The lowdown on Lake County...

[CoachTom]

The suburbs along the lake from Lake Bluff to Wilmette offer the highest priced real estate and some of the best schools in the country. This is CEO and senior partner territory.

If you look at the same area but immediately west you'll find a little more affordable housing and very comparable schools. These towns include Libertyville, Deerfield, Glenview, Northbrook and Lincolnshire. Senior managers and professionals are abundant.

Just west of this ring is Gurnee, Grayslake and Mundelien. You'll find a lot of mid management types from All-State, Abbot and Motorola living here. Decent schools. You'll have about a 30 minute commute to LF.

The next geographic areas are Lake Villa, Lindenhurst and Antioch, comparable to the last aforementioned, but obviously a longer trek to LF. Much more affordable housing and very decent schools.

I would avoid Round Lake, North Chicago, Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor and Zion. Higher crime rates and lots of gang activities. Very poor schools.

[TKramar]

Originally Posted by Spartanacus

Thanks Steve-O. Are you aware of any more highly traveled message boards...perhaps tied to a Chicago area paper? I know our Indystar.com is a great resource and has a lot of traffic and great info.

Waukegan News Sun was the paper I delivered as a kid, and I lived in Round Lake Park, right on the corner of Clifton and Willow.

[middle-aged mom]

Pay close attention to property taxes because they will untimately determine how much house you can buy, or not.

Get your arms around the monthly nut and then compare it to where you live, now. Home prices only tell a part of the story.