We have relocated to the Chicago area from SF/Bay Area. We have settled on the North Shore area in temporary housing and are refining our search. We are looking at Deerfield, Wilmette and Winnetka. My husband is agonizing over the commute. He's concerned the Deerfield is too far (he works at the Willis Tower) but it sounds as if the Winnetka/Wilmette commute is similar. The difference is that Deerfield homes are bigger and we can get more house for our money. If you live in any of these towns, do you commute to Chicago? Do you think it's an unusually long commute? In SF we lived about 35 miles from the city and it was about 1 hour to downtown. He seems to think the commute is longer here... TIA
If he is able to, have him take the Metra! Willis Tower is a VERY quick walk to both Metra stations. Deerfield to Union Station is 45 minutes. A monthly pass is $150. Considering the price of gas, and the exhorbitant downtown parking rates, he'd be saving time, money, and aggravation. The Metra is a quite relaxing commute.
ETA: His train line would be the Milwaukee District North Line - Willis is 1 block from Union Station.
I make the reverse of that commute daily, and have been for 7 years.
I go from downtown (north side at Irving Park/California) and back. Takes me 45 minutes flat in the morning - I leave at 6am. Coming back in, if I leave any later than 3:30, it's an hour and a half minimum. That is typically the case going in both directions in peak hours. Luckily, I have the flexibility in my job that I can commute "off peak" hours.
So a lot of this depends on what time he's on the road. But if he's going to be travelling during normal rush (6:30-8:30), he's going to be in traffic for 1-1.5 hrs in each direction everyday.
But no, Deerfield, Winnetka, Wilmette won't make a difference. The further east/west from the expressway you get, the longer his commute gets, as well.
Can he take the Metra instead? That a no brainer around here for suburban folks coming into the city each day.
We live in Wilmette and we love it. It takes 30 minutes via the Metra to get downtown and if your husband works in the willis it will be a 5 minute walk from the train. It let's off behind the opera house. One note, you want to be CLOSE to the train. Walk it. Also think what it would be like to walk it in 20 degree weather or rain or 100 degrees.
Here is the one huge advantage of Wilmette: 4 modes of transportation to get to the city 1. Car via ridge rd/LSD 2. Car via 90/94 3. Metra and 4. The El
Deerfield is FAR! I had to look at a map to find out where it is. I get it though. Probably newer, cheaper and bigger. I highly recommend being further south and close to the lake! Even if you have to wait for the perfect house....we did for 2 years and it was so worth the wait!
Good luck!
I grew up in Wilmette. Deerfield is a little farther north, but not terribly so. The public transportation system (Metra train, buses) is set up best for folks that commute from suburbs to downtown (as your husband will be), so my strong recommendation is that he use that system for his commute rather than drive (about an hour drive to downtown from Deerfield, possibly less, 30-45 minutes from Winnetka or Wilmette, depending how close your house is to the Edens Expressway). For the train you should be able to get commuting time estimates from Metra. Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) is the umbrella group for Metra, PACE (suburban buses) and CTA (city trains & buses). Hope this helps.
S. Redfern
I love the North Shore -- very family friendly, good parent networks, and great public amenities. But, may I put in a pitch for the Village of Oak Park? With CTA and Metra, it's about 30-45 minutes from Sears, er, Willis Towers. Also extremely family-friendly, progressive, walkable, beautiful, and with a variety of housing types. I'm an urban planner, I've lived all over the country, and I do believe it's the nicest town I've ever lived in.
My dh works downtown too - been there for 7 years after working for over 30 years in the suburbs. We live in Elk Grove Village. He has a 5 min. drive to the train station. His commute on the train is about 45-50 min. He sleeps, reads and listens to his ipod. In the Chicago area we never talk about the miles to a location - we always talk the amount of time to arrive at our destination. I used to live in Evanston and it took about 35 min. to get downtown. Your schools are excellent where you are - how do the property taxes compare?
He is fortunate that if he goes to Union station - he only has a 2 block walk to work. Best wishes. I sell Pampered Chef and have to drive everywhere!
We moved from the Bay Area (Concord) to Deerfield about six years ago, and when we first moved my husband was commuting downtown almost every day. There is a Metra station in Deerfield, and if you catch an express train (where there are less stops) the ride is less than an hour. Even if you aren't on the express it is less than an hour (I think). When we lived in the Bay Area my husband commuted to SF by BART, and I would say his commute here is probably the same or better. There are MANY MANY people who commute from here downtwon every day. We ended up in Deerfield because we wanted a community where it was an easy commute downtown; we could get a nice house with more property; there are good schools (the schools near us in CA were TERRIBLE). Deerfield is a great community for raising a family. Good luck with your move!
I live in Wilmette and commute downtown near the Willis tower. The Metra is the best way to go. It's a 30 minute ride from Wilmette. I would highly recommend looking for a home within walking/biking distance from the train station since that will cut down on your commute. They have metra parking lots but they fill up quickly when the weather is bad. Glenview has great trains also.
We live in evanston, just south of wilmette/winnetka. I work in winnetka and my husband works in the loop. Definitely a shorter commute from wilmette or winnetka--during rush hour, your train can get you downtown in 25-30 minutes door to door. The train line from this area is just more direct. Also, you would be closer to northern neighborhoods in the city like andersonville--city access just minutes away. You are also closer to the lake in Wilmette or Winnetka:).
