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Hi, I'm confused, as to why being further northwest would make something less expensive, and also as to what you mean, considering that Libertyville is Northeast according to my map, and there are a lot of other suburbs south of there which are just as expensive.
It is function of JOBS -- there have been far worse loss of employers in the greater Barrington area than near Libertyville. The relative strength of firms like Abbott Labs and other medical / healthcare firms has really "saved the bacon" in Lake Co.
In contrast, the contraction of firms in the telecom sector that was once robust along the NW corridor has hurt Barrington as a destination.
{BTW, nobody really uses the term "north east" to describe suburban locations. The lake front south of Waukegan through Evanston is "North Shore", towns along the NW tollway are "NW burbs". Towns along 294/94 get a little hazy, with some folks calling them by things like "North Cook" / "Southern -Central Lake Co". As you get north of Libertyville folks generally just say "Gurnee". West of there you get "Chain of Lakes"/ McHenry County... }
I used to shop at McChesney's before they closed, lived on Pennsylvania Ave. Even with shortcuts traffic is a nightmare once the buses start rolling at 2PM lasting until 6PM. I still go to Alfie's regularly and love Barones. But if given the choice, I'd take Barrington over Glen Ellyn in a heart beat.
The whole town is literally surrounded by miles of forest preserve.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thparkly
Ah, comparison's are good, but Glen Ellyn was not on my own list. I don't recall why I scratched it off, but I did. So, good to know anyways:-)
Careful, just like this poster's errant comment that Wheaton feels "boxed in as there really are no outdoor nature trails etc barring 1 path," this comment is quite misinformed.
First, the poster said they had lived in Wheaton, now they're saying they had lived on Pennsylvania Avenue, which is wholly inside Glen Ellyn. Next they're talking about a "nightmare" created by "buses." Buses? At 2pm? In Glen Ellyn? One could drive around Glen Ellyn/Wheaton all day and not see more than two or three Pace buses. Buses are not a problem in the area, and neither is traffic.
Barrington is more rural in character than Glen Ellyn/Wheaton, and may have more nearby public green space, but Glen Ellyn/Wheaton enjoys better pedestrian access to it's green spaces, due to a greater abundance of sidewalks as well as the Prairie Path -- which allows pedestrians to seamlessly transition from one preserve to another. Below two Google Maps screen grabs that highlight trails/preserves in Barrington and Wheaton. Both grabs are at the same zoom level. The bold red lines are the Prairie Path.
We've been eyeing Barrington as well. I have a question though for anyone that knows the area well. The schools there seem to have a consistent uptick in Hispanic population as well as students that qualify for free/discounted lunch. Why is this happening in Barrington? I don't mind diversity, but when I see a consistent trend like that, it makes me wonder about the future of an area.
As others have mentioned, areas of Carpentersville that feed into the district bring increased Spanish speakers and reduced lunch programs. There's also increasing Asian student populations. Again, the district was at the progressive educational forefront by creating/successfully implementing dual language immersion Spanish and Mandarin Chinese programs that are open to native and non-native speakers. The programs are well-regarded (know many parents/students in them) and they love the atmosphere of educational cultural diversity.
But since there is a relatively large percentage of business owner residents striving to declare lower personal incomes (myself included), I'm not sure how telling these income numbers really are.
Suffice it to say, I have no worries about the financial "future of the area," when I see parents standing in line every Sept. to write a big check to the 220 educational foundation, or residents happily approving a $5 million fee for a new football stadium, or providing the big financial support of the arts/theater programs, or pulling in speakers like Henry Paulson (alum) to talk to parents about global economics, etc...
As others have mentioned, areas of Carpentersville that feed into the district bring increased Spanish speakers and reduced lunch programs. There's also increasing Asian student populations. Again, the district was at the progressive educational forefront by creating/successfully implementing dual language immersion Spanish and Mandarin Chinese programs that are open to native and non-native speakers. The programs are well-regarded (know many parents/students in them) and they love the atmosphere of educational cultural diversity.
But since there is a relatively large percentage of business owner residents striving to declare lower personal incomes (myself included), I'm not sure how telling these income numbers really are.
Suffice it to say, I have no worries about the financial "future of the area," when I see parents standing in line every Sept. to right a big check to the 220 educational foundation, or residents happily approving a $5 million fee for a new football stadium, or providing the big financial support of the arts/theater programs, or pulling in speakers like Henry Paulson (alum) to talk to parents about global economics, etc...
Per capita, or average income, is not the most effective way to display the "middle," especially in towns as small as those in question. Median is the go-to measure, and a much more accurate display.
Per capita, or average income, is not the most effective way to display the "middle," especially in towns as small as those in question. Median is the go-to measure, and a much more accurate display.
Net worth would also be a good way to display the info, but those #'s are hard to capture. Maybe areas that have high % of high salaried professional employees (with few income shelters) could look better on paper than areas with a high % of self-employed who can minimize their reported taxable incomes through strategic planning, yet would have the net worth to support the community/schools.
Net worth would also be a good way to display the info, but those #'s are hard to capture. Maybe areas that have high % of high salaried professional employees (with few income shelters) could look better on paper than areas with a high % of self-employed who can minimize their reported taxable incomes through strategic planning, yet would have the net worth to support the community/schools.
...there are no taxes based upon one's "net worth" but there are taxes based on INCOME and a whole lot of schools rely far too much on the revenue generated from PROPERTY TAXES.
If folks don't report high incomes they won't be paying a whole lot of income tax and more importantly for schools, when commercial property goes vacant its owners (rightfully) see their assessed valuation plummet and the tax receipts fall. There is still enough "high value" residential property in the area for decent EAV per pupil but things PEAKED for D220 in 2012 and now are trending below where they were in 2010 -- BARRINGTON CUSD 220: District Finances
I've posted info for comparison before, Barrington really is not in great place financially; the comparison is harder to do for a Unit district vs separate elementary & high school districts...
Careful, just like this poster's errant comment that Wheaton feels "boxed in as there really are no outdoor nature trails etc barring 1 path," this comment is quite misinformed.
First, the poster said they had lived in Wheaton, now they're saying they had lived on Pennsylvania Avenue, which is wholly inside Glen Ellyn. Next they're talking about a "nightmare" created by "buses." Buses? At 2pm? In Glen Ellyn? One could drive around Glen Ellyn/Wheaton all day and not see more than two or three Pace buses. Buses are not a problem in the area, and neither is traffic.
Barrington is more rural in character than Glen Ellyn/Wheaton, and may have more nearby public green space, but Glen Ellyn/Wheaton enjoys better pedestrian access to it's green spaces, due to a greater abundance of sidewalks as well as the Prairie Path -- which allows pedestrians to seamlessly transition from one preserve to another. Below two Google Maps screen grabs that highlight trails/preserves in Barrington and Wheaton. Both grabs are at the same zoom level. The bold red lines are the Prairie Path.
Ah, I have resided in Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Elmhurst, Lisle, Westmont, and Downers Grove. Currently living in Elgin, but still visit the Wheaton area regularly. I don't mind driving to about North Ave. and County Farm Rd, but any further still bogs me down with timed lights, low speed limits, and more traffic.
And I was referring to the numerous school buses. Not much has changed in that area, as it was built out decades ago.
Unless we're talking Wayne, which might be a good option for the OP.
...there are no taxes based upon one's "net worth" but there are taxes based on INCOME and a whole lot of schools rely far too much on the revenue generated from PROPERTY TAXES.
If folks don't report high incomes they won't be paying a whole lot of income tax and more importantly for schools, when commercial property goes vacant its owners (rightfully) see their assessed valuation plummet and the tax receipts fall. There is still enough "high value" residential property in the area for decent EAV per pupil but things PEAKED for D220 in 2012 and now are trending below where they were in 2010 -- BARRINGTON CUSD 220: District Finances
As I wrote in my initial post, I'm not going to compare districts (there are other great districts in IL including those mentioned in this thread). I am only going to relate what I know about D220 and why it is a good fit for us. School choice is a very individual decision on what fits best. I suggest parents heavily research/tour schools to find the best fit.
As far as your #'s...
Residential real estate, in a specific area, has been temporarily impacted (probably starting in 2012) by the CNN rail line currently in design phase and it's anticipated traffic patterns. Once this is installed, home prices west of that area should stabilize. The brand new retail developments on Lake Cook/59 seem to be booming after our mayor's creative finance solutions for this.. The Lake Barrington/Rt. 14 industrial corridor also looks promising, especially with the new experienced Canadian ownership of the large field house property (bought for pennies on the dollar - after multiple foreclosures - like many other underwater IL sports facilities), and some of the other new businesses in the area, and others in concept/design phase.
Student enrollment numbers also PEAKED in 2012, and the district is on a downward enrollment trend.
Down close to 100 students 2015/2016 - smaller class sizes, with no cuts to vital programs such as gifted, dual language Chinese/Spanish, daily foreign language, arts, music, band, orchestra, theatre, sports, etc...
Again, D220 has a AAA bond rating from Standard & Poors for having balanced budgets for 12 consecutive years. I personally know school board members and can report they do a fantastic job at overseeing the budgets/costs.
Again, D220 earned the highest financial rating from the State of Illinois.
Stable residential real estate values with new commercial/retail developments/change of ownerships, above avg income levels, a history of approving school tax initiatives, strong community/private donor investment in the educational foundations, progressive educational programs that are models for other districts, strong educational political activism, a reluctance to cut special programs such as gifted, early foreign language, sports, music, theater, art...
An enrollment that pulls from diverse socioeconomic/parental educational attainment areas) yet still:
- consistently ranks among the state´s top 5% academically,
- on the list of the Top 1000 High Schools in the Nation by Newsweek,
- on US News "Best" list
- multiple Blue Ribbon School awards,
- an "Outperformer" award from Standard & Poors for academic achievement,
-"What Parents Want" award from SchoolMatch
- a "Bright Red Apple" award from SchoolSearch for overall excellence,
- 66%+ teachers have a Masters degrees or higher,
- teachers have earned the President's award for Excellence in Teaching Math & Science.
- over 30 High School AP courses, with yearly upward trends on ACT/natl test scores, with over 96% college placement rate, including highly selective schools
Good luck to OP and others here on their community/school searches. I think I've communicated enough on why our particular district has been a good fit for us.
I am leaving this thread because I pretty much feel it has been hijacked by nonsense. I asked one of these hijackers a direct question and it was basically ignored so he could pick irrelevant debates and throw out alarmist rantings at me and others. I think hitting the pavement will be the best way to avoid that and thank you to those who gave honest information.
We would have moved to Barrington, but my husband's job only allows him to live in certain parts of Cook County, and Barrington was out for that reason. He fell in love with a house there. The schools are highly rated, and having lived in Hoffman Estates, near the Barrington area, he took great advantage of the park district near Barrington. He loved the bike trails and numerous forest preserve. We ended up moving to Northbrook instead, but we probably would have bought a Barrington house if we could have. The taxes are very reasonable as well, when you compare them to neighboring towns like Palatine and Inverness. I would avoid Inverness because the majority of homes are on large lots, and therefore the taxes are much higher. I can't speak to Wheaton except that it would have been a contender if we were allowed to live in a county other than Cook.
There are some neighborhood pockets of Barrington with lower middle class to middle class housing, but the majority is upper middle class. Many middle class homes feed into Barrington school district too, but so do many upper middle to upper class burbs, such as South Barrington and Inverness.
Good luck on your decision.
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