Any Suburbs with a downtown area near a Forest Preserve? (Chicago: apartment complexes, school districts)

[holl1ngsworth]

Maybe when you are the "800 pound gorilla" a little "chest thumping" is appropriate.

Chet is always spot-on with his analysis, but sometimes the immense "spread" of his recommendations can be be daunting. Rattling off a dozen or more recommendations in any given post is not out of the question. While all such recommendations can be expected to be appropriate, I imagine it can be information-overload for some OPs. Certainly me spending a little more time providing useful information about one specific recommendation (that I'm educated on) shouldn't be construed as anything less than constructive. I sure don't back down when Chet disagrees, but I don't think any argument we have had has been necessarily digressive or harmful.

Getting back on-topic: attached is a map of the route I recommended, if the OP needs help visualizing. The IPP is flush against the south Metra platform (where passengers exit when traveling from CHI to W). Hop on and follow it west along Liberty Street to Carlton, then south along Carlton until the road tees at Roosevelt. You will see the wooded gateway to the Prairie Path ahead of you. After 3 miles of beautifully covered trail, you will arrive at St. James Farm Forest Preserve. From there you can choose to enjoy the St. James trails, or pick another adjoining preserve to explore. They are all connected via the Prairie Path and all paths are well-marked with plenty of signage.

Regarding your short list: While visiting Wheaton, you should probably stop at neighboring Glen Ellyn. Just outside the charming downtown is picturesque Lake Ellyn, and just past Lake Ellyn is Churchill Woods/Churchill Prairie. The preserves are on the small side, but the scenery makes up for it -- winding trails and great water features. You can see Glen Ellyn, its Metra stop, and the nearby preserves in northeast corner of the attached map.

[chet everett]

3.8 miles vs 1.5 --

And if I could figure out how set the map to edge of the Bemis Woods instead of parking lot picnic shelter it'd be even less. Whole lot green too...

[MPowering1]

People are bright enough to go through the options presented to them and start eliminating those that don't have enough components on their wish list. I've never seen any poster say that Chet, or anyone else, gave them too many options causing them to be overwhelmed.

The truth of the matter is, you lose credibility when you keep banging the same Wheaton drum because it's obvious you've lost all objectivity. Instead of sitting back and watching some of the vets, who do a great job of removing all emotion and just answering the questions as objectively as possible, you had an agenda from the start.

It reminds me of children who must be reassured that whatever they have is the best - except most grow out of that stage.

[holl1ngsworth]

Wheaton is 3.6 miles to be exact. But I don't disagree. I suggested Western Springs to begin with. Classic west suburban downtown, speedy Metra and really easy preserve access. WS will probably be a contender for the OP.

My only dig would be that the offerings are not as vast as Wheaton. But if the OP is only looking for couple refuges from the bustle of daily life, maybe Wheaton's variety isn't necessary. I also don't know much about the quality of these trails or the inter-connectivity between Bemis, Salt Creek Woods and all the other preserves that follow the flow of Salt Creek. Maybe Chet could speak to that?

If ultra-close proximity and a nice refuge are the only prerequisites, Wheaton has Lincoln Marsh. Less than a mile from downtown. It's a 146-acre oasis. Get inside and you'll think you're a million miles from civilization.

[brunnins]

Thanks all for helping me out with the maps - really does make things more clear.

Both Wheaton and Western Springs get points in my book also because they are "closer" to Michigan - where my family is. Libertyville would add a good 40ish minutes to the commute there. Not a deal breaker, but this is also in my mind. No one has brought up schools in Western Springs and Wheaton yet - thoughts?

I do like the variety that Wheaton seems to boast, but only seeing it with my own eyes will allow me to draw that conclusion.

So at this point, hearing everyone's thoughts and doing some of my own research, Wheaton, Libertyville, and Western Springs seem to be the top choices. Buffalo Grove, Palatine, and Barrington come in as second tier dark horses. Still on the radar are Highland Park, Lake Forest, & Geneva.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by brunnins

Thanks all for helping me out with the maps - really does make things more clear.

Both Wheaton and Western Springs get points in my book also because they are "closer" to Michigan - where my family is. Libertyville would add a good 40ish minutes to the commute there. Not a deal breaker, but this is also in my mind. No one has brought up schools in Western Springs and Wheaton yet - thoughts?

I do like the variety that Wheaton seems to boast, but only seeing it with my own eyes will allow me to draw that conclusion.

So at this point, hearing everyone's thoughts and doing some of my own research, Wheaton, Libertyville, and Western Springs seem to be the top choices. Buffalo Grove, Palatine, and Barrington come in as second tier dark horses. Still on the radar are Highland Park, Lake Forest, & Geneva.

If you are contemplating wanting high quality schools the relative desirabilty of Western Springs, Wheaton, Libertyville, and Barrington would be very similar. All have high schools that rank quite well in respected source like the US News & World Report listings. Highland Park is probably ranked a bit higher, Lake Forest, Buffalo Grove, Geneva & Palatine a bit lower. The weak tests mandated for Illinios public elementary schools make fine distinctions tricky. Some schools in some towns have very impressive numbers (I'll beat hworth to shouting out that one of Wheaton's elementary topped the range). More critically, most middle school generally do not show as many students "meeting / exceeding" standards; WS may top that category -- MCCLURE JR HIGH SCHOOL | School Snapshot but none of these towns shows any signficant deficeit (well maybe parts of Palatine ...).

The extra drive time from-to a north / northwest suburb to Michigan could be the factor that tips things, Western Springs is going to win by that measure (unless hworth has a secret route that allows one to get to Wheaton while bypassing I88 or 355 ...)

[brunnins]

Thanks Chet, very helpful info. Good to know that all of my front-runners so far have good schools . And if anyone knows of ANY shortcuts to Michigan, please tell me ;-)

[ToriaT]

Its sometimes mind boggling to think the green belt on the south side of Wheaton extends from Blackwell all the way to Morton Arboreteum. We never even mentioned Danada which is also a vast preserve.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by chet everett

If you are contemplating wanting high quality schools the relative desirabilty of Western Springs, Wheaton, Libertyville, and Barrington would be very similar. All have high schools that rank quite well in respected source like the US News & World Report listings. Highland Park is probably ranked a bit higher, Lake Forest, Buffalo Grove, Geneva & Palatine a bit lower. The weak tests mandated for Illinios public elementary schools make fine distinctions tricky. Some schools in some towns have very impressive numbers (I'll beat hworth to shouting out that one of Wheaton's elementary topped the range). More critically, most middle school generally do not show as many students "meeting / exceeding" standards; WS may top that category -- MCCLURE JR HIGH SCHOOL | School Snapshot but none of these towns shows any signficant deficeit (well maybe parts of Palatine ...).

The extra drive time from-to a north / northwest suburb to Michigan could be the factor that tips things, Western Springs is going to win by that measure (unless hworth has a secret route that allows one to get to Wheaton while bypassing I88 or 355 ...)

Don't forget that the Lake County side of Buffalo Grove goes to Stevenson which is the top rated public high school in the state in a number of the rankings.

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

Its sometimes mind boggling to think the green belt on the south side of Wheaton extends from Blackwell all the way to Morton Arboreteum. We never even mentioned Danada which is also a vast preserve.

Yes, it is impressive, but not unique. Many other suburbs can boast of even larger swaths of unbroken green space: like the Palos region, the Barrington region or the seemingly endless stretch of preserve that runs from Buffalo Grove all the way south to River Grove. What makes Wheaton's case unique is that there is a single continuous trail, the IPP, that can be used to move seamlessly from one preserve to the next. That same trail can then be used to access green space all over the region: from the scenic Fox River in the west to preserves along the Des Plaines River in the east, quite a lot is within reach using the IPP.

To the OP: don't forget to hop back on here as you go through your short list. I'd love to hear feedback from your trial-runs (perhaps others would as well).