Hinsdale Neighborhoods (Highland, Clarendon Hills, Madison: homes, landscaping, middle school)

[michellemurphy29]

We are looking now at a home on County line near Ravine. Is that a good area?
Does that road get busy? Do people really care what part of town you are from?

[MB1972]

Yes, county line road gets busy. Yes, people care what part of town you are from. The Lane school is the least desirable, just look at the physical grounds of the school...no green space at all.

[chet everett]

I cannot disagree more strongly.

Point by point:

* Country Line is essentially a DEAD END at the rail road, while it gets more traffic than other north side north-south streets it is not as heavily traveled as Madison or Garfield / York. In fact, due to lack of traffic control device fewer cars probably turn in there than at Oak...

* The family with the longest continous heritage in Hinsdale are arguably the Fullers -- their success is not in hedge funds or other "white collar" success but in running one of the most customer service oriented carwash / repair / hardware store businesses in the whole state. They are active in charities and the community. Believe me, if you can live up to the wonderful standards of such a family no one will look down on you no matter what you earn living at nor how modest a home you choose to live in.

* The performance of The Lane school, like all D181 schools, is TOP FLIGHT. While some green space was lost when The Lane school was expanded / modernized there is more than sufficient outdoor space for the children to enjoy recess. All of Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills is "leafy" and there is no shortage of parks / recreation areas. The D181 BOE strives to ensure that all students have a healthy environment for learning and play.

* Ravine is one of the most interesting streets in Hinsdale, the elevation does change quite sharply for an inland area. I am sure you will enjoy living near itt.

[whakru]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I cannot disagree more strongly.

Point by point:

* Country Line is essentially a DEAD END at the rail road, while it gets more traffic than other north side north-south streets it is not as heavily traveled as Madison or Garfield / York. In fact, due to lack of traffic control device fewer cars probably turn in there than at Oak...

* The family with the longest continous heritage in Hinsdale are arguably the Fullers -- their success is not in hedge funds or other "white collar" success but in running one of the most customer service oriented carwash / repair / hardware store businesses in the whole state. They are active in charities and the community. Believe me, if you can live up to the wonderful standards of such a family no one will look down on you no matter what you earn living at nor how modest a home you choose to live in.

* The performance of The Lane school, like all D181 schools, is TOP FLIGHT. While some green space was lost when The Lane school was expanded / modernized there is more than sufficient outdoor space for the children to enjoy recess. All of Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills is "leafy" and there is no shortage of parks / recreation areas. The D181 BOE strives to ensure that all students have a healthy environment for learning and play.

* Ravine is one of the most interesting streets in Hinsdale, the elevation does change quite sharply for an inland area. I am sure you will enjoy living near itt.

I am going to have to agree with Chet on this one....County Line road north of the tracks is not the same as it is south of the tracks. When I lived there I used to take County Line home from Ogden and even then the traffic was not too much. Now they won't allow you to turn left on County Line from the Tri State so that would have cut the traffic even more. The bigger through way would be Elm, Oak or York.

It is such a pretty area over there and like Chet mentioned, a lot of hills. Plus I think that there is easier access to the Tri state, I-88, and Oakbrook and Route 83.

Not sure how the comment about the Fullers relates but.....I went to school with a couple of them and they are nice people. As I mentioned in another post, I never heard anyone question what part of Hinsdale you lived in....as long as you were in Hinsdale it didn't matter. You will be considered one of "them". There will be plenty of other things that will matter to your social status but that is another topic.

[HinsdaleBadBoy]

All of Hinsdale is nice... BUT south of the tracks is more desirable than north of the tracks... but north of 9th and east of Garfield #Don'tTakeMyWordDriveAroundAndYou'llSee

[Chris_H_2]

The only minor point of disagreement I would have is characterizing County Line as not busy. From what I've experienced, County Line does have it fair share of cars relative to most north/south strees in Hinsdale. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with (i) the Whole Foods being on the corner north of Ravine on Ogden, and (ii) people often using it to eventually go west (they turn on the Lane or Hickory). While it's definitely not as busy as Garfield, I would consider it just as busy as Madison in off-peak/non-school hours, if not a little more (again, having to do with the Whole Foods).

But we're not talking Ogden busy or 55th street busy, so it's probably not an issue.

[MB1972]

County line is used as a cut through by many who live in Hinsdale. On the north side it's true that it's not as busy as on the south side, but it is not a quiet street. I stand by my characterization of Lane school. It's true that 181 has excellent schools but within Hinsdale, The Lane is by no means the most preferred school. I know, I lived in Hinsdale until very recently.

[chet everett]

The fact is each and every school in the friendly D181 district is in firmly on the friendly Illinois Honor Roll for Academic excellence.

I have friends that have served / currently serve on the BOE. It is through their hard work that there is miniscule spread of under 3 percentage points from the most exalted school in D181 to any other. That sort of minor variation is likely explained more by the shifts of families / kids from year to year than any deficiency in the staff / facilties:
Illinois Interactive Report Card

As others have said County Line is not the busiest street in town, and north of the tracks it has far less traffic than south.

The OP should rest easy that the home they are looking at will prove a safe enjoyable and educationally excellent choice for their family...

Originally Posted by MB1972

County line is used as a cut through by many who live in Hinsdale. On the north side it's true that it's not as busy as on the south side, but it is not a quiet street. I stand by my characterization of Lane school. It's true that 181 has excellent schools but within Hinsdale, The Lane is by no means the most preferred school. I know, I lived in Hinsdale until very recently.

[TMMG]

we are in the same boat as 3Series - searching that area but do not want to make the mistake of not having children on the block - we have a 3 year old and 3 month old. Looking for a place where they will grow with others, play dates, etc. I think i am gonna knock on some doors before we make an offer?
Wondering the best streets for Toddlers...

[chet everett]

Toddler's parents are probably not to going to have too much time to answer random door knocking, especially in the winter...

If you purchase any home in Hinsdale or Clarendon Hills that is inside of D181 the odds of their not being at least some kids on the block are vanishingly remote. If you want to an exact age match for your kids within a house or two that might be more difficult (and frankly a little nuts when you think about the fact that every kid has different personalities...).

I would recommend shopping for the nicest home in your price range without regard for how "child dense" any particular block is. I know some folks that were thrilled to live at the end of a block next to parks with tot lots but now that their kids are grown and the grandkids live in another state the tot lot is little more than a distraction and they spend more time getting to the platform tennis courts at a different park...

Short of the obvious poor locations for a family (like the handful of homes that have direct exposure to Ogden ...) most any spot is going to have folks with kids nearby, a park and school within a short walk, and be near enough to at least one commuter rail station to not need a car ride every day. Pretty big pluses...