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

[Annmte]

And by the way - Windy City John is dreaming if he thinks you can commute from Hinsdale to Mettawa in 45 minutes. Traffic is HORRIBLE these days, all major highways are under construction, and no sign of relief in the near future.

[Windy City John]

Originally Posted by Annmte

And by the way - Windy City John is dreaming if he thinks you can commute from Hinsdale to Mettawa in 45 minutes. Traffic is HORRIBLE these days, all major highways are under construction, and no sign of relief in the near future.

Give me a break-- the whole reason I suggested Hinsdale was that she wanted a village setting that she could ramble around--certainly Vernon Hills, Lake Forest, Libertyville, Deerfield all make sense if commute is the number one concern. If she is looking for a community I still think Hinsdale rivals Northshore any day of the week. Yes, the commute is not ideal it's 35 miles.

[Lookout Kid]

Most of the tree-hugging vegetarian liberals in Chicago live in the city! Outside of Oak Park and Evanston, most Chicago suburbs won't be even close to what you're looking for culturally. Chicagoland is not Northern California. Liberal city, conservative suburbs. That's what it's like in most of the U.S., and Northern California is a bubble in that respect.

I'm and architect, and I can't think of any suburbs that have great mid-century modern architecture in large pockets. But you will find it spread around here and there. I think there are realtors in Chicago that specialize in modern architecture, so perhaps you should find one.

[fridleygal]

I'm afraid you are going to have to prioritize your needs/wants - you will find smatterings of great architecture, liberals, recyclers, great schools, etc. but all in one place in high concentration, I agree Evanston, but I wouldn't want to drive to Mettawa every day! Prairie crossing has a wonderful charter school - I believe it's by lottery, people seem to love it - centered around the organic farm there. Good luck - you will no doubt find like minded people wherever you end up!

[Nafster]

Like everyone said, Evanston is a great choice because it several coffeehouses, vegetarian restaurants, clubs, and culture that attract progressive politics.

However, anywhere on the North Shore up until Lake Forest are very liberal friendly, sans Kenilworth.

I suggest looking into getting apartments or houses in Highland Park, Deerfield, Wilmette, or Evanston.

[jaynetarzana]

Originally Posted by Nafster

Like everyone said, Evanston is a great choice because it several coffeehouses, vegetarian restaurants, clubs, and culture that attract progressive politics.

However, anywhere on the North Shore up until Lake Forest are very liberal friendly, sans Kenilworth.

I suggest looking into getting apartments or houses in Highland Park, Deerfield, Wilmette, or Evanston.

Well we just returned from our trip to Chicago and we loved it. I think we are going to move to Highland Park. We loved the downtown area and there was enough mid century architecture to keep us happy. We were running into "green" independent thinkers everywhere we went. Thanks for your input everyone. Now we could use some tips from the locals in HP about fun things to do with kids.

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

Well we just returned from our trip to Chicago and we loved it. I think we are going to move to Highland Park. We loved the downtown area and there was enough mid century architecture to keep us happy. We were running into "green" independent thinkers everywhere we went. Thanks for your input everyone. Now we could use some tips from the locals in HP about fun things to do with kids.

Great choice, its a really nice town and ya gotta love the lake. Good Luck with your move and welcome 'home'.

[ahava]

Originally Posted by jaynetarzana

Now we could use some tips from the locals in HP about fun things to do with kids.

The Kohl Children's Museum is pretty cool. It's in Glenview. http://www.kohlchildrensmuseum.org/

[jaynetarzana]

Update on the tree huggers! So we hit some bumps in the road with selling our house and we're just now getting ready to move in the next 30-60 days. I've been looking at houses again on mls and I can't find anything modern in Highland Park. Also, I keep reading about Evanston and it seems that it would be the best fit for us like most of you said. Can anyone tell me which are the best elementary schools? Where do we need to concentrate our home search in order to be in the best schools in Evanston? I like what I read about the Evanston High School better than New Trier. Almost everything I read about New Trier is unappealing. I don't want my kids to be robbed of their childhood by a school that overworks the kids. Education is very important, but it isn't everything. I prefer the more laid back Montesorri style of teaching that allows children to explore their creative selves.

[Avengerfire]

Apparently and DePaul University now.