Relocating to Chicago?

My husband has the opportunity for a promotion and relocate us to the Chicago area from Charlotte, NC. There are several suburbs where he could work - Naperville, Schaumburg, Oak Brook to name a few. We are in our late 30's and expecting our first child so we are looking for a family-friendly, middle-class area with good schools. Suggestions?

Wow - that is a really hard decision to make - (especially long distance) Will you have a chance to visit before he makes his choice? Naperville and Schaumburg are both very nice places to raise families..I think that Schaumburg is a bit more centrally located. There are some things to consider when selecting between the two -- Naperville is more expensive -- probably less diverse that Schaumburg . Both have excellent school systems. I am partial to Schaumburg - it has all that Naperville has to offer (without the snobbery!)here are some links...Good Luck with that move!!

http://web54.sd54.k12.il.us/
http://www.villageofschaumburg.org/
http://www.parkfun.com/

Schaumburg

well i'm from chicago, i live in florida now big mistake! anyways des plaines ,skokie are nice to live closer to the city ,schools just about anywhere in chicago are good, but since your looking suburbs,ok there is bloomingdale, lake forest,but just about any suburbs north to northwest are middle class, and the city well to me the best,chicago is the best city i ever lived in,and i miss it.

Orland Park, wonderful place.

Hi,
Naperville, Schaumburg, and Oak Brook are all my neigboring cities. I live in Willowbrook great place for a family! The schools are wonderful, very safe, and shopping is the best! You also might look into Hindsdale, Darien, Westmont, Wheaton, Clarendon Hills,and Downers Grove. I hope this info is helpful, and congrats on the baby!

Naperville all the way!!!! Schaumburg NOOOOO

All three of those places are great to live in and have great schools, shopping, social events and homes to buy. If you like the OakBrook and Naperville areas but want something a little more affordable you could try Downers Grove, Darien, Hinsdale (ok Hinsdale is expensive too), Claredon Hills, Lombard or Glen Ellyn.

All of these suburbs have great school systems. I went through Downers Grove School districts 66 and 99 and they were both great. Naperville District 204 is also well known for high achievement.

Hinsdale South HS is also a well known school, but mostly for rich kids. The fanciest high achievement school in the Chicago area is New Trier. They are set up for Harvard and Yale ambitions but I knew a lot of kids from DGS who went on to Ivy league schools too.

Good luck in your search!

Skokie... i went through the school system there as well as my brother and sister. and recommend it. it is close to the city... for some fun and the neighborhood is also good for families that are just starting... even though you are in the suburbs and you may think the schools are better be careful because the district you may belong to may not be the best school at all. if you do choose skokie i recommend looking into district 73.5 for the schools...

im in the middle class area i live in hype park nice and quite and steps from the lake front