Why is Barrington and all of its satellite communities always left out of the most prestigious suburb lists?

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

I wonder what lies behind the gates on some of those Barrington neighborhoods.

I can think of only two sub divisions, Wynstone (No. Barrington) and The Glen ( South Barrington) that are gated. Many of the roads however, in Barrington Hills are marked "private" but not manned.

[Caver Girl]

I found this info after accidentally driving through Barrington Hills last weekend on my way north to Island Lake.
It was a beautiful drive through both rolling, wooden and open land!

"The rural-suburban area is part of the greater Barrington area and many affluent residents live there on large estates within commuting distance of Chicago. There is a minimum 5-acre (20,000 m2) zoning restriction on building houses and both farming and horse raising are allowed. Homes are on individual septic system and water wells. The zoning restrictions are sometimes interpreted as protecting the residents "from the lower classes."[3] The Zoning Ordinance of the Village was adopted in 1963 but the existence of equestrian farms predate the Village by decades."

Lower classes Hehe, I was not affronted, just amused.

[Anthera]

Originally Posted by Caver Girl

I found this info after accidentally driving through Barrington Hills last weekend on my way north to Island Lake.
It was a beautiful drive through both rolling, wooden and open land!

"The rural-suburban area is part of the greater Barrington area and many affluent residents live there on large estates within commuting distance of Chicago. There is a minimum 5-acre (20,000 m2) zoning restriction on building houses and both farming and horse raising are allowed. Homes are on individual septic system and water wells. The zoning restrictions are sometimes interpreted as protecting the residents "from the lower classes."[3] The Zoning Ordinance of the Village was adopted in 1963 but the existence of equestrian farms predate the Village by decades."

Lower classes Hehe, I was not affronted, just amused.

Why would anyone be affronted by that unless they considered themselves part of the lower classes?

You lifted a paragraph without citing the source (which btw was not anyone in Barrington Hills).

[middle-aged mom]

Not all of Barrington Hills is 5 acre zoning and most definitely not all properties are zoned for horses.

There are many homes on one acre+/- lots and the best kept secret of the Hills is an HOA with zero lot lines.

Many properties do however, have conservation deeds and cannot be sub-divided despite having 20+ acres.

The majority of folk in the Hills prefer open spaces and land and will not consider revisions to zoning to allow development on smaller lots. It has nothing to do with class and all to do with preserving open spaces and "the country" feel of the community.

[Caver Girl]

Originally Posted by Anthera

Why would anyone be affronted by that unless they considered themselves part of the lower classes?

You lifted a paragraph without citing the source (which btw was not anyone in Barrington Hills).

My apologies -- the paragraph came from Wikipedia, not anyone on C-D.

I am definitely part of that "lower class" in that I could never afford a multi-million dollar home. Kudos to the zoning though! I believe our rural, country settings should be kept that way. Too much has been destroyed.

If I ever were to have a home on a lot of land (which I would love!) I'd have to move somewhere much cheaper than this area. ... perhaps one day.

[middle-aged mom]

The most charming and historic Haeger school house ( circa 1842), on 1.5 acres, is listed for sale at $450K. It includes its own deeded settler's cemetary.

This is one of 7 properties listed in the Hills, under $500K.

[Eagle640]

[quote=Steve-o;9390339]There is just as much old money in areas of the Barringtons as anything on the North Shore.

According to the Book "Privilege, Power, and Place: The Geography of the American Upper Class", there are 900 families in the Social Register on the North Shore and a grand total of 14 in all of the Barringtons. So the answer is a big No in terms of there being a lot of "old money" in the Barringtons. Not even close. Stephen R. Higley Ph.D.

[Steve-o]

[quote=Eagle640;11512497]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

There is just as much old money in areas of the Barringtons as anything on the North Shore.

According to the Book "Privilege, Power, and Place: The Geography of the American Upper Class", there are 900 families in the Social Register on the North Shore and a grand total of 14 in all of the Barringtons. So the answer is a big No in terms of there being a lot of "old money" in the Barringtons. Not even close. Stephen R. Higley Ph.D.

So did this particular author/researcher go door-to-door and cover EVERY house in the Barringtons to collect his data?

[IRV007]

Just my two cents but I think the upper crust over in the Barrington area would just rather NOT be listed anywhere. Can't really blame them.
There are gates and gate houses over there that are worth more than my car or house!

[suzie9998]

There is tons of old money in Barrington. The median income is not as high there as in some suburbs because many of those houses have been handed down to second and third generations that don't make as much as someone who lives in Hinsdale and has to afford a $10,000/month mortgage. That's why it gets left off those lists - many of them are based on per family and per capita income.