Are you sure about that? When I was looking for housing in Naperville last year, we saw that the test scores and other metrics for Nequa Valley were a shade higher than the scores for North or Central. Plus, given the way school funding works, Nequa was getting more money than the other schools.

Based on those facts, we bought a house in a neighborhood around the corner from Nequa.

I've spoken to kids from all three Naperville high schools (alumni interview for college) and anecdotally the top ranks at all three are pretty strong. FWIW, last year I recall hearing that Central busses kids in a few higher-level math classes to North (or maybe it was vice versa); conversely, Nequa has its own (equivalent) programs.

Bottom line is Naper North, Naper Central, and Nequa are all decent public high schools. But my alma mater, Hinsdale Central, beats 'em all! :D

The West suburbs are not Chicago.

I think you're on to something... :D

Now that I-355 is open all the way to I-80, you might want to consider someplace like New Lenox. I believe it's got some historical character, and you'll get so much more value for what you buy--house wise. I know the Lincoln Way high schools (one of which serves New Lenox) are very good schools.

Oh, and when I was a kid growing up in the SW burbs of Chicago, New Lenox' pop warner football teams always crushed us.

This blurb is on the wikipedia page for New Lenox:

"Completed on November 11, 2007, the I-355 expressway extension of the interstate highway system was extended to meet with the I-80 expressway in New Lenox. This interchange, along with a new interchange with I-355 and Southwest Highway, is expected to cause New Lenox to grow even more rapidly. Travel times to more established northern suburbs such as Naperville, Bolingbrook, Downers Grove, Lisle, etc. is expected to descrease by as much as 20%."

Update: signed my deal earlier this week. I'm starting the 10th of December and will commute until we nail down a place to live in the Naperville area. Thanks for all the tips in this thread and feel free to keep them coming.

Congrats. Hope you got at least a 36% bump to break even on the cost of living difference.

Somewhat more than that. ^:D

Depending on how far out one lives, one can get property for $120 or so a square foot, which is pretty comparable to Little Rock. Because the office is in the Naperville area commute to work would still be pretty easy but then the trek to ORD is a death march.

Everything's a tradeoff.

The traffic on the Tri-State can indeed be brutal. I once tried heading north on Route 59 and cutting across on the Elgin-O'Hare. I'm not convinced that's a more efficient way to get from Naperville to ORD than, say, 75th street to 355 to 88 to 294.

Try the charming historic, village of Wayne if you are trying to avoid cookie cutout suburbs. 20 minutes north of Naperville.

One of the big gaps in suburban Chicago is the lack of a park-and-ride bus service to O'Hare and Midway, such as the ones which Boston has. For years, gas prices were low enough that flat rate taxi services were very reasonably priced compared to airport parking. Now, they're up to about $50 one-way including tip from Naperville.

Yep, I was being diplomatic and listing them alphabetically, because at that point there's not much difference.

Fortunately company/client will spring for car service from the office to ORD, but it's the time in the car that I hate, and the early early AM trips out that could mean a 3-4AM wake time.

No chance of the client springing for private jet service from DPA? :cool:

I've always felt that the Peotone airport nonsense was just that, and that they should have built an airport (south)west of Plainfield, like in Minooka. For people west of Route 59, it would be a piece of cake compared to either O'Hare or Midway, and it would have still been a straight shot down 80 for those in Floosmoor and Olympia Fields.