For anyone considering Antioch (Chicago, Northbrook: apartments, homes, theatre)

[caugie]

For anyone looking at the far Northern suburbs of Chicago or even the greater Kenosha Area I wanted to share my thoughts on Antioch. I have come to really enjoy living in the area and hope that others might also benefit from my experience.

Antioch has a quintessential small town feel. The Main Street and proximity is quaint and well kept and is a small collection of unique shops, restaurants, coffee shop, 1 screen movie theatre, band shell, and even a stand alone live community theatre. (Some of the local businesses you may want to check out: Rugans, Infini-Tea, Café Book, David’s Bistro, Mexican Paradise Café, Oliverii North, Sweet Discoveries, Las Vegas Diner, The Lodge.) The town has maintained its local feel in the downtown area and allowed a few chain/national establishments into an area a mile or 2 east of the downtown area. This has created a nice balance of convenience while still maintaining a charming hometown feel. For those that appreciate the outdoors, the area is surrounded by lakes and you can also get to several different forest preserves within a 10 minute drive where you can find multipurpose trails and nice scenery. Antioch is the last stop on the Metra so downtown Chicago is accessible with a 95 minute train ride.

I don’t however want to make Antioch out to be some sort of unbelievable utopia. You will see homes and apartments that are not cared for, a few unsightly strip malls, and other side effects of urban sprawl. Taxes are high, on pace with the rest of Lake County, you may find a little relief just across the border. As far as schools go I cannot speak with certainty; I am sure they have their fair share of problems, as do most schools, but will still provide a quality education. Ultimately I will have to default to the ratings and comments of others. For those coming from more of a city setting you may find the area to feel a little bit “country,” and people’s priorities to be a little different. There is a lack of pretentiousness, almost to a fault. Many of the shops and restaurants are wonderful but if you are looking for urban and trendy this is not the place. The distance from Chicago and potential commute times should also play into any consideration.

The most redeeming aspect of Antioch, and something that one would need to experience for themselves, is the great sense of community. There are several different events throughout the year including the Taste of Antioch carnival, Fourth of July parade and 5K run, Trick or Treating on Main Street, seasonal wine walks, and weekly concerts at the bandshell and farmers markets throughout the summer. The village website and Chamber of Commerce website are great sources to see a calendar of all the community events. It is great to see the draw that all of these events have. Main Street was packed for Saturday Trick or Treating, and 4th of July Parade. The wine walks routinely sell out, hundreds attend the weekly concerts, and 1500 ran the 5K. The community theatre (PM&L Theatre) has been around for 50 plus years and is a great opportunity for those that want to participate, or just take in an inexpensive show at the quaint theatre house. It is amazing to see how active and involved the community is.

It would be completely unfair to make any comparison between Antioch and the elite North Shore suburbs such as Lake Forest, Highland Park, Wilmette, etc. If finances allow, those are wonderful places. Likewise the suburbs of Deerfield, Northbrook, Buffallo Grove, even Libertyville are great places to live, but many will have trouble finding them affordable as well. If you do happen to be looking in the very northern suburbs (Gurnee, Round Lake, Grayslake, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie) you may find the community and relative affordability of Antioch and the surrounding area to be what you are looking for.

[pvande55]

Their senior center is nice and worth the trip, though I believe you have to be over 55.