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My family and I are moving to Chicago this summer from the UK - my husband has a new job there.

He has only visited the city before through his job and therefore we have very little info on schools etc. His new company are helping with some advice but I wondered if anyone could help me with the following. I have never visited before, but he tells me Chicago is amazing!

 We want to live in the suburbs and my husband will be working in Lincoln Park. We have three children aged 12, 10 and 5. 

For us the quality of schools is paramount. Can anyone help in regards to areas we should consider with good safe neighbourhoods, good schools (public and private) and an easy commute into Lincoln Park? We would ideally want a 4 bedroom house to rent with a good sized garden (sorry yard!) 

Budget wise we go look at rentals of between $1800 - $3000. 

 Thank you so much!

Liz 

You will love Chicago. You can find a great value home with great schools just over the border in Munster, Ind. My son has a new best friend whose family just moved from the UK over the summer and the children are thriving. I drive it every day. It's not bad.

Good luck and welcome to the area.

Tamara

Hello and welcome to Chicagoland!

We live in Oak Park, IL, which is a suburb immediately west of Chicago. http://www.oak-park.us/ for more info.

 It is a bright, vibrant community, quite diverse, with plenty of great housing (apartments, condo, single family homes), shops. resaurants, green space and fun cultural and arts events. Lots to do and great neighbors who are friendly and helpful! There is an "El" train which runs directly from Oak Park into the city, about a 20 minute commute to downtown. The public schools in town are fantastic and there are many private options including a Progressive Education grammer school, Montessori k-5 or k-8, Waldorf, Catholic, Jewish, and Christian Day schools. 

 Lincoln Park is not far in miles, but with traffic it may take 30-40 minutes most days. You can go to mapquest.com and enter the two communities and figure out the distance it would take to drive.  I drive there about once a week, and its not too bad. 

 Keep in touch and let us know how we can help!! 

Thanks for your replies, and the warm welcome!

 It's very difficult to get a real grip on things being so far away, so as much help and advice as possible is very much appreciated.

We've heard good things of the northern suburbs, specifically Winnetka, Skokie, Northwood etc. Do you know anything about these areas at all?

Thanks again.

 Liz

Our family is also moving to Chicago this summer from Connecticut.  We also have children 12,10, and 5!   Two boys and then a girl.

We purchased a home in Winnetka.  From our research it seems like a very family friendly town, great schools and  easy access to the city.

Best of Luck,

     EL

 

Hi--

We live in Glenview (one of the Northshore suburbs) & are, of course, very happy here.  This summer there is a ridiculous amount of road construction happening on basically every major route in/out of the city, which would effect your husband's commute.  If you move to this area, he may want to see if pubic transportation is possible, at least for the short term. 

There are so many strong school districts in this area, that I'm sure you'd be happy with a decision to live out here.  I've always loved Evanston (1st 'burb north of the city, along the lake), but I think children are often bused to schools outside of their neighborhood.  Also, strangely, I just had a conversation with a mom last week who wanted to know if we liked our school.  They live in Skokie & are not happy with the school they are in now.  Otherwise, I've really only heard great things about the schools in Wilmette, Winnetka, Northfield, Glenview, etc.

Good luck with everything! 

We used  to live in Skokie (pre-kid life) but spent a lot of our time in Evanston. I am not sure about the public schools in Evanston, but I know, if your budget permits, a fantastic private school called Baker Demonstration School. It used to be associated with the teachers' college, National Louis University, but now it is its own independent K-8 primary school. It is modeled on the Progressive Education philosophy which encourages project--based, hands-on, cooperative learning within the framework of an integrated curriculum, and no standardized testing. I am sure they have a website, if this seems a good fit for your kids and your family. It is located in Evanston. Also, Winnetka public school have a great reputation.