libertyville? barrington area? (Chicago, Naperville, Evanston: real estate, Home Depot, transfer)

[csewfava]

How about simply living in Buffalo Grove? Is it too industrial? We're moving to the area in June, so would be interested in finding out. I've never been to IL, and can't wait!

[nbear]

Buffalo Grove is also a great neighborhood. The housing is very expensive there, however, they have great schools. If you have kids, they would go to Stevenson High School which was rated one of the top high schools in the country.

[bobsmith319]

Hi,
Hmmm.. both are pretty close 2 your husband's new job, but Barrington fand Buffalow Grove, can't be accesed on the same train line. However, I believe Libertyville can. I'm pretty sure Barrington has good schools, but I'm not usre about Libertyville. Some other places to look at would be Lake Zurich, Arlington Heights, Paletine, Northbrook, Wheeling, and Glenview. All of these towns have exceptional schools.

[csewfava]

Thanks for the reply. I've started checking out Lake Zurich and feel like there are some great options. I know it'll be a lot easier once we get there to scope things out. My kids are 6 and 4 so I'm mostly concerned at this point about the elementary schools.

[NCorBust]

There are a few different elementary schools in Lake Zurich but all are very well regarded. I live in the area now and have for the last 7 years and it has continued to grow quite steadily. There are a lot of plans for developing the downtown area (by the lake) which should bring continued growth and drive home values up...I think it's a good time to buy there.

[dee352]

We are also looking at relocating to the Chicago area, similar price range, two elementary age children. I was considering Libertyville initially as well as Buffalo Grove, Barrington and Lake Zurich. Libertyville seems more diverse population/housing. Read a few comments about problems with mexicans in certain areas but do not know first hand. I have found school districts in Lake Zurich to be highly rated and the new Coventry Creek Darmoor homes is in the Stevenson High School District which is rated, I believe, #2. The test scores from Prarie View elementary are great as is the middle school. Lake Zurich is in the process of revitalizing its downtown area and its promenade along the lake. Seems like a potential increase in property value down the line. Also close to Hawthorne woods golf and country club community which is in the new development process so there should be the potential for kids to meet other newcomers. Lake Zurich, Barrington, and surrounding areas seem to be less diverse.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by dee352

We are also looking at relocating to the Chicago area, similar price range, two elementary age children. I was considering Libertyville initially as well as Buffalo Grove, Barrington and Lake Zurich. Libertyville seems more diverse population/housing. Read a few comments about problems with mexicans in certain areas but do not know first hand. I have found school districts in Lake Zurich to be highly rated and the new Coventry Creek Darmoor homes is in the Stevenson High School District which is rated, I believe, #2. The test scores from Prarie View elementary are great as is the middle school. Lake Zurich is in the process of revitalizing its downtown area and its promenade along the lake. Seems like a potential increase in property value down the line. Also close to Hawthorne woods golf and country club community which is in the new development process so there should be the potential for kids to meet other newcomers. Lake Zurich, Barrington, and surrounding areas seem to be less diverse.

I lived in Libertyville for a couple of years and think it's an extremely nice area (Liberyville schools are very highly rated), but it's also definitely not diverse. I'm not sure where people have gotten that impression since it's essentially a westward extension of the neighboring North Shore communities. It's one of the most expensive suburbs in the Chicago area dominated by WASP-types and a smattering of Asians - almost exactly the same racial and economic makeup as you'll find in Barrington, Lake Zurich, and Buffalo Grove. The western side of Mundelein is really the closest area that has a significant Hispanic population.

[chicago-to-naperville]

I grew up in South Barrington and always craved being closer to town. The schools there are great and it really was a nice place to grow up but, as someone who also likes the restaurants and shopping, it is a bit too boring and spread out for me. Instead I'd recommend Lake Forest, Winnetka, and Highland Park as they all have great downtowns and are close enough to Buffalo Grove. Arlington Heights has done a lot to their downtown as well in recent years which is really close to BG but it's not nearly as neat as the others.

[GT28107]

I grew up in the Barrington area.

It's nice. Definitely a great location because of I-90 and the Metra line. Commuting to the city really isn't that bad at all, unless you have to leave daily at 7am and drive (ouch!).

As for the town itself, well, the name Borrington came about for a reason, lol. There's really nothing to do there. You have to go to other places for stuff, whether it's downtown for a concert or Schaumburg for shopping at Woodfield.

In simpler terms, decent place to live and raise a family (crime is almost non-existent, good schools), but overall pretty boring if you lead an active lifestyle.

[businesslifestrategies]

This is easy.
Try Vernon Hills, greggs landing.