What is Geneva like? (Chicago, Evanston: transplants, real estate, waterpark)

[cbsmom]

Hi everyone,
in our search to decide where to move, Geneva has popped up as an option. It seems like a charming town, good schools, and we could afford more than we could in a town like Wilmette or Hinsdale. We have a list of a few towns in the Northern suburbs and now a few in the Western suburbs, but wondering if we should add Geneva to the list?
Could you tell us a little about the community there? Is it a more conservative community? (We love the vibe of an evanston or Oak Park, with its mix of people and artsy/open community).

Thanks in advance!

[holl1ngsworth]

Depends, what is your budget?

What are the Western/Northern towns on your list that you are comparing to Geneva?

[Lookout Kid]

I haven't seriously looked at housing options in Geneva (too far out for me), but it is a great town to visit with one of the nicest (if not THE nicest) downtown areas in any Chicago suburb. Third Street in particular has the feeling of an expensive northern California town, and draws tourists and visitors from all around the area.

From what I can tell, you get a bit of a price break by being as far west as the Fox Valley, and the three suburbs of Geneva, St. Charles, and Battavia all have a lot to offer in terms of schools, charm, and amenities. Geneva is the best option as far as I'm concerned due to the Metra service and greater charm than the other two.

[holl1ngsworth]

I agree with Lookout Kid's assessment. When we were home shopping last year my wife and I also had a short list of suburbs that included Hinsdale (Clarendon Hills) and Geneva. Honestly, if we didn't have commute limitations we'd probably be in Geneva right now... the fastest inbound Metra train takes 61mins to get to the Loop, the fastest outbound takes 53mins. The rest take 1hr 10mins - 1hr 20mins....

[cbsmom]

Thanks guys!
Lookout Kid - it might be too far out for us, too. My husband works from home and only rarely goes to meetings downtown, so I think he'd be ok with an hour train ride. And he's far less social than I am, ha! But we do have my parents and a circle of friends mostly in the city (some in Evanston), right now, so not sure how we'd feel about being an hour away.

Our budget is under $600k. But if we can go well below that, awesome. We haven't done any serious exploring in the Western burbs yet, but I have a list of places (from people like Lookout kid, chet, and nikitakolata, etc.) to check out - Glen Ellyn, Elmhurst, Hinsdale/Clarendon Hills.

Do you know anything about the culture/community there? Are there a lot of city transplants or does it have a liberal edge?

Thanks guys!

[holl1ngsworth]

Honestly, one would have difficulty drawing distinctions between the "political cultures" of any of the western or northern suburbs, save for a few inner-ring spots like Evanston and Oak Park -- which are decidedly more "progressive." Regardless, even if you are the crunchiest, most bleeding heart liberal I don't think you will have trouble fitting into any modern-day Chicago suburb. Over the past decade, even Republican strongholds like Dupage County have become a bright shade of purple. DuPage even turned for Obama in '08 and '12. IMHO, you'd be safe to operate under the assumption that the majority of folks in any suburb you short-list will be socially quite liberal, but fiscally responsible... Geneva, Hinsdale and the North Shore included.

That said, if you are looking to get a little more for your money than you can up north or in Hinsdale/Clarendon Hills, I would strongly advise looking at Wheaton/Glen Ellyn. Lots of great options in your price range and they are 10-12 miles closer to the city than Geneva. My wife and I decided on Wheaton after looking at northern suburbs, as well as Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills and Geneva. Lookout Kid ended up in neighboring Glen Ellyn after going through a similar search process.

[cbsmom]

Thanks holl1ngsworth! I know we'll be hard pressed to find a place just like Evanston (or Ukrainian Village, where we live now), but it's nice to know there are a lot of other down-to-earth, liberal communities out there. We'll definitely be checking out Wheaton and Glen Ellyn, too! I remember reading about Wheaton on this board, that it has an outdated stereotype of being very religious, but that's no longer necessarily the case?

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by cbsmom

I remember reading about Wheaton on this board, that it has an outdated stereotype of being very religious, but that's no longer necessarily the case?

I don't know if there is really a good way to measure this. I know a gay man who grew up there in the 80s and 90s, and he described it as "Bible Belt Conservative" and complained it was very difficult growing up gay there. But he also said it had changed since then. My guess is that Wheaton is still more conservative and religious than your average Chicago suburb, but less so than suburbs of Dallas or Atlanta. None of the people that I personally know from Wheaton are particularly conservative, and if they are religious they don't go around advertising it.

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by cbsmom

Thanks holl1ngsworth! I know we'll be hard pressed to find a place just like Evanston (or Ukrainian Village, where we live now), but it's nice to know there are a lot of other down-to-earth, liberal communities out there. We'll definitely be checking out Wheaton and Glen Ellyn, too! I remember reading about Wheaton on this board, that it has an outdated stereotype of being very religious, but that's no longer necessarily the case?

We gave no credence to such labels when we were home shopping last year. We really dislike when people pack places into molds that are rigid and exclusive. We wanted great schools, plenty of amenities and a charming walkable core. We thought Wheaton represented the best dollar value for these items, and that's why we bought here.

A lot of the folks that perpetuate stereotypes like the one you mentioned are people who were affected by very specific experiences and extrapolate said experiences to entire communities. Quite ridiculous. Perhaps the gentleman Lookout Kid knows grew up in a conservative, religious home and was chastised by his parents and church leadership (EDIT: not the case, but the next sentence still holds true). Certainly not an experience that would have been exclusive to Wheaton during the 80's and 90's -- it was happening everywhere. Now I understand stereotypes are formed only when large numbers of people make the same assumptions / come to the same conclusion, so there may be a kernel of truth to Wheaton being so "right" in the past. BUT, things change... what was Ukrainian Village/West Town like in the 80's and 90's? Would you have chosen to live there if you were basing your decision on events from that time period?

I can tell you from personal experience, Wheaton residents don't "push" their political, ideological or religious beliefs. Signage in the yard and bumper stickers is about it. All of the young people my wife and I have befriended in Wheaton are agnostic recent city transplants (like us) who were looking for the same set of characteristics in their hometown as we were. We have met some people who go to one church or another -- but the only part of their "church life" that has ever been mentioned has to do with charity-related activity. There are quite literally tons of charities in Wheaton, both religious and secular, and most deal with homelessness and caring for refugees. Obviously this is not a detriment in our minds. People helping people is great, no matter the motivation.

I will say that liberalism, if it was ever absent, is probably seeing a renaissance around town. It speaks volumes that Senator Dick Durbin chose to walk in the Wheaton 4th of July parade (which was awesome btw). He holds the second highest position in the Democratic Party leadership in the Senate, and has since '07.

There is a lot of value to be had in Wheaton real estate. Not many communities have a park district, library, and walkable core that can compete with Wheaton's. We even have our own waterpark and free zoo. The schools are fantastic too: the downtown area is served by Longfellow Elementary, which had the 6th highest ISAT score in the state last year. If you adjust for the achievement gap, Wheaton North High School had the 10th highest PSAE score in the state last year. Impressive offerings and impressive numbers, especially considering you can get a large house <$650k. Clicking around on Redfin doesn't cost anything; I think you'll be impressed with what you can afford here.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by holl1ngsworth

Perhaps the gentleman Lookout Kid knows grew up in a conservative, religious home and was chastised by his parents and church leadership.

He had a very supportive family and was not part of some angry church. He was talking more about the schools, teachers, and community as a whole.... But 20-30 years ago. Much has changed in Wheaton and the larger world in the last few decades.