La Grange, Western Springs or Hinsdale? (Chicago, Oak Park: lawyers, houses, neighborhoods)

[Tanktok657]

Our family is looking to move out to the western burbs from Chicago. Our top three choices are La Grange, WS, and Hinsdale. We have two small kids, so schools are important to us. We also have always lived in a major city so would like a nice downtown, a welcoming community (I am biracial), and a place skewing towards liberal, if not moderate in political beliefs. We are struggling to decide between the three. Has anyone looked at those three towns or live there can give some insight on those topics? It would be much appreciated, TIA!

[Chicagoisthebest]

Tanktok657, La grange because la grange is the closest to Chicago out of the three. Western springs is nice to. I would also consider moving to riverside the high school is riverside Brookfield high school which is highly rated and diverse. Riverside also has historical houses and has a metra station, highly rated schools and in between Eisenhower and the Stevenson.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by Tanktok657

Our family is looking to move out to the western burbs from Chicago. Our top three choices are La Grange, WS, and Hinsdale. We have two small kids, so schools are important to us. We also have always lived in a major city so would like a nice downtown, a welcoming community (I am biracial), and a place skewing towards liberal, if not moderate in political beliefs. We are struggling to decide between the three. Has anyone looked at those three towns or live there can give some insight on those topics? It would be much appreciated, TIA!

Out of the three, I think La Grange is probably the best option given the vibrant downtown and left-leaning politics. Western Springs shares high schools with La Grange. However, Western Springs has a different and more homogeneously upscale vibe when compared to La Grange. I think Hinsdale should probably be a non-starter if politics are important enough to be mentioned in your criteria. While not a hotbed of right-wing extremism, it is well-known for being decidedly more politically conservative than neighboring communities and comparable North Shore communities. Have you considered Oak Park or River Forest as options?

[Tanktok657]

Thanks, Chicago. Will definitely check out Riverside too!

Hiruko, thank you for the insight. We had read that although Hinsdale had been mainly conservative, it had recently flipped Democrat so was hoping it was in the moderate range now, but perhaps not yet. We did look at OP and RF, but we’re not finding the homes in the areas we wanted. I know inventory is limited everywhere so maybe that will change.

[Tanktok657]

Also the taxes in OP/RF are much higher which limits our budget/neighborhoods unfortunately.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by Tanktok657

Thanks, Chicago. Will definitely check out Riverside too!

Hiruko, thank you for the insight. We had read that although Hinsdale had been mainly conservative, it had recently flipped Democrat so was hoping it was in the moderate range now, but perhaps not yet. We did look at OP and RF, but we’re not finding the homes in the areas we wanted. I know inventory is limited everywhere so maybe that will change.

You can look at the highly localized data that is available from the NYT or a local publication. In both 2020 and 2016, Donald Trump carried multiple precincts in Hinsdale. I haven't crunched the numbers, but I think he actually narrowly carried it in 2016.

Politics aren't a major concern for me as to where I live. However, if you would prefer to live in a very politically-engaged overtly-progressive environment, Hinsdale is not going to make you as happy as Oak Park would in that department. It certainly isn't going to come close to the racial diversity value aspect that so many people look for on this forum.

[Justabystander]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Out of the three, I think La Grange is probably the best option given the vibrant downtown and left-leaning politics. Western Springs shares high schools with La Grange. However, Western Springs has a different and more homogeneously upscale vibe when compared to La Grange. I think Hinsdale should probably be a non-starter if politics are important enough to be mentioned in your criteria. While not a hotbed of right-wing extremism, it is well-known for being decidedly more politically conservative than neighboring communities and comparable North Shore communities. Have you considered Oak Park or River Forest as options?

Since you are someone who lives on the North Shore and therefore probably doesn't really understand the political leanings of a town in the W Suburbs on the ground level, I will give my 2 cents. I have lived in both Western Springs and Hinsdale, and WS was far more conservative in my opinion than Hinsdale as it is very Irish Catholic. I am a moderate Democrat who now lives in Hinsdale, and my neighbors are as liberal as they come. I am not saying that LaGrange is not more liberal than both of them, which it is, but your stereotype of what is politically is way off. There were Biden signs everywhere in Hinsdale during the election, and he won the town.

I think the main difference is housing price- the difference between LaGrange and Hinsdale these days is substantial for a median priced house. There are outliers, but the rule in Hinsdale is that you aren't going to get alot under $850k. That is not true for WS or La Grange. The median price of a house in Hinsdale as $1.245 M, it is $749 k in WS. It in the 500s in LaGrange.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by Justabystander

Since you are someone who lives on the North Shore and therefore probably doesn't really understand the political leanings of a town in the W Suburbs on the ground level, I will give my 2 cents. I have lived in both Western Springs and Hinsdale, and WS was far more conservative in my opinion than Hinsdale as it is very Irish Catholic. I am a moderate Democrat who now lives in Hinsdale, and my neighbors are as liberal as they come. I am not saying that LaGrange is not more liberal than both of them, which it is, but your stereotype of what is politically is way off. There were Biden signs everywhere in Hinsdale during the election, and he won the town.

I think the main difference is housing price- the difference between LaGrange and Hinsdale these days is substantial for a median priced house. There are outliers, but the rule in Hinsdale is that you aren't going to get alot under $850k. That is not true for WS or La Grange. Has the median price of a house in Hinsdale as $1.245 M, it is $749 k in WS. It in the 500s in LaGrange.

This is public information. I wouldn't have to ever step foot in Hinsdale to know who won an election. Every precinct in La Grange and Western Springs favored Biden. By contrast, 5 out of 14 precincts in Hinsdale went for Trump in 2020. This was fewer than he won in 2016. 4 of 5 of those Trump precincts were in Southeast Hinsdale. The other one was north of the tracks. Hinsdale has a lot of precincts for a community its size because it straddles two counties. Like in other Chicago suburbs, Trump's performance deteriorated there from 4 years prior.

By my calculation, Biden did win the village. But, Hinsdale is nowhere near as Democratic as its neighbors to the east, and certainly not as politically progressive as OP/RF or most of the North Shore. It's cute that you think that yard signs and stereotypes about religion are a reliable barometer of political performance and attitudes. I certainly saw quite a few Ives signs in Hinsdale too last year. It also strikes me as a bit bizarre that you apparently have detailed political conversations with your neighbors to know that they are "as liberal as they come"? Strange.

[Justabystander]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

This is public information. I wouldn't have to ever step foot in Hinsdale to know who won an election. Every precinct in La Grange and Western Springs favored Biden. By contrast, 5 out of 14 precincts in Hinsdale went for Trump in 2020. This was fewer than he won in 2016. 4 of 5 of those Trump precincts were in Southeast Hinsdale. The other one was north of the tracks. Hinsdale has a lot of precincts for a community its size because it straddles two counties. Like in other Chicago suburbs, Trump's performance deteriorated there from 4 years prior.

By my calculation, Biden did win the village. But, Hinsdale is nowhere near as Democratic as its neighbors to the east, and certainly not as politically progressive as OP/RF or most of the North Shore. It's cute that you think that yard signs and stereotypes about religion are a reliable barometer of political performance and attitudes. I certainly saw quite a few Ives signs in Hinsdale too last year. It also strikes me as a bit bizarre that you apparently have detailed political conversations with your neighbors to know that they are "as liberal as they come"? Strange.

Why is it bizarre? We are all lawyers who definitely find common ground in politics. 5 out of 14 went for Trump, 4 of those in the richest part of town and Hinsdale is ultra conservative? You need to quit while you are behind. By your calculation Biden won the village? No kidding!

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by Justabystander

Why is it bizarre? We are all lawyers who definitely find common ground in politics. 5 out of 14 went for Trump, 4 of those in the richest part of town and Hinsdale is ultra conservative? You need to quit while you are behind. By your calculation Biden won the village? No kidding!

No one here called Hinsdale ultraconservative. It is not. However, it is not a progressive bastion, and the OP mentioned progressive politics as an attractive criterion. No one ever moved to Hinsdale looking for a politically progressive atmosphere.

By the way, colleagues discussing politics is very different from 'all of your neighbors.'