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 someone who has spent their entire life living in Naperville. 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 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.
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