Where do tree hugging, vegetarian liberals belong in north Chicago? (Evanston: apartments, house)

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

The granola vibe isn't exactly ours either. We are the well dressed, clean smelling folk whose core values just happen to be in line with the granola types.

There is a mid century house off Old Mill Rd that our agent is having us look at. Anyone have comments about that area? Is that near either the Ravinia or Sunset Park neighborhoods?

My husband only drives into work twice a week, so a little longer commute isn't as bad on him.

Thanks again for all of the input everyone. How did people relocate before these forums existed? I think a lot of people probably ended up in the wrong place for them.

No. Old Mill Road is in the northwest corner of Highland Park, almost on the Lake Forest/Highland Park border. It's a pretty, tree filled area, but within walking distance to nothing.

I'm sure you will do this, but ask your agent to show you the different parts of HP so you can get a feel for what you lik and how far things are from the ammenities you desire.

Good luck.

[jaynetarzana]

Originally Posted by Paige65

No. Old Mill Road is in the northwest corner of Highland Park, almost on the Lake Forest/Highland Park border. It's a pretty, tree filled area, but within walking distance to nothing.

This is what I was afraid of. This house is just so beautiful too. I was looking on the map and it didn't look like there was much around. I would really like to be within walking distance of a downtown area if at all possible. We had that when we lived in San Diego (Kensington) and it was so nice.

I'm really impressed with the schools in Highland Park. Can anyone give me feedback?

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

This is what I was afraid of. This house is just so beautiful too. I was looking on the map and it didn't look like there was much around. I would really like to be within walking distance of a downtown area if at all possible. We had that when we lived in San Diego (Kensington) and it was so nice.

I'm really impressed with the schools in Highland Park. Can anyone give me feedback?

My children are in the HP school system, and I have friends whose children have gone through the system and are now in college. They have been satisfied. The "best" elementary schools, and this is arguable for sure, are Braeside, Lincoln and Ravinia. These schools feed into Edgewood middle school, also very well regarded. HPHS is not as large as many of the top tier Chicago area high schools. I think enrollment there is around 1500-1800. I can't seem to get on the Illinois school report card website right now to verify that figure. I know they have many different levels of classes you can take and they offer many AP level courses but I'm not completely familiar with how it works. I also know they have weighted GPA's depending upon the level of course you take. I believe the arts are very strong, but I think all of the programs are very good. Here's a Wikipedia link for you Highland Park High School (Highland Park, Illinois) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you have particular questions about the school system, post and I'll try to answer. I know more about some elementary schools than others.

If you have street names for some of the homes you're interested in, I can give you my perspective on whether or not they are within walking distance to downtown HP or the Ravinia business District.

[jaynetarzana]

Originally Posted by Paige65

The "best" elementary schools, and this is arguable for sure, are Braeside, Lincoln and Ravinia. If you have street names for some of the homes you're interested in, I can give you my perspective on whether or not they are within walking distance to downtown HP or the Ravinia business District.

All 3 of the houses we like feed into Wayne Thomas elementary. It doesn't look like that is one the short lift of best elementary schools. Also, the middle school is Northwoods.

[Windy City John]

Check out Hinsdale-- these homes you can walk to Hinsdale Village and Madison or Monroe Elmentary School I'll put tehese up against Northshore any day of the week!

[jaynetarzana]

Originally Posted by Windy City John

Check out Hinsdale-- these homes you can walk to Hinsdale Village and Madison or Monroe Elmentary School I'll put tehese up against Northshore any day of the week!

Now these look like nice family homes. Not modern, but well built and very well cared for. What would the price range be on houses like this? I think that might be too much of a commute to Mettawa. Don't you?

[Windy City John]

45 minute commute --these homes are between $2 and $3 million

[jaynetarzana]

Originally Posted by Windy City John

45 minute commute --these homes are between $2 and $3 million

Too rich for our blood.

[jaynetarzana]

What about Northfield? More specifically Middlefork Primary School?

[Annmte]

I am a tree-hugging vegetarian liberal and I've lived in Winnetka for over 10 years. I wouldn't say I'm in the majority being all three, but I certainly find plenty of like-minded people around. As for New Trier, I agree with the post about it being too huge and stressful for most kids - 4,000 kids with Type A parents will do that. Having said that, we've loved the elementary and middle schools. You will find similar situations in Wilmette and Kenilworth - but to get a "walking distance" to town/train house, you might find you're not getting much bang for your buck in the $500K-$600K range. Northfield is nice, but there's not much of a "downtown" at all there. I've heard great things about Sunset Ridge School there.

You can get modern architecture on the North Shore, but people tend to be more traditional - in fact, contemporary homes will often sell for less than equivalent traditional ones.

Evanston is definitely the liberal mecca here, with tons of great vegetarian and health food stores, but they also cherish diversity, which is what leads to the higher crime rate and lower school scores - very hard to get one without the other.

Since being near the lake isn't even on your list of priorities, I wouldn't recommend the North Shore. You just won't get as much house for your money. I think I'd look for something closer to Mettawa if I were you.