Barrington Advice? (Lake Zurich, Inverness, Lake Barrington: custom home, landscaping, neighborhood)

[kagey]

We are thinking of relocating to one of the "Barringtons" from the north suburbs. We are interested in Barrington for the beauty and lot sizes. If you have any advice as to which part (North Barrington, Barrington Hills, etc.), I would greatly appreciate it. We have 3 grade school children and prefer a newer home with some mature landscaping. We like a good deal of land but we still want neighbors close enough so my children can play with other kids easily. I read on another post that in South Barrington you never see kids out playing. Is that true? We would like a friendly social area and an upscale neighborhood. Our budget would be $1-$1.2 million. However, we still want some privacy that lot size (maybe 1-2 acres?) and landscape can offer. What is your opinion of Wynstone in North Barrington? Is there a "best" grade and middle school that is recommended? I know that all kids go to the same HS. I am the type that likes to get involved in the community and the school. I hope I made sense. I am still in the early, learning stage but excited about the possibilities of living in the "country".

[middle-aged mom]

The greater Barrington areas is about 100 square miles. I know serious dozens of sub divisions that might meet your criteria.

Wynstone is a split school district sub division, Barrington and Lake Zurich, depending on where, within Wystone. It's a beautiful community, assuming you are open to a very secure gated community and the assesments associated it. Those with school -aged kids tend to maintain at least a social membership in the CC, for the pool and activities. Itis quite a distance from the heart of the village.

Avoid most of Barrington Hills because of minimum 5 acre zoning, unless you plan to keep horses or want tremendous privacy. There are however, plenty of wonderful " closer-in" exceptions with 1-2 acre zoning.

South Barrington has a plethora of higher-high end custom homes. Each sub division has it's own personality, reflecting the ages and cultures of the majority. There are plenty of school-aged children in So. Bar. and a fabulous park system.

And then there is Lake Barrington......and those parts of Deer Park and Inverness which feed into the Barrington School District.....

I do not think any one elementary/middle school is better or worse than another.

Dependeding on the ages of your children, one can easily find themselves spending a lot of time driving them to the Village for sports and activities and so, reasonable proximity to the village may be a consideration.

I have moved numerous times, over the years and have yet to find an area that is more community-minded/spirited than the greater Barrington area.

No doubt poster Nanannie will come along and share her perspective of the community and schools.

[nanannie]

I think you covered it all very well "mom". A "search" of Barrington on this forum will add plenty of already covered info. I would like to add, Barringtons PRIAIRE CAMPUS middle school just won the "ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD" this year. Only 24 other schools in the entire state have this honor.

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by nanannie

I think you covered it all very well "mom". A "search" of Barrington on this forum will add plenty of already covered info. I would like to add, Barringtons PRIAIRE CAMPUS middle school just won the "ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD" this year. Only 24 other schools in the entire state have this honor.

That's a great achievement. I just want to point out that only 24 MIDDLE schools received this award (still a big deal). Overall, 388 schools in IL were awarded Academic Excellence this year. My kid's middle (Edgewood) and elementary (Ravinia) received the award as well, that's the only reason why I know!