Looking for suburb recommendations (Chicago, Wheaton: crime, townhomes, luxury)

[agallan]

Hi all, only have a few minutes here busy week at work but as you know I live in Brookfield and love it. Bellamomma, I think Brookfield is a reasonable suggestion for your criteria, though the others mentioned are good as well. You will have a hard time beating the school quality for the price. If you are interested please do a search on this forum for Brookfield and you will lots of excruciatingly long posts I have made about the town!

As for the hispanic discussion (which is also addressed in some old posts)...my hypothesis is that there are 3 factors:

1. Brookfield has a pretty large group of elderly (largely white, irish) residents who have moved out of their homes due to age/death, which brings in the next generation. Even if the people moving in were reflective of the overall population of the Chicagoland area, this would still increase the % Hispanic because Hispanics are simply a larger % of our population that 20 years ago. Supporting evidence: increased % of Hispanics in next-door La Grange, which is a largely affluent suburb.

2. The housing crisis caused a massive turnover of home ownership over the past 7 or so years. Not only did it dump working class whites were had just been holding on (thus lowering the % white), but the subsequent drop in home values created an opportunity for those with lower budgets to move out to the suburbs...this may have disproportionately created opportunity for Hispanics to move in, while also creating the opportunity to some of the more upper-middle class whites to now afford a nicer home in perhaps La Grange, etc because of the lower price (if they didn't have the majority of their savings tied up in their house).

3. This goes without saying but many of the young Hispanic families that have moved in are college educated, have good jobs, and are simply just another young family in town. I'm sure there are exceptions, but to my eye there haven't really been rough elements moving in. I think this reflects a generational shift among Hispanics, where the increased rate of college education in those who were born in the 80's led to more middle class jobs and the as they have families, the ability to move them out to the suburbs to give them a better education than on the west side or frankly even a decently nice part of the city. Brookfield is appealing because of its proximity to the city and neighboring Hispanic suburban hubs such as Berwyn.

And while everyone is right about saying there are increased numbers of Hispanic residents in Brookfield, I think we need to put it in perspective. Brookfield is a largely white suburb...Not even in the same ballpark as Berwyn or somewhere like that. Mostly middle class with a good chunk of upper middle class, and areas of working class. The % hispanic at the schools is not only still a minority, but also probably over-represents the town as a whole because the private schools in town are attended by a disproportionate % of white kids. The area I live in has a MEDIAN salary of like $80k if I remember correctly, and the Hollywood area is probably closer to $100k. My single block is comprised of one other doctor, a lawyer, 3 nurses, 2 real estate agents, a SWAT officer, a former Army Ranger turned professional stunt actor, a parole officer, a few businessmen, 2 plumbers, a carpenter, and one grumpy old lady. There are a few hispanic families within a few blocks of me, but really not very many. The area south of Ogden has a higher % Hispanic and less desirable schools. Overall, its a great place to live but not without its trade-offs, just like any other place. Certainly a great place to start if you're a young family looking for affordable nice housing, great schools, excellent Metra access and proximity to the city, friendly people, and also access to the shopping/restaurants/amenities of nearby LaGrange/Oak Brook/etc. Good luck!

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

The reason I bring up Millennial housing choices is that there are more of them than the Baby Boomers, but they are loaded up with debt and have high unemployment. En mass, they won't all be able to afford luxury condos in the city and houses in fancy suburbs near walkable cores and train stops, in spite of their preferences for this type of housing. Oak Park and Evanston won't be able to fit them all in. Some say this will be a generation of renters, but if that is the case then we are very low on rental inventory and prices will go up making it a less-attractive option. They won't stay in their parents' basements forever either. Eventually they will dictate the direction of the housing market, and maybe some of them will start snatching up the affordable ranch houses and bungalows in suburbs that aren't all the way out in Kane County. They will likely have to compromise on something, and that something may be the lilly-whiteness of the suburbs of the past. Or we will keep building new cul-de-sacs all the way out to the Quad Cities allowing white Millennials to avoid people with darker pigmentation. Who knows?

They'll figure it out and so will the market. They'll find a way to be around those who share the same values. How, who knows? Prices may drop in the fancy suburbs due to lack of a market to the point where they can afford it (consider it -- the Boomers will die off and Gen Xers are small and less affluent as a group compared to the Boomers, so who's going to keep paying high housing prices if the Millennial are as bad off as you suggest they may be?). They might create their own area out of one that is struggling (i.e. gentrification, albeit on a smaller $$$ scale than maybe we've seen in the past). They might adopt an "I'll do anything for my kid!" mentality and live in a condo or apartment in an affluent area so their kid can go to a good school (I know several young families who went this route in lieu of Berwyn schools).

I don't think they're going to move to minority/low income majority communities simply because they have to. As bad off as the Millennials may be, I think they'll still be way ahead of our disadvantaged class, so there will always be a gap.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by BRU67

How, who knows? Prices may drop in the fancy suburbs due to lack of a market to the point where they can afford it (consider it -- the Boomers will die off and Gen Xers are small and less affluent as a group compared to the Boomers, so who's going to keep paying high housing prices if the Millennial are as bad off as you suggest they may be?).

Maybe. But as I found out while searching for houses the past few years, the number of houses within a mile of a Metra stop in more upscale suburbs is actually pretty low, and its not like the Gen-X'ers and people who currently live there will all sell at once. There are enough Millenials with enough money to keep most of the desirable areas desirable, assuming those areas still match their tastes. And in the city, Lincoln Park will continue to be Lincoln Park, with all the advantages of the lakefront, park, zoo, restaurants, and shopping. Lake View will still be Lake View. I doubt that single-family houses will be affordable in either neighborhood in my lifetime.

[ToriaT]

Some thoughts....most of the inner ring suburbs are increasingly Hispanic. In my travels, I am truly astounded how large the Hispanic population is now...many parts of the NW side of Chicago are Hispanic, including increasingly Portage Park, as well as Pilsen and little village of course. According to city data, the following are the stats for Hispanics: Villa Park 20%, Brookfield 16 percent, Berwyn 59 percent, Elmwood Park 22 percent, Franklin Park 43 percent, Schiller Park 24 percent, Melrose Park 71%. These are the places where housing is relatively affordable. And as some points have been made, there are many college educated Hispanics living in these communities. Also some are tradespeople. I think many have to perception that they are all illegals. So you can run but you can't hide from the statistics. The millenials already are affecting the housing market in that they are not buying homes at the rate of previous generations. Flat salaries, student load debt, strict lending rules, as well as underemployment have contributed to this. Hopefully they might choose some of the older inner ring suburbs and breathe new life into them. As far as the communities mentioned such as Glendale Heights, Carol Stream, I don't think much of them. They are blah and I would never live there. Personally I'd much rather live in some of the inner ring suburbs closer to the city....

[ToriaT]

Here is an excellent home for sale in Brookfield. I don't know if its in one of the better school districts.

3223 Prairie Ave, Brookfield, IL 60513 is For Sale - Zillow

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

As far as the communities mentioned such as Glendale Heights, Carol Stream, I don't think much of them. They are blah and I would never live there. Personally I'd much rather live in some of the inner ring suburbs closer to the city....

I have to agree with you. But they still hold appeal to some in that you can get a larger house on a larger lot, mostly with attached garages and master suites. There will always be people looking for that.

[ToriaT]

That's true. But some of the older homes are being renovated and have many of the same features now too. Attached garage no. That's not going to happen in the older burbs mostly.

[holl1ngsworth]

Below is a sample of homes available in Wheaton...

102 S Pierce Ave WHEATON, IL 60187 | Redfin

727 E Evergreen St WHEATON, IL 60187 | Redfin

432 Countryside Dr WHEATON, IL 60187 | Redfin

Wheaton's combination of excellent schools, robust park district offerings, accessible transit options and a charming walkable core make the suburb one of the best all-around values in Chicagoland. It blows my mind that one can still "pick off" a beautiful centrally-located home at the $250k price point.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by holl1ngsworth

It blows my mind that one can still "pick off" a beautiful centrally-located home at the $250k price point.

Me too. Like in a "what's wrong with those houses?" kind of way. Chronic flooding? Mold? Knob and tube wiring? Structural problems?

Wheaton does have affordable housing still for people who don't mind a smaller one-story house.

[ToriaT]

Yes it does if you look for it. Those houses are mostly clean as a whistle. They don't have all the bells and whistles that people are looking for but they are very nice and your post proves it.