New Trier or Hinsdale (Chicago, Evanston: low income, sale, foreclosure)

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by BrianHunter

Yeah - I looked at houses in both towns and in Wilmette the houses were over 100 years old with tiny rooms. Just seemed like you could get more for the money in Hinsdale.

...is the relative size of each town. Wilmette covers a broader swath of area, stretching from Lake Michigan well inland past the Edens and the water reclamation district areas, while Hinsdale is pretty tightly laid along the BNSF sandwiched entirely between 294 and Rt 83. The trend for more compact areas that are uniform in the general geographic appeal (no lakefront or bluffs / ravines...) is for more uniformly desirable housing.

It is not so much that "your money goes farther" as that developers have basically torn down any smalleer homes and replaced them with signficantly upgraded residential offerings. In some parts of Wilmette there are still enough "unremediable negatives" that builders are reluctant to upgrade the housing. Of course that works out just fine for folks that care more about access to top notch schools and less about having a more historic (by midwest standards) home or a those seeking something with the full complement of "modern ammentities" which increasingly includes things like luxury baths and kitchens with more natural stone that the Vanderbilt Mansion...

I have friends in many of the towns served by New Trier as well as dozens of neighbors / former clients that live in the areas served by Hinsdale Central and really nobody would say either area is overall too costly if you know what you are shopping for and what the total cost of not just housing purchase but ongoing taxes is securing -- a very high quality choice for living and some of the best public schools in the whole region. For folks that compare both areas and work in the Loop the minor factors like how often one heads to O'Hare or Midway or how much a challenge to get out of town of weekends one is willing to accept tends to be the tipping point.

[Omoikane]

Hinsdale and DuPage County tend to be more Republican than the North Shore in general, but both areas have historically and are currently more towards the politically conservative end of the spectrum (in the local context, as with most wealthier areas). You'll definitely be in the minority (assuming you lean left), but that wouldn't prevent you from being part of the community. That being said, being a Democrat in Hinsdale or New Trier Township would not be like being a Republican in contemporary Evanston or Oak Park.

The North Shore has older housing stock than Hinsdale. Hinsdale's property market was more enduring during the crash than the North Shore's. The western suburbs seem to attract more transplants than the North Shore communities.

[chet everett]

Contrary to the above speculation there is no shortage of left leaning voters in the western suburbs. Obama signs were visible on every block in Hinsdale, long time State Senator Kirk Dillard endorsed his former colleague from across the aisle.

Similarly there is neither any shortage of lovely older homes in Hinsdale not any shortage of transplants on the north shore.

I can agree that traditional conservative voters are rare in Oak Park & Evanston, but neither are these towns like Berkely CA or Boulder CO or even Madison WI . All the well off towns in the region really are have pretty conventional politics where homeowners value safety and orderliness over the hippy hold overs that inhabit college enclaves ...

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I can agree that traditional conservative voters are rare in Oak Park & Evanston, but neither are these towns like Berkely CA or Boulder CO or even Madison WI .

As a former Madison resident, it does surprise me, though, how much overlap there is between Oak Park and Madison. You find a lot of people who have lived in both towns... Or even families with divorce where one parent lives in Oak Park, and the other in Madison. There is a bond there.

[Hatchetman]

If I had that kind of dough, I'd just live in the City and send my kids to private schools.

[Justabystander]

Originally Posted by BrianHunter

There is no way Hinsdale is more costly than Wilmette. Per square foot of house and land Wilmette has got to be top 1 or 2 in chicagoland.

Sorry Brian, According to Trulia.com:

Hinsdale average listing price $1,314,449, Wilmette $776,143;
Hinsdale median sales price $886, 250, Wilmette $549,500,

According to Chicago Magazine, Million dollar plus home sales in 2013 Hinsdale 143, Wilmette 84:

And according to a recent Sun Times article, Hinsdale Central is the number one high school in the suburbs for testing.

[chitownperson]

LK, I have met quite a number of people from Madison WI that live in Oak Park and they also confirm many similarities. And I would not disagree that OP is a predominantly liberal village, as it attracts a more liberal crowd. The conservatives in the village tend to be more moderates.

I have no doubt there will be some Obama signs in Hinsdale, this is Chicagoland after all, however to suggest that it's some type of equally mixed conservative meets liberal heaven is laughable. "Diversity" in Hinsdale has less to do with politics, income, "lifestyle" or ethnicity, and more to do with which series of Mercedes, or which line of Gucci handbag, you own... A little joke, but you get the point. It's generally a very rich, white and conservative place.

[BrianHunter]

Originally Posted by Justabystander

Sorry Brian, According to Trulia.com:

Hinsdale average listing price $1,314,449, Wilmette $776,143;
Hinsdale median sales price $886, 250, Wilmette $549,500,

According to Chicago Magazine, Million dollar plus home sales in 2013 Hinsdale 143, Wilmette 84:

And according to a recent Sun Times article, Hinsdale Central is the number one high school in the suburbs for testing.

Average list price and median sales price really do not tell you anything because that statistic doesnt account for how new a house is, how large the houses are and how much land the houses are on. In my example above I compared Barrington to Glenview. The median price in Glenview is lower than Barrington but you definitely get more for your money in Barrington. I am sure there are more million dollar houses in barrington but they are on an acre with a huge house. If you have a huge house on an acre in glenview it would be worth more than the same setup in barrington.

Like I said I looked at houses a few years back up to $700k and it just seemed like you could get a nicer house in Hinsdale. I didnt choose either suburb because I decided I wanted to be close to the lake and didnt want to live in the houses in my price range in Wilmette.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by chitownperson

LK, I have met quite a number of people from Madison WI that live in Oak Park and they also confirm many similarities. And I would not disagree that OP is a predominantly liberal village, as it attracts a more liberal crowd. The conservatives in the village tend to be more moderates.

I have no doubt there will be some Obama signs in Hinsdale, this is Chicagoland after all, however to suggest that it's some type of equally mixed conservative meets liberal heaven is laughable. "Diversity" in Hinsdale has less to do with politics, income, "lifestyle" or ethnicity, and more to do with which series of Mercedes, or which line of Gucci handbag, you own... A little joke, but you get the point. It's generally a very rich, white and conservative place.

On what extensive research do you base these comments? I would suggest that if you spent EVEN A MOMENT in the town you would quickly be disappointed that you would be unlikey to spot ANY "Gucci handbag" at any hour. Far more likely to see moms hanging out / running errands in the kind of yoga / workout clothes that are also the defacto uniform in much of Lincoln Park and Lakeview. I know that SAME things are also true in the towns of the north shore that serve New Trier. I also strongly believe that there is SIGNIFICANT diversity of income AND politics. Many many people in all parts of the region supported not just Obama but also ISSUES traditionally associated with progressive politics like marriage equality, universal health care, immigration reform and a whole host of things that really are no longer controversial.

As a practical matter I have a whole lot of experience helping people buy homes. The fact is FAR FEWER people buy homes "at top of the market" and far more people in even the most affluent towns acquired homes in ways that help them "get a bargain". The most obvious way for folks of modest means to live in a very affluent town is to shop wisely -- being able to scoop a bargain foreclosure has been a real boon for such folks but many many many people have no problem buying a place that "needs work" because the previous owners may have been some miserly codgers that never put a dime into maintenance. Further even if someone is fortunate enough to have a big down payment like from a modest family inheritance, one time work related windfall (everything from a unusually generous bonus to options or even a settlement of some kind...) that does NOT mean that they have some MASSIVE ongoing income stream that would be a traditional measure of the "very rich".

Truth be told the various external symbols of affluence are far more obvious to be spotted in the single-filled neighborhood of Chicago. It is a well documented phenomenon that folks looking for a mate will do everything they can to appear as desirable as possible and "status" type clothes and accessories are a big part of how they accomplish such a display. Once folks pair off, acquire a sufficiently comfortable home and focus on raising their children they generally eschew overt signs of wealth whether they live on a rambling farm in pricey horse country, a stylish row house on the Gold Coast or a lovely home in a desirable town like Oak Park, Hinsdale or the north shore...

[Justabystander]

Originally Posted by chitownperson

LK, I have met quite a number of people from Madison WI that live in Oak Park and they also confirm many similarities. And I would not disagree that OP is a predominantly liberal village, as it attracts a more liberal crowd. The conservatives in the village tend to be more moderates.

I have no doubt there will be some Obama signs in Hinsdale, this is Chicagoland after all, however to suggest that it's some type of equally mixed conservative meets liberal heaven is laughable. "Diversity" in Hinsdale has less to do with politics, income, "lifestyle" or ethnicity, and more to do with which series of Mercedes, or which line of Gucci handbag, you own... A little joke, but you get the point. It's generally a very rich, white and conservative place.

I would totally disagree as well, living there, and not feeding into sterotypes from people like you who only speculate on what places are like. Glen Ellyn, Wheaton and Batavia are conservative. Hinsdale is fairly liberal, and demographically is moderate republican-conservative democrat with the extremes at both ends; in fact, our democratic governor Quinn grew up there. Along with being affluent, Hinsdale is very educated, which adds to the moderate and accepting nature of the town. Also, the Gucci handbag joke is really in bad taste, most people move to Hinsdale for two things: schools and being 25 minutes from everywhere. The status thing takes a back seat........for the money people spend on a house on a 50 foot lot they could go elsewhere and flaunt it.