Took the family to Lisle Monster Madness yesterday. We’ve been attending this event since we lived in Lisle a few years ago. It’s a great opportunity for the kids to ride horses, play games, and pick pumpkins. My daughter especially loves the bouncy houses.
Lisle, which neighbors Naperville to the east, continues to be one of my favorite towns in the Chicago suburbs. It’s especially great if you commute by car to Chicago, as it can be up to 20 minutes closer than many Naperville neighborhoods. The downtown area has some great restaurants, and the new elementary school is excellent.
Last night, we took the kids on a tour of Naperville to see Halloween decorations. When we lived in Oak Park and Lisle, we would drive out to Naperville to see the Christmas light displays around town. The town goes all out. For the last few years, the new craze is to do over the top Halloween decorations as well. We’re not just talking about a strobe light and a skeleton or two — some of these Napervillians go crazy. I mean that in a good way. The only question I have is, where do they store all this stuff off-season?
Several people have created Google Maps to help navigate to the best displays. We used this one. IMO, this is the best time of year in Naperville. The trees, the pumpkin patches, the festivals… It’s Naperville at its best.
Napervillians enjoy a great selection of grocery stores. Of course, all the big chain stores are here, but there are fantastic independent stores here as well. I already mentioned Casey’s Fine Foods, but another awesome independent is Naperville Fresh Market.
I think the best selection of produce in town can be found here. A lot of it is stuff you just don’t see at a chain store. Things like sweet Korean pears, plantains, sugar. cane, dragon fruit, and the largest selection of chili peppers I have ever seen.
The rest of the store offers the same diverse selection: halal meats, German brats, candy you’ve only ever seen in another country, and every kind of ramen. And I mean every kind. It’s a great place to buy Asian, South Asian, Eastern European, and Mediterranean foods. There’s even a halal taqueria in the deli.
Is it the cheapest place to buy Cheerios and Coke Zero? Probably not. But if you (like I do) spend a lot of time in the international aisle of the Jewel-Osco, Naperville Fresh Market is a really great place to shop.
If you ask AI, our future robot overlords will tell you that a Napervillian is a resident or native of Naperville, Illinois, a large suburb about 30 miles west of Chicago. It might also tell you that Naperville is the third-largest city in Illinois, with over 150,000 Napervillians. AI might tell you that little Napervillians go to elite public schools and that the average home costs more here than in neighboring cities.
People on the internet often criticize Napervillians for being bougie Is it jealousy? Maybe. Is there some truth to it? Maybe.
However, most of the Napervillians I’ve met came here looking for a better life for their families. Some are bougie. Some are rich. Some are young parents from the big city, hustling to pay the mortgage on their starter home.
My wife and I met in Chicago. We love Chicago. But when our first child was born, we started looking for a different kind of life. We became Napervillians in 2024. We’re a Michigander and a Coloradan who became Chicagoans on our way to raising a family of Napervillians.
I took the kids for a walk along the DuPage River this week. While downtown Naperville’s Riverwalk is the most well-known section of the river, I like to access the trail system just down the street at Pioneer Park. The park itself is more of a parking lot than a park. But there is plenty of free parking, a bathroom, and a picnic area. More importantly, it’s a super convenient place to access the green belt and trail system that runs along the west branch of the DuPage River.
Walk north, and you’ll reach the Riverwalk. Head south and access miles and miles of tree-lined paved trails that will take you to Knoch Knolls and beyond.
My daughter and I had fun throwing crab apples in the river from the canoe launch. Once the kids are old enough, this will be a great place to bike. For now, I think we’ll be back a few times in the next month as the trees are just about to change colors.
My wife and I met in Chicago and spent over a decade living there. We love Chicago. Then our daughter was born, and we started to envision a life in the suburbs. It was not an easy decision for us.
There are a ton of YouTubers who will tell you how they’ve lived in Naperville their whole life, and how awesome it is. It is pretty awesome in many ways. But someone who lives in Chicago might think differently than a born and raised Napervillian. There are some real tradeoffs to ponder if you love living in the big city. We decided the tradeoffs were worth it.
If you plan to commute, it’s pretty rough. Hopefully you have a hybrid-type role where you only have to go in a few times a week to an office near Union Station. Even in that best-case scenario, you’re looking at a 40-minute express train ride, plus your last mile to work. You’ll probably want to live by the train stations on the north side of Naperville. Otherwise, your total commute time is going to be well over an hour. Plus, if you go into or leave work outside rush hour, there are no express trains, and far fewer trains in general compared to the L in the city. Driving takes even longer, and on a bad day, it can take over two hours. The commute isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but it is something to consider.
Also, the vibe is just different. Chicago has Devon; Naperville has the Mall of India. Chicago has Wrigleyville on a Friday night; Naperville has youth sports on a Saturday morning. Chicago has Mr. Beef on Orleans; Naperville has a Buona over by Costco. Chicago has the Joffrey Ballet; Naperville has my daughter’s annual dance recital at Pfeiffer Hall. Chicago is an elite city for culture, entertainment and food; Naperville is an elite city for safety, parks and schools.
Finally, the thing I miss most is the selection of everything in a big city. More doctors to choose from. More specialty shops. More handymen. More sushi options. More live venues. More ethnic neighborhoods to explore…
The good news is that Chicago is easy to visit for the day, or for a mini weekend vacation with the kids. About half of our date nights are still in Chicago. The Uber ride home isn’t that fun to pay for, but the traffic is a breeze in the middle of the night.
My kid started kindergarten in District 203 last month. During parent orientation, they presented information about 203’s version of the PTA:
“The Naperville District 203 Home & School Association’s mission is to encourage and facilitate a cooperative partnership among our students, parents/guardians, and District staff and administration to support and enhance the school experience of each student. Home & School initiates and/or supports various programs through the donation of time and sponsorship from its District school population and community members. Home & School remains constantly fluid to meet the ever-changing needs of our diverse student population.”
I knew I needed to get involved. I was not that excited about what my options would be. Wow, was I wrong. Turns out my idea of what the PTA does was very outdated. There’s an amazing number of ways for volunteers to get involved. I spent a good part of my recent career at a VC-backed technology accelerator, so I was thrilled to learn of 203’s entrepreneurship pathway.
The kids in this program are learning how to start with an idea, pitch their product, and accelerate their business. I attended the kickoff yesterday and was blown away at the caliber of the students and the program.
Between my two kids, I have about 17 years of volunteering ahead of me. I’m grateful there are so many awesome ways to contribute.
I dropped by Blackberry Market today for lunch. It’s such a nice… bakery? Cafe? Coffee shop? I don’t know. It’s great at all of those things. They make awesome chocolate chip cookies and solid lattes. My lunch today was a chicken salad sandwich, and it was pretty much perfect.
My only regret was that they were out of Fresno cheese dip — it’s their take on pimento cheese dip, but kicked up a few notches in flavor and spice. Perfect on a Triscuit.
Naperville is famous for its downtown district. It’s full of great restaurants, bars, coffee shops, bookstores, and big-name shopping like Anthropologie, Apple, and Sephora. There’s also an insane number of ice cream shop options that will require its own post. This area is great and draws people from around the region, but it’s not where Napervillians get stuff done. That’s Naperville Plaza.
This, in my humble opinion, is the best small strip mall in Naperville.
I first visited this shopping center when I lived in Lisle because this was the closest Trader Joe’s to me. I love Trader Joe’s. When we lived in Oak Park, we were spoiled to actually live above a Trader Joe’s. It’s a great little grocery store with great products and good prices. However, sometimes you need a 12-pack of Coke Zero or some other item not available at TJ’s. That’s fine, because Naperville Plaza is also anchored by Casey’s Foods. This is a small but mighty grocery store known for fresh produce, a great deli, and an excellent butcher shop.
In between these grocery shops is Oswald’s, a local pharmacy that’s been serving Naperville for over 150 years, and also houses a small US Post Office. Next door is Garfield’s Beverage, a local Chicagoland liquor store chain with good prices and a surprisingly good assortment for its size.
Then there is Kriser’s Natural Pet, where we get our dogs groomed, and Naperville Smiles, where I get my teeth cleaned.
But wait, there’s more! You can have your tires replaced, your nails done, and your eyes checked. There’s a yoga studio, a fitness studio, a paint store, a flower shop, and a coffee shop. There’s even a bank, a bar, and a few restaurants.
For Napervillians in the East Highlands, West Highlands, and Moser Highlands, this small shopping center is truly a neighborhood gem.
When we decided to move out of Chicago, we only knew one thing about Naperville: everyone told us it had great schools. Once we started researching, we found out there’s actually a bit of a rivalry between the two school districts serving the city. Naperville District 203 serves the north side of Naperville, while Indian Prairie School District 204 serves the south side and some of the surrounding cities as well.
Many newcomers to Naperville find themselves making home-buying decisions based on which district they want to send their kids to. They’ve compared ratings, reviews, awards… I did it too. My takeaway was that both districts rank in the top 0.5% of school districts in the entire nation. All the public schools in Naperville are amazingly great schools.
However, there are some differences. Naperville District 203 represents the older half of the city, while Indian Prairie School District 204 represents the area that’s been built out more recently. The old part of the city has more trees, older homes, and closer proximity to downtown Naperville. The school buildings are older and smaller. The new part of the city is more spread out, with bigger, newer homes. Which means bigger, newer schools too.
There’s definitely a different vibe to both districts. Which vibe fits better is probably more important than the awards and rankings.
