Naperville, Illinois

The U.S. has plenty of suburbs to choose from. It does, however, have a shortage of suburban areas with everything Naperville has to offer. Cheaper than Chicago, but with the city still well within reach, Naperville has a lot going on in town. Beautiful walks and shops by the river and some of the best public schools in the nation are the most obvious attributes of the city, but it also has local museums and good beaches that provide culture and play to people of all ages. Naperville also has several big companies in town ranging from healthcare and manufacturing to research and tech for those who want a short drive to work.

With all of the good things that come with living in the epitome of a boujee suburb come all of the bad things as well. Naperville is a bit notorious for being the home of entitled upper-middle-class white people with little exposure to the outside world, an understandable turnoff for many. If you’ve lived in cities your whole life, watch American Beauty before coming here if you want context for the potential downsides of a suburban lifestyle.

While cheaper than living in the big city, the average cost of living is almost 50% higher than the national average. Living “downtown” in Naperville is considered pretty cool, with easy access to lots of restaurants, in addition to a surprisingly active nightlife. Being a nice and growing suburb, there are a lot of great housing options for families. Neighborhoods like Still Water and Cress Creek offer tons of homes with backyards, front yards, easy access to parks, and great public schools that are a walk or short bike ride away.

If you're curious what happens in Naperville check out the calendar of events.

We highly recommend visiting Naperville and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for living among the locals. You can also receive discounted travel fares via our partnership with Expedia.

With more and more Americans trying to escape claustrophobic city life as more jobs move remote, places like Naperville are target destinations for a reason. Chicagoans who now have more in-office flexibility have been relocating to Naperville, with all of the room, education, and family friendly niceties a major draw.