Need recommendations for kid-friendly suburbs

[eastsiders]

Dear cubssoxfan, take a look at 422 June Terrace (285), 440 Valencia Rd (275), 442 E Berry Rd (250) and several others. They are all modest homes which would allow a family to enjoy Barrington's excellent schools, park district, library, metra and small town life. Many of these homes have been well maintained and updated. While I am not a real estate professional but I have visited many homes while living in Barrington. What may appear a cottage on the outside is often a jewel on the inside.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by Dncr

You have Skokie/Lincolnwood/ and Morton Grove written all over you. Niles Township High Schools are extremely diverse schools with above average test scores. Skokie has the Yellow Line which will take your husband to the Red or Purple Line at Howard. He can easily take the Purple Line express to work. It runs M-F from 6-9 and 3-7 I believe.

Morton Grove has the METRA which is another train that will get him downtown quickly. You may want to try and avoid District 69 in Skokie, but any other district is more than adequate. Good luck, and welcome to Chicago (pretty soon anyway )

I agree with this. Skokie has several places listed in the price range. Skokie was actually the most diverse place I lived in. The neighborhood I was in was very diverse. The schools are excellent and the train line is doable.

Dorothy

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by ChiMove

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the suggestions, right now we're making our lists of places to research, so this is really helpful.

One I've seen that looks really great is Oak Park.....the houses are way outside our budget it seems, but looks like rental prices (for the 1 house I found :-)) aren't horrible...Are there any other tradeoffs that we'd have to make from the original list if we were in Oak Park?

Thanks again..

There are probably 1000+ existing threads about life in Oak Park. In short, some people may be uncomfortable with the "urban-ness" of Oak Park. Some people love the "urban-ness" of Oak Park.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by prairiestate

Homewood (south suburbs) would be perfect. It has everything you want in a charming, small town atmosphere. You can get a beautiful home for well under your budget. Neighboing Flossmoor is even more quaint, but a bit pricier.

Frankfort might be good. It is mostly, but not excluively white. Majority black Matteson (another good place to look) is next door. Frankfort schools are excellent, though the train is a short drive away in Mokena. It is even more expensive, but still a good selection of homes in your budget.

All great suggestions. I'd also throw Olympia Fields on that list.

[prairiestate]

The only real drawback of Oak Park that you might find is that's it's a long drive to access open space and outdoor activities. The south suburbs, on the other hand, have a ton of forest preserves, and quick access to state parks in downstate Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

[Leala713]

If you're looking for close to the city, Oak Park may be the area. Surrounding areas include Berwyn, although I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. Oak Park is just as hit with the economy as everyone else. There's something very neighborhood-y about the area, but it can also be a very private place... it totally depends on the street you live on, to be honest. You won't find a sprawling back yard there, but then again, unless you move out to the country, you won't find that anywhere anymore.

My suggestion to you is to look at where your husband will be working, then follow the train lines out on metra.com. Look at each of the stops and then the neighborhoods as you go around. And, don't be afraid to look North, West, and South. The south suburbs (like Flossmoor, Homewood, and even further west like Tinley Park and Orland Park have a great mix of cultures despite what any pre-concieved notions may be.)

[remus]

if you won't mind look at 330k houses, you may want to take a look at Green Trails subdivision in Lisle. The middle school is kennedy, multiple time blue ribbon school award winner. express trains run 35 minutes from Lisle to downtown

[bulldawg1594]

what about west aurora

[dgperson556]

I know such a place Downers Grove. Good elemntry schools ok middle great high school. Ok for budget nice backyards and homes. Awesome downtown dg for whole family 3 metra train stops close to yorktown and oakbrook shopping malls and grocfery store in downtown dg and jewel and dominicks right there great parks and park district very pet friendly and kid friendly community

[mas23]

Think about brookfield. Its a nice town and the zoo is right there