Addison, Villa Park, and Lombard

[MillennialUrbanist]

Originally Posted by chet everett

... most of the "less desirable" businesses are probably NOT in Addison. The various tattoo, massage, "smoking accessory" spots are probably only in little slivers that are just under the jurisdiction of DuPage Co. The relative safety / lawfulness of these businesses is enforced by the DuPage Co Sheriff's Police Deputies and county level code enforcement, which is actually known for being mostly on the up & up...

A lot of such businesses in the area have Addison's postal address. I found out when I drove past them, had a "WTF?" reaction, and googled the name on the storefront. The address indeed came up as "Addison". But I'm aware that unincorporated areas use the postal address of an adjacent suburb; the building numbering system may be different, though.

Oh, and I'm sure some of the cars in the their parking lots are undercover cop cars. So regardless of your moral views of such businesses, I wouldn't come within 100 feet of them if I were you.

[Masil784]

I work in Lombard right at the border with Villa Park. I think both are nice areas, though Lombard is definitely the more upscale of the two. Stay north of Roosevelt in Villa Park and, like I just said in another thread, stay away from the Brandywine Townhomes. I have heard bad things about Addison but I admit I don't have any personal experience with that town.

OP, are you considering anywhere else?

[ChicagoSully]

OP, are you considering anywhere else?[/quote]

We like that general area, but are somewhat open. My husband really hates airplane noise, so want to steer clear of anything too close to the airport. He works in Forest Park, I work in Schaumburg so something between is ideal. Need to have a train to downtown Chicago, as we both may be working there are some point.

[ChicagoSully]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

You might want to add Wood Dale to your list to look in, there are some nice home there and a lot of trees. Another "cheaper" suburb option is Westmont. I like the location of Westmont very much.

Thank you! North side of Westmont is an option. Most of Wood Dale is just too close to the airport for us.

[LookingForEden]

I grew up in Chicago (northside) and moved to the suburbs 12 years ago. We lived in Lombard for 7 and now have lived in VP for 5 years.

It's really hard to say which suburb is right for you personally, but I'll tell you what I've experienced. Lombard unquestionably has a nicer downtown-- VP is slowly making progress, but our lovely art center just lost its storefront. I don't think the village is nearly as supportive of new businesses as it could be, very unfortunately. However, our library is getting redone, and as someone mentioned, the new brewery is doing really well. There's also a fantastic barber shop that's just opened. The Jewel sucks though-- the Lombard one is much nicer.

That being said, I prefer VP over Lombard any day. There are ugly parts of VP, but there are so many ugly homes and streets in Lombard, too. My street in VP is so pretty-- charming vintage homes and old trees. Your budget will get you a pretty street in VP but I can't necessarily say the same in Lombard.

I like being closer to Chicago, even though it's just 10 minutes. And while I said the Jewel sucks, we are near Pete's which has fabulous produce and international foods. (Lombard just got a Mariano's, but it's typically very crowded.) We are also near Costco and have 2 Aldi's which just got remodeled. While the downtown isn't great, we are close to both Elmhurst (I like its downtown over Glen Ellyn's, which is closer to Lombard) as well as all the shopping in Oak Brook.

Drive/walk around the suburbs you are considering and go with the one that personally gives you the right feeling! Then you'll know you are home.

[doodlemagic]

Originally Posted by LookingForEden

I grew up in Chicago (northside) and moved to the suburbs 12 years ago. We lived in Lombard for 7 and now have lived in VP for 5 years.

It's really hard to say which suburb is right for you personally, but I'll tell you what I've experienced. Lombard unquestionably has a nicer downtown-- VP is slowly making progress, but our lovely art center just lost its storefront. I don't think the village is nearly as supportive of new businesses as it could be, very unfortunately. However, our library is getting redone, and as someone mentioned, the new brewery is doing really well. There's also a fantastic barber shop that's just opened. The Jewel sucks though-- the Lombard one is much nicer.

That being said, I prefer VP over Lombard any day. There are ugly parts of VP, but there are so many ugly homes and streets in Lombard, too. My street in VP is so pretty-- charming vintage homes and old trees. Your budget will get you a pretty street in VP but I can't necessarily say the same in Lombard.

I like being closer to Chicago, even though it's just 10 minutes. And while I said the Jewel sucks, we are near Pete's which has fabulous produce and international foods. (Lombard just got a Mariano's, but it's typically very crowded.) We are also near Costco and have 2 Aldi's which just got remodeled. While the downtown isn't great, we are close to both Elmhurst (I like its downtown over Glen Ellyn's, which is closer to Lombard) as well as all the shopping in Oak Brook.

Drive/walk around the suburbs you are considering and go with the one that personally gives you the right feeling! Then you'll know you are home.

Hey there, I think I prefer VP to Lombard myself as well even though I can definatley understand why many would prefer lombard to VP. YOu didn't really mention why aside from being closer to Chicago so was just curious from your perspective why. I do think VP has more interesting homes and older homes, the proximity to Chicago is awesome, I'm also a huge fan of Pete's although I will say I feel like their produce which had been probably one of the bst in the burbs has been kind of going downhill lately. Been meaning to checkout the new brewry but they are always packed.

[MtMtnMan]

I would take VP; it's really nice south of the Prairie Path to the high school, west of Ardmore to the Lombard line. Really nice houses in this area. Good luck!

MMM

[Gepid]

I live in Lombard, wide variety of restaurants here fairly diverse. It's a safe area as well, but not immune to crime. One bit of advice is basements, flooding is an issue in both towns(Lombard and Villa Park) as they used to utilize ground wells, but since early 90's their water supply has come from lake michigan making the water tables higher than they were when many of the homes were built in the 50's/60's, this means seepage in basements. Make sure the home you buy has drain tile installed and a sump pump, even if it's a half basement.

[Hkhan21]

Lombard is a really diverse community with cheap options