HELP! Young family moving to the WESTERN CHICAGO BURBS (Naperville: condos, townhouses)

[mostarky]

We are considering a move to one of these western suburbs: Naperville, Lombard, Downers Grove, Wheaton, or Glen Ellyn.

We have 4 small children (oldest is 9) so schools are very important (all the way to SR HIGH since we're planning to stay for a while).

Also, any insight into the cost of living and housing costs in these areas would be much appreciated. Where can you get the most bang for your buck as far as housing is concerned?

Lastly, if anyone can comment on the feel of these areas that would be great. I grew up in the Evanston area and went to school in Chicago so if you could use those as comparison points that would be even more helpful. Thanks so much!

[AuDiBelle]

I don't think you can really go wrong with any of those towns. These are generalizations, but Glen Ellyn and Wheaton would likely be the most cohesive (ie., upper middle class neighborhoods with not a lot of diversity). Maybe throw Downers into that group too. Lombard is a typical middle class suburb, not much else to say about it. Naperville is a very large town, and probably the most diverse socioeconomically. Some sections have (relatively) newer housing further out from the main downtown area and then you have the historic district closer to its downtown. Glen Ellyn and Wheaton housing stock is older and hasn't really "sprawled" because they are land-locked, but a lot of tear downs of older/smaller houses do occur. Downers is similar as well. Lombard housing stock is older as well and probably not as many tear-downs occur there as in Downers, GE, or Wheaton.

Someone else posted this really cool school link Interactive Illinois Report CardThat should help you compare schools. Also, the Chicago Tribune ranks public schools by their standardized test scores. http://www.greatschools.com is helpful as well with parent comments.

Houses in GE, DG, and Wheaton will be the most expensive with Lombard being least expensive. Naperville will have a variety of options from cheaper to very expensive housing as it's much larger and more diverse. Naperville probably has more of a nightlife scene with restaurants/bars and those types of amenities, whereas GE and Wheaton are more of sleepy little towns. I'd say DG is somewhere in between.

[pvande55]

I'd have to agree with most of that. I assume that you are limited to this area because of job location, as driving long distances can be a hassle. If money is no object, I'd go with Glen Ellyn. Sure it's sleepy, no night life, etc, but with four kids, you likely don't care. Lombard has the Yorktown mall, easily reached from any of these towns. For higher-class dining, there's always Oak Brook, a little further east.

[JustJulia]

I live in Naperville. I haven't lived here long enough to know other towns really well, unlike some posters here, but I can tell you about where I live.

Schools: The schools are GREAT. We have three children, one in kindergarten, one in sixth grade (that's junior high here), and one in eighth grade (also junior high). I have nothing but good things to say about the schools our kids have attended. The teachers are very involved and enthusiastic, and there's not a lot of turnover. The schools are one of the main reasons we moved here.

Naperville has two school districts, Naperville 203 (an older area, where we live) and Naperville 204 (newer area). Both school districts perform very well in terms of test scores and graduation.

Housing Costs: Naperville does have pockets of very expensive homes, but there are plenty of houses that are more affordable. My neighborhood is mostly two-story, four-bedroom homes, ranging from the lower $300Ks to the mid $400Ks. These are older houses built in the 60s, and pricing will vary according to upgrades like cabinets, windows, newer furnace, sunroom add-on, etc.

There are complexes of townhouses not far from here that are priced below $300K. There are also small condos are in the $100Ks. The neighborhood next to mine is newer, with larger houses (same size lots, so the houses are closer together) and smaller trees. These houses are very pretty and cost in the $500K to $600K range. There are houses near the rivers and forest preserves that are in the millions of dollars. So prices are all over the place.

Cost of Living: We moved here from California and find the COL to be about the same. Your electric bill will be higher in the summer, especially if you use your A/C a lot. Your gas bill will be high in the winter. We are on a level pay plan for both. Our gas bill is $80 a month (the average of summers, when the bill is very low, and now, when the heat is always running) and our electric/water bill is $130 (also the annual average). Trash is included in your property taxes. A bundle of cable/internet/phone will run you about $100, or more if you get a lot of premium channels or other bells and whistles.

Speaking of property taxes, they are high. About 2% of your home value. A big reason we chose to live in Naperville 203 is that the property taxes are lower and more stable here, because the area is older and more established. Naperville 204 is still growing and being built up. If you look at homes here, be sure to look at the differences in taxes. Property taxes for the homes we looked at ranged from $5500 to nearly $11,000.

Area Feel: It is very suburban here, but there is also a lot of accessible nature. We go to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle a lot, and the Riverwalk in downtown Naperville.

Morton Arboretum
Naperville Riverwalk Foundation: Site Plan

There are also lots of trails for walking, running, and biking, tons of parks, and many nearby forest preserves such as Danada Park and Herrick Lake.

Danada
Herrick Lake

A poster named Steve-o has a thread full of dozens of pictures from Naperville and many other cities. It's a great place to see the types of homes and what the area looks like.