Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I may be biased, but if Evanston is out, I honestly think Highland Park would be a better choice than Lake Bluff. Yes it's predominantly Jewish, but that certainly doesn't mean everyone is Jewish, and most of the people who are aren't very religious at all. (I think the actual Jewish population is estimated around 45%.) There's definitely MUCH more diversity than in Lake Bluff!! And it's not really true that people in Highwood "stay in Highwood." Highwood is tiny. It doesn't have a high school, and even the middle school is technically in Highland Park. It shares a newspaper with Highland Park. They are very much connected. Of course, there's a definite income disparity, and it shows, and I would be lying if I said Highland Park is the epitome of a melting pot...but compared to Lake Bluff? Definitely a more interesting and ethnically colorful place to be. Also, as far as you're concerns about not feeling isolated as a stay-at-home mom, I think you're much less likely to find that a problem in HP.
Just to throw in some demographics from trusty Wikipedia: Highland Park (not including Highwood) is 9% Hispanic, 2% black, and 3% Asian -- not exactly wildly diverse, but Lake Bluff weighs in at 1% Hispanic, .5% black, and $3% Asian.
I think it's easy to aquire negative perceptions of Evanston by going through certain areas. I know I can and have judged communities on looks in order to determine how I would fit in and how I would feel living there. I used to live in West Rogers Park because it was cheap and I had a huge apartment and was willing to trade off some of the negatives for the positives. My husband (Fiance at the time) and I decided because of the low cost and our desire to save money that he would move in with me and leave his apartment in Hubbard Woods (Winnetka). He put up quite a fuss about it the entire time he lived there saying he couldn't stand it. I couldn't see it because I had been there a few years and at that time was working in Child Welfare and visited clients in high rise housing projects and worse so perhaps my view was skewed. After we moved from there back to Winnetka I could see the difference and understood why he felt that way. I was desensitized to my surroundings having been there for a while and had included other areas and experiences to evaluate my surroundings. These experiences were quite different from my husbands. Now that I haven't been in WRP for some time and on occassion when I find myself driving through the area I think I now have a better understanding of his experience. I Don't mean any disrespect to people living there because many people love it and it's not a bad place, it's just not for us and that's Ok. We all develop filters based on our experiences. These filters allow us to see things in ways that are both personal and meaningful to us.
I guess I say all of this because I think the OP has a frame of reference and personal comfort level she and her husband have to honor. If certain areas of Evanston and the high school where their children could wind up going to in the future make them uncomfortable, they owe it to themselves to listen to that. I can say that I have never felt unsafe in Evanston, but I can also say that there are areas of Evanston I would never live in because of my preferences, needs and likes.
When we moved to Winnetka I loved the amenities, the cleanliness, the distance to shops, the lake, the green bay trail. I loved going to the free concerts in the park at night in the summer and having dinner while listening to some band. I loved the fall festival and the ice rink in the park. I loved O'Neils for dinner outside or for good carry out. I just got real tired of my liberal views bumping up against a more conservative culture. My husband got tired of it too and I have news for you, he's pretty conservative. So we left.
Jay - you owe it to yourself to find the best fit for you and your family. Maybe renting for a while wouldn't be such a bad idea. Renting could give you time to figure out if you are comfortable in the community you choose before you make a final decision. If your children aren't school aged you have time to find the right place for your family. I wish you lots of luck and as always, I am happy to help.
Last edited by Calidreemer; 07-01-2008 at 09:15 AM..
As always everyone, thank you so much for your input. I value and appreciate it immensely. Calidreemer, you are such a sweetheart and we need to meet in person! I know exactly what you mean about how exhausting it can be when your liberal views are constantly bumping up against a more conservative culture. I found that in many places in San Diego. Most people think California is all liberal, but San Diego is actually quite conservative.
We are going to look at a house in Highland Park today. Does everyone agree that we wouldn't be oddballs if we aren't Jewish? I looked up diversity stats in the elementary schools and IT IS much more diverse and DOES have a pretty large Hispanic population. So I was wrong (which I knew there was a good chance that I was) about the people in Highwood staying in Highwood. Thanks Jellary for not letting me give up on HP.
Every day is a chance to learn more about the area. What is obvious to me it that Chicagoland has so much to offer young families. So much more than ANYWHERE I have lived in California. Instead of seeking out the few family activities, you have to pick and choose which ones to participate in here because there are so many! Children and education are valued, what a concept!
We're trying not to rush into anything, but I doubt we will end up renting first even though it would be a good idea. I just can't find any month to month rentals that work for my family with a small dog. Our agent has been looking and asking around for us as well. I know we've had our bumps in the road with her, but she really is a great person who does seem to sincerely care about us.
Hi Jay - I would love to meet you too - if you wind up in Lake Bluff or HP you will be close by so it would be easy.
In HP there is a nice water park/pool on Central just West of the Down Town. You guys might really like the Ravinia neighborhood - knowing what I know about you I think it would be a good fit and you wouldn't feel like an odd ball. Some of the other areas may not have the vibe you are looking for - just my opinion.
My sister lived there with her ex and they aren't Jewish. She now lives back in Evanston and has views pretty similar to mine so if I can extrapolate that I would say you guys would be fine and it would be a heck of a lot closer to your husband's work. I also have to say that my Jewish friends (of which I have many) have a culture of inclusion and are very kind and generous so I don't think you need to worry. You will also be close to Ravinia where they have concerts all summer - this is a very popular place to go. If you live in the Ravinia area you might even be able to hear the music. The only thing is it might be pricey - but you aren't looking for a huge home, so you might do just fine. Good luck today and keep us posted! It's kind of funny but this thread is becoming like a soap opera "Days of Your lives"
P.S. you don't have to go to the city to get the gritty nightlife and a broad selection of dining - Highwood has some great places to eat and has that urban feel. You can eat cheap or high end - you'll see some diversity and everything from Neons to Bentleys around. We go there quite a bit for dinners - we love Miramar Bistro(Cuban - great Mojito's ) and Bridie McKenna's (Irish pub).
Last edited by Calidreemer; 07-01-2008 at 09:57 AM..
We are going to look at a house in Highland Park today. Does everyone agree that we wouldn't be oddballs if we aren't Jewish?
You won't be an oddball if you aren't Jewish. I think the split is around 50/50, though I will say that sometimes it feels like there are more jews than gentiles because businesses and schools are closed on jewish holidays, there are many bar/bat mitzvahs to attend, etc.
My husband and I are not Jewish and we haven't felt like oddballs. Our immediate block is about 60% Christian/40% Jewish. The surrounding neighborhood is roughly the same. We've been in HP since 1994. I second Calidreemer on the Ravinia area.
Good luck today and keep us posted! It's kind of funny but this thread is becoming like a soap opera "Days of Your lives".
lol! Well keeping up with the storyline, we looked at two houses on the same street in HP today and they weren't "the one". We ate at Panera in Deerfield (hi Calidreemer!) and I was quite impressed by the diversity in the very packed restaurant. I am pretty sure just about every nationality you could think of was represented. Not what I expected at all and I was very pleasantly surprised. Isn't it funny how often you can say that in life?
Based on some of your suggestions, I have told our agent that we'd like to look at things in Ravinia. She is going to see what she can find.
What about Northbrook? Lake Forest (if we could find something in our price range!)?
We really love that house in Lake Bluff. I could walk the girls to school and I love that! We're going there this evening to check out the area more and see if we can find more people to chat with. I'm hoping that some locals will read this thread and respond with comments on the area.
Hi Jay! We pick up food from that Panera a lot - my doctor's office is right there too so I am always guilted into one of the salads - he, he, he....
You will just have to check things out in NB & LF to see what you think. I sent you some listings from Realtor.com to your email for you to check out. I actually have no idea what an atomic ranch is, but I know I have seen lots of ranches in Deerfield - many are being torn down, but with the slump many are being saved.
You and your family may want to take a drive if the kids are up for it and check out NB & LF. Have dinner somewhere - see if you like it. There are cute places to eat in Ravinia like Ravinia BBQ - but oh yeah - vegan - um, try whole foods market in Deerfield or try this link and do a search in Lake Bluff, NB, LF...
Based on some of your suggestions, I have told our agent that we'd like to look at things in Ravinia. She is going to see what she can find.
What about Northbrook? Lake Forest (if we could find something in our price range!)?
We really love that house in Lake Bluff. I could walk the girls to school and I love that! We're going there this evening to check out the area more and see if we can find more people to chat with. I'm hoping that some locals will read this thread and respond with comments on the area.
I can't remember your price range and if you were the person looking for mid-century. If you look in Ravinia, I think there's a house on Comstock that is mid-century. I believe it may be a bit of a fixer upper, but the price reflects that. Besides my own street, and the couple of streets surrounding it, I haven't really been following what's out there right now, but I'll cruise around a little after I re-read your post and find out what you were looking for.
WRT Lake Bluff, we looked at a house on the east side of Lake Bluff. I loved the feel of the area and we found a house that we really liked. In the end, we decided to add on to our house in HP because my husband didn't want to take on the extra commute time. Lake Forest is also a nice town. The area near downtown in Northbrook might suit you as well.
I can't remember your price range and if you were the person looking for mid-century. If you look in Ravinia, I think there's a house on Comstock that is mid-century. I believe it may be a bit of a fixer upper, but the price reflects that.
We ARE the ones who LOVE mid century modern architecture, but we need to stay under $550K which I know is a challenge in these parts.
We LOVE the downtown areas in Lake Forest and HP. Both high schools look wonderful and Lake Bluff feeds into LF High so that is a plus. Northbrook doesn't seem to have as big of a nucleaus, but I do love Trader Joes and I occasionally find nice ranches on mls there. It is out though because of the high taxes including the $7.50 transfer tax.
Okay, at the risk of starting a very long conversation with regards to this topic, what is everyone's opinion on the market? Are we at the bottom? If not, how far do you think until we get there? What percentage do you see it dropping? With all of the gloom and doom news reports on the market, we are obviously nervous. Realtors you speak to tell you we've hit bottom (some started saying that a year ago) and that this is the perfect time to buy. Most people I speak to say they figure we have another 6 months of falling prices before things begin to stablize. I know no one has a crystal ball (a famous statement made several times a day by most realtors), I'm just looking for opinions and everybody's got one of those.
Last edited by jaynetarzana; 07-01-2008 at 03:44 PM..
Highland Park High School is not going to be a step-up from Evanston Township High School in any way. Highland Park has as much, if not more of a drug problem than Evanston. It has the same problems as Evanston, with blending the minority population. It has the same economic divide that Evanston does.
If I were you, based on your criteria, Evanston is absolutely the best place for you. The Evanston school system is great if you know how to navigate it, which is pretty easy to do. You have to get into the good elementary school districts. Try getting into either Dewey Elementary, Willard Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Kingsley Elementary or Orrington Elementary. Those schools are all in great neighborhoods. Dewey is located in a neighborhood that is very "urban chic". It includes a neighborhood near Asbury and Ridge, with narrower lots, and many newer and renovated homes. Dewey School district does touch Evanston's lakefront. Willard is in Northwest Evanston and has seen a lot of development. It tends to be a very expensive area, ever since it ranked as top elemetary school in the Northern Suburbs (YES, TOP ELEMENTARY). Lincoln is in one of the wealthiest sections of Evanston and requires a lot of bussing for integration. It serves a large portion of Evanston's Southeastern Lakefront. Currently there many homes over $1 million there and one over $3 million. Its a very nice neighborhood over there. Orrington is great also. It serves Northeast Evanston and also requires a lot of busing. Homes here are very expensive as well. Kingsley is in near Northeast Evanston. It tends to be of the upper bracket housing. It does not require a lot of busing, but it is a divided neighborhood. You can walk to Central, Noyes, and northern Downtown. Haven Middle School and Nichols Middle School are both where you want to be. Haven takes students from Willard, Orrington, and Kingsley. Nichols takes from Lincoln and Dewey. By the way, Dewey has great parental involvment. Evanston is great if your child is able to test high. It operates similarly to New Trier, and must be navigated in the same way that New Trier is. Evanston is two schools, one affluent white and one working class black. If you fit in with affluent white, your child will do fine. Evanston is working hard to join the schools, but that will take time, and with the way development is, it wouldn't surprise me if the black community is reduced to very small numbers. I'll PM you a new realtor.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
"Days of Your lives"
