Need input on Highland Park, Lake Forest, Glencoe, Northbrook... and Long Grove

[nerfer]

Originally Posted by Anthera

When did Stevenson HS move from Lincolnshire to Buffalo Grove?

You're right. Stevenson is across the road (Half Day Road) from Buffalo Grove.

Originally Posted by JenGD

As far as high school football on friday nights... i'm looking for community support, not high caliber athletics.

Right now we live in Naperville... which is a great town w/ great ammenities, but not exactly a close-knit community.

My oldest son will be entering kindergarten and ideally i'd like to settle in a town that we can really sink roots into. It is likely that it will be the town that my children will grow up in, and i will grow old in... so of course we'd like it to be perfect and fulfill all of our hopes and dreams

Sounds like you want a small town, preferably geographically isolated, for that community feel. There's definitely community pride in Stevenson H.S. But any of the towns in that area that have one high school for the community would have good school spirit if you choose to participate in it. Of course there will also be people who will ignore the schools, since there are plenty of other things to do in the densely populated area like the Chicago area. The more affordable places will probably have more school age children within walking distance. You can go to zillow.com and look for swing sets in the back yards to get an estimate.

[illinoisgal16]

I have lived on the North Shore of Illinois since I was 5-6. I am literally an expert on this stuff and I guess you could say I'm a realtor-in-training . The philosophy is that the farther away you get from Chicago, the less expensive it is. You're right, Long Grove has a lot of bang for your buck and so does Kildeer, Lake Zurich, and Hawthorn Woods because they are a bit farther away. If you like that country feel, then Long Grove is the place for you. Just don't build there because it is a NIGHTMARE. If you still want a country feel but closer to Chicago try Lincolnshire or Riverwoods.
Lake Forest, Highland Park, Glencoe, and Northbrook are all great suburbs with award winning schools. I can tell you've done your research. But the North Shore is pretty pricey. If you have $600k or more you can get a decent house with maybe a few fixes needed. If you have under that, I would reccomend looking into Northbrook or Glenview. Glenview is also a great suburb which I think you should consider. It has many amenities and awesome schools. Glencoe, Wilmette, and Winnetka are SUPER pricey. So unless you have a large salary, you won't get much there. Under $750k you will get a small house with many updates needed. Lake Forest is also pretty expensive but not that much. Highland Park has a bit lower prices. These locations are really attractive because they border Lake Michigan and amazing beaches.
Everyone here in Illinois is super friendly. Sure, you will encounter a few rude people just like anywhere, but all in all, we definitely have that Midwestern charm and friendliness .
I have thought about moving to Georgia, Texas, Arizona, e.t.c. before but Illinois is a great place!
Hope this helps, and I know you will love it here!

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by illinoisgal16

I have lived on the North Shore of Illinois since I was 5-6. I am literally an expert on this stuff and I guess you could say I'm a realtor-in-training . The philosophy is that the farther away you get from Chicago, the less expensive it is. You're right, Long Grove has a lot of bang for your buck and so does Kildeer, Lake Zurich, and Hawthorn Woods because they are a bit farther away. If you like that country feel, then Long Grove is the place for you. Just don't build there because it is a NIGHTMARE. If you still want a country feel but closer to Chicago try Lincolnshire or Riverwoods.
Lake Forest, Highland Park, Glencoe, and Northbrook are all great suburbs with award winning schools. I can tell you've done your research. But the North Shore is pretty pricey. If you have $600k or more you can get a decent house with maybe a few fixes needed. If you have under that, I would reccomend looking into Northbrook or Glenview. Glenview is also a great suburb which I think you should consider. It has many amenities and awesome schools. Glencoe, Wilmette, and Winnetka are SUPER pricey. So unless you have a large salary, you won't get much there. Under $750k you will get a small house with many updates needed. Lake Forest is also pretty expensive but not that much. Highland Park has a bit lower prices. These locations are really attractive because they border Lake Michigan and amazing beaches.
Everyone here in Illinois is super friendly. Sure, you will encounter a few rude people just like anywhere, but all in all, we definitely have that Midwestern charm and friendliness .
I have thought about moving to Georgia, Texas, Arizona, e.t.c. before but Illinois is a great place!
Hope this helps, and I know you will love it here!

There are a handful of attractively priced short sales / foreclosures lingering in some of these towns that can represent terrific values if you understand the downsides...

I doubt the "Original Poster" is still in the market.

[cubssoxfan]

And I chuckled at the "the farther away from Chicago you get the cheaper it is" comment followed by examples like Long Grove, Kildeer, Hawthorn Woods, Lincolnshire & Riverwoods. Reminded me of a Thursday afternoon sports radio segment titled "Who ya crappin?!"

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

And I chuckled at the "the farther away from Chicago you get the cheaper it is" comment followed by examples like Long Grove, Kildeer, Hawthorn Woods, Lincolnshire & Riverwoods. Reminded me of a Thursday afternoon sports radio segment titled "Who ya crappin?!"

If you "map out" values of homes it becomes quite clear that the long term driving force of "access to employment" is the single largest force. You can look at place in New England and the availability of good land for a farm or mill that would generate income for its owners and eventually allow them to develop a town with others they employed / relied on is pretty much how the settlements all grew. Since WWII the biggest factor in suburban developments is not really how close they are to the city but "how long will it take to get to work".

Our region has what is arguably the best combination of interconnected employment centers and commuter transit -- folks give live a wide variety of west/north/northwest suburbs (as well as handful of south / southwest) towns and have access to BOTH local employment AND speedy heavy rail commute options. The geography of the region is such that there are are nearly no natural barriers that impeded the ability of roads or rails to link pretty much every town to a web of options. In other areas like the greater North Eastern states the sea coast and more extensive network of navigable rivers dictated a more dense kind of development that in turn places a greater premium on a handful of locations but even then the value of land in a nice upscale town in Connectict like Greenwich is more complex than just "close to NYC" as towns that are technically closer and not nearly so desirable. The belts of former industrial areas and other less than pleasnant spots don't just macially give way to country clubs...