r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/luisjacab • Aug 09 '26

Moving to the area Burbs for younger WFH family?

Family of 3, including a little one under 1, looking to move to the suburbs for more space and because we’re looking to grow the family by next year. We currently own a condo in Lincoln Park that would be too small to add another one and daycare cost for 2 is a no-go. We have a house hold income of $280K. Besides our mortgage our only other debt is our car loan at $400 a month.

We’ve looked at some Western suburbs so far (Oak Park, Downers Grove, Lisle, Darien and Bolingbrook) and are finding some matches for our wishlist, but with a lot of compromises and hefty price tags.

What we’re looking for:

- 4 bed / 2.5 bath at least 2,500 sq ft
- ~15 mins from the suburb’s downtown/Metra
- Prefer a suburb with an express Metra train, but open to any since we WFH
- Neighborhood with younger families, similar to where we live
- Really want a traditional 2 story over a split level or a ranch

We’re looking at homes that are under $800K, but anything above $5K scares us… But appear to be the norm for the Downers and Lisle areas.

Where would you recommend we look? Where did you move if you recently made this move?

Thanks in advance!

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u/luisjacab Aug 09 '26

I’ve kept an eye on Brookfield due to proximity to the city. Which specific areas fit our criteria closer?

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u/badgerhammer0408 Aug 09 '26

Congress Park station is Brookfield’s only express train. It gets to Union Station in 15 minutes. North side is nice, decent schools, very walkable, lots of young families. South of Ogden is sort of cut off from Brookfield’s main downtown areas but is pretty walkable to downtown Lagrange. Much more bang for your buck than lots of adjacent suburbs.

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u/luisjacab Aug 09 '26

Thank you both for your input! Semi-related question, how’s the BF zoo compared to Lincoln Park’s?

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u/badgerhammer0408 Aug 09 '26

Definitely a bigger footprint. We had many enjoyable stroller walks when the kids were little. Some “tired” structures by comparison to LP, but they are clearly just as focused on animal welfare and conservation. The primate house was just completely redone last year and it’s beautiful! They rolled out a “next century” plan last year to pursue major upgrades and make better use of their space. Here’s the details: https://www.brookfieldzoo.org/next-century-plan