LaGrange vs Wilmette

[SloopyJ]

I'd have to agree, with that location it sounds like you made a great choice. LaGrange is exploding in desirability, and you're right that LT is no sacrifice over NT. Make sure you celebrate your first night in town at Palmer Place - best and most extensive beer list in the 'burbs!

[rongoe]

It's nice to read confirmations that all the time and effort I spent on this house search has paid off. Chicago is a big market to buy into with no prior knowledge. I know it's a bit risky to buy immediately, but renting first so that we could learn about chicagoland was vehemently opposed by my wife. Moving once is bad enough.

[chet everett]

I think that LaGrange is the correct choice for you given the matrix of proximity to work/affordability/quality of housing/feasibility of renovation/timeliness of available inventory and other factors.

I think that there ought to be no question that there ARE differences in the size, focus and prominence of LT. It is a good school, but you are giving up some things that would be part of a New Trier experience. Ultimately, as you said/alluded to, you personally did not attend a HS with anywhere the resources of either and you are successful enough to be working for one THE premier private research universities on the PLANET at UofC so it is good to keep some perspective!

[rongoe]

I'm sure some people will disagree with my choice of LaGrange --- given the chance for a quarter-acre in E. Wilmette, with 4 kids attending New Trier, you take it. When it looked like negotations were going to stall on the LaGrange house, that was my way of rationalizing the Wilmette house. Now that we've committed to LaGrange I've got ways to rationalize LaGrange.

Life is beautiful when you can rationalize all ...

[Nysee53]

I am sorry you chose LaGrange. It is a great community, but you should never deny an opportunity to live in New Trier Township, it is so difficult for many to get into this area now. New Trier means a lot to me. I would go outside and live in a tent for my children to attend New Trier. Wilmette and the rest of New Trier is a wonderful magical place to live, but I wish you luck in LaGrange.

[rongoe]

Nysee53: if it weren't for the commute to Hyde Park, I would have accepted the smaller house that needs work in order to live in E. Wilmette. The commute scared me, literally. Commuting to downtown -- no problem. Commuting to Hyde Park -- different ballgame.

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by Nysee53

I am sorry you chose LaGrange. It is a great community, but you should never deny an opportunity to live in New Trier Township, it is so difficult for many to get into this area now. New Trier means a lot to me. I would go outside and live in a tent for my children to attend New Trier. Wilmette and the rest of New Trier is a wonderful magical place to live, but I wish you luck in LaGrange.

I hope your post is a joke. To say you'd rather live in a tent than live in a suburb that didn't associate itself with NTHS is sad, especially considering the other great school systems that one can attend in a number of Chicago suburbs. I'm curious as to whether you have you ever experienced anywhere else?

I have a couple of friends who teach at NTHS, and they live outside the district (though they could easily afford to live in the NT district). They in no way feel like their children are missing out on a great education by not going to NTHS. It's a great school, to be sure, but there are others out there, as well as other "magical" places to live.

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by Nysee53

I am sorry you chose LaGrange. It is a great community, but you should never deny an opportunity to live in New Trier Township, it is so difficult for many to get into this area now. New Trier means a lot to me. I would go outside and live in a tent for my children to attend New Trier. Wilmette and the rest of New Trier is a wonderful magical place to live, but I wish you luck in LaGrange.

LaGrange is a very nice community. You do a great disservice to nice people asking for informative advice with silly statements like that. So, New Trier means alot to you. It certainly doesnt to the thousands who choose to live elsewhere.

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by Paige65

I hope your post is a joke. To say you'd rather live in a tent than live in a suburb that didn't associate itself with NTHS is sad, especially considering the other great school systems that one can attend in a number of Chicago suburbs. I'm curious as to whether you have you ever experienced anywhere else

I dont think its a joke, but more of the same pot stirring this poster has become known for.

[Nysee53]

I would live in a tent so that my children could go to New Trier. I have been to LaGrange and it is a very nice town, my opinion is that you can do no better than New Trier. All my children have done excellent in school there. New Trier makes them want to work and they were always happy to get up in the morning to go to school. My youngest is in a freshman summer school course and he loves it, you can do no better. My husband works 1 day a week in the southern suburbs and his commute is about 50 minutes each way. He takes Sheridan Road from Glencoe to Lake Shore Drive and then takes it by McCormick Place and down the Dan Ryan. I used to go to Hyde Park frequently when I worked on a project with the University of Chicago Hospitals. It only took me 45 minutes from Glencoe down Lake Shore Drive. Many people in the surrounding communities are in awe of New Trier, every other high school strives to be New Trier. Hinsdale Central has tried to model itself after NT. The commute would be no shorter from LaGrange, I hope you change your mind, Wilmette is the best you can do between the two.