I HATE the suburbs and have a chance to leave. This is long..more experienced parents help?

[Anonymous]

100% do it. Not only for all the reasons you mentioned, but giving your kids the opportunity to spend time with your grandparents is a real gift to everyone, too. I'm feeling sentimental bc my brother did this with our grandparents and his kids were able to enrich my grandparents' final years and also benefit from that relationship. But also, 1400sf is plenty of space and Chicago is fantastic!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're going to let them go to a Chicago public school? That sounds interesting...

I basically have this set up in a DC 'burb with good schools and walkability (Falls Church City). So I see the pluses. We do still use our car a ton, though. Walkability in the rain and winter is tough with kids.

Lol that you think FCC is in any way comparable to Chicago. But please, stay in FCC and brag about how down to earth you are for sending your kids to public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op sitting here reading every response and literally tearing up. I hate it here so much. Thanks to all the Chicagoans for chiming in.

honestly, this doesn't look that bad:

https://www.mountprospect.org/community/about-mount-prospect

your reaction suggests that you have some other issues going on. i say that as life-long (50 years old now) city person, and a psychologist. it's ok to move to a place that suits you better, and not all places are the same. but moving 20 miles is unlikely to be a major fix for anything.

A 20 mile move can be a major fix for someone who’s unhappy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op sitting here reading every response and literally tearing up. I hate it here so much. Thanks to all the Chicagoans for chiming in.

honestly, this doesn't look that bad:

https://www.mountprospect.org/community/about-mount-prospect

your reaction suggests that you have some other issues going on. i say that as life-long (50 years old now) city person, and a psychologist. it's ok to move to a place that suits you better, and not all places are the same. but moving 20 miles is unlikely to be a major fix for anything.

A 20 mile move can be a major fix for someone who’s unhappy.

+1! 20 miles is neighborhoods apart. And the “psychologist” is really trying to diagnose that OP has something else going on based on their posts on a message board? Lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand what is wrong with chain restaurants and coffee shops. They have all grown to be chains because what they offered was good.

It’s a lot of the same food - Chili’s is not that different than Applebee’s. But neither has Thai food or (as I ordered tonight from my city home) Pho. If you want fine dining or a menu that doesn’t have a chicken finger option you can’t go to a chain.

[Anonymous]

I’ve visited Chicago a few times and there are so many different neighborhoods. A couple were typical city neighborhoods, a few were beautiful city neighborhoods and some were in the middle. There are so many options. You can get right in there, you can be on the outskirts but still Chicago proper.

As for high school they have more than a couple of magnet schools including a top math and science academy for STEM obsessed parents. Performing arts schools plus more.

We moved to the city in a part that is safe with many three deckers, apartments and single family homes with smaller yards. My younger dd has friends who were born in Sudan, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Russia.
Our oldest dd was in high school when we lived in a suburb. I can’t go back to suburban living. Too many drugs and alcohol parties in huge basements isolated from parents. Too much adult behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op sitting here reading every response and literally tearing up. I hate it here so much. Thanks to all the Chicagoans for chiming in.

honestly, this doesn't look that bad:

https://www.mountprospect.org/community/about-mount-prospect

your reaction suggests that you have some other issues going on. i say that as life-long (50 years old now) city person, and a psychologist. it's ok to move to a place that suits you better, and not all places are the same. but moving 20 miles is unlikely to be a major fix for anything.

A 20 mile move can be a major fix for someone who’s unhappy.

+1! 20 miles is neighborhoods apart. And the “psychologist” is really trying to diagnose that OP has something else going on based on their posts on a message board? Lol.

i am not diagnosing anyone (what was the diagnosis?) but her assessments seems extreme given the circumstances. i don't like suburbs, either, and never lived there. but it's a preference, not a calamity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op sitting here reading every response and literally tearing up. I hate it here so much. Thanks to all the Chicagoans for chiming in.

honestly, this doesn't look that bad:

https://www.mountprospect.org/community/about-mount-prospect

your reaction suggests that you have some other issues going on. i say that as life-long (50 years old now) city person, and a psychologist. it's ok to move to a place that suits you better, and not all places are the same. but moving 20 miles is unlikely to be a major fix for anything.

A 20 mile move can be a major fix for someone who’s unhappy.

+1! 20 miles is neighborhoods apart. And the “psychologist” is really trying to diagnose that OP has something else going on based on their posts on a message board? Lol.

i am not diagnosing anyone (what was the diagnosis?) but her assessments seems extreme given the circumstances. i don't like suburbs, either, and never lived there. but it's a preference, not a calamity.

Move to the suburbs yourself and see how you feel. Or don't. But op is hardly alone in having very strong preferences for city over suburb (or vice-versa). This is a really relatable thread for many of us!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op sitting here reading every response and literally tearing up. I hate it here so much. Thanks to all the Chicagoans for chiming in.

honestly, this doesn't look that bad:

https://www.mountprospect.org/community/about-mount-prospect

your reaction suggests that you have some other issues going on. i say that as life-long (50 years old now) city person, and a psychologist. it's ok to move to a place that suits you better, and not all places are the same. but moving 20 miles is unlikely to be a major fix for anything.

It's definitely someone's American Dream but looking at Google maps and photos and I can totally picture being miserable there, especially if you have the prospect of Chicago as an alternative!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:100% do it. Not only for all the reasons you mentioned, but giving your kids the opportunity to spend time with your grandparents is a real gift to everyone, too. I'm feeling sentimental bc my brother did this with our grandparents and his kids were able to enrich my grandparents' final years and also benefit from that relationship. But also, 1400sf is plenty of space and Chicago is fantastic!

Absolutely this. It would be such a gift to your kids and your grandparents. This alone would sway me to do it even for a few years.

[Anonymous]

1400 square feet is almost as big as our house! You can absolutely live there with two kids. It sounds wonderful. I would do it. Like everyone else is saying, maybe rent out your house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op sitting here reading every response and literally tearing up. I hate it here so much. Thanks to all the Chicagoans for chiming in.

honestly, this doesn't look that bad:

https://www.mountprospect.org/community/about-mount-prospect

your reaction suggests that you have some other issues going on. i say that as life-long (50 years old now) city person, and a psychologist. it's ok to move to a place that suits you better, and not all places are the same. but moving 20 miles is unlikely to be a major fix for anything.

A 20 mile move can be a major fix for someone who’s unhappy.

+1! 20 miles is neighborhoods apart. And the “psychologist” is really trying to diagnose that OP has something else going on based on their posts on a message board? Lol.

i am not diagnosing anyone (what was the diagnosis?) but her assessments seems extreme given the circumstances. i don't like suburbs, either, and never lived there. but it's a preference, not a calamity.

You made an assessment of OP “your reaction suggests that you have some other issues going on.”

That’s wildly inappropriate for a “psychologist” to post. But anyone can post here claiming to be any profession. A real psychologist would never have said that.

- a lawyer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op sitting here reading every response and literally tearing up. I hate it here so much. Thanks to all the Chicagoans for chiming in.

honestly, this doesn't look that bad:

https://www.mountprospect.org/community/about-mount-prospect

your reaction suggests that you have some other issues going on. i say that as life-long (50 years old now) city person, and a psychologist. it's ok to move to a place that suits you better, and not all places are the same. but moving 20 miles is unlikely to be a major fix for anything.

A 20 mile move can be a major fix for someone who’s unhappy.

+1! 20 miles is neighborhoods apart. And the “psychologist” is really trying to diagnose that OP has something else going on based on their posts on a message board? Lol.

i am not diagnosing anyone (what was the diagnosis?) but her assessments seems extreme given the circumstances. i don't like suburbs, either, and never lived there. but it's a preference, not a calamity.

You made an assessment of OP “your reaction suggests that you have some other issues going on.”

That’s wildly inappropriate for a “psychologist” to post. But anyone can post here claiming to be any profession. A real psychologist would never have said that.

- a lawyer

Yeah that was weird. The OP has been nothing but logical. She hates the suburbs and wants to live in the city. She had pros/cons. People actually from Chicago or live in a suburb or city have given their perspective.

- a trapeze artist.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure moving is the fix you expect it to be.

You can walk now. Really. Put on shoes and go on a walk. Start hiking for errands.

People are busy everywhere and it’s difficult to make friends. No guarantee you’ll make any in your new location. My husband struggled to make friends and it’s been that way everywhere we have lived.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure moving is the fix you expect it to be.

You can walk now. Really. Put on shoes and go on a walk. Start hiking for errands.

People are busy everywhere and it’s difficult to make friends. No guarantee you’ll make any in your new location. My husband struggled to make friends and it’s been that way everywhere we have lived.

I bet I know why people avoid him…