Newer, more urban/less sprawling suburbs? (Naperville, Evanston: home, taxes, live)

[HockeyFan]

I'm certainly careful of restrictions in Townhomes. Obviously a sfh would be great, but the prices are just too high.

To clarify on Arlingtoon Heights etc. Avoiding semi rural areas is largely allergy inspired, so to be in a small urban area surrounded by acres of grass isnt really my target.

Thanks as always!

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by HockeyFan

I'm certainly careful of restrictions in Townhomes. Obviously a sfh would be great, but the prices are just too high.

To clarify on Arlingtoon Heights etc. Avoiding semi rural areas is largely allergy inspired, so to be in a small urban area surrounded by acres of grass isnt really my target.

Thanks as always!

Hockey, come in from the cold and warm up. I am only saying you missed the prime reason Arlington Heights was recommended-the downtown area. And it is NOT semi-rural. Get the he*% off Rand Rd. and get into downtown. Heck, maybe a tour of downtowns starting with Park Ridge and continuing all the way up Northwest Highway through Palatine would give you the best view of urban/suburban options on the NW side. Now if you're allergic to trees then avoid AH (and most of CHI area) since we have many trees. There is no "acres" of grass, just the lawns on people's homes. Your response is like you recommending Downtown Toronto, me driving by on the 401 and saying "You're downtown isn't much".
PUHLEESE! I don't give a rats behind if you move to AH, but don't start making false generalizations without having actually been IN TOWN!

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

LK, what do you think about HOA in newer suburban neighborhoods (particularly prevalent out west)? From what I've heard, the restrictions are often very strict.

In concept I like the restrictions that maintain certain design guidelines, but anything else is too much of an infringement on freedoms in my opinion. And I'm more than a little creeped out by the creation of a non-government entity with government-like powers. HOA's don't have the checks and balances that government has.

[cubssoxfan]

Oh and by the way, if you do move to AH and I meet you, I'll have kind words and apologize for being so crabby this morning. SFH homes in AH will run 300K and up. The less expensive homes will be older, but very solidly built homes from the 50's-70's. More expensive homes start getting into more of the 80's-90's built homes. Townhomes will run about 200K and up.
Besides watching hockey, what else do you want to be able to do with minimal hassle?

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by NYrules

Question is, WHAT ONE OF THOSE TOWNS IS NEW without an 80s feel or in most cases 50s, 60s to 70s feel? Last time I checked they ALL are old, all built out, all have UGLY 6 lane roads...

Oak Park, Evanston, and to a lesser extent Arlington Heights are older suburbs. But all three do have new housing options. Oak Park has several new condo and townhome developments downtown, on Roosevelt Road, etc. Evanston has added thousands of new housing units in the last ten years. You can even get new single-family houses in Evanston and Oak Park, though they are more the exception than the rule. New housing does exist in the inner rign suburbs, however! And of course, most of the condo housing in places like Oak Park consists of gut-rehabs done in the last ten years. A gut rehab with a new interior in an older shell would be fine for allergies.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Arlington Heights has many condos and townhomes that are 10 years or newer, especially near downtown. HOmes also, but they're the more expensive teardowns. Downtown Arlington Heights is very walkable and is mostly on 2 lane roads with wide sidewalks and plenty of 4 way stops and traffic signals to make crossing easy. I live in an 80's development and it looks very nice and not at all out-dated. We also have a well run association with low fees, high reserves and well cared for properties.

No disrespect NY rules, but we either see things differently or you haven't seen the Arlington Heights I have.

And many of the established towns along the various Metra routes have revitalized their downtowns which includes newer condos/townhomes built in the downtown areas. Even Evanston has new construction in or near downtown. Other suburbs that have newer construction are Palatine, Mt. Prospect, Des Plaines and Park Ridge. It's the latest trend in urban-suburban planning & development. Arlington Heights was one of the first to sucessfully do this in the NW burbs and the other NW burbs have followed. It's what sets AH apart from say Buffalo Grove or Schaumburg. They do not have a "real" downtown area.

I know AH and that area is nice, I'm not saying its not, overall though its NOT new like areas around Schaumburg and Roselle are. Yes there is some new development going on where old is being torn down to make way for new, but that is also going on in the southern burbs where its safe and people actually want to live. Tinley Park is a prime example. The majority of their downtown along Oak Park Ave. is being completely redone, so the theory of the northern burbs being the only ones that are revitilizing old and making it new again is really out the window. The redevelopment phaze is going on everywhere, here, northside, Long Island, you name it. People got sick of the 2 hour drives into work, so now there's a push to move back in towards the city in all major
cities.

Overall though from a motorist's stand point, while I can agree that two lane roads are much more friendly to ped traffic, God does it make it miserable for the motorist who has to creep along in bumper to bumper traffic doing 3 miles an hour trying to get to work where there is NO way to use mass transit and who the HELL wants to ride a bike in this weather? Not only do you risk hypothermia, but you also risk being killed by one of those panicy dumb S**T drivers that has NO idea what they are doing behind the wheel on a good day, and add snowy and icy streets to the mix? OH YA! I had one nearly wipe me and the car next to me out yesterday. Apparently driving on a straight, flat street, where there are no intersections was too hard for her and she lost all control, hit the gas instead of the brake, and shot over the median right in front of me and the guy next to me and ended up on someone's front tundra (lawn).

[oakparkdude]

I agree, the worst of worlds is small two lane roads and no alternatives to driving.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by NYrules

I know AH and that area is nice, I'm not saying its not, overall though its NOT new like areas around Schaumburg and Roselle are. Yes there is some new development going on where old is being torn down to make way for new, but that is also going on in the southern burbs where its safe and people actually want to live. Tinley Park is a prime example. The majority of their downtown along Oak Park Ave. is being completely redone, so the theory of the northern burbs being the only ones that are revitilizing old and making it new again is really out the window. That redevelopment phaze is going on everywhere, here, northside, Long Island, you name it. People got sick of the 2 hour drives into work so now there's a push to move back in towards the city in all major
cities.

Overall though from a motorist's stand point, while I can agree that two lane roads are much more friendly to ped traffic, God does it make it miserable for the motorist who has to creep along in bumper to bumper traffic doing 3 miles an hour trying to get to work where there is NO way to use mass transit and who the HELL wants to ride a bike in this weather? Not only do you risk hypothermia, but you also risk being killed by one of those panicy dumb S**T drivers that has NO idea what they are doing behind the wheel on a good day, and add snowy and icy streets to the mix? OH YA! I had one nearly wipe me and the car next to me out yesterday. Apparently driving on a straight, flat street, where there are no intersections was too hard for her and she lost all control hit the gas instead of the brake and shot over the median right in front of me and the guy next to me and ended up on someone's front tundra (lawn).

You are correct, many communities are doing in-fill projects or tearing down older buildings for newer development. Some points
1) Only reason I listed just N and NW suburbs is because that is area I am most familiar with. I usually don't like commenting on areas I'm not very familiar with.
2) All the N & NW suburbs I mentioned have Metra train and/or Pace bus service.
3) Majority of Schaumburg & Roselle is built pre-90's. A lot of Schaumburg is 70's built. IMO AH is overall nicer than Schaumburg. Better layout, not as sprawling, Metra more centrally located, overall nicer looking housing stock & a real downtown. Not a knock against Schaumburg, it is a decent town with a phenomonal library, excellent park district and many good restaurants.
4)The only traffic issues I see in AH is AH rd at the Metra train. There are several ways to avoid AH rd. going north or south. Palatine and Rand/AH rd going west in the evening gets bogged down, but again, there are ways around it. So NO I do not experience 3 MPH bumper to bumper traffic out here in the NW burbs. Actually, many find traffic around here better than the traffic in Schaumburg, especially the Woodfield are. And that traffic is understandable becasue it is a job center drawing in many commuters.
5) S & SW burbs have some very nice areas. I did not include them because there are other regular posters who are more familiar with the area and live in that area.
6) No way I would ride a bike in this weather. I was trying to point out a fact I don't see discussed very much. What kind of sports and physical recreation do you enjoy and want to continue or would like to participate in when you move. If you like to run in the Forest Preserves but there isn't one close by, that's a hassle. If you want to play rec hockey but your town or nearby town doesn't have a program, that's a hassle. If you like to bicycle and you have to put your bike in a car and drive 15-30 minutes to cycle safely, that's a hassle. If you like to walk along a lake or river and there isn't one close, that's a hassle.
7) I am biased to newer areas built on recently plowed over cornfields. I don't have the patience to live in these areas while they age and finally gain some character that comes with mature trees and landscaping. I also find these areas poorly planned especially for pedestrians and bicyclists. These areas often lack the denser planning that the older burbs have.
Thank you for keeping the conversation enjoyable, I hope I have been able to do the same.
PS. Only ONE month until pitchers and catchers report!!

[HockeyFan]

Interesting as always! I suppose I should clarify my comments. I'm really more interested in a suburb with normalish (to me anyway) sized lots. I got the feeling in AH that it was more like Naperville in that the downtown is nice, but the main housing areas were big lots covered in trees. The large amount of space between houses does often create a cumulative acres of grass within an area. If the plot size of a home is 2000 square feet and the lot is 20,000 square feet, odds are much of the 18,000 foot difference is grass. That's really what I'd prefer to avoid. For me personally, it's the grass and weed pollen that creates problems. For trees, it's not the pollen but the mole that comes from lack of light in heavily trees areas, and especially the mold that grows under fallen leaves (hence my preference for evergreen trees).

So far, the suburbs I like best have been Oak Park, Evanston, Evergreen Park, Elmhurst, etc. No offense to people in Hoffman Estates, Gurnee, Lincolnshire, and Naperville, but those places aren't for me. The lots are too big, too much open space, too spread out. I understand why those who like space enjoy those places, but it's not my thing. I actually didn't care for Highland Park either. The downtown was okay (I'd enjoy it more with less expensive feel), but the surrounding areas had either sprawling lots or old streets with so many trees they felt tunnel-like, even with no leaves on the trees.

I have to say though, I still enjoy the North Side the most, but there's always a balance between enjoyability and convenience. By convenience, I'm thinking things like parking after a snowfall, ease of driving, and safety walking and taking mass transit late at night if you're not driving.

[cubssoxfan]

Hockey,
Well stated. Near downtown Arlington Heights and in the older areas closer to downtown you will find smaller lots. When you go farther out into the newer areas the lots will increase. Seriously, next visit, go into downtown and then check out about a 1 1/2 mile circumference in each direction. A few lots will be large, but most will be smaller. Your list contains very liveable towns.