scrappyhappymama Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 My husband has a decent job opportunity in the N Chicago suburbs. Please tell me if you are from that area, or have lived there: -Do you recommend this area overall? -How is the homeschooling environment there? We are Christians, but lean toward the "inclusive" groups. -How is the cost of living there currently, particularly for a one income family? -There seems to be a big discrepancy in housing costs in the far northern suburbs. Based on our finances, and the big paycut he would take to move there, we'd most likely live in the Zion or Beach Park area. Of course, we don't care so much whether they are less desirable school districts, but do care if the crime rates are high or there are other concerns for families. I'm also open to any other suggestions of affordable places to live on the N/NW side. This is all still ~very~ theoretical. But, my husband is job searching right now and will be officially out of work in another two weeks. So far nothing has panned out yet here in TX, where we'd prefer to stay. We don't know a lot about the Chicago area, but my husband did live there for a year in graduate school, and we visited him there several times. On the positive side, the job there is at his alma mater, and is pretty much what he wants to end up doing eventually. He LOVES to teach, but in his field like many others, he gets paid more to do the work than he would teaching grad students to do the work. But, he's always hoped that once our kids were older and his loans were paid off, he could move into teaching instead. BUT, it would mean a pay cut of over $20k- so a significant adjustment to our lifestyle. In addition to the paycut, we'd be moving from a low cost of living area, with no state income tax... to the north suburbs of Chicago. And we are generally conservative people (although I am a crunchy mama :D). So... we're having to decide whether financially or socially this is a feasible option for us at all. Would love any feedback, either positive or negative!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 We live in the area you are considering . . . we moved from Chicago in order to purchase a home we could afford on one salary . . . The cost of living in IL is probably higher than you are used to but Lake Co. is much more affordable than Cook! IL is a great state in which to homeschool . . . lots of homeschool groups, both Christian and secular . . . Very nice library system with access to Zion, Waukegan and Warren Newport (Gurnee) libraries . . . Some parts of Waukegan and Zion are "so-so", like any other locale. But there are very nice areas, too. Taxes may be higher in Zion. Close to Metra if your dh or family want or need to take the train . . . Easy to get downtown Chicago by train or car. Just went downtown yesterday with my oldest. Lots of great museums! We usually go on free days to save $. I have lived in IL all my life. I grew up in Evanston. My dh works there and commutes. Overall, we are happy in this area. I hope this is a bit helpful to you. Feel free to pm me with additional questions if you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 We're very originally from Chicago (the South Side! :D). Check the Illinois homeschool laws. My sister homeschooled in IL and my parents made her take the GED - not sure if this was an IL thing or my parents not researching it - or this could've been something people had to do 12 years ago. It's a giant culture shock from Texas. When you visit Chicago, do you like it? Here's some drawbacks (from a native! Lol): Illinois government is a mess. I would steer clear of Cook County. Illinois taxes are pretty bad (my in-laws own a business on Archer Ave and they feel like abandoning it). Chicago traffic is...well, it's HORRIBLE! :lol: Although, if you're in the far suburbs, you won't see it as much. There's a lot of property crime as you go towards the city. You need to watch your stuff when you go somewhere, make sure nothing is showing in your car when you park it... The house prices are very high - my BIL bought a house for $320,000 and it's about 2000 square feet and the neighborhood's not that great - and he's in the NW burbs, too. Chicago and its suburbs seem to be "city sticker" nuts. :glare: And they boot/ticket - frequently. Very frequently (ask me how I know). The roads and highways are a MESS. I used to drive up Halsted everyday to get to UIC and the potholes were so bad that I almost had to come to a complete stop to get through them. I was changing the shocks/brakes on my car very frequently. Gas prices are very high there - especially in Cook County. Tollways, sheesh. Need I say more? OK, Good Things (and these are very important)? Of all the places I've lived in the US, Chicago has hands-down THE friendliest people. The nicest people I have ever known in my life are Chicagoans. I've also had complete strangers come up to me and help me with things. A lot of ethnic diversity! :) There is a hotdog stand every ten feet (this is a good thing). There are so many colleges/universities that there's that "atmosphere" - lots of coffee shops, really good libraries, museums, concerts, the beach, art shows... Lots of companies/schools/colleges are there, so it's fairly easy to find a job. Everything you would ever need or want to visit is within a bumper-to-bumper driving distance! :tongue_smilie: There are lots of rentals. A lot of people rent in Chicago - whereas, down here, it seems like everybody buys. Good luck with your decision! As always if you move, you have to do a lot of research and I would visit the area you're planning to move into. I've gotta go up there this summer and visit my in-laws, but this post is making me homesick. :D What I wouldn't give for some Greek Town gyros right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Be easier to comment if you indicated which suburb! My instinct is to avoid Zion.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in Jax Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 My husband has a decent job opportunity in the N Chicago suburbs. Please tell me if you are from that area, or have lived there: -Do you recommend this area overall? -How is the homeschooling environment there? We are Christians, but lean toward the "inclusive" groups. -How is the cost of living there currently, particularly for a one income family? -There seems to be a big discrepancy in housing costs in the far northern suburbs. Based on our finances, and the big paycut he would take to move there, we'd most likely live in the Zion or Beach Park area. Of course, we don't care so much whether they are less desirable school districts, but do care if the crime rates are high or there are other concerns for families. I'm also open to any other suggestions of affordable places to live on the N/NW side. This is all still ~very~ theoretical. But, my husband is job searching right now and will be officially out of work in another two weeks. So far nothing has panned out yet here in TX, where we'd prefer to stay. We don't know a lot about the Chicago area, but my husband did live there for a year in graduate school, and we visited him there several times. On the positive side, the job there is at his alma mater, and is pretty much what he wants to end up doing eventually. He LOVES to teach, but in his field like many others, he gets paid more to do the work than he would teaching grad students to do the work. But, he's always hoped that once our kids were older and his loans were paid off, he could move into teaching instead. BUT, it would mean a pay cut of over $20k- so a significant adjustment to our lifestyle. In addition to the paycut, we'd be moving from a low cost of living area, with no state income tax... to the north suburbs of Chicago. And we are generally conservative people (although I am a crunchy mama :D). So... we're having to decide whether financially or socially this is a feasible option for us at all. Would love any feedback, either positive or negative!! Years ago, (and I do mean YEARS ago -- 30+ ;-), when my dad worked in North Chicago, we lived in Kenosha, WI, b/c the housing was more affordable. I don't know if it's the same now, but I do know that Kenosha was a neat place to live (in the 70s, at least!). ;-) Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Jen Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I'm from Lake County. We now live in Cook. Anyway, I would avoid Zion/Waukegan for the reasons of crime and resale value. Beach Park would work. There are affordable areas in Gurnee. If you want to go a little west- Lindenhurst, Lake Villa, Antioch are all very affordable and nice. On the north shore- you could check Wadsworth- it might be too pricey. I'm Catholic so I don't know too much about the Christian Homeschool groups. There is Lake Count HOUSE which is non denominational. I know there is a group in Gurnee called Home Run Kids and they have sports and a coop for homeschoolers. I think it's run by the Village Church of Gurnee. The Zion library runs a lot of programs for homeschoolers as does the Waukegan park district. PM me if you need any other help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Check the Illinois homeschool laws. My sister homeschooled in IL and my parents made her take the GED - not sure if this was an IL thing or my parents not researching it - or this could've been something people had to do 12 years ago. Definitely not an IL thing. I've been homeschooling for 13 years in IL and I don't know ANYONE who had gone the GED route. Most recommend against it. We are de facto private schools in IL. No registration. There are LOTS of inclusive groups in IL. H.O.U.S.E is a statewide non-sectarian organization that has local chapters. There are local groups that are not affiliated with anyone. I can't comment on the North suburbs (I lived up there for a couple years, but as a single person married to my job) so I can't speak to what a family might be looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabeth in IL Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I grew up in Waukegan and currently live in Lindenhurst. I'd be happy to talk to you about the area. In Zion, there is the "old" part which has some questionable areas and the "new" part which has new construction. Beach Park is a good area. If I was moving, I would consider going over the boarder to WI or West toward Lindenhurst. Pleasant Prairie, WI and Kenosha, WI have some very nice amenities and some big homeschool groups. The Illinois government is a mess and broke. I've never been involved with home groups in the area as we just take classes with specific teachers. My boys take Writing and Spanish classes. I do know lots of people who are involved in the co-ops in the area and Lake County has an e-mail loop that you can join. I'll PM you will my e-mail and phone number if you want to ask any questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Definitely not an IL thing. I've been homeschooling for 13 years in IL and I don't know ANYONE who had gone the GED route. Most recommend against it. We are de facto private schools in IL. No registration. Yeah, it is VERY possible that...ahem...my parents just didn't research it. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I don't know about the Zion area particularly, but others are clearly able to help you with that. I will say that both in the city and the suburbs, there are so many wonderful resources that I am never lacking for ideas for things to do/places to go. Being fairly close to Metra is definitely a plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I have nothing to add other than the fact that I'm jealous! I'd love to live in the Chicago area! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.