[Kon-Peki]

Spend time outdoors while house shopping. You are close enough to O'Hare to have a lot of jets flying above you, yet they are already lined up for a specific runway - noise can change a lot from one block to the next.

People put a lot of value in walkability and nearby amenities.

As far as large American cities go, Chicago is extremely child friendly and child-focused. The attendance area for the neighborhood schools are small. Chicago Public Schools has an excellent mapping tool - don't trust the real estate listings. They lie.

City employees in Chicago are required to live inside the city. The northwest side has a heavy concentration. On one block every third house will be a policeman or fireman. On another block it will be streets and san workers. Then teachers. Etc. It does affect the character of the block :)

[doctoboggan]

Thanks for the great advice, very helpful.