Prairie Crossing (Chicago, Libertyville, Grayslake: houses, neighborhood, school)

[cw68]

I just discovered this "New Urbanism" subdivision in Grayslake, Prairie Crossing. I've done a lot of research on the homes, the theories, etc, but can anyone tell me what it's really like to live there? Curious.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by cw68

I just discovered this "New Urbanism" subdivision in Grayslake, Prairie Crossing. I've done a lot of research on the homes, the theories, etc, but can anyone tell me what it's really like to live there? Curious.

Prairie Crossing isn't new anymore. I think it's pretty much built out in terms of single family homes. I lived in Grayslake when they started the place. Nice concept. I know one of the family members who started it. They are very eco-minded and nice people. Folks who live in Prairie Crossing, in my experience don't say they live in Grayslake. They are more aligned with Libertyville, which always got my goat. There's nothing wrong with Grayslake. There is a charter school in Prairie Crossing, not sure if it's still there, but it was very interesting. Their curicculum centered around rural life and ecology. They have their own Metra train station and the initial purpose of having it there was so folks could walk or ride their bikes there rather than drive. It's kind of a far walk though ...

All the houses have disticnt colors, definitely not a vinyleverythinglooksthesame neighborhood. The only thing I could see wrong was that they were pretty close to the landfill and if the wind was blowing right, it really stank.

The houses are very expensive though. It's not affordable for many. I know that many of the original residents of Prairie Crossing were freinds of the developers.

[cw68]

Originally Posted by domergurl

Prairie Crossing isn't new anymore. I think it's pretty much built out in terms of single family homes. I lived in Grayslake when they started the place. Nice concept. I know one of the family members who started it. They are very eco-minded and nice people. Folks who live in Prairie Crossing, in my experience don't say they live in Grayslake. They are more aligned with Libertyville, which always got my goat. There's nothing wrong with Grayslake. There is a charter school in Prairie Crossing, not sure if it's still there, but it was very interesting. Their curicculum centered around rural life and ecology. They have their own Metra train station and the initial purpose of having it there was so folks could walk or ride their bikes there rather than drive. It's kind of a far walk though ...

All the houses have disticnt colors, definitely not a vinyleverythinglooksthesame neighborhood. The only thing I could see wrong was that they were pretty close to the landfill and if the wind was blowing right, it really stank.

The houses are very expensive though. It's not affordable for many. I know that many of the original residents of Prairie Crossing were freinds of the developers.

Thanks. I knew it wasn't "new" but rather "new urbanism." I think I'll have to go visit next time I'm back in Chicago from California.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by cw68

Thanks. I knew it wasn't "new" but rather "new urbanism." I think I'll have to go visit next time I'm back in Chicago from California.

By all means, visit! It's beautiful.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by cw68

Thanks. I knew it wasn't "new" but rather "new urbanism." I think I'll have to go visit next time I'm back in Chicago from California.

By all means, visit! It's beautiful. There's another eco-friendly neighborhood near Michigan City, IN called Tryon Farm. It's more rural, but it's along the same lines as PC in terms of being environmentally sound.