Help! Need to move to Dupage (Chicago, Aurora: for sale, high crime, houses)

[dupagemove]

Hi everybody,
We need to move to Dupage County for my husband's job. My number one priority is the school district, but price is also a big (deciding) factor as well. We have looked at a subdivsion that is in West Chicago (Dupage) but with St. Charles schools. Half of that subdivision is actually in St. Charles, so it's right on the border between Dupage and Kane. We are also looking at the section of Aurora that has District 204 schools. We also have been looking at Carol Stream. Any thoughts on these three options?? Do you have any other suggestions of areas that are within the Dupage County limits, that might be worth considering? Proximity to Chicago is not important to us at all. Safety is a big concern of mine and all things being equal I prefer a small town feel. But really the best schools for the best price is the priority.
Thanks for any thoughts you might have!!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by dupagemove

Hi everybody,
We need to move to Dupage County for my husband's job. My number one priority is the school district, but price is also a big (deciding) factor as well. We have looked at a subdivsion that is in West Chicago (Dupage) but with St. Charles schools. Half of that subdivision is actually in St. Charles, so it's right on the border between Dupage and Kane. We are also looking at the section of Aurora that has District 204 schools. We also have been looking at Carol Stream. Any thoughts on these three options?? Do you have any other suggestions of areas that are within the Dupage County limits, that might be worth considering? Proximity to Chicago is not important to us at all. Safety is a big concern of mine and all things being equal I prefer a small town feel. But really the best schools for the best price is the priority.
Thanks for any thoughts you might have!!

What neighborhood in West Chicago were you looking at? Some do get bused to STC schools, which is nice. WC's school system is decent at best, needs some work. Aurora might be a decent option too, however the town is notorious for its high crime, and for awhile was the murder capital of IL (10 murders per 100,000 or something like that). Carol Stream is decent, but the town is about as mainstream suburbia as you can get: strip malls, lots of traffic, cookie cutter homes, no downtown/main street, etc. Thier schools are decent, but Ive never read rave reviews about them either (the Glenbards). Where in DuPage will your husband be working? Are you from around the area (outside the county)?

For DuPage Id recommend Warrenville, Wheaton, Bartlett, Bloomingdale, Naperville. Kane County is right next door and is just as nice. Geneva, Wasco, St. Charles are wonderful towns with excellent schools as well.

[dupagemove]

Thanks for your response! The subdivision I'm referring to in West Chicago is Cornerstone Lakes. It has the Norton Creek grade school within it. I think the high school is St. Charles East. It is just one of those rare situations where the school boundries and the county boundries are different. My husband works in Wheaton, but we live in Winnebago County. I think Wheaton is a beautiful town, but it seems like you get a lot less for the money there. I am concerned about the crime in Aurora. I really no nothing about the area except for what I've read here. The 204 district looked okay?????? Thanks again for you taking the time to help! I appreciate it.

[Drover]

Steve, the subdivision she's talking about is across 64 from Pheasant Run, just up Smith Road behind the Wal-Mart. That subdivision is indeed in the St. Charles school district. (And you'll pay an extra 25 to 50 grand for that privilege.) Wasco is also part of the St. Charles school district.

As bad as Aurora is, it has never been the murder capital of Illinois, a title I presume will be perrenially captured by ESL. Besides which the 204 school district will be in the outskirts of the city where the tidy new subdivisions are, whereas most of Aurora's problems are near the city center.

There's really nothing wrong with most DuPage County school districts, West Chicago being the lone exception -- and even it's not awful, it's just not great when compared to its neighbors. Wheaton itself is a fine school district.

[STC0720]

Hey I am from St. Charles, Royal Fox nieghborhood which is virtually right next to conserstone lakes, and used to live in Aurora, district 204, and thought i would give you some input.

I graduated from St Charles East High School in 2005 and have many friends that live in Cornerstone Lakes. It is a great neighborhood and they all love it. Many different types of homes and varying price ranges although most are above 300000 i believe. We used to always go to the ponds in conerstone lakes during the summer and it was always a very family oriented neighborhood. St Charles schools are great and the area as a whole is very nice.It was a great place to grow up and Norton Creek, the school in conerstone lakes is brand new and very nice.

The Dupage County part of Aurora is actually very nice. District 204 consistently ranks among the best. I used to live in the Stonebridge subdivision off of Eola and loved it. Some neighborhoods you should check out there are Oakhurst, Oakhurst North, Stonebridge (although it is probably the most expensive neighborhood in Aurora) Harris Farms. All are very nice family oriented neighborhoods. Oakhurst, oakhurst north and Stonebridge all have their own elementary schools like conerstone lakes does. One area i would avoid down there would be the georgetown subdivision, it used to be nice but is going downhill.

Overall though i would recommend Conerstone Lakes as your best choice, it is a very nice neighborhood with great schools and St Charles is a great community ( I know conerstone is in west chicago but no one considers it that way everyone just considers it st charles because its in st charles schools and library districts and is so far away from any other part of west chicago). Conserstone Lakes actually has a very rural feel with everything right by, the mall is just outside the entrance. There is much less traffic in st charles then aurora too. Aurora is incredibly congested now. I hope all of this helps.. if you have any other questions let me know.. i know alot about both areas having lived in both

[STC0720]

I just wanted to mention that crime in the dupage county part of Aurora is NOTHING like that of inner city aurora. They really are two different worlds as soon as you cross the county line. The district 204 part of aurora has your typical suburban style crime, kids being kids kind of thing nothing any worse than what you would experience in any other typical suburban setting.

[toonces93]

D204 (Aurora/Naperville) has a great rep but it is huge...and the taxes keep skyrocketing. I live in Wheaton and although, yes, you do get less house for the $, it is largely built out and our taxes rise at a more manageable rate. (I'm sure others would beg to differ, but still.) What you get in return is a great community where you may actually know your neighbors, big trees, a park district where your kid isn't constantly on a waiting list, city officials who actually know your neighborhood when you have a concern and remember who you are. We have friends who bought homes in newer areas to get more space, and who, if they could do it over, would live here.
As for some who say it is all white and rich, it is actually very diverse economically and ethnically, the schools have quite an ESL program, and there is variety in the housing stock.

[dupagemove]

Just wanted to say thank you to all who have responded to my question. All of the responses have been really helpful. We are still looking, and are mulling over our options. We are still focusing on the original two areas, but are keeping an open mind about other areas. I'm hoping that more houses come up for sale in the coming months. Thanks again everybody!

[Pixie Dust]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

What neighborhood in West Chicago were you looking at? Some do get bused to STC schools, which is nice. WC's school system is decent at best, needs some work. Aurora might be a decent option too, however the town is notorious for its high crime, and for awhile was the murder capital of IL (10 murders per 100,000 or something like that). Carol Stream is decent, but the town is about as mainstream suburbia as you can get: strip malls, lots of traffic, cookie cutter homes, no downtown/main street, etc. Thier schools are decent, but Ive never read rave reviews about them either (the Glenbards). Where in DuPage will your husband be working? Are you from around the area (outside the county)?

For DuPage Id recommend Warrenville, Wheaton, Bartlett, Bloomingdale, Naperville. Kane County is right next door and is just as nice. Geneva, Wasco, St. Charles are wonderful towns with excellent schools as well.

Dont forget Roselle...right by Bloomingdale, homes are cheaper (atleast when I lived there). There is also an uptown which is Main St. Small town feel excellent library. Teachers still care about their students there.

[acdevane]

If you're looking to be in DuPage County, and possibly Naperville Schools, have you considered Lisle, or Woodridge or Bolingbrook? All three of these communities have little sections that are withing Naperville School District 203 attendance areas. They are all about 10 minutes to Downtown Naperville. Taxes and Home prices are a little more tolerable.

Good Luck