Towns comparable to Hinsdale and commutable to Itasca? (Chicago, Arlington Heights: homes, neighborhood)

[melissagrayce]

Previously received helpful advice from the forum regards a potential relocation to Chicago from the UK.

Hinsdale and the surrounding area seem a good fit for our criteria: quaint/older towns with properties that reflect this, walkable downtown, commutable to Itasca, excellent schools and amenities for children. Avg Hinsdale property is within budget as well (and I appreciate this is a nice thing).

My question - is my focus too narrow? Are there Northern or Northwestern suburbs we should consider? Aiming to visit within the next few months and I think it would helpful to have a slightly longer list.

Thanks.

[JJski]

I would suggest Hinsdale, Western Springs, La Grange and Elmhurst(go for the corridor near/south the university, most charm in this town) from the west. Check out Park Ridge, Evanston, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka from the north. I think (based on your high end criteria + charmy and walkable town core) you have only a few options if you want to maintain the reasonable commute.

Make sure to explore the North Shores area on your visit – it’s a good place to see with many very nice, wealthy towns. May even make you change your mind about commute.

Hinsdale of course will be your leader all around IMO. Definitely visit and feel out the towns (use a North versus West exploration strategy) – took us 5 visits, numerous walks thru town core and historic neighborhood plus school data checks to make the call…

[holl1ngsworth]

Wheaton and Glen Ellyn are a shorter commute to Itasca and have the same charming downtown districts with big, historic homes. You might be pleasantly surprised by your options in either town. Worth a drive-by on your visit.

IMO the Western burbs have nicer, more historic downtown districts, but the north shore is more uniformly wealthy and probably also worth a look if your budget allows.

[Lookout Kid]

It's easy to commute to Itasca from Glen Ellyn. Elmhurst is another good option.

[melissagrayce]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

It's easy to commute to Itasca from Glen Ellyn. Elmhurst is another good option.

Thanks - appreciate ratings are contentious but I do not see the Glen Ellyn and Elmhurt schools coming up as highly rated as Hinsdale. Are we better off focusing on Hinsdale (and surrounding area) for the schools alone?

[Lookout Kid]

Well, that's up to you. Hinsdale has the top-rated public schools in the western suburbs, but it is also probably the most expensive on a $/square foot basis. Glen Ellyn and Elmhurst also have excellent schools, and while they are less expensive than Hinsdale, they aren't affordable to a lot of people. It really depends on what you value and what tradeoffs you are willing to make.

[elanmorin25]

One thing to keep in mind about Chicago suburban schools is there are a lot of very good schools in the area, and the differences between the schools that show up in the, say, top 20-25 rankings are pretty negligible. It also depends a lot on what you use to rank - test scores, class size, AP classes available, spending per pupil, etc. That's why you see different rankings schemes (US News, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, etc.) with the same group of high schools in the top 25 but totally different ordering.

So while Hinsdale Central may be one of the top 5 schools in the rankings but Maine South in Park Ridge is only in the top 20, you're probably better off picking which of those two towns to live in based on cultural fit etc. rather than focusing on the school rankings.

For working in Itasca, in addition to towns others have mentioned, you might want to look at Arlington Heights, which has a very walkable downtown, and John Hersey high school is one of the best in the state.

I would be cautious about living too far east along the lake because your commute to Itasca is going to be rough. Hinsdale and Park Ridge are good suggestions.

[JJski]

mel, I see your only restriction as Commute. Do a day trip in Hinsdale + surrounding areas(west) then do another day trip in North Shores(north). You will end up in 1 of these 2 locations as you can afford it… ~ my 2 centz.

[Lookout Kid]

While I like Park Ridge quite a bit, I would stay west of O'Hare for ease of commute. Anything along 290/355 will be a piece of cake. Arlington Heights is a good suggestion.

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by melissagrayce

Thanks - appreciate ratings are contentious but I do not see the Glen Ellyn and Elmhurt schools coming up as highly rated as Hinsdale. Are we better off focusing on Hinsdale (and surrounding area) for the schools alone?

If you compare like-students, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Elmhurst and Hinsdale schools all score very similarly.

Hinsdale is a smaller, more homogeneously wealthy community than Wheaton, Glen Ellyn or Elmhurst and has a correspondingly uniform body of students. This has allowed the school districts there to produce high average test scores.

If you want the school district that is best "on paper," no doubt that will be Hinsdale. In reality though, your children would perform similarly in any of the towns in question.

I think each town is worth considering. Especially given the shorter commute and lower $/sqft that Wheaton and GE offer. Some folks just gotta have the highest ratings though, and don't care to look at statistics, and sadly that keeps beautiful towns like Wheaton, GE and Elmhurst off their short lists.