Barrington .. Why is it reasonably priced? (Chicago, Arlington Heights: new home, employment, neighborhoods)

[bww15]

I am relocating to Chicago with office in Schaumburg and weekly trips to Ord. We've been doing a bunch of house hunting via realtor.com and I've driven some cities on trips into town. We have 6 and 2 yr olds.

Our priorities are:
Schools
Close to Schaumburg (30 min drive)
Good feel of town/city .. I know this is subjEctive.

Ive toured hinsdale, elmhurst, and Wheaton. I plan to drive through barrington this week.

Why is barrington so cheap compared to other cities? Are the schools and amenities good?
I Guess another way of asking is: why would you or wouldn't you live in barrington?

Thanks for your help and feedback.

[LakeShoreSoxGo]

Barrington is not cheap when compared to other suburbs. The houses there cost more than they would in Schaumburg. Unless you are talking about "Port Barrington", which was origionally Fox River Valley Gardens, and is kind of honky tonk.

The only thing you have to worry about in Barrington is the fact that it is Borington. Nothing for kids to do and see, so there is lots of down time. Which can be bad for teens...

[eastsiders]

Barrington is reasonably priced because it has great schools, relatively low re taxes, a real small town downtown and a culture of generosity. Barrington is neither boring nor bereft of activities for kids. The library and park board facilities are superb. Children can learn everything from dressage to ballet, chess to la cross. Barrington is a wonderful community.

[reppin_the_847]

If I had to take a wild guess, Barrington is probably cheaper than some of the North Shore suburbs (take Winnetka for example) because it is a pain in the butt to get to the city from Barrington. The train takes about an hour, and even the expresses take some time. Driving to the city is real rough from out there. And schools are not as highly ranked as say, New Trier HS or even Stevenson HS. There are areas within the Barrington area (take Barrington Hills or South Barrington for example) that have some very expensive homes. Additionally, you get more acreage and square footage than you would get in some of the North Shore areas. These are some of the pro's for sure. Folks that like to keep horses should strongly consider Barrington Hills.

For what you are looking for, however, I think Barrington is a solid bet. Proximity to Schaumburg & O'Hare aren't bad. It is still an upscale area although it can feel insular at times.

Originally Posted by bww15

I am relocating to Chicago with office in Schaumburg and weekly trips to Ord. We've been doing a bunch of house hunting via realtor.com and I've driven some cities on trips into town. We have 6 and 2 yr olds.

Our priorities are:
Schools
Close to Schaumburg (30 min drive)
Good feel of town/city .. I know this is subjEctive.

Ive toured hinsdale, elmhurst, and Wheaton. I plan to drive through barrington this week.

Why is barrington so cheap compared to other cities? Are the schools and amenities good?
I Guess another way of asking is: why would you or wouldn't you live in barrington?

Thanks for your help and feedback.

[bww15]

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate both the good and bad views.

[middle-aged mom]

When I relocated back to Chicagoland about ten years ago, I was looking in Arlington Heights. A friend suggested looking in Barrington for a better bang for the buck. My friend was spot on.

When people talk about Barrington ( 60010) , most do not realize they are talking about the Village of Barrington, North Barrington, Lake Barrington, Tower Lakes, Timber Lake, Barrington Hills, South Barrington and Deer Park. Some include Inverness as well as the so called Port Barrington which shares the zip and nothing else.

The area is spread out , 100 square miles, in 4 different counties, Cook, Lake, Kane and Mc Henry.

The schools are good but not the best, based on test scored which include kids who commute from outside 60010. Taxes are all over the place depending on whcih county and township within county.

Teens everywhere claim they are bored. Most here have too much to do and going on. Sports are HUGE.

The commute to Chicago is substantially longer than it is from the North Shore or Hinsdale which causes many to think twice about the greater Barrington area.

The so called Mc Mansions are an ususually good value compared to most places, primarily because there is a never ending supply. While there is wealth in the area, most folk fit the definition of middle class.

Amenties include a fabulous Park District and pool, library and a home town feel. Deer Park and Rand Road are close bye for endless dining and shopping opportunities.

Kids that grew up in Barrington tend to return to Barrington to raise their families which says all that can be said.

[divakat]

Generally speaking, price depends mainly on these factors:

1. Location----particularly how far it is from Chicago

2. Top schools

3. Walkable and quaint downtown area with lots of amenities

Barrington has 2, but lacks 1 & 3. Yes it has a small and cute downtown, but not much to do there.

[pvande55]

Because of the historical preference for the North Shore, which was suburbanized over 100 years ago while Barrington was mostly farmland. The only place for executive employment was downtown Chicago. Today, of course, Barrington is not much worse for commuting downtown, and much better to such centers as Schaumburg, but the North Shore is more established.

[3Series]

Barrington is the epitome of urban flight and a past generation.

New homeowners want efficient homes in a neighborhood with a sense of community.

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by 3Series

Barrington is the epitome of urban flight and a past generation.

New homeowners want efficient homes in a neighborhood with a sense of community.

Such silliness.So called urban flight of a past generation focused on suburbs that adjoined Chicago- not the greater Barrington area 45 +/- miles out.

The sense of community within the Village of Barrington is as strong if not stronger than I have seen anywhere. The schools, especially the highschool, tends to be a force that creates the sense of community. The overwhelming number of properties in 60010, a 100 square mile area, attend Barrington schools. Compare this to say, AH, ( a fine community, by the way) which is sliced and diced into 4 different highschools, none of which are in AH !

The village has some wonderful older family neighborhoods, Jewel Park, Fox Point, Glen Acres and Westwood to name some. The inner village is dominated by historic properties. Most able village residents can walk to the train, shops, the grocer, dining, the movies, park recreation, coffee shops, a wine bar, an Irish pub extrordinaire and an endless community entertainment.

The medium box shops, Pottery Barn, Wm Sonoma, J Jill, Old Navy and so on are 5 minurtes away, in Deer Park or the Arboratum in So. Barrington.

Moving beyond the village are quaint country roads and on any given Sunday, bike riders from everywhere, are out in force.

Most folk work in the NW suburbs and commuting is not an issue.