Hinckley, IL

[Lookout Kid]

I've actually been to Hinckley, as I have relatives who once farmed in the general area generations ago... Here are my impressions today:

1. There are still some really nice, well-kept historic houses in town. In most small rural communities, the historic houses are in terrible shape. There's a general sense in small towns that you only stay in the center of town until you can afford a newer house on the periphery (like the newer houses in northern Hinckley), and people tend to let historic houses go. Of course this is reversed in Chicago suburbs with Metra service, where people once again want to be near walkable downtowns and Metra rail stations. It's kind of ironic... People in fast-paced Chicago suburbs are searching for this idealized "Mayberry" small-town experience, but people in rural America are mostly not interested in it any more. So in suburbs like Glen Ellyn, we are creating this "boutique small town experience" that is sort of a Disneyland version of something that doesn't exist any more in rural America.

2. There is very little employment in the general Hinckley vicinity. But the Fox Valley has jobs, and that might be a manageable commute if you worked in Aurora or Batavia.

3. Downtown Hinckley is pretty much dead. You almost feel like you could see tumbleweeds blowing down the street. Many of the nice old commercial buildings have bricked up facades or bad 20th century facade renovations with corrugated metal. BUT there are some attempts to keep it going apart from the "towny bars" and dentists offices--which makes me realize there must be some of that Chicagoland money starting to filter in for people willing to commute east.

[yousah]

Hinckley represents a classic case of gentrification. Fortunately, the increase in housing values due to the new construction has helped raised the values of the housing in the older downtown section. That has allowed those homeowners to invest money in their houses without having to worry about pricing themselves out of the market.

Nonetheless, there are residents who simply can't afford to remodel those older houses, but the potential to do so exists, and that's a good thing. You can contrast that situation to a place like Aurora where housing values in the downtown are so depressed that it doesn't make financial sense to put any additional money into houses. Hence, the terrible state of housing and values in that community.

My guess is that there aren't too many people in Hinckley who work in Chicago. I've sold lots of houses there over the years and even people who are working in the far west suburbs had a concern over the commute times. Chicago could easily be a two-hour trip on bad days during the winter.

Hinckley is sort of a bedroom community in that it's never really had a vibrant downtown. The residents mostly shop elsewhere, and that's not too difficult considering that most of them work in the more urban areas where they can pick up what they need prior to driving home.

[kitters75]

Truly, Hinckley is lovely.
I am from Downers, and have lived in suburbs such as Naperville, Darien, Lisle, and even Chicago.
Small town living that is quiet and close knit, with a great variety of activities and small, navigable community activities, and absolutely excellent school districts. I do not judge my children's education on the opportunity to play a sport amongst a giant throng of other competitors. My children are thriving academically and socially in the school district, and I stay home with them.
Shopping is not a key attraction to Hinckley, we just travel our quiet country roads with no stoplights or traffic jams and head to Sandwich, Plano, Yorkville, Sugar Grove, DeKalb… you get the idea.
Ugh. Don't listen to this ridiculous debate. Rt. 30 gets snowed and nearly impassable once a year, maybe twice. Otherwise, it's clear sailing.
Oh yeah, and my husband commutes daily to Darien. We have no problem integrating to the community. We involve ourselves and are welcomed.
Best wishes!

[Sunnie1207]

How long is the drive from Hinckley to Bensenville would you say?

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Sunnie1207

How long is the drive from Hinckley to Bensenville would you say?

It is a minimum of 50 miles. Though maps might make it seem manageable, the traffic volumes along the major roads, including US-30, I-88, and Rt. 83 or any alternatives mean that even "off peak" you will have to deal with stoplights / slowdowns. Figure about an hour and quarter to ninety minutes with dry roads / no collisions blocking lanes. Add at least 40 minutes when there is an active rain / snow event. In the worst conditions, where multiple accidents have restricted lanes and plows have not cleared the roadways figure about THREE TIMES that commute.