Looking for Old, Charming Towns with Downtown in North Cook and Lake Counties (Chicago: condo, townhouse)

[a60064]

I'm relocating to the area because of job (in North Chicago) and looking for a place to live somewhere between my job and Chicago. Here's the list of what I have in mind:

- Willing to drive 30-40 min to work (in North Chicago)
- Access (walk or short drive) to downtown area that has Metra stops, shops, and restaurants
- Access to park or green spaces where you can take a walk for ~30 min after work
- School is NOT important but safety IS
- Towns where home value is likely to appreciate over time in case I might have to relocate again
- Family of 2 (+1 in the summer)
- Dwelling type: townhouse, rowhouse, single-family home, but NOT condo (looking for 1,200-2,500 sf)
- Old constructions like Victorian or brownstone appeal to us
- Budget: ~$500K

After some cursory research, I was able to identify such towns like Highland Park, Wilmette, Evanston, Arlington Heights, and Park Ridge. What are the pros and cons of each town? How are the towns like Buffalo Grove, Northbrook, Glenview, Morton Grove, Palatine, etc.? Could you add your favorite if it's not listed here and explain why?

Thanks a bunch in advance!!

[RunningBagel]

Congrats! I'm expecting a little one later this year myself

You can cross Morton Grove off your list immediately. I think Evanston fits your criteria the best, especially with the "older construction" part. The other suburbs tend to have more 1950s-60s homes.

Evanston is more urban - it has a large downtown area, two other cute "mini" downtown areas, Metra trains, el trains, access to the lake, beaches, lots of parks. Evanston is a forum favorite on here, but you will definitely get more for your money in other suburbs.

I like Glenview. It has two downtown areas. The village is currently attempting to revitalize the older downtown area, which at the moment is nothing exciting, but it could be? The second area is known as the "Glen" and has lots of nice shops and restaurants. It also has my favorite park in the area - Gallery Park. It's gorgeous, I love running around the little lake there

[4122]

The towns with the best downtowns in that area are Evanston, Highland Park, and Libertyville. These towns have a good amount of old homes, especially Highland Park and Evanston.

[a60064]

Oops... my bad! I meant "+1 in the summer" to be "+1 in summers." In other words, my child comes home from school during summers. We're empty nesters and trying to downsize during this relo.

How's the commute from Evanston/Glenview to North Chicgo? Google Maps says ~35 min but perhaps it doesn't know what it's talking about.

[RunningBagel]

Originally Posted by a60064

Oops... my bad! I meant "+1 in the summer" to be "+1 in summers." In other words, my child comes home from school during summers. We're empty nesters and trying to downsize during this relo.

How's the commute from Evanston/Glenview to North Chicgo? Google Maps says ~35 min but perhaps it doesn't know what it's talking about.

Hah, I realize now how that could be interpreted in a few different ways.
Congrats on being empty nesters then! We are years away from that

[pvande55]

Libertyville comes to mind. Evanston and Highland Park have the advantage of Metra service to North Chicago.

[4122]

Libertyville is also only a 15 minute drive to North Chicago

[mr roboto]

Deerfield has a downtown but it's newer and not as quaint as HP or Libertyville.

[4122]

Deerfield has a very small downtown and it doesn't have metra service to North Chicago.

[gelert]

As mentioned, Highland Park seems like a good option - superior downtown and commute vs. Wilmette / North Evanston, and you can get more for your money there than Wilmette/Evanston.