libertyville? barrington area? (Chicago, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg: crime, homes, neighborhood)

[japaul777]

Hmmm...

Do you want to tell your friends and family you live in Libertyville or Barrington? I don't know about you but the name Libertyville just seems a little fruity....(as fruity as Libertyville being compared to Flagstaff)

As far as somebody mentioning that under $800K is low end in Barrington they do not know what they are talking about. The average home price is mid $700K in Barrington..... you can buy in some really nice neighborhoods in Barrington such as Jewel Park (one of the first planned communities in the United States) and Fox Pointe for under $700K.. EXTREMELY Kid friendly and you've gotta love the 100+ year old trees that line the streets of these neighborhoods........

As far as restaurants go.... Barrington has Francescas downtown (killer Italian) and every single restaurant worth mentioning is located right down the road in the business district of Schaumburg.... Libertyville is nice...but it's not Barrington.

[Sideblinded]

My sister moved to Barrington a few years ago. They could have bought a huge house in other areas, but decided on Barrington simply because the school is not as huge as other areas.

They have a wonderful home, not as big as they could have afforded elsewhere, and have been very happy with Barrington. They are not "Big Money" people, just successful hard workers from Wisconsin. She has friends that have incredible homes, are super normal, and it is not a contest.

The Newcomers group is very active and she has met a bunch of people through that. She was surprised at how down to earth the people she has met are. She has met a few snobs, but that is expected. They have wine tasting parties, dinners and a lot of fun.

My brother in law works in Buffalo Grove also!

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by japaul777

Hmmm...

Do you want to tell your friends and family you live in Libertyville or Barrington? I don't know about you but the name Libertyville just seems a little fruity....(as fruity as Libertyville being compared to Flagstaff)

I'm not quite sure about that comment ... Marlon Brando is/was from Libertyville. One of the band members from Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello, I think, is from Libertyville. I don't see either of them as fruity ... Libertyville is very nice, has a great little dowtown and is closer to lake Michigan. It also has great schools. I'd prefer Libertyville.

[nanannie]

L-ville is very "mixed" ,large mexican population,plenty of low end and higher end housing.Very diversified that way which you may prefer.I hope you will visit both places and "feel" for your own town.There are other burbs mentioned you may want to check out.I have never,in all my years living in Illinois, ,heard anyone refer to Barrington as "sprawling suburb". L'ville YES,though it has a village as does Barrington.Its very different for Illinois as it still has much scenic countryside and rolling hills and areas with minimum acerage and strict building codes (which L-ville does not)that isnt often the norm around the burbs.Hope you find your "place".Welcome

[chitownnburbs4eva]

If you are looking at a house from $600-800K price range there are a lot of good areas to look at in the Libertyville area. Try looking at the Interlaken neighborhoods and Timber Creek on the western side of town. Also I know there is a new development across Condell Hospital that seems quaint. Living on this side of town will take 15-25 min to Buffalo Grove. There are also good neighborhoods near the highway on the east side of the town such as Brookhaven, Reigate Woods, Regency, Huntington Lakes, and that neighborhood near Lambs Farm. Unfortunately the drive to Buffalo Grove will be a little longer.

Libertyville does offer you a metra stop that is only an hour ride to city (only 40 min if u get an express train during rush hour). As for schools, I believe Libertyville is ranked slightly higher than Barrington with major shopping only minutes away. Another reason why I would suggest Libertyville is that it is right next to the highway which brings for easy access to many places.

[chitownnburbs4eva]

also in response to the last poster before me, Libertyville does not have many low-end choices for housing. Most of the houses are quite expensive and pretty much everyone in the town is middle class or above. As for diversity, Libertyville really doesnt have that. It is quite white dominant with a decently sized Asian population and a small Hispanic and African American population

[nanannie]

Everyone on here seems to say their suburban school is "ranked" better or tops.Many ,many of the Chicago suburban schools are very very good and offer an excelllent education.I think people should post WHERE it is "ranked" this way.I am glad you enjoy Libertyville so much.We helped my daughter move out of her apt as so many mexicans moved in and we became uncomfortable with her safety do to several incidences.Thats why I mentioned the point about "lower end housing".I have been many times to L'ville and was the one who suggested she live there as it was closer to where she was student teaching and her job.It is a nice town besides our problam there.I dont think its a contest,or one upmanship .As you can see from reading about all the various towns,people like where they live.When potential newcomers visit,they can see for themselves what works best for them and what they prefer

[chitownnburbs4eva]

Originally Posted by nanannie

Everyone on here seems to say their suburban school is "ranked" better or tops.Many ,many of the Chicago suburban schools are very very good and offer an excelllent education.I think people should post WHERE it is "ranked"

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...cationmain-utl
http://webprod1.isbe.net/ereportcard...hCriteria.aspx

That is where i got the information about schools. I say that Libertyville schools are "slightly" better than Barrington schools because I dont believe that standardized tests should judge everything about school status. However, it is a very good way of comparison. The reason I corrected you on the infromation about Libertyville was not about pride, it was because your information was wrong. You should not judge one apartment complex to formulate a fact about the town as a whole.

On the contrary, I believe Barrington would also be a good place to live. There are a lot of modern houses that do look remarkable. I believe it is quite expensive in the area. I would look into Inverness as well. The southwest Lake/northwest Cook County area is one of the best areas in Chicagoland just like Libertyville and the North Shore.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by nanannie

L-ville is very "mixed" ,large mexican population,plenty of low end and higher end housing.Very diversified that way which you may prefer.I hope you will visit both places and "feel" for your own town.There are other burbs mentioned you may want to check out.I have never,in all my years living in Illinois, ,heard anyone refer to Barrington as "sprawling suburb". L'ville YES,though it has a village as does Barrington.Its very different for Illinois as it still has much scenic countryside and rolling hills and areas with minimum acerage and strict building codes (which L-ville does not)that isnt often the norm around the burbs.Hope you find your "place".Welcome

I lived in Libertyville for a couple of years (plus my wife grew up there) and found it to be a great place to live. It has a nice downtown area with a number of unique restaurants and stores along with Metra service to downtown Chicago. The public school system is in the upper echelon of the Chicago area. However, Libertyville is definitely not a racially or economically diverse community - it essentially masks the racial makeup of the North Shore suburbs to the east with only slightly less money on average (but not much). You might be thinking of neighboring Mundelein, which has a large Hispanic population along with a substantial stock of affordable housing.

Generally, Barrington has more expensive homes, but that's more due to the fact that there are more "estate homes" that have huge acreages. Equal houses in Barrington and Libertyville would probably be around the same price.

[nbear]

I live in Lake Zurich and it's a great town. It's got a homey feel and they do a lot for the residents as far as free concerts on the promonade by the lake, great July 4th doings, etc. They also offer a lot in the way of programs for adults and children through the park district. As far as the schools, they are top notch. I have no complaints whatsoever regarding the schools. My son who is in special ed has received the best schooling. Depending on where you live in Lake Zurich, you may be in the Stevenson district. Let's put it this way, no matter which "side" you are on, neither one of them is bad.