La Grange, Hinsdale or Park Ridge? (Arlington Heights, Palatine: homes, purchase, movies)

[divakat]

I work over by O'Hare, and my husband commutes downtown, so we are thinking these areas would afford decent commuting for the two of us. We also have 2 children, and my oldest will be entering the school system the year after next. We are looking for a single family home on a tree lined street, good schools, a walkable area with nice downtown, etc. Our budget is up to 600k.

What are the positives and negatives about these areas? I kind of like the residential feel of Hinsdale, but it seems extremely expensive and I don't know if I could find anything (we are hoping for a 4br with at least a small backyard) nice in our price range.

[SJaye]

Originally Posted by divakat

I work over by O'Hare, and my husband commutes downtown, so we are thinking these areas would afford decent commuting for the two of us. We also have 2 children, and my oldest will be entering the school system the year after next. We are looking for a single family home on a tree lined street, good schools, a walkable area with nice downtown, etc. Our budget is up to 600k.

What are the positives and negatives about these areas? I kind of like the residential feel of Hinsdale, but it seems extremely expensive and I don't know if I could find anything (we are hoping for a 4br with at least a small backyard) nice in our price range.

Hinsdale seems pricier and less walkable than the other two. I have always considered Park Ridge and LaGrange to be very similar towns. In fact they have the same style of road signs (a small, roughly 3' high post sticking out of the ground with a pointed top and the road name listed vertically) for their side streets, which differ from most towns. They both have walkable downtown that are good for movies, restaurants, shopping, but not a lot of bars/ nightlife. LaGrange may have slightly better express trains downtown, but both towns are on good METRA lines with a lot of service, but with most of the service from that inner suburb local.

[runlolarun]

We just moved to the area last year under similar circumstances. My husband works in Des Plaines, I work downtown, we have two small children and we had a budget around $600k, although we were only looking along the NW corridor. We really loved Park Ridge but ended up in Arlington Heights as our dollars stretched much farther there in terms of finding housing in our desired school districts. We are quite happy where we are, so I present it as another option for you, but I'd say the commute from Park Ridge is much more desirable!

[Pete MUFC]

Originally Posted by runlolarun

the commute from Park Ridge is much more desirable!

As a daily commuter on UPNW line, I can say that a ride from AH to Ogilvie is not bad at all.
Get the express trains from dowtown AH metra station and you are in the city in 30-35 min.
Ride on the express trains from Park Ridge to Ogilvie is around 24-25 min.
So, not a big difference.
Local trains from AH can get you in the city for ~45 min, from Park Ridge 32-33 min.

[chet everett]

There are literal handful of homes that might be available with those features at that price point in any of the towns.

Your personal preference is probably the biggest factor. For instance, while Park Ridge does have more commercial development because of the amount of the traffic on NW highway and such, I really don't consider it any more walkable than LaGrange. LaGrange does have the speediest trains, and because even non-express trains are making relatively few stops that advantage persists even off peak.

Hinsdale (and it smaller sibling Clarendon Hills with which D181 & D86 schools are shared with) are arguably better performing school. In parts of Hinsdale you'll probably get a better deal on property taxes too. Access to 294 for work in the O'Hare is arguably better than LaGrange (though Western Springs would be at least the equal of Hinsdale...), and neither of them would be as close as PR...


Clarendon Hills
Hinsdale
LaGrange
Western Springs
park Ridge

[divakat]

I actually lived in AH 8 years ago, but I prefer something not quite as commercialized. Perhaps it's changed since then, but I remember AH being very congested with lots of strip malls around.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by divakat

I actually lived in AH 8 years ago, but I prefer something not quite as commercialized. Perhaps it's changed since then, but I remember AH being very congested with lots of strip malls around.

Where did you live? off Rand & Palatine or off Arlington Heights/Golf/Algonquin?
Downtown AH is much different than those 2 retail corridors.
So driving to nearby Niles, Downers Grove or Oakbrook is more preferable for any big box shopping than having it within village limits? AH can differ a fair amount based on where you live.
But, there is a different vibe to La Grange, Hinsdale and Park Ridge and personal preferences weigh heavily in choices like this.
I do like being able to take surface roads and be at O'Hare's terminals in less than 30 minutes from east/central AH. Pretty hard to duplicate from LaGrange and Hinsdale. And not too much jet noise here either.
You are picking from 3 very nice suburbs with good schools- so it's a win win decision.

[sbking]

Park Ridge is really expensive for what you get IMO and I am amazed that it still retains the allure it does. The property values in that town seem to hold really strong so there must be a lot of desire to live there - must be the Hillary Clinton effect. Maine South is much more desireable than Maine East. Not to beat a dead horse but they project the avg decibels from Ohare to rise in Park Ridge (airplanes are already a nuisance) and when they decide to open new runways, etc. at Ohare it can and will drop property values - this has happened already to a strip of homes in Park Ridge. They are opening 2 more runways that will land/launch directly over Park Ridge so its not going to get any quieter. I dont know when they plan on doing this but do your homework before making a purchase or you will end up watching your home value decline.

Edit - I should have included a reference - hopefully this link comes across OK. http://www.oharenoise.org/PDFs/maps/..._Version_4.pdf

[divakat]

Good to know about the airport and Park Ridge! That is something I will def. have to consider. I lived in downtown AH, in Dunton Tower. I really liked the cute downtown, but I would not describe AH as being pretty in the same way that Park Ridge, Hinsdale or La Grange is. That's just my own personal opinion, though.

[cubssoxfan]

You bring up a good point point. Although sections of AH have older, more charming housing (like just north oof Euclid and west of AH Rd & Stonegate) there are large sections developed in the 70's and later that have a more sub-division look even though the trees have grown up. The 3 suburbs you mentioned didn't develop the same way and the blocks of homes built in the 50's don't seem to look as uniform or sub-division-y.
It really is personal preference.