House hunting in Lake District.... (Lake Zurich, Barrington: safe neighborhoods, YMCA, school)

[dakanak]

Hawthorn Woods? Long Grove? Lake Zurich? Lake Barrington? Our realtor suggested these areas as good places to live (and within good school system) but does it meet our criteria:

1. places to go shopping
2. outdoor activities (gym, rec center, parks, lake?)
3. safe neighborhoods
4. nice mix of dining options
5. diversity in the neighborhoods

Can't tell (from looking online) the major differences between the cities. Does one or the other have more to offer?

[Suburban Mom of 2 Kids]

Which is smack dab in the middle of all of the places you are searching for. Answers:

1. A ton of them down Rand road in Lake Zurich.....everything you could want from Costco to Trader Joe's to Ann Taylor to Sears Hardware and Home Depot.

2. Lake Zurich has its own park district. Not sure about Long Grove....typically Hawthorn Woods, Deer Park, North Barrington will utilize Lake Zurich's PD amenties. Barrington also has a park district of its own. Foglia YMCA is a wonderful facility, in Lake Zurich with tons of amenties (workout equipment, classes, personal trainers), swimming pool, summer activities, etc.

3. Yes. No worries here.

4. Depending on your tastes, experiences and sophistication....I would consider the entire area "average" in terms of dining options...but, with that said, off the topic of my head, I can think of at least 4-5 good sit down restaurants, a bevy of fast food sit down restaurants and even more drive through fast food restaurants. It just depends on what you are looking for. There is no doubt you can find a good restaurant if you are looking for one - american, greek, italian, japanese, french, latin american all come to mind off the top of my head.

5. Not really. Racially speaking, this is a very caucasian area. Socioeconomically, you are probably talking middle to upper middle income levels throughout the area. We are a racially diverse family and have never had any concerns or challenges living in this area. But it's not what I would consider diverse by any means.

[knitgirl]

fyi, it's called Lake County. When I saw Lake District, I thought of that area of England.

[middle-aged mom]

Diversification means different things to different people. What does this term mean to you? Housing? Religion? Mixed age groups? Race? Sexual preference? Ethnic backgrounds? Income brackets?