And the next Napperville Is...... (Chicago, Rockford: condo, house prices, buy)

[chet6635]

New Lenox... THe house prices there are already comprable every major retailer in the country either has a store there or plans on building one. They are building a new hospital right by I-355 and route 6. they are also building a mall that will be the second largest mall in il. being eclipsed only by Woodfield mall. townhomws start in the 200's single family about 280's older homes in the low 200's they also have chicago water and the most beautiful city facilities in the south or west suburbs.

[momonthemove]

We could be relocating to Chicago area. My husband will be working in the city...so we are hoping for train service nearby. We currently reside in central nj just minutes from the beach and he commutes to NYC for work. We are looking for good schools with AP/G & T options and plenty of retail and activities to be close by. Any suggestions for a welcoming community to live in that our children 4th grade to high school will be able to transition into smoothly? Specifically looking for a very spirited and community oriented high school. Thanks!

[chet6635]

new lenox has 2 train stations both on diffrent lines and is a part of the award winning lincoln way school district which is currently expanding from 2 high schools to 4 to keep class sizes down and create a more tight knit community around each school

[thedfly]

Naperville.... check the spelling.

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by momonthemove

We could be relocating to Chicago area. My husband will be working in the city...so we are hoping for train service nearby. We currently reside in central nj just minutes from the beach and he commutes to NYC for work. We are looking for good schools with AP/G & T options and plenty of retail and activities to be close by. Any suggestions for a welcoming community to live in that our children 4th grade to high school will be able to transition into smoothly? Specifically looking for a very spirited and community oriented high school. Thanks!

You dont mention a price, but you did mention beach and easy commute to the city. I would highly recommend any where along the North Shore area, from Evanston to Lake Forest, they all follow the lake. The New Trier school district (around Glencoe I beleive) fits your request for "oriented high school" and the whole area is one of the most desirable places in all of CHicago land and the nicest. If its out of your range, the Stevenson school district would also fit the bill, (Libertyville) If you do a search on this site, you will find tons of info from past posts. Good Luck. And No, I do not buy that New Lenox is the next Naperville- (which is another sought after town, great high school/schools and 'downtown')

[Steve-o]

New Lenox? The next Naperville? Ummm, no. Sorry. Not even close. Ever.

[irish setter girl]

I always find it interesting when someone says "is it like Naperville?" or "what will be the next Naperville", etc... I think everyone has a different opinion of Naperville and I personally have a hard time calling Naperville in its entirity the same. I definately think downtown and the north side are very different to the south end of Naperville. I still have the "old Naperville" ,"new Naperville" mentality. Plus you have two very different school districts to factor in. So I don't know what is the next Naperville because I think Naperville has so many different facets. People who have lived in Naperville for a long time (25+ years) may have a different definition than someone who lives pretty far south and has been transplanted here a few years ago.

Do you agree or disagree? I'm always interested in how people perceive Naperville - those who live there and those who don't. Just food for thought

[nanannie]

Irish, as you metioned, old/new N'ville I remember the 'boonies' days. But N'ville did a great job building up a nice 'downtown' and really made the river a part of town. The schools have a great rep (most of them) and much business growth has blossomed. Alot of people love the 'walk to town/train/schools/park part of a town. On the other hand, it has its boring mini mansions/sub divisions and endless strip malls to boot and lets not forget the traffic that tags along with all that growth. Its a nice town, but there are alot of nice towns here. Its not the end all to me and I do not understand the mentality that thinks its the cream of the crop with affluence or desirablitiy. I have friends in the town who have had the same house for 30 yrs and though walkable to town etc, it certainly is considered a modest home.

[BUalumni]

1. That really depends on what you consider Naperville. Like almost every big city, the downtown does not fully represent the entire city. I think people misunderstand how large Naperville is in both land size, and population. I would venture to say that if someone had a significant amount of time on their hands, it could be possible to locate a small metro area for it even. Naperville has surpassed Springfield, Peoria, and Rockford in population, and if it wasn't landlocked, I think it would have easily become the second largest in Illinois. Maybe it already is? The downtown/riverwalk area is VERY nice, and the new urbanist like setting that is a reflection of the area is excellent. The urban planners really did a terrific job with creating a quaint European like feel. If this is what you hope New Lenox grows into then more power to you. If you could create a city of even 75K with nothing more than modern new urbanist features then I would even consider moving back up there. That would trully be a terrific city. But the price you pay to live in these areas has went through the roof within the last decade. The last time I was in the downtown area Naperville I saw a two bedroom condo for almost 650K! I don't care how convienent or nice this area may be, there is no way that I would trade a 650K house for a closet of the same price. What you don't want New Lenox to turn into is the other, and much bigger side of Naperville that is nothing but strip malls and sprawl. This is why I have such a hard time understanding Naperville. You would expect a city of its size and caliber to have some really interesting stuff. There is nothing in it that would give Naperville away as being a big city, but yet, there it sits. A quaint downtown and little riverwalk can only be pulled off as attractions for so long. We have friends that live in Naperville, and are bored to tears most of the time. They are selling there house and are hoping to move back to the east side of Aurora. I think the urban planners put so much effort into creating the downtown area that they let the builders run the show in the rest of the city with no thought as to how it would all end up in the end. The way you are describing the growth in New Lenox, sounds much like the growth that brought about modern day Shaumburg. While Shaumburg isn't my favorite city in the world, it feels more like its size which is somthing I appreciate.

[BRU67]

You could form one and then call it Napperville, as the name isn't taken. We could add it to our Suburb List!