Elburn vs. Sycamore (Chicago, Rockford, DeKalb: real estate market, homes, school district)

[sycgal]

We are looking to move a bit further out west and cannot decide which town would be best to live and raise a family. Its a toss up right now between Elburn or Sycamore. I'd love to hear opinions on both towns. For example: school district information, dining, shopping, children's activities etc....

[sgresident]

both places would be nice to raise families. I don't know about the sycamore school district, but elburn is in the kaneland school district(as is sugar grove). there are two elementary schools in elburn, the high school is just west of elburn in maple park. the middle school is brand new and will be opening this fall in sugar grove. the old middle school will be undergoing some renovations and will be closed for a while. my two kids have always done well in school and the kaneland test scores are above average, but not super. the school district does offer challenge programs for accelerated students. athletics begin in 7th grade on a limited amount, and the high school has most, though not to the extent of the larger districts. there is definitely more shopping available in sycamore, especially on the dekalb/sycamore border area. elburn has a metra station. if you are considering the kaneland school district, then you should also check out sugar grove, there are some great home values right now, and the area has great access to the I88 tollway. the sugar grove chamber of commerce has a nice website as does the village of sugar grove. good luck in the search.

[Steve-o]

Id call it a tie. Elburn is closer to everything and has Metra, but Sycamore is more charming. Take your pick.

[SubaruFiend]

Elburn is closer to the tri-cities which have a LOT more conveniences (lots of shopping and such)........

Sycamore is more charming (like steve-o said)...... you'll feel like you're more out in the boonies if you live in Sycamore. And you're only option for "close" shopping and dining is Dekalb (Lots of college students.)

[gardener34]

Elburn has a train into the city, if that matters. It is the last stop on the metra.

[Drover]

Depends on how far away from the rest of suburbia you want to be. Once the real estate market picks back up, it won't be 10 years before Elburn is a part of contiguous suburban development -- maybe even sooner now that it has its own Metra stop. I give Sycamore at least 10 more years beyond that before suburbia comes out to meet it.

If shopping is a recreational hobby, Elburn is a lot closer to the Randall Road corridor and the Geneva Commons in particular. If shopping is more of a "necessities with the occasional trip for pleasure shopping" then your daily needs will be met in Sycamore better, particularly along the Route 23 corridor that connects Sycamore with DeKalb.

Personally, I like Sycamore better because it's more "Main Street America"-ish. Sycamore was a lot more developed than Elburn in the pre-war days and has a more developed "classic" downtown district to show for it. Elburn also has a pre-war central core, but it's a lot smaller; it feels like 80% of Elburn was built last week.

[TennisDD]

Agree with what a lot of posters have said on here. Sycamore is a charming town, the only downside is that it is far from the rest of suburbia. If you are looking for a small town that is slower in pace, friendly, and well kept, Sycamore is it.

Elburn has a lot of offer in regards to a train that goes to downtown Chicago and it's proximity to the fox valley area. Less development in the town of Elburn than Sycamore, but within a 15 mile radius, a lot more eateries/retail.

Real Estate is probably less in Sycamore I would assume.

[chubbz5603]

Hi, I have grown up in the Elburn area since 1978 and then moved to Sycamore in 1999. Here are a few things for consideration. Elburn does have the metra to chicago, which is quite handy, plus it is closer to shopping in the Geneva/St.Charles area (about 10-15 minute drive east). When it comes to schools they are rated pretty well. I would suggest checking out Greatschools.com to give you a general idea in terms of state test ratings (scale from 1-10, 10 being the best) and parent reviews. According to that rating, Elburn is better in that area. Sycamore, on the other hand, does have a great small town feel. It reminds me of what Geneva used to be back when I was a kid. A charming small town that was a great place to raise a family. Sycamore definitely has that charm. While development is inevitable, it isn't moving as quickly as Elburn has (it has really exploded in the past 5-7 years). Sycamore is close to Dekalb so one can easily find the Lowes,Menards, Old Navy, Starbucks, Jewel/Osco, Walgreens...in fact, Target just remodeled and might be a SuperTarget. My point being that even though it might not have the retail access that Elburn has it will inevitably have that in the future. Just like there is a possibility of expansion of the train out to Dekalb. As the population grows the school system just might improve as well. A larger elementary just opened as well and there is a new Montessori in the area too. I would caution that the real estate tax is surprisingly higher out here in Sycamore, so you might want to research it first if that is a consideration. I personally prefer Sycamore. I adored the feel of Geneva when it was still a smaller town. When my husband and I looked into Sycamore, we fell in love with it. Definitely check it out. In regards to malls, you could drive out east for shopping, the Geneva Commons is about 25 minutes away from Downtown Sycamore, or you could drive out to Rockford to the Cherry Valley mall. that would be about 30-35 minutes.

[LindaIL]

You may also want to check out Maple Park. It's about 7 min. west of Elburn (Metra, a few restaurants, Grocery, Elementary School) and about 15 minutes East of Sycamore (not familliar with their schools). Either way Shopping on Randall Road or Dekalb/Sycamore is about 15 min - Maple Park is right in the middle of both. There are a few different subdivisions in Maple Park - Kaneland Estates which is about 2 minutes west of the High School and old Middle School on Keslinger Road - Here you have the country feel, larger 1 acre + lots, yet still close to Schools, Jewel, Walgreen, McDonalds in Elburn (7 min.). There are also a few newer subdivisions near downtown Maple Park with smaller 1/4 acre lots - about 7 min. to High School. Plus many rural homes not in subdivisions. Maple Park is in the Kaneland School District, decent school dist. - mykids have done well there. Same school dist. as Elburn & Sugar Grove. Maple Park and Elburn are convenient to the High School, but Sugar Grove is about a 20-30 min. bus ride for the kids. Maple Park Kids go to Kaneland John Stewart Elementary school in Elburn or the new Middle School on Harter Road near Sugar Grove. Alot of house/land for your money in Maple Park.