Best Upscale Northern Suburbs close to the City

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by CaliGirl2

I was born and raised in the Caribbean among palm trees, coconut water and the lull of the ocean.

You'll like the north shore best then. I grew up swimming and boating on Lake Michigan which I loved. I loved the water so much that, after college, I moved to a tiny Caribbean island where I spent my days scuba diving and living on "island time."

I'm now back in Chicagoland but miss the island life. I try to re-create it when I can with food, music, and I've even taken up wreck diving on Lake Michigan (of course it's nothing like diving the caribbean reefs). Maybe I'll get back there someday.... But sometimes, on a hot summer day on a Lake Michigan beach, if you close your eyes and stick your toes in the sand, you can smell the coconut....

[Paige65]

I think you would like Winnetka or Glencoe best. Possibly Kenilworth, it's beautiful no question, but not much downtown there. There are new homes in all of these suburbs and if you are willing to go to the top of your price range, you could probably get on Lake Michigan. The one thing that might turn you off about Glencoe is that it's a little bit out of your 30 minute commute range (if you are talking about a train commute). If you are talking about car commute to the city, in non-rush hour, Glencoe would be within 30 minutes. For the most part, from Wilmette to Highland Park all blend together and you don't know when you're in one town or the next. Glencoe has a good farmer's market and a cute little downtown. Hubbard Woods, in Winnetka, also has a great little downtown area. I don't think you'll find a ton of keeping up with the Joneses in any of the communities you are considering.

There is no downside with regard to North Chicago. These suburbs are far removed from that area and the poster who said it must not have known what he/she was talking about. These are probably the three most affluent suburbs in all of Chicago.

Good luck.