Itasca (Chicago, Elgin, Schaumburg: for sale, hotel, rental)

[vipi]

How is Itasca? The schools(especially elementary and middle) looks good in ratings and test scores. There are some nice townhomes. The high school goes to Roselle Lake Park. Any opinions about Itasca and Roselle high school?

[emmi605]

Nice smaller suburb, good schools, great park district and safe community. A few years back you couldn't find a home for sale they would sell so quickly. Lake Park has a good reputation also.

[tcs1366]

vipi ... I've been here since the late 60's

I've gone thru Dist 10 and Lake Park's 108. Both highly rated.

Lake Park merely is located in Roselle, and East Campus is actually in Medinah ... but it's not only Roselle schools. Many different towns/villages attend. [Itasca, Medinah, Roselle, Bloomingdale, Keeneyville, Hanover Park, and a tiny bit of Wood Dale]

As you mentioned, there are a lot of town homes on the market too, a long with single family homes. Some town homes, on Millers Crossing [WildSpring] -- they do not have basements. The ones on Willow do. [i think that's Willow Court, or something like that] they are newer and a bit more expensive than WildSpring. There are others on Theodore ... I think the names of those are Hamilton Village, but i could be wrong ... those went up first around the late 80's.

Then there are more townhomes closer to the downtown area .... but VERY close to the train tracks [noise factor] they are the largest of all the town homes.
THere are others on Bay drive... i always forget about them because they are farther north... on the other side of the hotel complex.

now more on the schools. About 12 yrs ago, Itasca -- and most the other local school districts went to grade level centers. Basically, Benson school is Pre-K thru 2nd. Franzen is 3-5 and Peacock Middle is 6-8. [before that Benson and Franzen were both K-5 and if you lived near the school, you went to the school.]

So, at some time, you children will be bussed to school, depending on where you live.

any other questions... feel free to ask me. I know this town pretty well. It's a great small community and a great place to raise a family.

[chet everett]

I think the other thread has more detailed information about schools in the Daily Herald primary circulation area --interesting picture compared to some other towns.

The pattern of development in Itasca and surrounding areas in a bit unique , not quite rural, but lacking in the traditional grids/sidewalks of some towns like Glen Ellyn. Somewhat higher percentage of rentals to single family owner occupied too. Location is pretty good compromise for commuters who may have to head to Schaumburg or further north as well as more central/south west areas of DuPage. Train service to Chicago too.

Worth checking out, especially as the affordability is better than many other towns that are known for more academic success.

[tcs1366]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The pattern of development in Itasca and surrounding areas in a bit unique , not quite rural, but lacking in the traditional grids/sidewalks of some towns like Glen Ellyn.

chet_everett ... could you possibly explain what you mean by 'lacking in the traditional grids/sidewalks' ....

[chet everett]

I should have typed more slowly -- I was thinking "it has more than the traditional downtown with a uniformly walkable grid of sidewalks leading toward/away from a central downtown, and one or two big roads that cut east-to-west (like the towns to the south or north of Itasca) Itasca is a hybrid that is more rural in portions and has more option for driving both east-west and north south" -- I did not mean it to say one is better than the other, but re-reading I can see the confusion.

I like Itasca. Less congested than the towns north or south of it. Worth checking out.

[tcs1366]

OK ... thanks for clearing that up... i was like "what?? we have sidewalks. " and granted, we are not big like Glen Ellyn .... but our size is what makes it such a great community.

[Humboldt1]

Itasca is a great community. When you walk along Walnut Street near Kean's Bakery (best donuts ever in my opinion, even better than Deerfield's) you have the lamplights lining single family streets. It is a great place to raise a family.

I have a townhouse that I now rent out in Itasca near Thorndale. I lived there 2003-2006 and the location cannot be beat for someone who works in the suburbs. You have I-90, I-290, I-355, and Elgin-Ohare Expressway all within about 5-10 mins. The downtown is very picturesque.

Just last night I had a friend in town from California and she and I went for a nice walk by the Starbucks and the Park with the big gazebo looking out on the First Bapist Church of Itasca. It is like picture-card perfect, though to be fair you can occasionally hear the planes overhead, but not to loud.

I now live in the city but have thought about buying a single family house in Itasca and raising a family there. It is a small town surrounded by urban sprawl, particularly the downtown area. I consider Itasca a smaller version of Elmhurst, good schools and good people.

It is very unique in that it retains its small town charm, with areas almost like a time warp. The northern part of Itasca is certainly modern with the Gallagher Commercial Park. The Buena Beef there is really cool too, a much higher-end version of the Buena Beefs we see elsewhere, very classy.

Also, Cucina CaSalle is good Italian food.

If you are looking to raise a family, Itasca is an excellent place for this.

[sbd78]

Agreed, I think Itasca is a cute, charming little town. My parents are both from the area, gradparents still live in the area, so I spent a lot of time around there growing up. Humboldt, I think I know the exact church you are talking about, the one with the tall steeple, right?

[Drover]

For what it's worth, the part of Itasca I lived in didn't have sidewalks. Satellite photos indicate they've since come 'round and put them in. I was also across the street from a horse farm, so that goes to show you how long it's been since I lived there.

There's just not a whole lot to Itasca... just a suburb full of ranches and split-levels and four-squares and not much of a central focus or downtown area to speak of. One of those places that' part of a bigger fabric more than a place of its own. Schools are good and Lake Park is fine.