Suggestions for where to live (Park Ridge, Batavia: homes, private schools, income)

[Anthera]

Originally Posted by Nysee53

While many homes are priced under that are they very nice houses?

Some are some aren't. You might have a house on a busier street selling at a discount, or a 1940's colonial that need to lose the shag carpet and flocked wallpaper, but still nice IMO.

[thePR]

Originally Posted by Nysee53

In the more desirable inner ring suburbs, like Wilmette, Winnetka, River Forest, Arlington Heights, Park Ridge, Hinsdale, etc. It is hard to find nice homes for less than $900,000. Chicago's inner ring communities have been greatly affected by infill and the teardown phenonmenon. It will only get worse as fuel prices increase. As I have heard from several people moving from LA county to the Chicago area, Chicago seems expensive to them. Chicago and Boston are about equal, I heard on NBC news.

I can tell you that your comment about the cost of a good house costing $900,000 is false. I also know that Arlington Heights is even more affordable than Park Ridge. Try more around $500,000 - $600,000.

[Yossarian1]

We took a look at Brookfield and it appears to be a nice area and the home prices were much lower than other suburbs. This makes us wonder if there is something we're missing about Brookfield.

[itsafloater]

Brookfield...hmmn.. I'd compare brookfield to maybe Warren between 8 and 9 mile roads. Or maybe lower Madison Heights.

If the prices are much lower, there is probably a reason for it.

[chet everett]

The reasons that homes are less expensive in Brookfield are mostly that they are on average smaller and older than towns like LaGrange to the west, where the slightly larger lots and dramatically busier downtown have lead to massive redevelopment and teardowns. Brookfield has had some of that activity, but the downtown is a bit off the beaten path and has not attracted the kind of traffic volume needed by a Walgreens, Caribou Coffee, Trader Joes or Borders Books, all of which are right next door in downtown LaGrange...

I have no friggin' idea what "lower Madison Heights" is or was, but I do know Warren in terms of factory jobs and such there is NO COMPARISION to anything in Illinois, none. Brookfield is home mostly office and similar workers. The high school is shared with Riverside, which is an upper-end community that is all historic town designed by Fredrick Law Olmsted, many historic houses: http://www.olmstedsociety.org/ Even part of Brookfield shares the elementary school district, that would be the Hollywood section, adjacent to Brookfield Zoo.

[Anthera]

Madison Heights is a suburb of Detroit.

[emmi605]

BRookfield is NOTHING like Warren, trust me. It is a nice suburb with fairly good schools and a friendly family environment. It is also home of Brookfield Zoo! Comparable suburb in Detroit area might be St. Clair Shores (without the water). Small houses, middle class, safe, etc...

[RRConductor76]

Originally Posted by IbeDavid

The safest county in ChicagoLand im sure is Lake County ; if you dont mind a longer train commute in exchange for more of a country atmosphere , lower crime , more affordable homes , parks, lakes, forest preserves, somewhat of a less hectic pace...consider Lake County but stay away from the town of North Chicago, Waukegan, and Zion .

Add Fox Lake and the Round Lake area to the list of places to avoid.

[RRConductor76]

Originally Posted by Yossarian1

My family is considering moving to Chicago from Detroit. We were wondering what area of the city or suburb we should start looking at. Our priorities are good schools, a walkable community, safe. Our preference would be a single family home for about $200,000 to 300,000. We prefer older houses (prior to 1950 construction). My work would likely be in the Loop.

Try Geneva or Batavia. Your tastes pretty much describe these towns. You also might want to look at Park Ridge.

In the city, try Edison Park, Norwood Park or Beverly.

[chet everett]

And just so I don't offend anyone in Warren, I have been there on business related trip, obviously in the industrial area. There might be some nicer spots in Warren, but the VAST plants I saw that built specialized GM products and heavy equipment for the Army are just nowhere to be found in Illinois. The few auto plants the state has (like the Ford plant on the SE side, Chrysler plant in Rockford area, and the Diamond Star plant near normal and nothing like the vast complex that Warren has...

You ain't going find anything decent in Beverly, Park Ridge, or Geneva for $300K, even Batavia is stretch for that. Again, if older means "charm" than don't see how Edison Park or Norwood fits..