# moving to Chicago



## Jay.T (Jul 18, 2015)

Hi 
we are thinking of moving to Chicago

It will be for work reasons mainly and to have a change and see more of the world ,my husband went there for work recently and loved it , I am trying to find out as much about living in Chicago as I can, we are going to visit there in the September school holidays as he wants us to see it ,we will be going with our two kids 7 and 9 yrs old . 

We would like to drive out and see some of the suburbs we have seen researching online , places that look nice are the ones further out like Northbrook , Lake forest , Lake bluff ect .. 

I would love to here more on areas that are great ,safe , family , quiet , neighbourhoods , my husband would be working in the city so he will be traveling a fare distance each day , obv the less we can make this the better .

We are from Cape Town. South Africa , we live in Constantia a area that is slightly wealthy , filled with beautiful trees its really pretty , we can even see the the mountains from our garden, we have a big house , large grounds where the kids can play and dogs can run wild , we ride our motor bikes in the garden even , we love the outdoors weather its out in nature or being near the water . we are close to shops and a brilliant private school that my kids go to , I am hoping that we can have a lifestyle there that is a lot like what we have now .We are very thankful for what we have here .

One of my biggest questions is how are the public schools there ? 
so any advice on areas and school would be awesome .

We are feeling exited and looking forward to a possible change 


thanks


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Google Chicago Public School District. The site goes into details.

As everywhere else in the world - it depends on your budget.

Your spouse has been in Chicago in summer? Pull up some historic winter weather data.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

It has been quite a while since I last lived in the Chicago area, but from recent reports, I'd avoid living in the city itself, particularly if you're looking at public schools.

That said, many of the more affluent suburbs have some excellent public schools. Certainly any of the northern suburbs already mentioned - or look a bit closer in to the city, such as Evanston, or some of the western suburbs, like Hinsdale or Downers Grove.
Cheers,
Bev


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Bevdeforges said:


> It has been quite a while since I last lived in the Chicago area, but from recent reports, I'd avoid living in the city itself, particularly if you're looking at public schools.


Whose reports?

The City of Chicago is a very big place with many neighborhoods of widely varying traits. Some of the best (and worst) public schools in the state are in the city.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

BBCWatcher said:


> Whose reports?
> 
> The City of Chicago is a very big place with many neighborhoods of widely varying traits. Some of the best (and worst) public schools in the state are in the city.


Chicago is a place you have ties to See some of your previous posts.
It is behind the power curve and has bad weather most of the year.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

twostep said:


> Chicago is a place you have ties to See some of your previous posts.


And that's a bad thing?

I cannot fathom why there's such hostility toward Chicago in this forum. It's absurd. Chicago is America's third largest city, and the Census Bureau reports that it has had a stable population for decades. [Last year its population grew by 82 people. That's stable!] I do not presume that over 2.7 million people are stupid! (President Obama is not stupid either, and Chicago is his home, too.) They like what they like, and Chicago has many, many appealing traits. It's not ideally suited for everybody, but no place is.

No, Chicago objectively does not have "bad weather most of the year." Newsflash: Winter is not a surprise to anybody in Chicago, but Chicago does not have America's harshest winters -- not even close. The city benefits from its proximity to and position along the shore of Lake Michigan. That gigantic lake moderates temperatures but, unlike cities elsewhere near the Great Lakes, Chicago doesn't get much "lake effect" snow because it's on the "wrong" side of the lake. Moreover, Chicago copes with the snow it does get extremely well. (There are powerful local political reasons for that. A previous mayor lost his job due to snow clearing issues.) If you don't like _any_ snow then you may not like that aspect of Chicago, but you also wouldn't like to live in many, many places in the United States -- and many, many places would be worse for you. The "Windy City" isn't actually very windy. Boston has more wind, for example. (Another lovely city in so many ways.)

About that lake: where are New York City's beaches? I also like New York City -- there are many lovely places to live in the United States -- but Chicago has New York beat well on that score. Chicago is blessed with some lovely beaches along the lake, and many residents can walk to them. The rest can hop on a bus and be there in minutes. They're super convenient and wonderful. Speaking of public transit, Chicago has Los Angeles solidly beat on that score. Chicago's public transit system is big and gets you practically everywhere you want to go. Chicago (along with New York) are among the very few cities in the world that operate a big fraction of their mass transit systems 24 hours per day every day. (They might be the _only_ two -- or at least in recent years they've been the only two.) If you hate driving -- and lots of people hate driving, or cannot drive -- then Chicago has to be on your short list.

Anyway, this is silly. Of course Chicago is a lovely place in so many respects, this forum's odd biases notwithstanding.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Ok, OK, let's chill here. I happen to love Chicago. Lived there for a number of years - but out in the suburbs (the western burbs, to be precise). You only have to read the newspapers (even from a distance, as I do) to realize that the city of Chicago itself has "challenges" related to the schools.

Also, given the lifestyle preferences of the OP, to be near the water, you're talking northern suburbs. However there are lots of green areas, parks, forests and rivers to the west (plus access to skiing and the "wilderness" of Wisconsin). 

With kids, I'd definitely consider the suburbs - north, northwest or west. 

The weather in and around Chicago is something you get used to and/or adapt to. (As it is most places in the world.)
Cheers,
Bev


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

For the record, according to U.S. News and World Report's rankings of Illinois public high schools, the #1, #2, #3, and #4 top ranked public high schools are all in the City of Chicago: Northside College Prep, Walter Payton College Prep, Jones College Prep, and Whitney Young, in that order. They rank Northside as the #15 top public high school _in the entire United States_.

So if you want the _best_ public high schools in Illinois, there's only one place you can find them: in the City of Chicago. That's not my claim, that's U.S. News & World Report's -- and not only theirs.

These are competitive schools with competitive admissions policies, do note.


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## dwwhiteside (Apr 17, 2013)

I spent 20 years in the northern burbs of Chicago and was SO GLAD to get out. Actually, I really do like Chicago proper but it is probably not the ideal place to raise kids. And especially if the OP wants to have lots of land around the house to romp on.

Lake Forest is one of the most expensive places to live in the greater Chicago area. Yes, it is a very nice area; good schools, nice parks, etc., etc. But to buy a home in almost any neighborhood in Lake Forest, you will need well in excess on $1 million. And yearly property taxes will be proportionally high (thus the good schools).

Also, the entire State of Illinois in in crisis. The Governors wing of the State prison is called that because that's where most of Illinois ex-governors now reside; with one more to be joining soon.

Yes, whoever said that 2.7 million people cannot all be stupid is correct. For a lot of people, Chicago is great. Even I like the city proper and would love to visit there again, but definitely not from November to April.


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## Edward.Mei (Aug 13, 2015)

The City of Chicago is a very big place with many neighborhoods of widely varying traits. Some of the best ) public schools in the state are in the city.


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## JoeyJoJo! (Jun 25, 2013)

you'll have to do housework in America


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## StellaJefferson (Sep 8, 2015)

*Weather in Chicago*

Yes, we have weather here, lots of it and, sometimes, seemingly all at the same time. Still, no matter how powerful that gust was that cast your copy of the Red Eye to the sky while you were mid-Sodoku, it has nothing to do with this being the "Windy City." No, that moniker comes from something else we're famous for: our blowhard politicians.


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