Lombard vs. Wheaton (schools, churches, attitude) (Chicago, Naperville: rentals, condos, chapel)

[ham727]

My husband and I are planning a move to the Chicago suburbs from the Detroit, Michigan area within the next few months. We have a friend in Lombard and we like it a lot, from what we've seen so far. Plus, our Lombard friend is doing a great sell job. ) But Wheaton looks interesting to us because we heard it is Republican, conservative and Christian---and we are all three of these things. We haven't visited Wheaton yet, but have taken a fairly good look at Lombard. My daughter and I will be out there this coming weekend and we plan to drive around Wheaton for a look (any certain areas to make sure we see?)

I have a question about the school systems in each town----do they vary at all in their approach? Some school systems in Michigan are far more liberal than others. We happen to live in a fairly conservative/traditional town here in Michigan and we like it very much.

We will most likely work downtown, so staying close to the Metra is important, so Wheaton or Lombard look like the best option to us. We have three kids ---18, 15, and 6. The 18-year-old will most likely be commuting to downtown on the Metra for college.

So...basically, what we are looking for is a friendly town (not too many materialistic snobs, because we're not like that AT ALL), no more than 40 minutes or so of a commute on the Metra to downtown, schools that haven't lost that traditional feel (for example, do elementary kids still recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day?), lots of churches to choose from (we are the non-denominational-megachurch-contemporary-service-type of churchgoers)...oh, and a good library is very important.

And we will be renting, not buying. And we're looking for no more than $1,750/month with 4 bdrms and a finished basement. Thanks, in advance, for any advice!!

Nancy

[HOWELL_STREET]

Dear Friends:

Since I have lived in Wheaton for about 41 years, I like to promote my own beautiful home town of Wheaton, Illinois.

Since you would rent a home, you are going to have many, many beautiful choices of a rental home in Wheaton. That's because unsold houses will eventually become rental units. And I believe the monthly lease price that you quote is quite within your family budget.

Since you are a Christian family and since your son would commute to downtown Chicago for his college education, it would be my 'guess' that perhaps he is going to attend Moody Bible Institute(?).

MBI is a very nice school since - - I believe the tuition is still 'free'. However, one would have to pay for room and board if living right on MBI's campus.

My youngest son attended MBI for one year as a piano - music major. But he changed his vocational goal in favor of business economics.

When you personally visit Wheaton, I think you will like the town very much. Also please visit the Wheaton College campus - - and in particular - - the Billy Graham Center. Inside the Graham center, is a very nice museum of past famous ministers. In particular, Billy Sunday and Torrey. Many others, too.

Wheaton is also on the Union Pacific 'West Line' for commuting - - as I am sure you already know.

There are many more beautiful attributes to Wheaton and I can talk more if you will send me a 'private' message.

Best Regards,

Carter Glass
Wheaton, IL &
Cortland, IL

[Steve-o]

The schools in Wheaton are better, the downtown is better, dining is better, shopping is better, parks are better, etc, etc. To me, Wheaton is the clear winner here. Your lifestyle sounds it would fit Wheaton alot better. Many in Wheaton are materialistic, but its not the majority. I find Wheaton to be one of the nicest places Ive ever been, and Ive travelled extensively. I just think the quality of life is vastly higher in Wheaton than it is in Lombard, but thats just my opinion. Here are some shots of Wheaton, might help paint a picture for you.

[ham727]

Steve-O:

Thanks for the opinions and the great pictures. This is all very helpful. Wheaton does sound like it would be a good fit for us and it's just a few Metra stops further than Lombard. My oldest daughter and I are going to be in town this weekend, so we will be sure to drive around Wheaton for a few hours.

Nancy

[Steve-o]

No prob!

Wheaton covers alot of ground, going from Butterfield Road all the way up to Geneva Rd. $1,750 for a 4 BR and finished basement might be hard to find though. Im assuming that comes out to about 300K for a house? There are some older homes in Wheaton, on the SW side (near the DuPage County Fairgrounds) that are nice, and less expensive than the new homes, and the neighborhood is nice too. Here is a typical homes in that area.

[irish setter girl]

I agree with the previous posts. The 1750 a month for rent will be a challenge based on what you said you are looking for. I think you would really enjoy Wheaton and all it has to offer! Good luck to you.

[deegers]

I"m a big fan of Wheaton for the very reason Steve put those pictures up. Lots of great things about it. However, I graduated from Glenbard East HS which is in Lombard and I loved my high school. I went back to do some shadowing and work there in college and they still hold good quality education there. THey have remodeled a lot too which was super suprising for our reunion this past October. I felt Lombard was a good place to raise a family. They have their own parks and community events there. Every year they do the Lilac Parade in May. All the schools that have bands in the area march Glenbard East and the junior highs I think. Everyone lines up on Main street and cheer the groups along. The town is very spirited. I have two friends who are living in Lombard who are starting their families and they really like their neighborhoods. I stayed at one of the homes in town and took a walk late at night with my friend's dog Marley. I felt very comfortable. You are close to alot still there. Unincorporated Lombard is also pretty good for what you pay for. I think it's called Butterfield but I think now I'm wrong about that. Willowbrook? no, that's not right either..oh well.

They just redid their entire mall property so it's much much nicier than it used to be growing up. They are very family oriented out there. I don't think you would be too disapointed in Lombard. Wheaton is such a beautiful town. VEry conservative and oftern refered to for it's many churches; the bible belt. More expensive and more money for your education. I've heard they have pretty good schools. Of course, they have Wheaton College. (I went to ELmhurst College in Elmhurst. ) Wheaton is also right next to C.O.D. (College of DuPage) which is fairly large community college but offers a lot there. I took some classes there after I moved to Wheaton. I lived off of Lorraine Road and could walk to COD. Both are kind of center of everything and close to other great towns.

When I lived in Wheaton, I went to a church called Harvest Bible Chapel (sister church of a chain of HBCs) that originally was holding services out of Glenbard South HS. THey just opened their own facility in Naperville not too far from Wheaton. I miss it there soooo much. Loved it there. I also know that Wheaton Bible Church is another wonderful church that out grew itself and got a new facility. Both a good balance of traditional and contemporary, but holding true to biblical standards in their messages.

Hope that gives you an idea. Luckily, it's still fresh in my mind so I am glad to put my memory and experience to good use. Especially, since I was just there in October!

[chitown2pa]

Steve, those are some great pictures. Wheaton is a beautiful town, and Lombard doesn't have anything that compares with Wheaton College. However, Lombard does have different things that Wheaton doesn't. For example, shopping. Lombard's Yorktown Mall is surpassed only by Oak Brook Centre. The new Westin Hotel and street-level shops are top notch, as is the new Lucky Strikes bowling alley. That place is incredible!

As far as parks go, Lilacia Park is nationally renowned. Wheaton's downtown park is nice, but it's not Lilacia Park. Wheaton's public library is better than Lombard's Helen Plum Library. I mentioned the libraries because both town's parks are adjacent to their libraries.

Lombard also has a lot of little parks. From Westmore Woods, to the Lombard Lagoon, even to the pond at the Village Hall, Lombard has a lot of green.

Wheaton is an established town; Lombard is an up-and-comer. Just drive downtown and take a look at all the condos that have gone up in the last four years. I left the state for five years, and Downtown Lombard doesn't even look like the same place. Here are some photographs of Lombard: [see attachments]

For more information on Lombard, Wheaton, and the surrounding suburbs, I have a website devoted to Chicagoland. Check it out at Chicagolanding.com. Actually if you do check it out, please let me know what you think. I really geared it toward an audience like one would find here at city-data. Very building and anecdote oriented.

[ham727]

A BIG thank you to everyone that responded. My daughter and I stayed in Lombard last weekend and we drove around Wheaton and Lombard. Wheaton was VERY nice. Big houses. Beautiful neighborhoods. Great shopping. But I have to say that I felt more at home in Lombard, for some reason. We walked around in downtown Lombard and ate at Grove Restaurant on the corner of St. Charles Road and Main Street (everyone in the place was very friendly----there seemed to be lots of "regulars" there). Hard to put my finger on why I didn't fall in love with Wheaton (maybe it's just a little higher on the socio-economic ladder than we are?). And I think we'll get a little more for our money in Lombard when it comes to renting a 4-bedroom home with a basement. But Wheaton is very nice, and it's very close to Lombard, so we can still enjoy all of the wonderful things Wheaton has to offer.

This was the third time we've been to the area to look at potential cities to live in. And this is the third time we've looked at Lombard closely. I also have a friend that lives in Lombard and she loves it! So while I'll be totally open to looking at rentals in Wheaton, we're going to focus our search in Lombard.

Again, thanks for your opinions---and the photos----you all have been very thoughtful in your responses.

~Nancy

[chitown2pa]

Glad to help, Nancy.