clarendon hills, IL? (Chicago, Downers Grove, Westmont: rentals, crime, daycare)

[BriGuy23]

Hi - -

My wife and I are going to be moving to the Chicagoland area and we are in the process of picking a suburb to move to. We have friends who live in Downers Grove and we seem to like Downers and Clarendon Hills (from research on the internet alone).

Does anyone have any insight into Clarendon Hills? Seems like the schools are good (hindsdale) and it seems like a quiet and safe community. We are looking for more personal thoughts as you really can't get that from a town description on a web page.


Any help would be appreciated!

Thank You

[chet everett]

One of the smallest towns in DuPage Co. You are correct that it is home to the highly rated schools of Hinsdale D181 (Clarendon Hills Middle School, Walker & Prospect Elementary) BUT it also has some incorporated areas that are NOT part of the D181 -- thus homes in the core area are far more costly / desirable.

Small size coupled with good amenities (nice park district / library/ commuter station/ semi-curvilinear layout) make it a stand out -- if you have (or planning) on kids the ability to "know who / where your kids friends are" is TOP NOTCH, downside is that those w/o kids are bit "out of the loop", though there are a fair number of retirees and some younger folks, probably attracted by the restaurants (both upscale and mid-range) that are WALKABLE which is really a rare treat in such a small suburb.

Commute wise it shares the BNSFT schedule with Hinsdale, so anything that "expresses" there is just an extra couple of minutes away, and of course you have the access to both O'Hare and Midway via either 294/55 or even surface streets as 83 and other roads are options.
Employment centers include nearby Oak Brook, but many folks also head in other directions as Ogden and 88/355 open up a lot of possibilities.

Culture / religion wise there are several churches in town, and the Catholic church has a mid sized k-8 program that serves families looking for that experience from towns like Oak Brook and Westmont / Willowbrook too. There are daycare / aftercare options in town, some of which are walkable to train, which makes it possible for some folks to literally use no car at all for much of week, though the shopping options are fairly limited. There is a Jewel in town, near 55th & 83, but the core of town is hardly a shopping mecca.

Downsides? Mostly cost. Small number of available houses and uniqueness means that sellers mostly can get a good price. There are no real 'tracts' of anything in town and homes range in range from 1890s to brand new. Some lots are quite compact, almost 'urban scale' though some large yards can be found and the configuration of the parks is a huge bonus, with some having yards that literally adjoin fields / tennis courts.

Quietness is huge factor, as even homes that are 'near' to the BNSF are generally screened / sheilded from the tracks better than in many towns along the corridor. Safety is high too, with a modern police station, well equiped fire department and no real magnets for crime of any kind. Tiny number of rentals are mostly higher priced and do not attract a terribly mobile tenant.

Full disclousre: I currently live in CH and try to be balanced, but honestly think it is one of the gems of DuPage Co / the whole region.