Mundelein IL... the low down??? (Chicago, Gurnee: apartment complex, employment, housing)

[ZombieJuicer]

I've looked at as many posts and information as I could get (both on-line as well as word of mouth) on this area but am not coming up with much...

The deal is I'm in the market for a single family home under $270,000.00

I can't ignore that fact that Mundelein home prices have been falling, not doubt due to unemployment of their current owners or for whatever reason...

but what is the deal with this area is my real question??? I'd really like to hear more then there are lots of Mexicans moving there or I hate that place... I would really appreciate answers with facts to back them up...

Ups and downs about the area... in-relation to traffic, weather, crime, shopping, community events, and what not... whatever you can think of about Mundelein.

Thank you for your time... Z

[AthmaGirl]

Mundelein is fine. Yes, it has become more Mexican, but it's a lot of families moving in, not gangbangers. It's still a very decent area to live and the housing costs are a heck of a lot cheaper then the much more expensive surrounding areas like Vernon Hills or Libertyville.

I'd recommend Mundelein to anyone moving to Illinois. I have a great aunt who lives there and I work very close to that area and drive though it every day going home.

The only thing that bothers me about Mundelein, is the downtown area tends to close up earlier, so it can get kind of dead after a certain hour. (the old downtown area) But as far as main chain store shopping, you can just drive to Vernon Hills which is right next to Mundelein. So shopping is not that far. And they are building new little places to eat all time in Mundelein. New little shopping centers. I'm actually considering moving to Mundelein myself.

I'm not sure how much crime is in Mundelein, but it still seems like a fairly safe area to me. Some of the apartment complexes have gone downhill over the years, but the town itself is still pretty good.

[code10t]

You should use Google StreetView on Google Maps (maps.google.com) to take a look around. There are several new communities around the edges of Mundelein, many of which have some very nice homes; if you're in one of those, I'd imagine you'd be fine. Mundelein is located just west of Vernon Hills, which is a major shopping hub in Lake County, and has just about anything one would need. Central Lake County as a whole is very nice and picturesque, and is less crowded and congested than most of the Chicago area, which makes it quite attractive in my view. I think that some of the older areas are not considered as upscale as a lot of the other towns in Lake County (Libertyville, as well as some of the upscale communities on Lake Michigan).

You're right that Mundelein does have lower housing prices than a lot of the surrounding areas, which makes it quite desirable from that standpoint. I don't know where you're working, but other comparable places to look would be Vernon Hills (right next door), Grayslake, Gurnee (both due north of Mundelein), and Lake Zurich (west of Mundelein). Libertyville is great too, but it might be tough to find a property of sufficient quality at that price point.