Looking for a nice affordable place to raise a family! (Chicago: how much, houses)

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by anon181

I do not like Elmhurst, it's near the airport and kind of blah. Glen Ellyn is not really that nice. Wheaton is kind of boring but has nice residential areas and feels isolated.

WOW There are dozens and dozens of posts and posters that would strongly disagree with such a statement!!

[homewifeev]

I saw some nice houses in Elmhurst. It was hard to find older places close to the train though. I did not look at the schools. I had never heard that Elmhurst had a problem with airport noise. I have colleagues that live in Glen Ellyn and they say it is great there. They said it is a nice and friendly atmosphere. I have heard some not to good things about Westmont. I have heard Westmont can be fairly unsafe and very cookie-cutter. But I will still look into it.

[homewifeev]

I do not think we are going to consider Oak Park. It does not seem very family friendly and does not have a widespread reputation for being nice and safe.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by citytosuburbia07

I do not think we are going to consider Oak Park. It does not seem very family friendly and does not have a widespread reputation for being nice and safe.

Well, honestly, there is differing opinion about the level of safety in Oak Park. I can't blame anyone for saying that the crime here is too high for their comfort level. But to say that Oak Park is not family friendly is a little hard to understand. The whole town is stuffed full of families who moved out of Chicago looking for a family-friendly town with good schools.

[homewifeev]

I think we are looking for something quieter. I would like our children to be able to go play out in the street with there friends and things like that. Oak Park is much more affordable and offers more in the way of affordable housing but that is not a huge deal to us.

[oakparkdude]

Regarding Oak Park schools, Oak Park has a higher percentage of students from, ahem, the lower socio-economic strata, compared to the other school systems you mentioned, which brings down the average test scores. The fact of the matter is, middle-to-upper class kids still perform very highly academically in the schools here (ie check out the National Merit Semi-Finalist list).

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by citytosuburbia07

I think we are looking for something quieter. I would like our children to be able to go play out in the street with there friends and things like that. Oak Park is much more affordable and offers more in the way of affordable housing but that is not a huge deal to us.

Fair enough. Sounds like you want a cul-de-sac neighborhood, which you definitely won't find in Oak Park. Perhaps you should also look into Glen Ellyn and Wheaton. Both in your price range, bigger lots and curvier streets than Oak Park. Wheaton is about 45 minutes by Metra to Chicago.

BTW, St. Charles is a short drive to the Geneva Metra which is then 1 hour to Chicago, by your criteria, too far away.

[homewifeev]

I grew up in Kenilworth and Winnetka. I am looking to an atmosphere similar to that. I never particularly cared for Evanston. So I think we will be sticking to Clarendon Hills, Hinsdale, La Grange, Western Springs, Wheaton, and Glen Ellyn. Do you know about those communities?

[sbd78]

It may be father South then you wanted to be, but Orland Park is a very nice suburb that seems to fit a lot of your criteria. It is about a 40 minute metra ride to the city, has excellent schools (Carl Sandburg HS rates a 10 out of 10 on great schools) and there are many beautiful homes on large lots that would fit your 800K budget. There are miles of forest preserve and its a very family friendly area, tons of shopping and restaurants.

[homewifeev]

Orland Park is a little too far from my parents. I would like more information on schools and the communities of Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Western Springs, La Grange, Wheaton, and Glen Ellyn. Right now I am leaning towards Hinsdale.