Chicago can be an ideal place to work—but an expensive, noisy, and overwhelming city to live in. Many Illinoisans flock to the suburbs for its many benefits yet choose to work in the city. Commuters have a wide selection of Chicago suburbs they can call home.

A large metropolitan city like Chicago offers endless dining and entertainment options. But parking is a hassle and residential homes and apartments are pricey. Chicago’s suburbs, however, allow residents to live within their financial means while having access to all the excitement the city has to offer.

It’s important to choose a Chicago suburb that makes it easy to commute to the city. Proximity is a key factor to a daily stress-free commute. Following are vibrant suburbs that make traveling to the city a breeze, whether in a car or via public transportation.

1.      Skokie, Illinois

Vehicle owners can travel to and from Skokie to Chicago’s premier downtown area in 23 minutes. The 15-mile distance from this suburb to the city makes it a quick commute. Traveling by the Metra rail allows commuters to reach downtown within 45 minutes.

Skokie is also an ideal place to call home. Artistic and cultural opportunities abound here, with venues like the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Northlight Theatre, and Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra drawing regular crowds. Skokie even has a historic corridor for glimpses into the past.

2.      Evanston, Illinois

Another short commute to the city can be made from Evanston, a sophisticated suburb located along Lake Michigan’s shoreline. Commuters can make the 12-mile trip to Chicago in 23 minutes. The Metra allows commuters to reach the city after a comfortable 40-minute train ride.

Known as “Chicago Lite,” Evanston is highly walkable. Dotted along its tree-lined streets are numerous cafés, restaurants, and shops. Northwestern University is located in this suburb. Attend a concert at one of its music venues, like SPACE. Excitement and entertainment options are plentiful here.

3.      Oak Park, Illinois

Commuters reach downtown Chicago in 20 minutes from the historical treasure, Oak Park. When opting for the CTA, the commute time is 37 minutes. Oak Park is located a mere nine miles from the loop. The village even has its own Metra station as well as buses and bike paths.

Frank Lloyd Wright architecture can be enjoyed by residents of Oak Park. Walking tours take visitors throughout the suburb to see Wright’s architectural footprint left on private homes and public structures. Oak Park was the birthplace of author Ernest Hemingway, whose home can also be toured.

4.      Naperville, Illinois

Ranked as the nation’s best suburb to live in, Naperville is located 30 miles west of Chicago. By car, commuters can reach the city in 36 minutes, while Metra riders on the express line can arrive in Chicago in 45 minutes. The suburb offers multiple train stations and major highways.

Naperville boasts of an excellent school system, an acclaimed library, and a vibrant downtown. This highly desirable suburb is known for offering all the amenities of a modern city along with charming small-town living. The suburb’s 145,000 residents attest to its appeal.

5.      Hinsdale, Illinois

Hinsdale is located 20 miles from Chicago, making the commute by car a quick, 32-minute ride. By the express line on Metra, commuters reach Chicago in 22 minutes. Hinsdale’s historic downtown allows commuters to park and spend time browsing its 100 local shops.

Katherine Legge Memorial Park is located on 52 acres of Hinsdale’s picturesque woodlands, offering residents plenty of opportunities to play frisbee, golf, or go sledding in the winter. Hinsdale entices walkers and joggers alike with its rolling hills and woodlands.

6.      Wheaton, Illinois

Farther from Chicago is an active suburb known as Wheaton. By car, commuters can drive to Chicago in 41 minutes. By Metra, the trip to the city is one hour. Wheaton residents enjoy numerous events, shops, and farmers’ markets in the suburb’s historic downtown.

Nature lovers visit Wheaton’s robust forest preserve district. Walkers, hikers, and joggers can take advantage of its 145 miles of trails. Families can enjoy leisurely weekends at its 31 lakes and 1,450 picnic tables. Horseback riding lessons are available at the Danada Equestrian Center.

A few more suburbs make the list for the best commute to the city. Flossmoor requires only a 33-minute commute by car and a 40-minute ride on the Metra express line. Reach Chicago from Buffalo Grove in 45 minutes by car and 40 minutes on the Metra express line.

Highland Park is another opportunity for suburban living and easy access to Chicago. From Highland Park to Chicago, the commute by car is 36 minutes and 45 minutes on Metra’s express line. This list wouldn’t be complete without Park Ridge, which is just 15 minutes northwest of downtown Chicago.

Illinoisans have diverse options for commuting to Chicago from any of the city’s many surrounding suburbs. When your company is amping up to relocate to a Chicagoland location, choose Chicago Office Movers for a seamless, stress-free, and on-budget corporate relocation.

As an experienced office mover with crews of trained, union moving specialists, we’ll handle your move from start to finish. Included in our efficient services are help with planning the details of the move, packing, transporting the goods safely, and unpacking them at the destination.

Our highly rated corporate relocation service is utilized by major local companies and prestigious universities, such as Alcatel Lucent and Northwestern University. Whether your business is large or small, our dedicated moving crews deliver exceptional service to all valued customers.

Chicago Office Movers is experienced in handling a wide range of office goods. Our crews have successfully moved fragile antiques, complex IT systems and servers, sensitive electronics, and bulky office furniture. No matter the size or weight of the items, our movers transport them with care.

We also offer several conveniences, such as short- and long-term storage, insurance contracts, and add-on services. When you are planning a local, long-distance, or international corporate relocation, Chicago Office Movers in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, will exceed your expectations.

Call our Chicago, Illinois, location at 312-244-2246 (CHI-CAGO) or fill out a form for a free estimate.

Corporate events are a must-have for companies nowadays. Benefits like keeping employees happy, teambuilding, and even improving overall productivity can pay off for companies of any industry. On the other hand, finding an event or activity that everyone will enjoy can be difficult.

Thankfully, Chicago offers a ton of activities for employees with all different interests. Everything from bus tours to escape rooms, it shouldn’t be too hard to find one idea everyone can agree on.

Check out the list of the best corporate events in Chicago, IL:

1. Escape Rooms

One of the best ways to get to know your coworkers and work on those teambuilding skills, escape rooms will give you a challenge, other than work, to focus on. Within each room, you will be racing against the clock to solve multiple puzzles and escape using limited clues.

Escape rooms come in all different challenge levels as well as different themes. Whether you choose to escape from one of the most difficult space rooms or opt for an easier scavenger hunt on a pirate ship, you will definitely have something to talk about on the next business day.

Here are a few highly rated options:

The Escape Game

Fox in a Box Chicago

PanIQ Escape Room Chicago

2. Scavenger Hunt

Weather permitted, scavenger hunts are one of the best opportunities to become familiar with the city. Especially if your company is planning to move or has already moved to Chicago, you’ll find a lot of architecture, unique dining options, and other attractions, even if you don’t find what you are initially looking for.

Scavenger hunts involve various teams to search the city, solving clues that lead them from one location to the next. Race to the finish and you might get a prize!

Here are a few options:

Scavenger Hunt

Stray Boots

Windy City Field House

3. Sporting Events

This idea can seem a little original, but Chicago is known for it’s famous sports teams. Popular teams like the Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Bulls, and even the Bears are what make the harsh winters and expensive rents all worth it! Plus the seating available, such as the rooftops of Wrigley field or the box seats at the United Center offer a whole new experience to watching your favorite teams play.

All inclusive packages for corporate events are common, not to mention suites available for the employees. Load up from the dessert cart!

4. Indoor Skydiving

If you’re looking for an adrenaline rushing adventure, check into indoor skydiving at iFly. Suit up and pop into their indoor wind tunnels. Simply lean forward and up you go. There will be someone to spot you of course, but this option is a great way to take a break from the cubicle.

iFly locations are available in Naperville, Rosemont, and Lincoln Park. Be sure to check one out if you’re looking for something extra exciting!

5. Charity Events

If your team is interested in giving back for the event, volunteering as a group to a local non-profit is a great way to build relationships with your colleagues. Charities are always looking for helping hands (and donations) to help their cause.

Common activities for corporate events can include:

• Feeding the sick, poor, and others in need
• Walking dogs
• Walk to End Alzheimer’s
• Planting trees
• Food packing

If you have a favorite charity, you can reach out to them directly to see if they have events coming up that your company can attend. Remember every little bit helps!

6. Bowling

One of the activities that never get old, everyone loves to go bowling! Chicago is littered with bowling alleys, even with some that have different themes and food. Many also have fully stocked bars and kitchens so you can combine dinner and entertainment into one package.

For some companies, some bowling alleys offer private rooms, providing more convenience and fun to your experience.

Here are some options to choose from:

• The Lucky Strike
• 10 Pin Bowling Lounge
• Timber Lanes Bowling Alley

7. Game Shows

Team up against your coworkers to see who’s the fastest on the buzzer! You can choose from any game shows like Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, The Price is Right, and more and battle against your friends.

Events like these will have your team laughing, doing physical challenges, and doing some critical thinking that will have the team talking for weeks. Step out of your cubicle comfort zone and up to the plate when facing off your coworkers through fast decision-making and being prepared to fail in front of everyone! This will ultimately build that company spirit that’s hard to accomplish everyday.

Check out these options:

The Game Show Game Show

Game Show Gurus

8. Dinner Cruise

If you have the budget for something a little more fancy, check out one of the cruises on the Chicago River. When cruising, you’ll see some of Chicago’s most prominent, updated buildings, everything from Marina City and Merchandise Mart to the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Willis Tower.

If you want to make the experience extra special, you can rent out the whole boat for a private event. Enjoy a 3-course meal and all that Chicago scenery has to offer with the convenience of the company of nobody but your coworkers.

Check out these options:

Odyssey

Mystic Blue

9. Office Party

Looking to save a few bucks? You can always host the party in the office. Order in food, bring some games, music, and drinks, and you have a party of your own!

Need some help moving things around? Chicago Office Movers can help move office furniture to and from your space if needed. With office decommissioning, we can have your furniture professionally moved and returned to the right places while working around your schedule.

Chicago Office Movers

Moving to or from Chicago? Chicago Office Movers is a full-service moving company that can help with anything and everything you need, from packing to crating to furniture assembly. Each of our movers is licensed, experienced, background-checked, and insured for your peace of mind. We are also able to move a number of specialty equipment like machinery, inventory, paperwork, and even lab equipment locally, long distance, and internationally.

You can be as involved or as hands-off as you prefer. We understand that you have work that needs to get done, and moving can easily take time away from operations; so we’ll take care of what you don’t want to deal with. Leave the moving process to us.

Get a Free Estimate

To get a free estimate on your commercial move, contact Chicago Office Movers at 312-244-2246 or fill out a contact form. We will get back to you shortly!

As a small town with a big city feel, Chicago lures businesses far and wide. Micro restaurants, like EL Ideas, and locally owned bakeries, like Do Rite Donuts, have as much success in the Windy City as Fortune 500 companies in the area, like Boeing Co and Motorola Solutions.

Despite being an underserved city, with a worrying crime rate, poverty, and unemployment, the following telltale characteristics make businesses in Chicago thrive.

1. Location

A company located in a major city like Chicago attracts other businesses. Many leaders at the most successful Chicago companies have their roots in the Midwest, either growing up here or attending school in the area. Their connectivity means they have access to countless invaluable contacts with whom they can strategize or brainstorm with the purposes of advancing their businesses.

O’Hare Airport is 45 minutes from Chicago’s downtown, making greeting traveling clients a breeze. Chicago business people who travel know the city’s central location gives them only a two-hour flight to New York or a four-hour flight to San Francisco. Meeting seamlessly with regular, sporadic or potential customers is a convenience and boosts business.

2. Reputation

A wealth of businesses in Chicago are proud to boast of a stellar reputation. Several of the country’s biggest companies have made Chicago their home. MillerCoors, Trans Union, and ACNielsen are just a handful of well-recognized names in Chicago business.

A reputation of excellence is critical for many corporations in Chicago who transact business with international customers; in such scenarios, maintaining a solid reputation is key. Successful Chicago businesses rely on their first-rate reputations to attract businesses on the other side of the globe.

3. Source of Customers

Big businesses in Chicago attract quality customers. For example, the majority of customers for a Chicago-based technology company will be Midwest firms. Chicago’s increasingly diverse economy leads the city to possess one of the biggest sales regions. Given several major business headquarters are situated in Chicago, the city has innumerable opportunities for B2B transactions.

4. Spirit of Cooperation

Chicago has the reputation for being a community of friendly people who support colleagues, business partners and, generally, each other. Chicagoans are known for exuding humility, offering respect and lacking entitlement.

Entrepreneurs, for instance, have the tendency to cooperate and collaborate. The selfish mentality of “what’s in it for me” is virtually nonexistent in the Windy City. The environment of cooperation floods the city’s business climate with continual enhancements.

5. Skilled Workforce

Chicago is home to tech savvy workers, entrepreneurs and software developers. The city offers an endless stream of opportunities for like-minded and even dissimilar employees to exchange ideas and, consequently, cultivate advancements that are beneficial to business.

With several top universities in the area, Chicago businesses have ample opportunities to recruit exceptional talent. The surge of new graduates relocating to the East or West Coast has passed; more qualified graduates are choosing to remain in Chicago to either start their own businesses or contribute their skills to a major corporation.

5. Transport Options

Accessible transportation is vital for competing in business. Varying means of transportation connect businesses with suppliers, customers and chain partners. Customer satisfaction heavily relies on the ease of transportation. When transportation is difficult, businesses have less available means to serve customers.

Chicago offers plentiful transportation options, making conducting business with a client on the other side of town relatively easy. In fact, Chicago has a public transportation score of 8.1, the highest in any US city, according to Chicago Reader.

6. Growth Potential

Chicago businesses have growth potential that result from the rise of economic opportunities. Consumer spending in 2014 was a major factor in the city’s business growth. In 2014 alone, business expansions in the city brought in tens of thousands of new jobs and over six billion dollars in investments.

Industries that make a continual impact in Chicago include manufacturing, retail, insurance, finance, digital/media, transportation and healthcare. 

7. Employees’ Quality of Life

Workers who enjoy the neighborhood in which the live tend to stay in the organization in which they work—or at least stay in the same area, finds Harvard Business Review. Environmental reasons play a pivotal role in whether top talent stays in a company. Skilled companies give their talent reasons to stay; as a result, employee turnover is low.

Given the importance of environment, successful Chicago businesses offer employees numerous avenues for rest, relaxation, and leisure. Employees are surrounded by affordable fine dining options and extravagant shopping centers.

Plus, in comparison to San Francisco or New York City, Chicago’s housing market is reasonable. Renters can find luxury accommodations with pools and tennis courts rather inexpensively in the city, making living and working in Chicago feasible.

Chicago Office Movers

Chicago is a unique city, a town of big businesses, small companies and supportive individuals with a spirit of cooperation. When you discover that Chicago is one of the country’s most ideal cities in which to conduct business, you may decide to relocate. If relocating your office is on the horizon, turn your attention to Chicago’s most renowned moving company, Chicago Office Movers.

Specializing in office relocation, Chicago Office Movers handles every aspect of the move, from start to finish. Customers have several options when moving, including short- or long-term storage, paperwork storage, insurance contracts, corporate relocation planning and unpacking to complete the move.

Chicago Office Movers safely and securely move office equipment, IT systems, antiques, science lab equipment and office furniture, among a variety of other goods.

Who We Have Moved

Whether your business is moving locally, long distance or to an international location, Chicago Office Movers will provide the most optimal moving experience. The union movers have shifted the businesses of several well-known entities, including Northwestern University and Alcatel Lucent.

Get a Free Estimate

Chicago Office Movers takes the hassle out of business relocation. You work with highly trained professionals who are licensed and background checked. Give us a call at 312-244-2246 or fill out a contact form for a free estimate on your next business move.