Chicagoland warps the space/time continuum. The region dwarfs the average metro US city for how widespread people are dispersed.

Rule of thumb: In these parts, plan on at least an hour get anywhere more than ten miles away if you're hopping on an expressway/tollway.

Traffic jams can/will happen at all hours of the day, all hours of the night for no discernable reason. Living 45 miles from the Loop, I've made it there in 45 minutes, but made it there in two hours, as well. Nothing more frustrating than an hour from downtown to O'Hare on the outbound Kennedy at 11 pm on a Sunday night. But it happens.

The best you can do is live in a decent area relatively close to where you will work (preferably near a train station so you can save miles on your car). Save you lots of frustration and time.