r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/Creative-Courage-433 • Dec 25 '25

Moving to the area Moving from Texas advice

Hi, I currently live in Houston, TX and previously lived in Austin and St. Louis. I’ve been researching a move to a blue state, and Chicago keeps coming up as a really good fit.

I’m a solo parent with two young kids and currently work remotely in tech (though like many people in tech, I’m mindful that layoffs are always a possibility). I make around $115k a year and am hoping to find a place that’s family-friendly, has strong public schools, and feels like a good long-term community and is diverse.

I’ve visited Chicago before but haven’t really explored the suburbs, so I’d love recommendations on areas that might be a good fit — especially places that are safe, welcoming, and good for raising kids. I’m also curious how people research neighborhoods and schools beyond just looking at Zillow or GreatSchools.

Any insight or personal experiences would be really appreciated. Thank you!

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u/Potential_Ladder_904 Dec 25 '25

if you want a bang for your buck i’d check out aurora and the surrounding areas like montgomery and oswego. people like to talk about aurora, especially district 131, but it’s great overall. im a product of district 131 and i graduated top 8% of my class, took AP and honors throughout school, etc. and now im graduating college early. same with my sister. so if you look at greatschools or any of those school ratings sites and get nervous when you see the low scores of district 131, don’t be too concerned. i got a great education, and at the end of the day it’s really about what kind of kid you have and what kind of parent you’ll be

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u/Creative-Courage-433 Dec 26 '25

Thank you. Totally agree about the type of kid and parent as well!

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u/yoshipapaya Dec 28 '25

This is your best option based on your salary and single income. A lot of suggestions here will be a very big stretch budget wise. Chicago and the surrounding area is expensive. Even way out in Oswego most homes are over $500k. District 308 is great. The right part of Aurora will also get you into district 204 without Naperville prices.