Mundelein IL... the low down??? (Chicago, Gurnee: apartment complexes, crime rate, how much)

[ZombieJuicer]

I've looked at as many posts and information as I could get (both on-line as well as word of mouth) on this area but am not coming up with much...

The deal is I'm in the market for a single family home under $270,000.00

I can't ignore that fact that Mundelein home prices have been falling, not doubt due to unemployment of their current owners or for whatever reason...

but what is the deal with this area is my real question??? I'd really like to hear more then there are lots of Mexicans moving there or I hate that place... I would really appreciate answers with facts to back them up...

Ups and downs about the area... in-relation to traffic, weather, crime, shopping, community events, and what not... whatever you can think of about Mundelein.

Thank you for your time... Z

[AthmaGirl]

Mundelein is fine. Yes, it has become more Mexican, but it's a lot of families moving in, not gangbangers. It's still a very decent area to live and the housing costs are a heck of a lot cheaper then the much more expensive surrounding areas like Vernon Hills or Libertyville.

I'd recommend Mundelein to anyone moving to Illinois. I have a great aunt who lives there and I work very close to that area and drive though it every day going home.

The only thing that bothers me about Mundelein, is the downtown area tends to close up earlier, so it can get kind of dead after a certain hour. (the old downtown area) But as far as main chain store shopping, you can just drive to Vernon Hills which is right next to Mundelein. So shopping is not that far. And they are building new little places to eat all time in Mundelein. New little shopping centers. I'm actually considering moving to Mundelein myself.

I'm not sure how much crime is in Mundelein, but it still seems like a fairly safe area to me. Some of the apartment complexes have gone downhill over the years, but the town itself is still pretty good.

[code10t]

You should use Google StreetView on Google Maps (maps.google.com) to take a look around. There are several new communities around the edges of Mundelein, many of which have some very nice homes; if you're in one of those, I'd imagine you'd be fine. Mundelein is located just west of Vernon Hills, which is a major shopping hub in Lake County, and has just about anything one would need. Central Lake County as a whole is very nice and picturesque, and is less crowded and congested than most of the Chicago area, which makes it quite attractive in my view. I think that some of the older areas are not considered as upscale as a lot of the other towns in Lake County (Libertyville, as well as some of the upscale communities on Lake Michigan).

You're right that Mundelein does have lower housing prices than a lot of the surrounding areas, which makes it quite desirable from that standpoint. I don't know where you're working, but other comparable places to look would be Vernon Hills (right next door), Grayslake, Gurnee (both due north of Mundelein), and Lake Zurich (west of Mundelein). Libertyville is great too, but it might be tough to find a property of sufficient quality at that price point.

[saddlewood]

My teenage daughter will be staying at the Doubletree in Mundelein - is it safe?

[chet everett]

Few hotels allow teens to check-in without their parents or adult chaperones.

The hotels in Mundelein are in the commercial areas accessible to shopping and offices -- mostly quiet professional people on business.

I would worry more about chaperone than town!

Originally Posted by saddlewood

My teenage daughter will be staying at the Doubletree in Mundelein - is it safe?

[whakru]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Few hotels allow teens to check-in without their parents or adult chaperones.

The hotels in Mundelein are in the commercial areas accessible to shopping and offices -- mostly quiet professional people on business.

I would worry more about chaperone than town!

Maybe she is 18 or 19.....teenager doesn't necessarily mean minor.

[pvande55]

Mundelein is doing all right except for the old downtown area. There are some stores there but it hasn't developed as planned. There is the big Cardinal Place development which would eventually bring some life there, but as yet mostly empty.

[Orangeish]

Originally Posted by saddlewood

My teenage daughter will be staying at the Doubletree in Mundelein - is it safe?

Yeah, on the surface this would be fine. Safer than 99.9% of places on this earth.

For real though, I've never heard about a crime there and it is not in a shady area or anything.

[007.5]

Originally Posted by ZombieJuicer

I've looked at as many posts and information as I could get (both on-line as well as word of mouth) on this area but am not coming up with much...

The deal is I'm in the market for a single family home under $270,000.00

I can't ignore that fact that Mundelein home prices have been falling, not doubt due to unemployment of their current owners or for whatever reason...

but what is the deal with this area is my real question??? I'd really like to hear more then there are lots of Mexicans moving there or I hate that place... I would really appreciate answers with facts to back them up...

Ups and downs about the area... in-relation to traffic, weather, crime, shopping, community events, and what not... whatever you can think of about Mundelein.

Thank you for your time... Z

I lived in Mundelein for 22 years on the west side of town near the high school when i was in my 30's and 40's as a married person and single . Heres a list of my personal Pros and Cons to living there :

PROS : Fast growing area, lots of shops and Mall nearby in Vernon Hills, classic car shows , good Police presence, easy to get around, community events , forest preserves not far away (further west), fairly close to the Interstate and major highways., good street snow removal.

CONS : High property taxes in general and large yearly increases, big minority section on the south end of town , jobs scarce in Mundelein itself , I found the people generally stressed out , had problems with neighbors being inconsiderate ( lived in 4 different houses within Mundelein ) , very bad traffic backups during morning and evening rush on Route 83, 176, and 60 ... roads cant handle the influx of people who moved to the Mundelein area , spending $4 million dollars on the new Police Dept. shows waste in spending , one gets the impression Mundelein is trying to compete with its neighbor Libertyville (with little success) .

A better area in my opinion , is the Lake Villa/Antioch area where homes and property taxes are much more reasonable ... providing you dont mind driving further to work, shops, etc... crime rate should be better , and it has a bit more of a rural feel to it. I found the people markedly nicer too .

[prepstar01]

Mundelein is horrible. Rude, unmannered people, over populated... The school system is bad. Stay as far away from this town as possible if you are looking for a nice community to live. The town is also full of wannabe gangsters and wanna be gangsters girlfriends. I avoid this town like the plague.