Lake in the Hills,ILL.? Is it ONE of the BEST Burbs of Chicago? (Crystal Lake: best suburbs, for sale)

[kandeenikole75]

I have never seen the heart of Chicago except for being at the airport. I was told that Lake in the Hills is a strongly recommended place to live. It's by Crystal Lake and Algonquin. We are looking for good schools away from all the JaZz in a big city; I have a pre-schooler, one kindergartener and two 6th graders. I was also told that Westfield Community School is a good school. Please let me know if you have better suggestions... I'll know when you are kiddin' me! *grins*

I will truly appreciate any help I can get...

Thanx!

KandeeNikole75

Pls lemme know if my decision is thumbs down or thumbs up!

[nanannie]

There is an older section which really is a small lake in the hill with older homes and tear down-rebuilds around it.The rest of the town is subdivisions,then strip malls,followed by more subdivisions.ALOT of people live there and continue to move there as evidenced by all the subdivisions.Someone may have another outlook on the place,but thats IMHO.Schools? There are so many good schools in the areas of suburban Chicago you have a large choice.Algonquin has a nice old well kept "downtown" section,The Fox river(which is very boat active in summer) older neighborhoods and decent schools.You will also have the inevitable stip malls and subdivions.Crystal Lake is a good size popular lake for locals(albeit not so "crystal") with a nice older "downtown" and a big boom in the poplulation. Rt 14 is strip mall heavan with every chain restaraunt and store known to mankind.(Good schools too) The towns you mentioned have a nice small town feel in there "downtown"s ,but if there is one in Lake in the Hills,I've yet to find it

[japaul777]

Lake in the Hills = zero character. Check out Cary or Lake Zurich (recently named by Money Magazine as one of the top 25 suburbs to live in) ... close to the Barrington area.

All of the schools in the Northwest suburbs are good. Lake in the Hills though.... it just looks so boring.... nothing but rows and rows of suburbia. LITHE as it is known was built on some old farm land and pretty much has no character. It might as well be in Iowa or Southern Illinois.

[japaul777]

P.S.....

Lithe is not even considered close to one of the best burbs of Chicago... thumbs down!

[Paige65]

I'd say no, it's not "one of the best". Where will the person in your household work? Will you commute by train or own transportation? What sort of price range are you looking at housing-wise? I think you need to start there in order to narrow your search down to some different areas.
Also, one great thing about the Chicago suburbs: there are many good school districts. You aren't limited to north, south or west of the City. You can find very good schools all over. Some will argue that their school district is "the best", but there simply is no best because there are a million ways to measure it.

[FromNJtoIL]

If you are still looking, I'd say avoid Lake in the Hills (LITH) unless you enjoy miles of houses with no open space. Cyrstal Lake is a much better option. The schools are better and there's a little more breathing room without being too far removed from things. Woodstock is on the grow too.

[gardener34]

Sorry, never heard it was one of the best suburbs either. I think the sprawl in that area is causing lots of traffic problems too. Depends on where you are commuting to, like most areas of Chicagoland because of traffic concerns.

[NannyinHE]

LITH has grown a lot and the older sections (off of Hilltop in the "trees" and on the other side of the lake in the "indians" section are considered the older part)

there is a lot of congestion and construction right now and it shows little sign of dissipating soon. since you have younger kids, try johnsburg. i went to the schools out there from 4th grade on and i loved it.

check the schools though for yourself and make the best decision.

Schools, High School, Public Schools, School District, Public High Schools - SchoolMatters

ps - there are a few nice houses for sale right now out in johnsburg. Moderator cut: advertising - read the rules, please

[LoSt187]

Do not go to the new part of LITH, my parents moved out here about 10 yrs ago now and I went through the school system.The newer subdivisions go to Huntley. Very disorganized, has teachers straight out college, and some going back(my 7th grade teacher who was 23 I think). I do not recommend the experience.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by kandeenikole75

I have never seen the heart of Chicago except for being at the airport. I was told that Lake in the Hills is a strongly recommended place to live. It's by Crystal Lake and Algonquin. We are looking for good schools away from all the JaZz in a big city; I have a pre-schooler, one kindergartener and two 6th graders. I was also told that Westfield Community School is a good school. Please let me know if you have better suggestions...

Lake in the Hills is one of the least attractive areas in McHenry Co. When we were looking at the area, it was houses slapped up by developers in the middle of corn and soybean fields. Most lots are devoid of trees.

Unless you are working in that area, you would be better off in Crystal Lake.

If you have never experienced Chicago traffic, I would STRONGLY recommend that you experience a couple of rush hour drives before making a commitment on where you wish to live.