Is the North Shore still regarded prestigious? (Chicago, Aurora: estate, luxury)

[F355]

I used to live in Lincolnshire waaaaaaay back in the day in the early to mid '90's. Back then the north shore was the place to be. Has it lost it's grandeur, or it is still the most prime location in Chicago.

[prairiestate]

No, all those towns filled with multi-million dollar mansions and huge estates back then are now a ghetto. Amazing what ten years will do.

[lpdoxey]

Yes, they are still regarded as the "cats meow" of the Chicago suburbs.

[Steve-o]

Theyre definitely very prestigious still. A home sold in Lake Forest this summer for 25 million dollars, so yeah, its still expensive and still prestigious.

[BUalumni]

The North Shore area is still the place to be in the suburbs, and IMO, is where what I like to think of, "the real suburbs" are located. You take a Plainfield, large portions of Aurora, Naperville, and Joliet, and you just don't have that old money look. No malls, no just paved corn fields, just old tree lined streets filled with beautiful houses. Yes, the western suburbs are nice in most spots, but not nearly as enticing as many on the North Shore. Not to mention that some of the most expensive areas of the country are located there, I don't think they have lost of of their grandeur thus far. I find that people that live in the western suburbs of Chicago are far more showy with their money, compared to the North Shore which have far more in their pockets, but don't tend to show it AS much. If you look at areas in the western burbs that grew fast in the early '90s, they are now becoming less and less desirable, with growing amounts of crime. Hints why you see places like Wasco(EXTREME, EXTREME western suburbs) growing at a very fast pace. But this is not the same in the North Shore. Those neighborhoods have been established for decades are have not once lost their charm due to high crime and decay. Some neighborhoods in the west burbs may compare to the NS area, but a whole town as of yet has not, IMO.

[via chicago]

^^
i agree. the far western suburbs try so hard to emulate what the north shore does so effortlessly. in the end, they just wind up looking tacky and gaudy...embarrassing knock offs of the real thing

The numerous David Adler designed estates on the north shore are something to behold
LUXURY HOME - GRAND ITALIAN VILLA ON THE LAKE
LUXURY HOME - DAVID ADLER TREASURE ON LAKE MICHIGAN

Straight out of the Great Gatsby

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by via chicago

^^
i agree. the far western suburbs try so hard to emulate what the north shore does so effortlessly. in the end, they just wind up looking tacky and gaudy...embarrassing knock offs of the real thing

I wouldnt go that far. Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Hinsdale, Barrington Hills, Wayne, Oak Brook, St. Charles, Geneva, etc. all have gorgeous tree-lined streets, houses that rival those found on the north shore, etc, etc. Some western burbs have just as much old money as the north burbs do, dont forget that. And what nice is that these immaculate old homes are set in old woods on rolling terrain, which makes it just as appealing if you ask me, maybe even more.

And for the record, I dont think Naperville tries at all to be like any north shore suburbs, its has its own unique feel and is a very lively suburb to boot.

[BUalumni]

Originally Posted by via chicago

^^
i agree. the far western suburbs try so hard to emulate what the north shore does so effortlessly. in the end, they just wind up looking tacky and gaudy...embarrassing knock offs of the real thing

Those David Adler designed estates are something to behold...straight out of the Great Gatsby. unfortunately almost all of the old multi-acre have been bought up and subdivided.

I agree for the most part. But like Steve-O posted, there are some VERY nice parts of the western burbs. When I lived in Downers Grove, I can remember the attitudes that most people from the North Shore area had about Dupage county folks, and it wasn't too nice. Most of it was all out snobby! A few years ago, some friends from Naperville took me to a North Shore golf course. After we started to mingle and it came out that all but me were from the western burbs, the mood changed a full 180 from everyone present. They made it very clear, that they didn't want us hanging around their town and that the Aurora area had plenty. The way they said 'Aurora' and 'their' were less than friendly. Off course the laughing as we walked away didn't help.
But let's be honest. Where do you hear in popular culture, cities like Aurora and Naperville being referenced too in a more positive light? You don't. Heck, Aurora is the city that Wayne's World took part in? Compare that to the lifestyle portrayed in the movies that feature characters from the NS are. I can think of dozens of movies, and plays, that use the North Shore area to show off a charaters money, or prestige. The western suburbs do not have this yet. Yes, I think that Naperville's downtown is great! But that is a small part of the city. I find nothing in the rest of the Aurora and Naperville area today, that could not be found in any other metro area in the midwest. But, to date, I have not found the abudance of the NS quality of life in any midwest city either. When I lived up there, Aurora was the heavy hitting west burb. Even then it had loads of crime, and not much has changed since. I can't think of a single NS town that does have as much crime as Aurora.

[via chicago]

personally i find the whole "old vs new money" argument amusing. kind of ironic..being elitist even to people in your own class .

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by BUalumni

I agree for the most part. But like Steve-O posted, there are some VERY nice parts of the western burbs. When I lived in Downers Grove, I can remember the attitudes that most people from the North Shore area had about Dupage county folks, and it wasn't too nice. Most of it was all out snobby! A few years ago, some friends from Naperville took me to a North Shore golf course. After we started to mingle and it came out that all but me were from the western burbs, the mood changed a full 180 from everyone present. They made it very clear, that they didn't want us hanging around their town and that the Aurora area had plenty. The way they said 'Aurora' and 'their' were less than friendly. Off course the laughing as we walked away didn't help.
But let's be honest. Where do you hear in popular culture, cities like Aurora and Naperville being referenced too in a more positive light? You don't. Heck, Aurora is the city that Wayne's World took part in? Compare that to the lifestyle portrayed in the movies that feature characters from the NS are. I can think of dozens of movies, and plays, that use the North Shore area to show off a charaters money, or prestige. The western suburbs do not have this yet. Yes, I think that Naperville's downtown is great! But that is a small part of the city. I find nothing in the rest of the Aurora and Naperville area today, that could not be found in any other metro area in the midwest. But, to date, I have not found the abudance of the NS quality of life in any midwest city either. When I lived up there, Aurora was the heavy hitting west burb. Even then it had loads of crime, and not much has changed since. I can't think of a single NS town that does have as much crime as Aurora.

Interesting, but wrong on many counts. First off, there are definite crime issues in Aurora, same as some northern burbs. Second, Naperville is not shown in a positive light? Wrong, dead wrong. The town is consistently praised by many groups (10 best cities in America, best place in America to raise kids, best library system in America, etc), including CNN/Money mag. To some that might not be a big deal, but to the 150K people who live there, its a big deal. And if you think you can find whats in Naperville in any metro in the USA, it just shows you havent traveled much. Not trying to sound like Im harpin' on ya, but I just dont think you really know much about other cities.