Buffalo Grove or Park Ridge? (Chicago, Arlington Heights: big house, best schools, property tax)

[emmie3g]

Dh is working in Arlington Heights. We want a safe, diverse racially and culturally suburb with lots of things to do. Which suburb of the two above have the best schools? Best value for housing? We can spend about $500,000 for a home. Commute needs to be under 30 minutes and we need to be near a reform synagogue as well.

[Tex?Il?]

Well Buffalo Grove is immediately to the north of Arlington Hts. I'm from this area originally and the two towns basically interlock their borders. So BG is certainly closer.

Park Ridge housing might be a little more because of location (closer to everything) but has more character (older houses). BG is more stereotypical suburbia, has more big houses that are newer.

Buffalo Grove most likely has a higher Jewish population than Park Ridge I would guess.

Hope this helps!

[code10t]

I would check out Buffalo Grove. It's a really nice area, and the Lake County (north of Lake Cook Rd) portion is in the Stevenson High School district which is one of the best in the state. There is also a sizeable Jewish population in the area. I looked up reform congregations specifically and saw there is one in Buffalo Grove as well as ones in nearby Long Grove & Wheeling.
Jewish Chicago Synagogue and Worship Directory

The city offers easy access to Arlington Heights, which is just southwest.

Buffalo Grove is not the most diverse city in the area, but the area has a substantial Asian population, and the surrounding communities also have a large Hispanic population.

[Peachie]

I don't find Park Ridge to be diverse at all. I don't know much about BG, but I think it may be a better bet for you, just guessing...

[Everleighdy81]

Buffalo Grove has a large Jewish population but Park Ridge is an awesome town with alot to do, it's a little more artsy and closer to the city which can be a plus. The commute will be much longer and traffic during rush hour, whether you are heading west or east can be a pain. But if you are looking for diversity and culture, Park Ridge is great. Housing may be a little more expensive than BG but it's hard to say now a days. Personally I find BG to be a fairly unattractive town thats loaded with chains and mini malls, but the highschool is completely centralized which is nice.

[nanannie]

What about Arlington Hts ? Haave you checked housing there ? Great town. But of your two choices, I guess B G ,easy,hassle free commute.

[ChitownSoxFan]

BG is not diverse. But it's very nice. More to do in Park Ridge because you are bordering Chicago (Edison Park) which has tons of trendy spots. I would rather live in BG because it's nice and quiet with good schools. $500,000 will get you more of a home in BG than Park Ridge, but BG resides in Cook and Lake county so depending on what county you live in will determine your property taxes. Lake county property taxes are a killer.

[ahava]

If you look at the city-data.com profiles, you'll see that Buffalo Grove is a lot more diverse than Park Ridge. The Lake county side of Buffalo Grove has the best schools and the property tax rate there is actually lower than the Cook county side.