Naperville - neighborhood (Wheaton, Plainfield: homes, neighborhoods, schools)

[matt43]

Help! I need help narrowing down neighborhood choices in Naperville. I want advice and opinions from residents other than my realtor. I will be working in Naperville so living close to the train station isn't a concern. We can afford between 400 - 550k and prefer to have something newer than older. My wife stays home with the kids and we are looking for somewhere we can move in and meet people fairly quickly. All schools seem to be good, maybe somewhere my elementary aged girl who is extremely shy will have an easier time making friends. In other words not a neighborhood that has groups and cliques formed that are not welcoming to newbies. Being close to parks and outdoor activities would be good too but this seems to be everywhere in Naperville. Thanks for any opinions my realtor would not otherwise share/know!

[maybetoday]

There are a lot of family friendly subdivisions. One thing that is really great about Naperville are the swim and tennis communities. I would look for an active community with that amenity like Ashberry or Hobson West or Maplebrook two. There are many more then that. Where is your realtor suggesting?

[holl1ngsworth]

Where in Naperville will you be working? Don't give your company name or address, just a general area (ie, around downtown, along 88, down by Fox Valley Mall, waaaaay out by Plainfield, etc). Naperville is huge in terms of both population and area. Getting from the the southwest corner to the northeast corner can be daunting -- upwards of 15 miles from one end to the other! It might make sense to choose a nice neighborhood in close proximity to your job. In fact, depending where you work, you may find neighborhoods in bordering towns more appealing.

I moved to Wheaton (just north of Nape) a year ago (from Chi) and many, many of my neighbors work in the tech corridor along I-88. Our schools are equitable and we've got the same amenities, the only major difference is size (Wheaton is about 1/3 the size of Naperville). Gives us a bit more of a "small town" feel. You could certainly get a nice home in our downtown district with your budget. You would be walking distance to parks, French market, grocery store, restaurants, coffee/tea shops, ice cream, boutiques, Metra and much more. All the activity of mini-fests and Friday night classic car shows would make it quite easy to meet people quickly. The downtown district is served by Longfellow Elementary, which had the 6th best test scores in state last year, and Lowell Elementary, which is great in its own right.

This is a good example of what is available now:
413 E Indiana St WHEATON, IL 60187 | REDFIN
203 W Evergreen St WHEATON, IL 60187 | REDFIN (price leaves room in the budget for updates, plus this one has income property attached)

Given the proximity of a brand new Mariano's grocery store, the massive expansion of the adjacent Central Park (brand new lighted football fields, ball fields, tennis courts, etc.), as well as the fact that several new office buildings have been built just a few blocks away, I think the area these homes are in represents a tremendous value. Homes like this on the north side of downtown (traditionally more desirable) would cost ~$150k more.

[ToriaT]

I prefer Wheaton to Naperville. Smaller and more cohesive without the feeling of the huge sprawl you get in some parts of Naperville. Excellent schools, parks and shops and convenient modes of transportation. Those are really nice homes and nicely decorated.