Whats Libertyville like? (Chicago, Des Plaines, Elmhurst: amusement park, new home, transfer)

[Jan&Co]

hi to all,
I am a British woman whose husband is being transferred to libertyville from UK with his work. I expect that I will follow on, in due course with 4 yr old son and pet dog. Is libertyville a good place to stay or is it better to move out a little? If so, where, bearing in mind that our main priority is our son ie we need a safe environment with good schools etc. Any info would be much appreciated Thanks in advance....

[Smokeweed420]

well...the schools are very good and its pretty safe...great place for your son
im a 14 year old going to school in Libertyville, and it's a pretty rich town to live in..we get a lot of people like you coming and going from different countries due to jobs, so you wont be the only one

[adriennes]

Libertyville has lots of new homes, and a country feel with wide open spaces and shopping centers. There is also a "down town" main street with shops, eateries, etc.,.. Home prices are reasonable for new construction as compared with other towns. Commute to downtown Chicago via Metra train, or by car on the highway. By train it takes approximately 45 minutes. By car, a bit longer during the week and quicker at certain times during the weekend. For information on all schools in Illinois visit: http://iirc.niu.edu/default.html (broken link)

Enter in a town's name and it will pull up all of the schools with a report card or rating for each.

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Let me know if you have questions about any other areas.

Best Regards, Adrienne

[MidNitRcr]

I live very close (5 mins south) to libertyville and it is a very safe, very quiet area. If you are a single, 26yr old guy that is new to the area in the middle of winter... well, then it completely sucks... but would be great for you and your family. Downtown is an easy 45min train ride and run often enough to get you in and out of the city with minimum difficulty...

[juls61]

You'll love Libertyville! The people are nice, although a tinge stuffy, but the schools are wonderful and you have everything around you! The property taxes are huge but you get what you pay for!

[trailerguy]

There is the Independence Lake Forest Preserve, very pretty with a boat lagoon and swimming beach and a nature museum. There is also a dog park, where your dog can run about off-lead. Milwaukee Road in the center of town has the look and feel of an English high street, with nice little shops and cafes, some very nice restaurants and a lovely big Episcopal (Anglican) church. You are also near Gurnee which has loads of shopping and restaurants and a huge Six Flags amusement park. Schools are excellent. The train will take you to downtown Chicago in about an hour for $5. It's a lovely community, I think you will like it.

[TillingG]

I am thinking about moving to the Chicago suburbs--and I just loved the town of Geneva...but it is over an hour commute to Chicago. Is there any town that is a lot like Geneva but a bit closer to Chicago?
Thanks!
-TillinG

[tmartin]

Libertyville is a very quaint town with lots of activities for not only the kids, but also adults as well. The population is about 19,000 and seems a lot smaller. You can go downtown to eat and find yourself conversating with old and close friends which may turn into a drink or two at Mickey Finn's Brewery or the other fine establishments in town. It is a great place to raise your family. It is only a 45-50 minute train ride to Chicago too.

[mandersb]

Hi, I am also a british woman married to a brit have lived in U.S. for 11 years both children born here, moved to Libertyville 4 years ago as has great little mainstreet town that if you live near enough to can walk into, has a park there and coffee houses and nice little shops, has a farmers market once a week through summer til mid October, very good schools and pre schools here, quite a few brits too!, couple of good bars in town and LOTS of good shopping places around, hope this helps, if you need anymore info please contact me. M. Barton.

[dumpstermcnuggets]

Originally Posted by TillingG

I am thinking about moving to the Chicago suburbs--and I just loved the town of Geneva...but it is over an hour commute to Chicago. Is there any town that is a lot like Geneva but a bit closer to Chicago?
Thanks!
-TillinG

some other nice ones i can think of that are much closer:

-Morton Grove(doesn't have the 'old-time feel' of Geneva, but there's a decent forest preserve running through the middle of town, plus a river and a north-south bike trail, + along Metra)
-Elmhurst
-Park Ridge
-Des Plaines

i could much better answer your question if you were a little more specific in what qualities you were looking for in a town. you'd probably find any of these mentioned towns to be nice, though Park Ridge and Elmhurst have the most 'old' charm to them, if that's what you're looking for. Morton Grove or Des Plaines is probably the best of these suggested towns to live in, if you want to bike a lot and live near the woods(and are the most diverse of my 4 suggestions).