Lake Forest vs other north shore suburbs (Chicago, Waukegan: middle-class, real estate market)

[kschpak]

My husband and I are trying to plan a move to the North Shore Suburbs. Right now we live in the city and are expecting our first child later this year. We plan to stay in the city for a year or two while the market continues to decline, and then upgrade to a home up north, with a budget of around $1 million. I will stay at home, and he works in Waukegan. He likes Winnetka and Wilmette because of the proximity to the city (for seeing friends and activities), but I think the fact that he works so far North, we should really consider Lake Forest and Lake Bluff instead. Also, it seems like you get a little bit more bang for your buck further north, right? I would love to build a new home that has trees around it, rather than looking right at my neighbors 10 feet away. I'm not talking a huge lot, maybe .20 acre, but I definitely want trees between the houses. If possible, I'd like to be near the lake.

He thinks that Lake Forest and Lake Bluff are less desirable towns. What do you think? It seems as though most people work in the city, so for them, it is a longer commute, hence less desirable. However for him, working in Waukegan, living further north should be an advantage, don't you think?

I know New Trier is ranked better than Lake Forest High School, but is Lake Forest High School still considered an excellent school?

One more question: do any of the northern suburbs have an esplanade along the lake for jogging? Like in Chicago? That's my favorite part of Chicago and something I will miss...

Please help me settle this ongoing debate! Thanks!

[chet everett]

Lake Forest is quite different than Winnetka. Given that you are merely expecting your first child I would caution that A LOT can change but the current data supports the assertion that New Trier is a far more academically rigorous high school than any other public high school on the North Shore. The reason for this probably have as much to do with the other towns as anything else -- a fair number of folks that have lived in Lake Forest tend to come from a tradition that is a little more focused on using private schools, often out of the area, like the prep schools of New England. The other factor at work is that, as your already have noticed, a larger percentage of Lake Forest residents do not work in the Loop so there is a different level of competition fostered by working at firms with the suburban office complexes of global pharmaceutical companies or other non-finance / law businesses...

The range of housing options that you may have at $1M in Lake Forest is not really "more for your money" than in Winnetka so much a wide range of choices ESPECIALLY if you prefer newer construction. I rather doubt you would have as many options in even a less desirable part of Winnetka for a tear down as you would in Lake Forest, though if you'd also be looking at Wilmette the actual house options might be a wash.

What would be true is that a commute from Lake Forest to Waukegan would be MUCH more tolerable than a commute from Wilmette to Waukegan.

The broader question of "desirability" and long term value is likely a wash, as the general growth of employment in Lake Co and even southern WI is likely to be influenced as much by the hostile tax situation of Cook Co driving employers out as the continued problems of the overall real estate market...

Finally I think that you ought to do a whole lot of exploring of the North Shore if you fear losing the experience of running along the Lake. The distance and access of the Chicago Lakefront is a unique thing. Illinois laws are among the most restrictive when it comes to private property / access to waterfront so that really underscores the visionary status of the Chicago Lakefront. You will not have anything as long, as open, as usable as Chicago. While folks may point out the parks of Evanston or the relatively nice access afforded at some beaches (like Glencoe) the scale available in those towns does not compare to the lakefront path(s) in Chicago. Frankly if you already are in the $1M+ price range I would probably consider staying in Chicago if not for the lengthy commute to Waukegan...

[kschpak]

Thanks for that input. I agree, if it were not for the commute, I would probably want to stay in Chicago. The lakefront area is fantastic. Additionally however, I am against the idea of paying for private schools, and from what I understand it can be a gamble to get into a great public school in the city.

When raising a family with my DH who already works a lot, I just can't see having him do an unnecessary hour long commute (worse with traffic)

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by kschpak

Thanks for that input. I agree, if it were not for the commute, I would probably want to stay in Chicago. The lakefront area is fantastic. Additionally however, I am against the idea of paying for private schools, and from what I understand it can be a gamble to get into a great public school in the city.

When raising a family with my DH who already works a lot, I just can't see having him do an unnecessary hour long commute (worse with traffic)

Nope, you can live in good CPS attendance area schools. Bell is one of the best. You can easily afford to live in that neighborhood.

[sfcambridge]

Chet made a good point about the schools in Lake Forest. Of course the public schools are very good, but many residents will still choose the private route.

A few of my friends with more disposable income then they know what to do with live in Lake Forest, and they send their kids to private school. When I asked them why..... I was surprised by one answer. A little sheepishly, she claimed the private schools were "more diverse" then the public schools. Clearly, Lake Forest is primarily one race/class and the public schools reflect this. The private schools actually had some scholarships and attracted kids from outside of Lake Forest, so they were "more diverse". If that is your idea of diversity.

[chet everett]

The objective data suggest Bell in the third highest ranked non-selective admissions elementary schools in CPS. There are dozens of other schools in the suburbs that perform better and would result in a much shorter commute. The relative perfromance numbers rank Bell very similar to Cherokee in Lake Forest... http://fh.suntimes.com/reportcards/results/index/1293 http://www.suntimes.com/news/educati...-illinois.html

The difficulty facing the OP is that since their child is probably five years or more from starting kindergarten is it worth buying inside the attendance area of Bell and facing an hour-plus commute for the next 1500+ days to find out that CPS will pull some 11th hour switcheroo in attendance boundaries or moving to someplace that hubby prefers (like Wilmette) that has a long tradition of ranking near the top of such lists OR having an even shorter commute to LF and having a town that is merely statisically on-par with current upper reaches of CPS non-selective admissions schools...

The other factors to consider: as finacial pressures continue to grow will the curricular choices at schools like Cherokee mean declining performance sooner than at a schools in Wilmette that currently have a better ranking and longer tradition of superior performance or at schools within CPS where the struggle to maintain standards is already a tougher problem. Some may prefer the much different kind of diversity of CPS, while others may prefer the more bucolic setting of Lake Co. (or the somewhat manipulated diveristy of those in the private schools but living in more economically affordable places nearby) Perhaps the trade-offs / pluses on someplace in the New Trier area are a good compromise...

[kschpak]

It's really a relief to hear some other views, thanks and keep them coming! As far as Bell goes, that would be out of the question for me. If I were to live in the city, I would want to be in the Gold Coast-Lincoln Park corridor, because of my love of the lake. I'm originally from Oregon, and I really miss the natural beauty. Being able to walk a few blocks to the lake is essential, if we were going to deal with the commute up to Waukegan.

[kindrakindra]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The objective data suggest Bell in the third highest ranked non-selective admissions elementary schools in CPS. There are dozens of other schools in the suburbs that perform better and would result in a much shorter commute. The relative perfromance numbers rank Bell very similar to Cherokee in Lake Forest... 2011 Illinois School Report Cards - Chicago Sun-Times The top 50 elementary schools in Illinois - Chicago Sun-Times

Chet

Bell has a selective enrollment gifted program which inflates their scores. Excellent school though on either front!

[reppin_the_847]

This does seem like a tough call. If you're going to choose a home in Winnetka, I'd probably try to get a property close to the Tower Road entrance / exit to make that northbound commute to Waukegan a bit easier. I'm pretty sure this would put you in the Hubbard Woods section of Winnetka (the north end of Winnetka). Lake Forest & Lake Bluff would provide your hubby with a piece of cake reverse Lake County commute to Waukegan. Within Lake County, a reverse commute is truly a reverse commute unlike in Cook County. It can't get much easier than that. His commute might even be shorter than the commute from the more middle-class towns to the west of Waukegan such as Gurnee.

[cubssoxfan]

There are other areas to scratch the runners itch that are serene and beautiful. The Forest Preserve that is just east of the Edens (I-94) and goes from the Botanical Gardens in Glencoe all the way down to Sauganash is suitable for running, walking, cycling and blading. Farther west the Des Plaines River Trail is another good area for the same activities. In Lake County there are numerous Forest Preserves like Buffalo Creek in Buffalo Grove, Ryerson Woods, Old School Preserve and many more.
Just explore where the paths are, live nearby and you will have nice surroundings for running. I realize it's not the Lake, but still quite nice and sometimes far less crowded.