-family housing as well. There are brand new luxury rental apartments available at the Glen Town Center in Glenview with dining and shopping at your front door, but that's about a 20 mile drive from Vernon Hills.

I think Chicago is a great place to live! Welcome to the neighborhood.