Downers Grove, Westmont, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton (Chicago, Naperville: fit in, new home, unemployed)

[Portland_Bookgirl]

Which is the best area and why? Best downtown? Best restaurants?
Yuppie or artsy?

We're moving back home to our sweet home Chicago with our toddler, but things have changed in the last couple of decades, so I wanted to get some input and discussion.

I'm partial to Downers because I love the older homes and the downtown seems to be fine. (Haven't been in person so don't know-- I've been looking at stuff online.) The schools there are really good. Yes, I know Naperville is king, but it might not be the best locale for us. Artist writer mama and her techie and kiddo. I don't do well in suburbia subdivisions. No offense!

Looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say Thanks!!

[Drover]

Here's how I would decide:

1. Take a piece of paper and use a pencil and ruler to divide it into 4 equal quadrants
   
   
2. Put the name of each town in a different quadrant
   
   
3. Pin the sheet of paper to a wall
   
   
4. Stand back 10 feet
   
   
5. Throw a dart at sheet of paper
   
   
6. Move to the city in the quadrant where dart hits.

Voila -- your new home town.

[Portland_Bookgirl]

So you're saying the differences are minute among them? (no, I'm seriously asking, my funny friend.)

[BriGuy23]

They are all awesome.

I am in Clarendon Hills which is right by Downers and Westmont.

If I were to pick from your list I would go for Downers. I find it to be a tad better then Westmont. On the other hand if you pick Westmont you are in all practicality pretty much in Downers anyways when it comes to shopping/amenities.

Glen Ellyn and Wheaton are also nice. I would pass on Wheaton though...you would get bored :-)

I suggest you throw the dart but only put Downers and Glen Ellyn on the sheet of paper!

Naperville is king

Nah :-)

[lh2010]

Originally Posted by original_bookgirl

Which is the best area and why? Best downtown? Best restaurants?
Yuppie or artsy?

We're moving back home to our sweet home Chicago with our toddler, but things have changed in the last couple of decades, so I wanted to get some input and discussion.

I'm partial to Downers because I love the older homes and the downtown seems to be fine. (Haven't been in person so don't know-- I've been looking at stuff online.) The schools there are really good. Yes, I know Naperville is king, but it might not be the best locale for us. Artist writer mama and her techie and kiddo. I don't do well in suburbia subdivisions. No offense!

Looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say Thanks!!

Sorry to quote you but I always forget all a persons points if I don't.

I take it you'd prefer to live in the city but are going to live in the burbs for the kids. Honestly if you don't think you'd fit in in Naperville or wouldn't like Naperville the other burbs are essentially the same. Sure they have a little different look and feel. Some may think Naperville has cookie cutter homes and would prefer the older trees, established neighborhoods and older houses of Downers Grove but aside from that they are essentially the same place as the person with the dartboard analogy made.

Not sure if its possible with budget, commuting, etc but you would prefer Oak Park, Evanston, etc.

I would say definately rule out Wheaton. It's a great community but very suburban, I think there's only one true bar in Wheatn not counting Applebees, Chilis and the like, its very conservative, very family oriented and very suburban.

I personally think its kind odd when people in a roundabout way say they wont fit into the suburbs, dont like the suburbs, are too artsy or cool for the suburbs and then want you to pick out a suburb thats not suburban. If you want artsy, liberal, lots to do, etc move to the city, Oak Park or maybe Evanston. Good luck with the move.

[chet everett]

I COMPLETELY disagree that there is ANYTHING dartboard-ish about choosing from Westmont. Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, and Wheaton. In fact MOST of those towns are SO LARGE I would find it FOOLISH to even generalize that all parts of the town are the same / similar.

If you want to live close to Metra and have a very lovely downtown area that is decidedly oriented toward those with deep pockets GE takes the cake. However moving away from the core of the Metra oriented downtown the more 'generic' GE becomes, until you are at the north or south fringes wondering if it is not adjacent town all together until you check the tax bills...

This is somewhat true of the other towns, but most dramatic in GE.


In Wheaton the number of really lovely older homes is actually pretty small, and the yucky spread of Wheaton College's campus as well as the less compact nature of the Wheaton commercial downtown means some of the prettiest homes are adjacent to some hard-to-ignore neighbors.

Fortunately this is is much less true in Downers Grove. DG also has an amazingly well developed commercial downtown core, much much better schools than Westmont, a far larger number of nicer old homes to choose from that stretch along THREE well served Metra stops, and a very wide variety of people and involvements -- from the well programmed library to a huge range of Park District activities to the excellent Indian Boundary YMCA to a variety of 'liberal minded' service and volunteer opportunities DG is kind of a gem.

I also realize that for some people affordability is key, and Westmont has MUCH better affordability than any of the other towns, an excellent selection of watering holes, many very very good ethnic restaurants, very solid if not quite as charming housing stock, terrific access to all that is available in the region and a very approachable / non-snobby vibe.

I think that people that "bash the burbs" generally have not spent much time or effort finding the good and unique things about them.

[platys]

I lived in Downers Grove for 2.5 years, and I loved it. However, they've greatly gentrified the downtown area, which was where a lot of its charm lay, honestly. Now it looks a bit like a trying to be Naperville downtown. Downers Grove does have some close in unincorporated areas with half acre lots that I think are still pretty affordable.

Of course, prices have come down so much that even parts of Downtown Naperville are affordable, in an under 350k kind of way.

[lh2010]

Chett you make a good point. All these burbs are unique in their own ways and have much different feels to them.

I think many people who live in Westmont may hate living in Naperville and vice versa.

My point and I imagine the darboard guys point was this. The way the question was asked at least to me seemed like I'm too artsy, unique, cool, etc, etc, etc to livein a place like Naperville where its soccer moms and cookie cutter homes.

I guess thats kind of me putting words into this persons mouth but that was my take on the question and if thats how this person feels they wont like any of the burbs mentioned.

[chet everett]

Again, I disagree that there is much similarity with the core of downtown DG and the core of downtwon Naperville.

Naperville has a good sized regional college, dozens of national chain stores organized into several mall-like clusters, the Riverwalk, Centennial Beach, a regional children's museum, a tremendous about of through traffic, and grid of intersecting streets that all are oriented toward retailers.

Downers Grove's core downtown has basically NO national retailers, as they instead are located in clusters at either Yorktown, Finely Square Mall, or the 75th St. corridor, a great deal less through traffic, no real 'draws' to the area recreationally (unless you count the under utilized band shell or the privately run Tivoli Theatre). If the presence of more residential units over some of the retail / restaurant space is what the previous poster is referring to as "gentrification" I would first question their understanding of the term, and second point out that none of that construction has altered anything at street level nor taken away any architectural elements that would be considered as traditionally 'charming'.

I will further say that finding a nice family sized home under $350k remains a difficult task anywhere in DuPage Co...

Finally I think that the percentage of truly "cookie cutter" homes in any of the areas of Downers Grove or Naperville that are within a reasonable distance of the train station is minute -- the tracts of homes thrown up by mass builders are generally several miles from where the the older more charming homes are concentrated. In terms of soccer moms, given the shifting demographics I believe you are much more likely to run into a mom that plays in a soccer league or is otherwise into personal development / actualization than in doting upon their offspring while their husband slaves away at some corporate drone job. The participation rates in tri-atholons, marathons, 5Ks, cancer walks and the like continues to grow. These are not some stereotypically stepford wives. Unemployed is much more impacting men than women and that means the coaching and supervision of youth sports is much more of a dad thing lately.

[Lookout Kid]

If a commute to the Loop is part of the equation, Downers Grove BY FAR has the best Metra schedule--particularly at the Main Street station. During rush hour periods there are express trains every twenty minutes from Main Street that only take 27 minutes to get to Union Station. You won't get anything close to this in Wheaton or Glen Ellyn. I guess in Westmont you could probably head west to Downers Grove Main Street... But I've heard that parking can be a problem there.