relocating near Arlington Heights- what suburb of Chicago fits my needs (Palatine: houses, public schools)

[LouiseOF]

My husband is taking a job in Arlington Heights. We will be moving from Utah this summer with our 16 and 14 year old sons. Where should we live based on these criteria.
1. Great public high school
2. Small high school (we are used to a HS with 1300 students)
3. ******Prefer early college option or concurrent enrollment as our 16 year old was to start college at an early college Charter high school for gifted students in Utah). Huge factor!
4. Catholic community
5. Active community (athletic centers, sports programs, teen activities, family atmosphere)
6. Homes with yards
7. Homes in $300-400,000 price range
I have researched Mt. Prospect and Buffalo Grove. These high schools are great, but large.
I know that it sounds as if I am looking for Utopia, but any help would be appreciated.

[ccjarider]

Check out Arlington Hts. itself. It is a pretty, family oriented community. We moved here after our children were grown so I can't speak from experience, but it seems like lots of kids here and families really like both the school system and the town.

Plus is it will be a great commute for your husband. (Don't discount commuting time/cost in Chicago area. If you don't consider this when you make location decisions, you could reaaallly screw up your family life and your husbands.)

I myself ride a bike to work!! (it's awesome except when it is below 0)

I beleive AH meets all of your criterion, although your house will be smaller than you could get farther out from city.

[Tex?Il?]

I agree with CCjarider.

Arlington Heights, in my opinion has more to offer than Buffalo Grove or Mt. Prospect.

[LouiseOF]

Thank you! Although, I am concerned that I won't be able to get enough house for our money in AH. We are interested in a newer house with all the upgrades... for around $375,000, doesn't it figure?
Also, do you know anything about the Selective Enrollment schools (NorthSide Prep and Walter Peyton)? Are these schools for the economically disadvantaged/minority kids?We are middleclass, caucasian, suburbanites. If not, If they are a good fit for us, how far to get there and is there a train/metro that goes into that part of the city?

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by LouiseOF

Also, do you know anything about the Selective Enrollment schools (NorthSide Prep and Walter Peyton)? Are these schools for the economically disadvantaged/minority kids?We are middleclass, caucasian, suburbanites. If not, If they are a good fit for us, how far to get there and is there a train/metro that goes into that part of the city?

Those schools are part of CPS (Chicago Public Schools) and are limited to residents of the city of Chicago.

[ccjarider]

I would say that in AH, $375000, would get a 3, maybe 4 bedroom older home. It would be in great condition and have had a lot upgrades already done. It should have a basement and two car garage for that money as well.

We looked at a lot of homes last year in this area and I found the homeowners in AH, generally keep up the properties well. Of course that is an overall generalization and specific homes would have to be investigated.

AH is a little more expensive than MtP or BG it is true but then again, I beleive part of that is that AH also tends to be a little more "in demand" come resale time. It is important to consider that also.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

Check out Arlington Hts. itself. It is a pretty, family oriented community. We moved here after our children were grown so I can't speak from experience, but it seems like lots of kids here and families really like both the school system and the town.

Plus is it will be a great commute for your husband. (Don't discount commuting time/cost in Chicago area. If you don't consider this when you make location decisions, you could reaaallly screw up your family life and your husbands.)

I think that Arlington Heights would be a great area to live. Lots of nice older homes, generally well-kept. Unlike most Chicago suburbs, you can walk around the downtown area to various restaurants, churches, etc.

You really want to avoid long commutes as they cut into your family time.

[Avengerfire]

AH is top notch.

[mendelman]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

AH is top notch.

Agreed, but $375,000 is not going to get you anything "new", but a nice comfortable older home in good condition, but may need some simpler cosmetic upgrades. Also, you will easily finds houses with 7,000-10,000sqft lots.

But, the public high schools are all pretty big around here. You could checkout St. Viator's - Saint Viator High School It's a well respected Catholic high school here in Arlington Heights. I'm not sure of the size of the enrollment, but I would doubt it's north of 1,500.

As for being a "Catholic" community, there are at least 3 sizable parishes - St. James, Our Lady of the Wayside, and St. Edna's, plus, others in nearby suburbs.

Lastly, for a "half high school/half college student like your son, I'm sure there are opportunities to to take college courses at Harper College, which is large junior college in neighboring Palatine.

Good luck and welcome to Chicagoland!

[LouiseOF]

So it seems that everyone votes for AH. Now, in regards to the Catholic churches Avengerfire.... which Parish is the most fun to be a member of. Remember that I am coming from Utah (land of the Mormons) no drinking, smoking, cussing etc... prior to Utah we lived our entire lives in St. Louis, home of Anheuser Busch.... Anyhow, we really want to throw our kids into an experience that will remind them what it is like not to be a religious minority any longer.