Comparing East Aurora with Naperville (crime rate, how much, house prices)

[andy135]

Looks like our search for district 203, 204 schools has led us today to east aurora. Love the subdivision (park, lake community, beautiful homes), district 204 schools assigned and the house too. Generally feels like more bang for the buck when just considering the house and the schools.

However it isnt "Naperville". How much of a difference does the city make? ... considering we are 5 miles from rte-59 near waubonsie valley highschool, how do the libraries, city services, crime rate etc compare. and more importantly what are the chances of the school district or schools assigned to the house being changed in future.

we are new home buyers, new parents and new to illinois . Any and all help is very much appreciated.

[Drover]

Some parts of Aurora are a bit rough and the differences between downtown Aurora and downtown Naperville are pretty stark, though the former is showing some signs of resurgence. But out in the fringes of each where Aurora meets Naperville, there is no practical difference. If you're in district 204 then you'll pay a premium versus 131 (East Aurora), but probably less than you'd pay to be in 203. And there may also be a small premium to have the "Naperville" bragging rights on your drivers' license, but IMO it's really not worth it unless you can buy into the downtown area. Barring that, as long as you're not in 131 you're fine in eastern Aurora.

[majka]

We moved to east Aurora 2 years ago, and so far I can't say a bad word for the place. We choose Colony Lake subdivision where my kids have walking distance to elementary school, I have 4 kids but only one goes to school (kindergarten), my triplets are now 3 years old. I like his teacher and generally school is very friendly I feel they are dedicated to their students. I do some volunteering there. Our neighborhood is quiet and I feel safety with my kids. I run passing surrounding neighborhoods and don't account any problems. I take kids to nearby parks where are a lot of nice kids nice families. Check Aurora Eola Public Library a lot of kids activities there. Also, looks like house prices picked up in recent years so things looks very optimistic. The last house sold was 250k about 2 weeks ago and we bought it for just 160k.
There are rough areas in Aurora but it is not a walking distance at least from the place we live. The all about is if you want to be tagged Aurorian or Napervilian. I am fine to be in Aurora. Despite the fact that Naperville supposed to be the best, Aurora also has a few interesting places to see. It is a nice little zoo and water park we go there in summer. It is little, cute, and many parents come there with their kids. I always go there whenever gets some lazy days to drive far. Aurora Paramount Theater is another great place to visit, we go there sometimes, even Kevin Bacon had there his performance. Downtown Aurora maybe rougher comparing with downtown Naperville but still worth to go to see few nice places.
Good luck in your searching!
(sorry for my english I am ESL, caucasian if that matter

[chet everett]

There are multiple impediments to any part of D204 ever being switched to another district. The loss of revenue, disruption to traditional boundaries and layers of bureaucratic stasis would all but eliminate any chance of such a move.

Now the attendance boundaries within a district can and do switch as population shifts and new schools open-- the district makes an effort to address imbalances.

I tend to agree with Drover in theory that once you start to look at D204 vs D203 the downside of being further from the majority of amenities ought to be a wash however there are some pretty hard to argue against data that show significantly higher median prices in D203, a lower overall tax rate ( mostly due to school being more recently built in D 204...) and a greater desirability of schools. To be sure the negatives are nothing like the huge problems that plague D131 that serves the undesirable areas of East Aurora but depending on priorities / budget you ought to be aware of...