Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My wife and I both grew up in Hoffman Estates/Schaumburg and lived there for 30 years. We moved to California for 10 years for our jobs, but now plan on moving back to be near family. California has been great, but it's lacking the midwest community that we grew up with, so we're ready to move back and buy a place.
Here's a little about us:
- We're both 39 years old
- have a 2 year old and a newborn.
- Both work remotely
- Both have family in Hoffman Estates
What we're looking for in a house/neighborhood
- Budget: $500-$680k
- 2,400 - 3,000 sqft
- Great schools
- Great family community! We want our kids involved in sports and to have lots of local friends, a neighborhood where we know a lot of people and have other parent friends
- A city with some type of downtown with a few restaurants/cafes/bar etc.
- Downtown being walkable from the house would be wonderful (half mile walk?) but this is just a bonus
Barrington really appeals to us because growing up in Hoffman Estates we knew Barrington as being the nice area. Hoffman/Schaumburg have only chain restaurants, no real downtown area, etc.
Just a few questions:
1) Does Barrington sound like a good option for us?
2) What are pros/cons of living in Barrington?
3) What other cities would you recommend based on the above? I hear Naperville fits the bill above, but it's a bit far from our parents (45 min drive?) which is a big part of why we're moving back to the midwest tundra.
Any other info/comments you can provide would be great!
I'm in your age range (early 40's) and have a friend around the same age who lives in Barrington. I live in the city and have only visited Barrington on a few occasions, so I can't offer specifics, but my general perceptions are:
Very beautiful and picturesque suburb with nice homes, and charming downtown with a nice collection of shops, restaurants, and breweries.
Very good schools and safe.
Metra access to downtown.
Again, not being super familiar with the details; on the surface it seems like the perfect city for young adults with children. Easy enough city access when you want it. Safety, good schools, good homes, nature, and more laid back lifestyle (local restaurants, shops, bars, etc.) that appeal to people as you get slightly older (later 30's/early 40's).
I'm basically in a similar situation to you except with a 3 yo and 5 yo and currently live in Naperville.
Walking distance to downtown Naperville can be pretty expensive or an older home in the historic district, which to my understanding can have some restrictions on what you can physically do to your home.
The downtown is pretty robust and even at a young age we've found good use of the park district services for our kids.
That said, if you tend to go to HE and Schaumburg often it is a bit of a drive. We find it difficult to get friends that are closer to the city to come visit us.
Have you considered Arlington Heights? It has a pretty nice downtown and is maybe 20ish minutes to Schaumburg. Not sure on home prices close to their downtown, though.
My wife and I both grew up in Hoffman Estates/Schaumburg and lived there for 30 years. We moved to California for 10 years for our jobs, but now plan on moving back to be near family. California has been great, but it's lacking the midwest community that we grew up with, so we're ready to move back and buy a place.
Here's a little about us:
- We're both 39 years old
- have a 2 year old and a newborn.
- Both work remotely
- Both have family in Hoffman Estates
What we're looking for in a house/neighborhood
- Budget: $500-$680k
- 2,400 - 3,000 sqft
- Great schools
- Great family community! We want our kids involved in sports and to have lots of local friends, a neighborhood where we know a lot of people and have other parent friends
- A city with some type of downtown with a few restaurants/cafes/bar etc.
- Downtown being walkable from the house would be wonderful (half mile walk?) but this is just a bonus
Barrington really appeals to us because growing up in Hoffman Estates we knew Barrington as being the nice area. Hoffman/Schaumburg have only chain restaurants, no real downtown area, etc.
Just a few questions:
1) Does Barrington sound like a good option for us?
2) What are pros/cons of living in Barrington?
3) What other cities would you recommend based on the above? I hear Naperville fits the bill above, but it's a bit far from our parents (45 min drive?) which is a big part of why we're moving back to the midwest tundra.
Any other info/comments you can provide would be great!
There are many other nice areas in the northwest suburbs in addition to the Village of Barrington and the Barrington Area. The Barrington Area is very unique because it is the least densely populated enclave in Cook and Lake counties. Outside of the Village and South Barrington, there are still many equestrian properties, especially in Barrington Hills. The area is very bucolic and immediately outside of the Village of Barrington, you can feel like you are in the countryside.
At your price point, there are a healthy amount of options on the market within the Village. Home values in the area recovered substantially during the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, it was a pretty depressed market. It was generally considered unfashionable given the distance from the city. Like elsewhere, it has cooled off, but homes are still selling for significantly more than they were in 2018 and 2019. Prices back then look like an astounding bargain. I assume you have factored in annual taxes, which can be a multiple of what similarly priced homes in California come with.
The public schools are highly reputable, but the semi-rural nature of the district boundaries and spread out student population (nearing 9k students over 72 square miles) can diminish the community feel that you might be expecting. The district has rapidly diversified and some area schools are predominately minority. The overall district is now 60% non-Hispanic white, and this is a dramatic change that the district is grappling with in a short period of time.
Downtown Barrington is walkable, but it is very small and business hours are short. There are many other significantly more vibrant downtowns nearby. I would not describe it as a destination of any sort for anyone besides people from the immediately adjacent area headed to the grocery store or a breakfast joint.
I think Barrington could be a good option for you to consider, but I'm not sure it is objectively "nicer" than Hoffman Estates or Schaumburg. I think most people will recognize it as more aesthetically pleasing, but "nicer" is highly debatable because there are so many factors related to one's personal situation.
I think the biggest cons of living in the Barrington Area for you are going to be less walkability than you anticipate, less community due to the spread-out nature of the area, congestion on country roads, and more difficult access to the City of Chicago.
I think that Arlington Heights and to a certain extent Palatine, Mt. Prospect, Elmhurst, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, and, yes, Naperville, might be closer to what you are looking for.
Agree. There are a number of suburbs that fit the bill. Arlington Heights is always a good suggestion. Downer’s Grove is also a great suburb to consider for young adult families.
Check out Park Ridge. If you're okay with a little bit of an older home, I think PR could be perfect. The downtown is easily walkable from many homes, close access to public transit, great family oriented community with TONS of kids, and great schools.
I live in PR and love it. My wife grew up here. All of her friends are moving back to start their families here. It's known for being a tight knit, small community, close to the city.
Check out Park Ridge. If you're okay with a little bit of an older home, I think PR could be perfect. The downtown is easily walkable from many homes, close access to public transit, great family oriented community with TONS of kids, and great schools.
I live in PR and love it. My wife grew up here. All of her friends are moving back to start their families here. It's known for being a tight knit, small community, close to the city.
Yep, Park Ridge is really nice and has a great location.
If you look at some of the subdivisions, there is a good amount of modern housing as well. Unfortunately though, it doesn't look like much of the modern homes are available for sale. This is an older article, but most of the modern housing in PR seems to have already been claimed and not available.
In doing a quick search on the common homes websites, it looks like outside of a few very expensive new construction homes (which look to be above the OP's price range), you are correct that most of the housing stock is on the older side. Although you can always modernize and renovate the inside of a home to make it modern.
Yep, Park Ridge is really nice and has a great location.
If you look at some of the subdivisions, there is a good amount of modern housing as well. Unfortunately though, it doesn't look like much of the modern homes are available for sale. This is an older article, but most of the modern housing in PR seems to have already been claimed and not available.
In doing a quick search on the common homes websites, it looks like outside of a few very expensive new construction homes (which look to be above the OP's price range), you are correct that most of the housing stock is on the older side. Although you can always modernize and renovate the inside of a home to make it modern.
That's the only problem with Park Ridge, you can't afford new with that budget. The lots are also fairly small, not at all as large as the average Barrington lot.
There are many other nice areas in the northwest suburbs in addition to the Village of Barrington and the Barrington Area. The Barrington Area is very unique because it is the least densely populated enclave in Cook and Lake counties. Outside of the Village and South Barrington, there are still many equestrian properties, especially in Barrington Hills. The area is very bucolic and immediately outside of the Village of Barrington, you can feel like you are in the countryside.
At your price point, there are a healthy amount of options on the market within the Village. Home values in the area recovered substantially during the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, it was a pretty depressed market. It was generally considered unfashionable given the distance from the city. Like elsewhere, it has cooled off, but homes are still selling for significantly more than they were in 2018 and 2019. Prices back then look like an astounding bargain. I assume you have factored in annual taxes, which can be a multiple of what similarly priced homes in California come with.
The public schools are highly reputable, but the semi-rural nature of the district boundaries and spread out student population (nearing 9k students over 72 square miles) can diminish the community feel that you might be expecting. The district has rapidly diversified and some area schools are predominately minority. The overall district is now 60% non-Hispanic white, and this is a dramatic change that the district is grappling with in a short period of time.
Downtown Barrington is walkable, but it is very small and business hours are short. There are many other significantly more vibrant downtowns nearby. I would not describe it as a destination of any sort for anyone besides people from the immediately adjacent area headed to the grocery store or a breakfast joint.
I think Barrington could be a good option for you to consider, but I'm not sure it is objectively "nicer" than Hoffman Estates or Schaumburg. I think most people will recognize it as more aesthetically pleasing, but "nicer" is highly debatable because there are so many factors related to one's personal situation.
I think the biggest cons of living in the Barrington Area for you are going to be less walkability than you anticipate, less community due to the spread-out nature of the area, congestion on country roads, and more difficult access to the City of Chicago.
I think that Arlington Heights and to a certain extent Palatine, Mt. Prospect, Elmhurst, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, and, yes, Naperville, might be closer to what you are looking for.
Thanks for the detailed response! I really appreciate it since it seems like you're very familiar with the area. You mention that the overall district is now 60% white and this is a dramatic change. What was this previously? From growing up in HE I remember Barrington being predominantly white, but so was schaumburg, HE, and other surrounding areas and I'm not sure of the percentage. We're talking about 20 years ago though, so I know things change.
Thanks for the detailed response! I really appreciate it since it seems like you're very familiar with the area. You mention that the overall district is now 60% white and this is a dramatic change. What was this previously? From growing up in HE I remember Barrington being predominantly white, but so was schaumburg, HE, and other surrounding areas and I'm not sure of the percentage. We're talking about 20 years ago though, so I know things change.
Schaumburg 54, J B Conant, Township Hsd 211, etc. are all majority minority at this point. The Asian and Hispanic population growth has been explosive in the northwest suburbs.
A year or two ago, I read an article (Tribune, I believe) that said that Evanston/Skokie District 65 is the only district in the Chicagoland area where the percentage of white students has increased over the last decade, and it is also a predominately minority district too.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
