Help! Moving to Chicago and can't make up our minds about where to live! (Arlington Heights: low income, for sale)

[JDub11]

Hello!

My husband, myself and our 2 year old son are relocating to the Chicago area for my husbands job in Lincolnshire. We currently live in Austin, TX and are having a rough time trying to determine which of the suburbs around Lincolnshire might be a good fit for our family. We are in our 30's and love the outdoors but also really enjoy city amenities like good restaurants and shopping options. Austin is a very friendly, laid back city and we are hoping to find something comparable in Illinois. We do not have any family in Illinois, so finding a community which is warm and welcoming is very important to us. Our budget is around $800k and we'd like to stay within a 30 minute commute to Lincolnshire. On our first trip out, we looked at the Barrington/Lake Zurich/Hawthorne area and decided that was just too far from downtown Chicago, so we are now focusing more on the North Shore and closer in NW suburbs which have easy rail access to downtown. I've taken a few trips to house hunt and so far, I like the following areas:

Deerfield (neighborhoods around the downtown area)
Lake Forest (south and east)
Highland Park (east of Green Bay rd)
Arlington Heights (Scarsdale, Stonegate and a few rehabbed homes just south of Palatine rd.)

I am hoping someone can give me an honest overview of each area... demographics, overall vibe, safety, schools, etc? Do any of these areas have an active Mom's/Toddlers group? It's hard to tell how many families are in the area in the middle of winter when no one is out walking or playing!

Any input, information, opinions on these cities would be very much appreciated!!

[4122]

Highland Park has a great downtown and many great parks that you're son will love. East Highland Park is very pretty with ravines by the lake. There's also Ravinia Festival which is an outdoor concert place that is awesome. Highland Park is the closest to downtown Chicago out of the towns you are looking at.

Lake Forest also has ravines by the lake like Highland Park and pretty much the whole town is scenic. I'm not sure what parks they have, but they do have a great beach. Lake Forest does have a good downtown, but they're are a lot of banks there.

Arlington Heights does have a great parks and a nice downtown, but not quite like Highland Park's. Arlington Heights has the best restaurants and the most stores out of all the towns. You'll get more house for your money compared to the other towns, but Arlington Heights is still a great town to raise children.

Deerfield doesn't really have much of a downtown. There is a downtown, but it's nothing special and it's very small. Deerfield does have some great parks too though.

I wouldn't really consider these towns to be laid back and (for some) friendly. I'm from this area, so I'm very familar with these towns and their environments. Here's what my opinion is about how friendly these towns are:
1. Arlington Heights
2. Highland Park
3. tie between Deerfield and Lake Forest

I would go with Highland Park or Arlington Heights because they seem to fit your criteria the most and are great towns to live in.

[Sunduri]

How about Libertyville? It has a quaint downtown area with some decent restaraunts, is close to the train and some nice parks/nature areas. I believe Libertyville has some of the best schools in the state. I recently bought a house there, primarily because the area is considered very desirable and resale value of houses stay strong. (I want to leave the area in 3 years or so. The weather here is just NOT for me. The people in the midwest are some of the friendliest in the nation though!)

It's an extremely safe area. I don't even lock my doors all the time when I go out for a bit. Although CNN Money listed it as one of the top picks for the rich and single to live, I haven't seen hide nor hair of these single folks. To me, it just seems like the area is chock full of families doing stuff with their kids. Very white picket fence type of an area, including your 4th of July parades, winter sports, summer BBQs and ballgames, moms at the park mid-day watching the kids climbing playsets, etc, etc...

[ToriaT]

live in the nicest area in your price range with the best schools closest to your job. Done.

[4122]

Check out this house in Libertyville by downtown, Adler Park, and Independence Grove:

229 Walnut St, Libertyville, IL 60048 is For Sale - Zillow

And this house in Highland Park by the Braeside train station, The Botanic Gardens, and Ravinia Festival:

8 Sheldon Ln, Highland Park, IL 60035 is For Sale - Zillow

[JDub11]

Thanks for the information all! We haven't looked at Libertyville because we wanted to be closer to downtown.

We've heard that Highland Park may not be the friendliest of areas and that we might feel like outsiders if we are not Jewish (we are not), so I just a little concerned about that.

I love the Arlington Heights downtown, but I'm fearful that purchasing a home in the $800k range might be bad idea because many of the homes are in the $200-$300k range. The new construction homes are in the $800k range, but trying to keep resale in ming and not sure that AH would be a safe financial bet.

Deerfield seems like a nice area - particularly around Walden Elementary - anyone have opinions of this neighborhood?

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by JDub11

Thanks for the information all! We haven't looked at Libertyville because we wanted to be closer to downtown.

We've heard that Highland Park may not be the friendliest of areas and that we might feel like outsiders if we are not Jewish (we are not), so I just a little concerned about that.

I love the Arlington Heights downtown, but I'm fearful that purchasing a home in the $800k range might be bad idea because many of the homes are in the $200-$300k range. The new construction homes are in the $800k range, but trying to keep resale in ming and not sure that AH would be a safe financial bet.

Deerfield seems like a nice area - particularly around Walden Elementary - anyone have opinions of this neighborhood?

Look, I have said this on the boards dozens, maybe hundreds of times -- I know LOTS of people that live in Highland Park and it is A LOVELY COMMUNITY! There is an ancient history of it having a legacy of Jewish families but it is UTTERLY NONSENSICAL to say that those that are not Jewish would feel like "outsiders". The majority of the town is NOT JEWISH! The handful of real old timers that are more observant are STILL NOT LIKE HASIDIC groups AT ALL, they might just keep kosher. Even the MAJORITY of those that are "Jewish by heritage" are not super observant AT ALL -- BBQ, cheeseburges, shellfish are all standard fare at block parties!

Frankly in your price range and with the SUPER EASY COMMUTE to / from work you would be NUTS not to put Highland Park on the TOP OF YOUR LIST.

The listings above show that the kinds of homes in your price range in Highland Park are SUPERB, far nicer than what you'd get in other North Shore towns at the same price point AND more realistic of the mainstream values -- that place is Libertyville is sitting because it is over priced...

Highland Park really is a great community -- best shopping and restaurants of the North Shore, good access to the lake for residents via parks, nice schools, quaint homes.

Kind of a slam dunk!

[JDub11]

Thanks for the additional info about Highland Park, Chet.

I completely agree that Highland Park is lovely, that's why it is on our short list, it simply struck me as odd that about 5-6 people we know responded with "are you Jewish?" when we said we were looking at Highland Park. It was the only area where we have received comments about religion in any way, so it was enough of a concern for me to ask a question here. My best friend is Jewish, so I certainly do not have any issues with Judaism. I'd be equally concerned if people told me that the vast majority of people were blondes, or Catholics, or drive Ford trucks, or are vegans. I'm just trying to ensure we (and my young son in particular) will not feel left out because we do not celebrate the same holidays or milestones, you know?

[Paige65]

I live in HP (east of GB as well) and I am not Jewish. WRT people asking if you are Jewish because you are considering HP, I remember hearing that as well. I've been here since 1994. I like it here and have found it, overall, to be a nice place. To be honest, you may feel a little like an outsider, but that's not because you will be treated unkindly or excluded, it is because it can be like a small town where everyone knows everyone because they grew up here or they have long time connections through their involvement and worship at the various temples.

As long as your children are involved in activities or you become involved yourself, you will meet many Jewish people and probably just as many who aren't. However, you will notice that living in HP is different than living in a community where there aren't many Jewish people. In other communities there is little talk of bar/bat mitzvahs, Jewish holidays and celebrations, long lines with police directing traffic at the local grocery the days before a high holiday, local restaurants closed on Jewish holidays, 8-10 week summer camp for kids, etc. It's a very nice community and has much to offer, but to say there is not a Jewish pervasiveness is simply not true. You may feel like a minority. Many of my Christian friends feel that way. It's not a bad thing, you just don't feel like the majority.

There is a lot to offer in Highland Park. I wouldn't take it off your list because of what you may have heard, unless your friends/acquaintances have first hand experiences that you feel are valid cautionary flags.

Lake Forest is a great town as well. A little sleepier than HP, and a little farther from the city, but probably a similar commute to Lincolnshire. I would also consider parts of Glencoe, especially if you want to get into the New Trier High School boundaries, though I know that's a long way down the road for you.

[4122]

Originally Posted by JDub11

Thanks for the information all! We haven't looked at Libertyville because we wanted to be closer to downtown.

We've heard that Highland Park may not be the friendliest of areas and that we might feel like outsiders if we are not Jewish (we are not), so I just a little concerned about that.

I love the Arlington Heights downtown, but I'm fearful that purchasing a home in the $800k range might be bad idea because many of the homes are in the $200-$300k range. The new construction homes are in the $800k range, but trying to keep resale in ming and not sure that AH would be a safe financial bet.

Deerfield seems like a nice area - particularly around Walden Elementary - anyone have opinions of this neighborhood?

I also live in HP and am not Jewish. I do agree that you may feel like an outsider, but that happens being new to any town. I moved to HP before my kids were born when I grew up in a middle-low income area and have made friends with people who grew up in HP. HP isn't less friendly than any other town. I've actually found it to be one of the friendlier north shore towns.

Deerfield also has a lot of Jewish people like HP, but it is actually less friendlier than HP. I live in HP, but in the Deerfield School District boundaries. My daughter had problems with her peers in Deerfield schools, but I also found many parents to be unfriendly myself. Luckily, we live in an option area where my daughter can go to Highland Park HS and Deerfield HS. We thought that since she had a sister at Deerfield that if she continued to have problems at school, she would be there. Now her sister is in college and things haven't changed for my daughter, so she's going to be switching to HPHS hopefully by March. Why I chose to send my kids to Deerfield schools? I didn't, I they were going to go to Highland Park schools.

Libertyville is very far from downtown. If being close to downtown is a big concern for you, then choose HP. Libertyville isn't very far from Lincolnshire at all, but HP is a bit closer. If you're only going to go downtown every few months or so, then you should also consider Libertyville. Arlington Heights maybe too far from work, so don't choose it unless you're willing to have a 30 minute minimum commute.