Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just posted, but also wanted to address the comment that suburbs are better for older kids. That may be true if you value a lot of suburban activities and are skittish about urban school systems. But for tweens/teens, the independence that comes with city life is a huge plus. They need that freedom and it's much easier to get in the city than suburbs, generally. There are plenty of extracurriculars kids can do in cities, too, even if they look a bit different than weekends at the soccerplex or whatever. In the suburbs it's so much driving to the various activities and that gets old, frankly (as a suburb-dweller).

I'm the PP who posted about older kids and CPS' high school system. I realize that all this stuff is personal...I just wanted OP to think about the future, and not just what life is like with a 3 and 5 yr old.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I mean, don't spend your life living somewhere you hate when you have a reasonable path not to?

Don't worry about high school. That's 10+ years away. A lot could change by then. And even in "bad" high schools, there are often groups of strong kids who excel. Bad doesn't mean bad for your kid necessarily.

+1 to rent out your place with the 2.75% mortgage. Even if you have to rent at a loss, remember that the amount you're paying on principal should come back to you in equity, so you really only need the renter to cover taxes/insurance. This is how we are handling our pandemic-property that we moved out of.

We currently live in a quasi-urban area, and it's incredible. I agree with you about the suburbs being unfriendly. It's nothing you did wrong; some people just aren't suburb people. Move on now. It doesn't sound like it's going to get better, and once you do end up moving, you'll ask yourself, why didn't we do this sooner?

Also, for your kids, moving in early elementary is prime time. So you're not there yet, but I'd say by the time your oldest is 7-8, it's "now or never." And you don't sound like you'd be happy with "never."

Anonymous wrote:I just posted, but also wanted to address the comment that suburbs are better for older kids. That may be true if you value a lot of suburban activities and are skittish about urban school systems. But for tweens/teens, the independence that comes with city life is a huge plus. They need that freedom and it's much easier to get in the city than suburbs, generally. There are plenty of extracurriculars kids can do in cities, too, even if they look a bit different than weekends at the soccerplex or whatever. In the suburbs it's so much driving to the various activities and that gets old, frankly (as a suburb-dweller).

Anonymous wrote:I just posted, but also wanted to address the comment that suburbs are better for older kids. That may be true if you value a lot of suburban activities and are skittish about urban school systems. But for tweens/teens, the independence that comes with city life is a huge plus. They need that freedom and it's much easier to get in the city than suburbs, generally. There are plenty of extracurriculars kids can do in cities, too, even if they look a bit different than weekends at the soccerplex or whatever. In the suburbs it's so much driving to the various activities and that gets old, frankly (as a suburb-dweller).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:(1) How's the middle school in the city? You're right that many urban elementaries are good to great, and there are many application options for high school, but the choke point is often middle school. That said, if you're saving money, private may be an option for middle and high school.

(2) How small is SMALL? Under 1,000sq or over? If you're comparing it to a sprawling 5 bedroom suburban house, then it may feel small but actually be a perfectly livable size for many city dwellers. 2 bedrooms + den sounds like it would be big enough for me, particularly since you have the den to use as a second kid bedroom if they don't like sharing and because you have your grandparents' unit to spill into.

(3) Instead of selling, could you rent out your current house? That way you hold onto your interest rate and have the ability to move back if the city life doesn't work out. I would tell you to sell and go if rates were lower, but you are absolutely right that you may be shooting yourself in the foot if you'll have to move in the next 5-10 years because of schools or the house being sold.

Do not worry about moving your older child more than once. She's still SO young that she'll forget in a few months max (mine switched between pre-K4 and K, and by 1st grade could not remember any of the kids she went to two years of pre-K with even though we ran into them occasionally). And it's totally different to switch school locations with your entire grade than move school districts.

Thanks so much for all the thoughts! The school across the street is actually PreK through 8th grade so no worrying about middle school.

I think the apartment is 1400sqft. It was actually the butler and maids quarters in the original house