Move to Wheaton area??? Help! (Chicago, Elmhurst: real estate, lease, condo)

[tabysu1]

Hi there, my our family lives in Flossmoor, and currently has for the last 6 years. Two years ago our children were born and now we're hard pressed to make the decision, before they go to school...where will we move? Flossmoor is a great town, but...we live on the 'wrong' side of town. Our taxes are through the roof, and the grade school our kids would funnel into is NOT the good one...so now we feel kind of stuck. We will be out growing out of our town house very soon anyway, so now we're trying to decide where to go. My husband and I both work downtown and have no family up here...so we are flexible. We like the south suburbs, but things are definitely changing and it is not a very safe area anymore in places....so what will it be like in 10 years? If we have to stay here, we will be sending our kids to private school (which we don't want to do unless we have to), but our neighborhood is also becoming a form of a ghetto, so we just need to get out (hopefully we'll be able to sell our house?!?). Ideally, we see an advantage of moving west. The train lines are great and since I fly for work, being next to the airport would be great. We aren't from Chicago originally, so we're trying to determine a nice place, with good schools, with a walk to the train station, possibly walk to prairie path (we are avid runners), with a yard. Our upper end is $500k. We have friends that live in Wheaton and are interested in exploring Wheaton a little more. Can you fill me in on the ideal place in town for this? Close to parks, other young kids, a safe area. Which is the best HS, north or south? What is the best grade school and middle school? How is the train parking ? We are lutherans...not too religious, but hear Wheaton is super conservative...can anyone elaborate on how that affects schools and daily living? Are there preferred sub divisions? How nice are the areas downtown and next to the train for living? Lastly, aside from Wheaton, if you think there is a better place on the western side along the train that would be better, please let me know...and why! Thanks again so much!!!

[irish setter girl]

Tabysu1, I've been in Wheaton for a very long time so here are my thoughts to the questions you've asked. As for family/kid friendly - Wheaton is great. The schools are excellent, the park district is well established and the sense of community amoungst the residents is ideal. Wheaton is divided into north wheaton and south Wheaton by Roosevelt Rd. This is also the dividing line for the two high schools. Both high schools are great. South is a bit larger than North. Right now North tends to have slightly higher test scores and South has a stronger athletic program. Twenty+ years ago it was the reverse (South was Wheaton Central at that time). I would have no issue sending my kids to either school. As for elementary and middle schools. There are 13 ele. and 4 middle schools. Boundaries changed this year for a few schools. Boundary changes are not that common in Wheaton since we are pretty much land locked and new construction comes in the form of tear downs, not entire subdivisions. You mentioned wanting to be near town and you like to run. There are two neighborhoods that would be great for you. Obviously anything in downtown would be great. But Fairway Estates and the area around Kelly Park, which is just south of Roosevelt, is still walking distance to town, Prairie Path and the train. The great thing about Fairway Estates/Kelly Park area is you can walk to the ele. and middle school and both are GREAT schools - Whittier and Edison. This area feeds into Wheaton South HS. Since you are avid runners the Prairie Path would be a great feature to have access to. You will also find there are several runnning groups in Wheaton. Wheaton Sport Center has several groups that run at different paces. There is also a huge group from Wheaton doing the marathon this fall in the city. There is also a big triathlon training group that meets here too. For your price of 500k you should be able to find a great home. The south end of Wheaton is where you will find your traditional subdivisions from the 60;s, 70's and 80's with pockets of newer homes here and there. Historically speaking the north side of Wheaton was always a bit more conservative than the south side. I've been here almost 30 years and see that changing. While Wheaton is by no means liberal, I have noticed a change over the years. The town is not as hard core as many on the outside perceive it to be. You said you are Luthern, there are several Luthern churches here and a great Luthern school - St. Johns - right downtown Wheaton. While I'm not a religious person I find it easy to live here and feel very comfortable in my own skin. I taught school in the public schools and have several family members who currently teach and I didn't find religion impacting the daily life or academic life of the students who were not a part of that niche. At my school we did have a group of moms who met once a week as a Bible Study thing but they did that at their homes and didn't advertise it at school. We have several private schools and those that want religion as part of the daily education go that route. We also have a very active homeschooling community here. So you'll find those in public school don't really have their own agenda and let the schools do their thing.

Feel free to DM me if you have any questions about certain areas. I've lived on the south side, in town and on the north side of Wheaton. All in all Wheaton is a great place to live. I love walking uptown, seeing people I know, talking, shopping, eating, going to band concerts, car shows, all of this in a small area. People want to know their neighbors, they watch out for each other, many have grown up here and come back becasue they love the sense of community. It is hard to describe but once you live here you get it.

Good luck to you.

[OakBrookMom]

Well I certainly cannot add to the wonderful advice about Wheaton that Irish Setter Girl just gave you other than to say my family lived in Wheaton for many years and my mom actually moved my younger siblings from the private school to the public school because of the great science, math and music programs. So my advice will be from the commuter's standpoint. Parking at the train may prove to be an issue depending on when you leave for work and if you can take the Pace bus or not so that may shape your decision a bit. Having taken the train I can tell you it is exactly as noted on the Metra schedules that you can find on line. Wheaton is a bit far from O'Hare than some of the other western burbs. Elmhurst has a faster train schedule (24 minutes express) and a really easy commute to O'Hare. I used to look out the window on the Metra when I was stuck on the all-stop after working a long day as we passed Elmhurst and think - if I lived there I'd be home by now so needless to say when I had the chance I moved to Elmhurst (at the time Elmhurst was cheaper than LaGrange so it was my only option). My husband loved coming in from out of town after a long day of traveling and being home in 15 minutes from O'Hare. Elmhurst will be more expensive than Wheaton housing wise. Glen Elynn is slightly closer than Wheaton to both O'Hare and the city and has many nice sections. LaGrange is 17 minutes express train downtown and fairly close to O'Hare via 294 (closer than Wheaton or Glen Elynn). All these towns have old and charming areas near the downtown center and around their borders lie the newer homes (although you won't find "subdivisions" really in LaGrange or Elmhurst, just different era homes on the same beautiful tree lined streets). The easiest town to park at the train is definitely Elmhurst with 2 parking garages and short wait if any for a resident parking pass. All the towns have good school systems and park districts. If you fly out of Midway at all, LaGrange is a very good pick. You'll get more for your money in Wheaton and south Glen Elynn but you still will get a nice home in any of these areas for 500K.

[fairmarketvalue]

Originally Posted by irish setter girl

Tabysu1, I've been in Wheaton for a very long time so here are my thoughts to the questions you've asked. As for family/kid friendly - Wheaton is great. The schools are excellent, the park district is well established and the sense of community amoungst the residents is ideal. Wheaton is divided into north wheaton and south Wheaton by Roosevelt Rd. This is also the dividing line for the two high schools. Both high schools are great. South is a bit larger than North. Right now North tends to have slightly higher test scores and South has a stronger athletic program. Twenty+ years ago it was the reverse (South was Wheaton Central at that time). I would have no issue sending my kids to either school. As for elementary and middle schools. There are 13 ele. and 4 middle schools. Boundaries changed this year for a few schools. Boundary changes are not that common in Wheaton since we are pretty much land locked and new construction comes in the form of tear downs, not entire subdivisions. You mentioned wanting to be near town and you like to run. There are two neighborhoods that would be great for you. Obviously anything in downtown would be great. But Fairway Estates and the area around Kelly Park, which is just south of Roosevelt, is still walking distance to town, Prairie Path and the train. The great thing about Fairway Estates/Kelly Park area is you can walk to the ele. and middle school and both are GREAT schools - Whittier and Edison. This area feeds into Wheaton South HS. Since you are avid runners the Prairie Path would be a great feature to have access to. You will also find there are several runnning groups in Wheaton. Wheaton Sport Center has several groups that run at different paces. There is also a huge group from Wheaton doing the marathon this fall in the city. There is also a big triathlon training group that meets here too. For your price of 500k you should be able to find a great home. The south end of Wheaton is where you will find your traditional subdivisions from the 60;s, 70's and 80's with pockets of newer homes here and there. Historically speaking the north side of Wheaton was always a bit more conservative than the south side. I've been here almost 30 years and see that changing. While Wheaton is by no means liberal, I have noticed a change over the years. The town is not as hard core as many on the outside perceive it to be. You said you are Luthern, there are several Luthern churches here and a great Luthern school - St. Johns - right downtown Wheaton. While I'm not a religious person I find it easy to live here and feel very comfortable in my own skin. I taught school in the public schools and have several family members who currently teach and I didn't find religion impacting the daily life or academic life of the students who were not a part of that niche. At my school we did have a group of moms who met once a week as a Bible Study thing but they did that at their homes and didn't advertise it at school. We have several private schools and those that want religion as part of the daily education go that route. We also have a very active homeschooling community here. So you'll find those in public school don't really have their own agenda and let the schools do their thing.

Feel free to DM me if you have any questions about certain areas. I've lived on the south side, in town and on the north side of Wheaton. All in all Wheaton is a great place to live. I love walking uptown, seeing people I know, talking, shopping, eating, going to band concerts, car shows, all of this in a small area. People want to know their neighbors, they watch out for each other, many have grown up here and come back becasue they love the sense of community. It is hard to describe but once you live here you get it.

Good luck to you.

As a Wheaton resident of 17+ years, my wife and I raising a family of 4 children, I can only agree with EVERYTHING IrishzsetterGirl said. Wheaton is a wonderful town, not near as conservative as its reputation says it is and overall, just a great place to raise a family and live. We have lived on both sides, moving North in late 1995 and have been North since. We contimplated moves to other suburbs over the last 17 years and always ended up staying in Wheaton and moving to larger homes as our family grew. You'll love it here! Welcome!

[irish setter girl]

Just wanted to add that if you move to the south end of town there is PACE bus service to and from the train station if you don't want to deal with parking. You can park for 12 hours along Front Street, meter parking, if you don't get a leased spot.

[Honeyberdy]

I've lived in Wheaton a few years and I completely agree that this is the best choice you're going to get. For 500k, you have several options to choose from. If you're looking for a condo, you could easily afford a new 2 bedroom 2 bath condo at Courthouse Square in the downtown, which is located right next to the Prairie Path. The schools are, if not the best, some of the best in the state.

[fairmarketvalue]

Originally Posted by tabysu1

Hi there, my our family lives in Flossmoor, and currently has for the last 6 years. Two years ago our children were born and now we're hard pressed to make the decision, before they go to school...where will we move? Flossmoor is a great town, but...we live on the 'wrong' side of town. Our taxes are through the roof, and the grade school our kids would funnel into is NOT the good one...so now we feel kind of stuck. We will be out growing out of our town house very soon anyway, so now we're trying to decide where to go. My husband and I both work downtown and have no family up here...so we are flexible. We like the south suburbs, but things are definitely changing and it is not a very safe area anymore in places....so what will it be like in 10 years? If we have to stay here, we will be sending our kids to private school (which we don't want to do unless we have to), but our neighborhood is also becoming a form of a ghetto, so we just need to get out (hopefully we'll be able to sell our house?!?). Ideally, we see an advantage of moving west. The train lines are great and since I fly for work, being next to the airport would be great. We aren't from Chicago originally, so we're trying to determine a nice place, with good schools, with a walk to the train station, possibly walk to prairie path (we are avid runners), with a yard. Our upper end is $500k. We have friends that live in Wheaton and are interested in exploring Wheaton a little more. Can you fill me in on the ideal place in town for this? Close to parks, other young kids, a safe area. Which is the best HS, north or south? What is the best grade school and middle school? How is the train parking ? We are lutherans...not too religious, but hear Wheaton is super conservative...can anyone elaborate on how that affects schools and daily living? Are there preferred sub divisions? How nice are the areas downtown and next to the train for living? Lastly, aside from Wheaton, if you think there is a better place on the western side along the train that would be better, please let me know...and why! Thanks again so much!!!

We havn't heard from you so if you have already found what you are looking for, then disregard this post. If not, I also wanted to mention a few neighborhoods in Winfield with WHeaton schools and park district. They are on the north side, west of pleasant hill rd, east of county farm rd. One is called Churchill woods. A beautiful neighborhood but not likely to find anything for under 550,000. The houses there range from that to well over a million and with the new homes being built over there, the property values keep going up, but it's right on the prarie path. The second, more affordable, is Winfield Estates. It is also right on the prarie path, very nice homes and a great neighborhood with homes ranging in the 400-500. These neighborhoods both go to Pleasoant Hill Elem, Munroe Mid. School, and Wheaton North High. Also, they are both close to the Wheaton Sports Center which houses MANY avid runners and programs for such. Back to Wheaton, ask also about the subdivisions called Wheaton Ridge, Wheaton Crossing, and Klein Creek. These are all the same schools as listed above but will aslo be really hard to find something at the 500 mark. Ask your real estate agent to show you homes available in these subdivisions. You'll be hard pressed to find anything in downtown or walking distance to it unless it's a condo or older home that needs lots of updating for under 500,000. Finding a home close to both the prarie path and downtown is nearly impossible for under 750,000.
Good Luck

[JanuaryGirl]

Wheaton was a great town, I lived there all through middle school and highschool (Wheaton North class of '99). A bit conservative for me, but a very nice place to live. I lived near the library/college in the downtown area. You really can't beat living there, beautiful parks, library, shops, and Metra all within walking distance. Also, there is a Lutheran church right there (St. Johns, possibly??).

Of course I am biased, but Wheaton North was an excellent school. At least when I was there, there was a stronger sense of community and involvement on the north side/near downtown than in the Wheaton-Warrenville South area. But, this may have changed since then. I went to Franklin Middle School, it was great, smaller than Hubble which is HUGE (if it still exists... been a few years since I've been there). I think many of my old teachers are still there, a great school in a nice residential area.

The only things I would say are that, for taking the Metra, don't forget to consider transportation/parking costs if you have to drive to it for the commute, unless you live in walking distance. Also, the drives to the airports won't be that quick, especially O'Hare.

Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions I can help with!

[acdevane]

Originally Posted by fairmarketvalue

If not, I also wanted to mention a few neighborhoods in Winfield with WHeaton schools and park district. They are on the north side, west of pleasant hill rd, east of county farm rd. One is called Churchill woods. A beautiful neighborhood but not likely to find anything for under 550,000. The houses there range from that to well over a million and with the new homes being built over there, the property values keep going up, but it's right on the prarie path. The second, more affordable, is Winfield Estates. It is also right on the prarie path, very nice homes and a great neighborhood with homes ranging in the 400-500. These neighborhoods both go to Pleasoant Hill Elem, Munroe Mid. School, and Wheaton North High. Also, they are both close to the Wheaton Sports Center which houses MANY avid runners and programs for such. . Ask your real estate agent to show you homes available in these subdivisions.
Good Luck

You are right on the mark with Winfield Estates!

[northsider22]

Wheaton is a fantastic community. Top-notch everything. For $500,000 you'll likely find more variety in south Wheaton. There are some areas north of Roosevelt Rd. with a fair amount of reasonably priced housing...many in the 400,000-550,000 range. (Specifically, the neighborhoods surrounding President St., heading north to Geneva Rd.) Personally, I much prefer north Wheaton to the "southside." We currently live in the heart of the northside, just blocks from downtown, and I can't ever imagine leaving. Homes in this area are indeed expensive, but they're absolutely worth the purchase. Investing a half-million dollars in a smaller home, say in the historic neighborhood near Northside Park, is just as (if not more) rewarding as spending $50,000 less on a larger home, in a subdivision somewhere south of Roosevelt. Wherever you buy, your family will be happy i'm sure. Best of luck!