I am a senior mechanical engineer and I just got a job offer to work for Caterpillar in their hydraulic systems business unit in Joliet, IL. I was wondering if any of you could give me an opinion on the Joliet area, good and bad?

I was born and raised in Muskegon, MI so I assume the weather is similar. Are there lots of things to do in Joliet? Parks? Any places near there for decent mountain/cross country/trail biking? I know Chicago is farily close, and there are plenty of things to do there, but I would like to know what there is to do in Joliet. Any problems with crime? Is the cost of living about average? Is there still a prison in or near Joliet? Would you want to live there?

When I went for my interview, it did not appear to be any different than any other city. Unfortunately, I got a low opinion of the area initially because the Cat facility is right next to the power plant, which doesn't look very nice. But I assume it would be no different than living in or near Detroit if I were to work for an auto company.

Anything advice or suggestions to help me decide whether Joliet would be a nice place to live would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill

 

Joilet has it's good areas and bad areas. The prison is still there and look out cause there are brake outs all the time, jk. Have you considered commuting? There are several nice townships not to far from joilet. I live in Naperville and it's great out here, many things to do. I had to go to joilet once for a ticket i got out there and it's about a 20-25 minute drive to downtown in light traffic. Personally i wouldn't like to live in joilet even in the good part considering you're still not that far from the bad parts. I would just commute, there are many highways and interstates around and it doesn't take long to get places as long as you don't get stuck in traffic and I don't think you shouldn't have to many problems with traffic since you won't be heading torwards the city(chicago).

 

I would not mind commuting, but 30 minutes would be the maximum I would consider, or less than 20 miles away. However, I really dont want to live in a place with "good" and "bad" areas either. With my luck and since i dont know the Joliet area, I would probably end up in a crummy area and then I would have to worry about my Camaro all the time.

I will start checking out Naperville. Are there any other suburbs or towns I should consider that are nicer than Joliet and would ideally leave me with less than a 15-20 minute commute and are less than approximately 20 miles away?

Bill

 

Plainfield and Oswego are both smaller towns north of Joliet, and both are rapidly growing. I would have no problem living in Oswego, for example. Nearly every suburb of Chicago will have good and bad areas, and you can rely on your realtor to keep you away from the less desirable, lower income, or high crime areas of those towns.

You could probably get a good price on the homes right by Rt 66 if you don't mind putting up with the noise on race nights!

 

I live in Joliet and as long as your west of the river you have no worries. You have Rt. 66 1/4 mile track just 10 minutes away. There are lots of parks/forrest preserves to enjoy. There are riverboat casinos ten minutes away. Lots of bars

Also you have lots of stores up and down Larkin ave. and plainfield road so shopping is convienient. There are some really nice neighborhoods on the west side out by Louis Joliet Mall.

 

Try New Lennox, its a real nice town. My aunt and my parents moved there in the past 2 years. They love it. And anything you want to do is 20 miles away between there and Chicago.

 

Lockport/Plainfield/New Lenox/Frankfort/Mokena/Orland Park/Homer Glen

All nice towns all within 20 minutes of the Cat facility...

 

Plainfield, Channahoon, Manhattan and New lenox or all right next door and are good towns. Joliet is basically a ****ty neighborhood to live in. It is getting better though since the casinos and the track went up.

Catapillar is about a mile away from empress casino and about 5 minutes from the Route 66 Dragstrip and Chicagoland speedway nascar track.

 

I live in Joliet as well, right near St. Joe's hospital. It's not a bad area, housing is pretty damn cheap, and property taxes are reasonable (for now). As for "bad" areas, sounds like somebody that is just scared of things they've heard. Like just about any town, there are rougher areas, but unless you're hanging out on the "hill" late at night, there's not much to worry about. The prison, though technically in Joliet, is something you'll never see because it's pretty far out there and tucked away off the road. If you're going to be working at the Cat plant, Channahon might not be a bad option, and depending where you're looking to live in Joliet, it might be closer. Plainfield and Shorewood are also both nice, clean areas and pretty convenient to where you want to be -- Plainfield has all brand new schools pretty much. Again, housing in all of these areas is pretty damn cheap when compared to 'burbs closer to Chicago.

I would suggest against going all the way out to Naperville and commuting. Trying to drive from Fox Valley Mall (in Aurora/Naperville) to Joliet is only about 15 miles, but it can take over an hour depending on the time you're driving it. I actually worked for a while at a client site in Naperville by 59 and 88, and it was an hour commute each morning, and 45-60 minutes home each night.

As for things to do, it's about like any other burb. There's a mall, the race track, the gambling boats, and many mediocre bars. Not a lot of restaurants out that way, though the usual chains are around (Friday's, Applebees, Lonestar, etc). I guess it's what you make of it. It's certainly not the same nightlife as Chicago, or Naperville or Schaumburg for that matter. But overall I'd say it's not a bad place to live -- and this is coming from somebody that's been there for the last 22 years. I personally am moving to an apartment in Chicago in a few weeks, but that's mainly because the commute for me to work sucks from Joliet, and I need a change of pace. If you have any specific questions about the area, I can probably answer them for you.

 

John Q, I will PM you if I have any specific questions, I appreciate the offer.

I have heard a few people recomend Naperville. But, someone also mentioned the cost of living in that area is much higher. Is that true? Would apartments/houses in Naperville be much more expensive than Plainfield and Shorewood, by how much? Since Naperville is closer to Chicago, are there fewer parks, to go to? What exaclty is better in Naperville, is it just the fact that it is closer to Chicago, so there are more people and more things to do in the city? Is it just that Naperville is a more "upscale area"? What are the nasty times on the route from Naperville to Joliet, like 7-9 in the morning and 4-6 in the afternoon? Is the crummy traffic any better since I am moving away from Chicago?

One big question I have, is that I have been mountain biking a good deal at school here in the UP. Is this a hobby I will be able to continue in Illinois? Whats the closest place to Joliet that I could at least get to some decent cross country trails?

Thanks for all the replies,
Bill

 

my girlfriend lives in joliet, she acully lives in a good area, but her frind lives in a very bad area not more than maybe a mile or a little away

also i heard the hill is real bad, my girlfriends dad was the former sheriff of will county and he didnt even like going up there