What can you tell me about Orland Park, Tinley Park, Frankfort area??? (Chicago: crimes)

[MBBE]

We are a family moving to the Chicago area this summer and are looking for a Chicago suburb to commute from to U of C. Orland Park area has piqued my interest. What can you tell me about it? How are the schools? Is it a safe community?

[chet everett]

Orland Park to UofC is not the worst possible commute, but given the congestion along the main arterials that serve Orland Park (primarily LaGrange Rd and Harlem Ave) most folks would choose a town like Brookfield, which is generally more affordable and has a better reputation for schools especially in the nice Hollywood section of town, or Riverside, which has the benefits of Fredrick Law Olmsteed designed layout, or LaGrange which is a much more vibrant community. Going further south into TInley Park or Frankfort is not really practical from UofC, as one would end up either taking a very circutous path down and then west along the expressways, or poking along on crowded surface streets. I suppose it might be acceptable for folks who really wanted a larger home in a newer area, but most folks would balk at the added commute that might really be a true career ender in bad weather -- even taking I-80 east and then heading up toward Hyde Park might be hours of driving in a snow storm.

Orland Park is dominated by car-centric subdivisions with much of the housing stock from the 70s & 80s lacking the sorts of charm of older homes and not being as loaded up with modern features as homes built more recently. Although purchase prices may seem somewhat attractive, if you need to rip out built-ins sized for the large 35" tube TVs or 50+" square-ish rear projection sets and then redo the whole family room / kitchen / baths it may make more sense to look at newer homes...

The schools are shifting a bit. Once there were a large contingent of families that were themselves techers or principals inside Chicago. The CPS residency requirement undid that force as a factor in maintaining quality local Orland Park schools. Shifting demographics have seen more affluent families seek out other towns and while the performance has not fallen off a cliff neither is it really an area that folks seek out for top notch schools.

Safety is mostly fine. The large regional indoor mall, Orland Square, attracts a fair number of shoplifters as well as similar crimes related to break-ins to cars during holiday shopping and such, but for the most part that sort of things is limited to retail corridors.


In summary, though it probably deserves a look on your "short list" as it is within a 40-50 minute commute radius for UofC, you will likely find more to like in LaGrange, which is admittedly more costly, or find an easier commute and lower cost of entry in Brookfield. Depending on your particular tastes, Riverside is also worth considering. An additional 5-10 minute drive also puts towns like Burr Ridge, Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills in reach, their top notch schools and nice ammenities also come with a high tag but also mean spouses working in the Loop have easy access to the swift BNSF. The once strong attraction that Flossmoor had, due to easy commute via train, is fading as that town is facing true run-away tax increases and subsequent rather precipitous declines in desirability.

[Justabystander]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Orland Park to UofC is not the worst possible commute, but given the congestion along the main arterials that serve Orland Park (primarily LaGrange Rd and Harlem Ave) most folks would choose a town like Brookfield, which is generally more affordable and has a better reputation for schools especially in the nice Hollywood section of town, or Riverside, which has the benefits of Fredrick Law Olmsteed designed layout, or LaGrange which is a much more vibrant community. Going further south into TInley Park or Frankfort is not really practical from UofC, as one would end up either taking a very circutous path down and then west along the expressways, or poking along on crowded surface streets. I suppose it might be acceptable for folks who really wanted a larger home in a newer area, but most folks would balk at the added commute that might really be a true career ender in bad weather -- even taking I-80 east and then heading up toward Hyde Park might be hours of driving in a snow storm.

Orland Park is dominated by car-centric subdivisions with much of the housing stock from the 70s & 80s lacking the sorts of charm of older homes and not being as loaded up with modern features as homes built more recently. Although purchase prices may seem somewhat attractive, if you need to rip out built-ins sized for the large 35" tube TVs or 50+" square-ish rear projection sets and then redo the whole family room / kitchen / baths it may make more sense to look at newer homes...

The schools are shifting a bit. Once there were a large contingent of families that were themselves techers or principals inside Chicago. The CPS residency requirement undid that force as a factor in maintaining quality local Orland Park schools. Shifting demographics have seen more affluent families seek out other towns and while the performance has not fallen off a cliff neither is it really an area that folks seek out for top notch schools.

Safety is mostly fine. The large regional indoor mall, Orland Square, attracts a fair number of shoplifters as well as similar crimes related to break-ins to cars during holiday shopping and such, but for the most part that sort of things is limited to retail corridors.


In summary, though it probably deserves a look on your "short list" as it is within a 40-50 minute commute radius for UofC, you will likely find more to like in LaGrange, which is admittedly more costly, or find an easier commute and lower cost of entry in Brookfield. Depending on your particular tastes, Riverside is also worth considering. An additional 5-10 minute drive also puts towns like Burr Ridge, Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills in reach, their top notch schools and nice ammenities also come with a high tag but also mean spouses working in the Loop have easy access to the swift BNSF. The once strong attraction that Flossmoor had, due to easy commute via train, is fading as that town is facing true run-away tax increases and subsequent rather precipitous declines in desirability.

Chet,

Having grown up in the Orland area but now living in the western suburbs (Hinsdale), why can't you understand that some people actually want to live in Orland, Tinley or Frankfort and not the west burbs and actually want information about them? These suburbs have a completely different character and vibe than LaGrange and Riverside, they are much newer and almost sunbelt like with a lot of shopping, and have some very nice areas at a fraction of the cost of your suggestions of Hinsdale, Burr Ridge and Clarendon Hills. On the west end of Orland and in Tinley and Frankfort, there are much newer homes than the ones you have described, which makes me wonder how often you go down there or how familiar you are with the area.

Your "circuitous path" to the U of C is ridiculous. From these areas, you simply take 159th street, a timed light street and not that slow, to I-57 which changes into the Dan Ryan and take the U of C exit. Its that simple. The route from expensive Burr Ridge, say, is to take the congested Stevenson to the city, and then head south on Lake Shore Drive, not easier in my opinion. My advice to the poster is see these areas and see what you like. If you have a spouse that works in the loop, the Southwest Service Train is much improved and has very good service. Good luck in your search.

[chet everett]

I am merely being as honest as I can. The fact is I don't dislike Orland Park at all. My car dealer is on 159th St and I don't mind getting down there at all, though I do take the "western approach" that involves a rather pleasant drive down Bell Rd for most of the trip. I have driven into Hyde Park on surface streets and it really is rather tedious. I think most folks would also agree that the relative pleasantness of taking Lakeshore Drive into Hyde Park is superior to the trip along I-57 and the Dan Ryan, on days like this the blue water of Lake Michigan is a very cheery sight, one that almost makes me want to cancel spending money on a trip to the Gulf Coast until I step out of the car and am hit with air that is still far closer to parka weather than swimsuit attire

There is little dispute that there are mostly car-centric subdivisions in Orland Park and while it is further true that such development patterns are more common in some sun belt communities, the trend, even in those areas, is for the more affluent areas to adopt a "neo-traditional model" that does have a walkable town center and other features that have always been part of the appeal for towns along the commuter lines of DuPage and western Cook Co...

I agree that the OP should absolutely explore the whole region and decide what combination of trade-offs best answers the needs of their family. The relative costs of each area are reflective of the aggregate demand for housing and should certainly be part of the consideration. The qualities that may have been present when you grew up in Orland Park have shifted and for anyone to not mention that would be an act of irresponsible "boosterism" instead of honest advice.

[4122]

Orland Park is a nice place to live and I don't see it going downhill like some other nearby suburbs arel However, I do think the commute would not be pleasant. NW Indiana would be a better option. It's closer to U of C (Munster is 30 minutes) and it's more affordable yet there are many nice areas to live in.

[moving_back]

I would also recommend Munster- easy commute, safe quiet community, great schools, significantly lower taxes. We lived there for several years, I worked in the Loop and my husband worked in the South Side, when we were house hunting we considered Orland, Tinley, Flossmoor, etc but ultimately ended up in NWI because we felt we got more bang for our buck. Good luck!

[Daze55]

I would like to third the recommendation of Munster, Indiana. Besides having a better commute, you can also get a lot more bang for your buck in Munster than in Orland Park. For $320,000 in Munster, you can get a fully renovated 2 story built in 1999 with only about $4,400 in taxes. However, in Orland Park for $320,000, you can get a 2,000 square foot Tri-level built in 1988 with about $7,400 in taxes. So, if a bigger better house with a better commute is more important to you, than I would go with Munster. However, Orland Park is also a very nice place to live, and I think you and your family would be happy in either town.

[TGPII]

Orland park is nice but pricey. Good schools, kindergarten throCommunity College. It is known for the mall and golf.

[TGPII]

Due to the mall there are small petty crimes such as shop lifting and car break in.

[TGPII]

Look at Robbins, Phenoix, Harvey lol