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We have narrowed down to these 2 towns. We have a 3rd grader and 2 toddlers. I know Hinsdale is more expensive, do you think it's worth it? What do you think the difference in atmosphere is? Lastly, which would you prefer to be raised in, if you were a kid?
Just an opinion, Hinsdale, hands down. Location,resale,schools,proximity to city, investment potential. (Whatever you put in your house $$ will be worth it ). Plus, area is much 'prettier'. Sounds silly, but it is a lovely town and area, and around Graue Mill and the forest preserve is a favorite of mine. I think its closer to much more interesting parts of the burbs and Chicago. AND it does have far more prestige, which is or is not a good thing. Dont let people tell you EVERYONE IS A SNOB in Hinsdale (sour grapes?) Yes, much wealth is there too, but its no different in any other towns of affluence. YOU pick your associates/friends,and their are plenty of nice families there. I do not mean to say Orland Park is not nice or well loved by many, just my opinion,I'd vote Hinsdale .(nope, dont live in Hinsdale,but grew up not far from there-best pal lived there, husband worked there, I was a nurse at the Hospital, and my daughter got married at that lovely old antique church by Graue Mill, so I am familiar with it.)
It really all depends on what you like. My aunt lives in Hinsdale off County Line Rd in a very exclusive area, and while yes her house and neighborhood are nice and very pretty, the overall feeling I get is that the area is just old. For me, I personally don't like old and like to be surrounded by everything being all new and fresh. I am not one to go on about wanting to look to move into an area because of it's charisma of uniqueness and being old/quaint because to me it just seems like stepping into a time warp. But if you like an area that isn't changing much nor will it ever other than for a few knock downs and the trees growing taller, then Hinsdale is for you.
Now Orland Park does have some old areas that if you didn't know any better you would swear that you were in Hinsdale such as off 143rd Street just to the west of West Ave behind St. Michael's Catholic Church, but overall much of the town is built post 1975. Orland Park still is growing rapidly so it's really hard to say what the area is going to look like in 20 years as much of what you see in the town today is going to change in the near future or is going through a change.
A good example is what is going on off 143rd and La Grange. Get a good look at that area because by next year at this time, the village is promising it will look completely different with the demolition of Randy's Market as well as the rest of that mall including the new Orland Video on the corner and thats not all. The new 7-11 on the SE corner is also due to meet it's fate sometime in the next year for a road widening project which will be the start of the La Grange Road widening project. http://www.orland-park.il.us/econdevl/pdf/mainstconceptplan.pdf (broken link)
Another area in town that is going to see much change is off 159th Street and La Grange Rd. Currently that area is undergoing a MUCH awaited widening project where the roadway (Rte 45 and Rte 6) will be widened to 9 lanes wide from it's original 5 lane design it had only a year ago! A new Super Wal Mart is also underway right near there off 94th Avenue and 159th Street as well as Andrew Corporation is set to meet it's maker this year as well off 153rd Street to make way for multi million dollar homes and an extension to the Crystal Tree Golf course.
Orland Park is also promising to complete it's walking/bike path project in the next year connecting much of everything in town via bike/walking paths that will allow residents to keep fit using one of the many paths in town to get to and from or to just go out for a little stroll. Currently a path is underway right behind my house so I'm looking forward to using that this fall when complete. Orland Park bike trail winding toward completion: The Orland Park Prairie - Orland Park's Local Newspaper
Next with Orland, after 355 opened, the areas that line Will Cook Road are going through a major change with property values rising out there quickly due to properties there only being a 10 minute drive to 355. Currently many new neighborhoods out there are underway where the starting price for homes is about $600K!
Lastly is the tax comparisons. I know that my aunt is paying over $10K a year for her home in Hinsdale while I have a bigger house in Orland and my taxes are under $6K. Not to mention that in both towns the schools are excellent, so its not like I am comprimising anything by not living in Hinsdale. Carl Sandburg High School - Orland Park, Illinois - IL - school overview & abc7chicago.com: School Days: Carl Sandburg High School 3/17/06 So, you look around and do what you want, but in either case both towns are a great choice, my vote because of my liking "new" would be Orland.
Funny, Hinsdale was one of my final three choices for towns (along with Frankfort, where I am moving and Orland).
My quick take is, if money is not an object and you want to spend $750+ for a nice (not incredible, but nice) house, Hinsdale is great. It is a beautiful area, great schools, great location, etc - I love the area.
However, if you want more bang for the buck with a house, very good schools, great retail, Orland is the place. Easy access to trains, the new subdivisions have incredible homes for a better price and the area is growing fast.
I choose Frankfort for reasons similar to Orland - but both areas are great, but you'll get more bang for the buck in Orland as far as housing goes (at least for the short-term).
Oh, and pretty much everyone in and moving to Orland Park has kids - lots of kids in Hinsdale too, but with it being more established, not as many young kids in my experience.
Funny, Hinsdale was one of my final three choices for towns (along with Frankfort, where I am moving and Orland).
My quick take is, if money is not an object and you want to spend $750+ for a nice (not incredible, but nice) house, Hinsdale is great. It is a beautiful area, great schools, great location, etc - I love the area.
However, if you want more bang for the buck with a house, very good schools, great retail, Orland is the place. Easy access to trains, the new subdivisions have incredible homes for a better price and the area is growing fast.
I choose Frankfort for reasons similar to Orland - but both areas are great, but you'll get more bang for the buck in Orland as far as housing goes (at least for the short-term).
Oh, and pretty much everyone in and moving to Orland Park has kids - lots of kids in Hinsdale too, but with it being more established, not as many young kids in my experience.
Yes, Orland and Tinley Park both are filled to the brim with young families and lots of kids!
Let's put it this way. I grew up in Western Springs, one of the nicest suburbs in Chicago. It has beautiful parks, million dollar homes, a pretty downtown, a great rec center and pool and easy access to Chicago via train or highway. Yet I WISH I grew up in Hinsdale.
I saw this post, and while I am not really one to answer these often, this one is right up my alley, having younger kids and parents and family all the the Orland/Palos area, but I chose to eventually live in Hinsdale (after living in two other towns).
Orland is great (!!) for shopping ( we call it consumerville ), newer bigger houses for less money, and a really nice rec center. Also some west areas have hills and are pretty, with nice subdivisions. South siders are a friendly bunch, but a bunch who constantly move further and further southwest in search of newer and bigger, in some cases.
There are four downsides to Orland, in my opinion. My nieces and nephews go to school in Orland, and the schools are so overcrowded that they have to switch elementary schools midstream. Sandburg and Andrew are fair to good schools, Sandburg being the better of the two. The second downside is that traffic is horrendous, since the area grew so much, and it is a mecca for shoppers from all over. It is no longer a small town, but really a big city; it is the south side that has moved to the suburbs. The weekends are crazy on LaGrange Road, so much traffic, sometimes you are at a standstill. The third is that you need a car for everything in Orland, the kids normally can't walk to their school or shopping, and the distances between everything are pretty great. And the fourth is investment wise, the appreciation of the homes compared to Hinsdale and the surrounding towns is very low, since the newer subdivisions further and further west are always a draw, keeping appreciation lower for older subdivisions than the teardown activity in Hinsdale, where the scarcity of land increases values consistently.
Hinsdale is great for the following reasons: great schools, elementary through High School; very pretty, looks like it was lifted from the Connecticut countryside; walking distance to elementary schools; 22 minute express train to downtown Chicago; great little downtown on the national registry of historic places; big trees and hilly; people who are educated with well rounded kids, mostly from all over the country and the world since Hinsdale is a transfer town ( makes it easier if you are from somewhere else, since most people in Orland are from the south side of the city or Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park or the surrounding area ), good price appreciation of homes, and is quiet, with little traffic, since Route 83 and 294 carry most of the traffic away from Hinsdale. There are tons of programs at the Community House, a great sledding hill, little league and soccer programs for the kids, newly renovated library, and all the rest.
I would say though, that both are towns are good, and kids are kids and happy no matter where they are, as long as they have good parents with strong values that involve them in activities. Good luck in your search.
Another vote for Hinsdale. Its a beautiful town, with beautiful tree-lined streets and magnificent old and new homes. Youre a stones-throw from the highway and closer to Chicago, etc. Orland and Hinsdale both have Metra stops, so its a tie there. I just find Hinsdale alot more attractive, even though Orland Park is pretty nice in many areas too. You can find TONS to do with the kids in either city.
I saw this post, and while I am not really one to answer these often, this one is right up my alley, having younger kids and parents and family all the the Orland/Palos area, but I chose to eventually live in Hinsdale (after living in two other towns).
Orland is great (!!) for shopping ( we call it consumerville ), newer bigger houses for less money, and a really nice rec center. Also some west areas have hills and are pretty, with nice subdivisions. South siders are a friendly bunch, but a bunch who constantly move further and further southwest in search of newer and bigger, in some cases.
There are four downsides to Orland, in my opinion. My nieces and nephews go to school in Orland, and the schools are so overcrowded that they have to switch elementary schools midstream. Sandburg and Andrew are fair to good schools, Sandburg being the better of the two. The second downside is that traffic is horrendous, since the area grew so much, and it is a mecca for shoppers from all over. It is no longer a small town, but really a big city; it is the south side that has moved to the suburbs. The weekends are crazy on LaGrange Road, so much traffic, sometimes you are at a standstill. The third is that you need a car for everything in Orland, the kids normally can't walk to their school or shopping, and the distances between everything are pretty great. And the fourth is investment wise, the appreciation of the homes compared to Hinsdale and the surrounding towns is very low, since the newer subdivisions further and further west are always a draw, keeping appreciation lower for older subdivisions than the teardown activity in Hinsdale, where the scarcity of land increases values consistently.
Hinsdale is great for the following reasons: great schools, elementary through High School; very pretty, looks like it was lifted from the Connecticut countryside; walking distance to elementary schools; 22 minute express train to downtown Chicago; great little downtown on the national registry of historic places; big trees and hilly; people who are educated with well rounded kids, mostly from all over the country and the world since Hinsdale is a transfer town ( makes it easier if you are from somewhere else, since most people in Orland are from the south side of the city or Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park or the surrounding area ), good price appreciation of homes, and is quiet, with little traffic, since Route 83 and 294 carry most of the traffic away from Hinsdale. There are tons of programs at the Community House, a great sledding hill, little league and soccer programs for the kids, newly renovated library, and all the rest.
I would say though, that both are towns are good, and kids are kids and happy no matter where they are, as long as they have good parents with strong values that involve them in activities. Good luck in your search.
First off I have no idea where you are getting some of this info you are feeding this board, but I guess thats because we are all just a bunch of dumb hicks down here on the south side, you know not coming from Hinsdale where everyone is so intelligent and all...( people who are educated with well rounded kids,) (Oh brother! LOL!)Kids have to change schools mid-stream? HUH? Since when? I have lived in Orland for many years and maybe years ago like 25 years ago when the boundaries were being adjusted this was the case, but this is TOTALLY false now. The school district's boundaries have not changed now in years. Next, the schools are fair in regards to quality? Again, since when? It just happens that Sandburg for instance was rated a 10 out of 10. Carl Sandburg High School - Orland Park, Illinois - IL - school overview ??? How much better of a school do you expect? Also not to mention that the district spent hundreds of millions of dollars over the past decade redoing that school to give it it's current look. Next as for the schools, kids can't walk to them? Maybe if your kid is some lazy ***** 200lb heffer this is the case, but most of the schools are located right in the neighborhoods on the elementary level and if not, the district provides FREE bus service for the kids, so problem solved.
Next, you are right about La Grange being at a standstill, but the part you failed to mention is that there are at least three other streets you can take that all the locals know about to avoid La Grange during those peak times to get you to and from your destinations with ease. (94th Ave, John Humphrey Drive, Ravinia, and if you are way off to the west use West Avenue.) Next in regards to our bad traffic, the state and the village both are funneling in millions of dollars into improving the roads and they are currently under construction for widening which is the reason for the back-ups. I can understand the town leaving people with a sour taste in their mouths though because the only roads you know are La Grange and 159th in Orland of which both are going through some major changes causing horrendous backups, so you see this and say, "the #@ll with this, this is aweful", not realizing there are other roads (local's secret routes) that you don't know about and we do try to keep it a secret really to avoid having those routes all backed up with out of town shopping traffic trying to get to the mall. Just remember though, the barracades on the main routes won't be up forever.
Next, home values aren't going up much? Again, HUH? You must be kidding. The homes aren't priced as high as in Hinsdale, yes, but that doesn't mean that they aren't going up in value as fast if not even faster. Consider this, you buy a home in Hinsdale for $800K and in 10 years it has gone up to $950K which is pretty typical there for your average Hinsdale house, thus yielding you a $150K profit. Now take a similar house and put it into Orland where you will pay maybe $600K for that same house and ten years later it will yield a return of $800K of which in many cases this has been the case (Silo Ridge, Crystal Tree, Deer Creek Estates, etc) yielding you a return of $200K, so which way made you more money? It just looks wierd thats about all, but to be fair, if you are in this to make money, then I wouldn't suggest buying in either town and instead recommend looking in Homer Glen or Lemont and even Lockport right near 355. Those properties are going to yeild the highest returns. Here is some info on the returns on average Orland's homes are producing. MONEY Magazine: Best places to live 2006: Orland Park, IL snapshot
Another thing is you mention a "newly renovated library" as if Orland doesn't have one of those.. You are right, Orland's is BRAND NEW. The Orland Park Public Library : About Us
Lastly, of the mentioned things for kids in Hinsdale, Orland has all of. There is a great indoor youth soccer program that goes on at the Orland Park Sportsplex as well as tons of other activities and clubs for kids and if you live in Orland you get a huge discount on the prices for those clubs. Orland Park - Recreation (http://www.orland-park.il.us/recreation/html/recreat_set.html - broken link)
About the only negatives you are CURRENTLY correct on is the lack of a downtown, but again that is too going to change. http://www.orland-park.il.us/econdevl/pdf/mainstconceptplan.pdf (broken link) And no there aren't that many tree lined streets as of yet, but they are growing, so look at Orland's streets in 10 years and see what happens.
I saw this post, and while I am not really one to answer these often, this one is right up my alley, having younger kids and parents and family all the the Orland/Palos area, but I chose to eventually live in Hinsdale (after living in two other towns).
Orland is great (!!) for shopping ( we call it consumerville ), newer bigger houses for less money, and a really nice rec center. Also some west areas have hills and are pretty, with nice subdivisions. South siders are a friendly bunch, but a bunch who constantly move further and further southwest in search of newer and bigger, in some cases.
There are four downsides to Orland, in my opinion. My nieces and nephews go to school in Orland, and the schools are so overcrowded that they have to switch elementary schools midstream. Sandburg and Andrew are fair to good schools, Sandburg being the better of the two. The second downside is that traffic is horrendous, since the area grew so much, and it is a mecca for shoppers from all over. It is no longer a small town, but really a big city; it is the south side that has moved to the suburbs. The weekends are crazy on LaGrange Road, so much traffic, sometimes you are at a standstill. The third is that you need a car for everything in Orland, the kids normally can't walk to their school or shopping, and the distances between everything are pretty great. And the fourth is investment wise, the appreciation of the homes compared to Hinsdale and the surrounding towns is very low, since the newer subdivisions further and further west are always a draw, keeping appreciation lower for older subdivisions than the teardown activity in Hinsdale, where the scarcity of land increases values consistently.
Hinsdale is great for the following reasons: great schools, elementary through High School; very pretty, looks like it was lifted from the Connecticut countryside; walking distance to elementary schools; 22 minute express train to downtown Chicago; great little downtown on the national registry of historic places; big trees and hilly; people who are educated with well rounded kids, mostly from all over the country and the world since Hinsdale is a transfer town ( makes it easier if you are from somewhere else, since most people in Orland are from the south side of the city or Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park or the surrounding area ), good price appreciation of homes, and is quiet, with little traffic, since Route 83 and 294 carry most of the traffic away from Hinsdale. There are tons of programs at the Community House, a great sledding hill, little league and soccer programs for the kids, newly renovated library, and all the rest.
I would say though, that both are towns are good, and kids are kids and happy no matter where they are, as long as they have good parents with strong values that involve them in activities. Good luck in your search.
Good post, very informative
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Sounds silly, but it is a lovely town and area, and around Graue Mill and the forest preserve is a favorite of mine. I think its closer to much more interesting parts of the burbs and Chicago. AND it does have far more prestige, which is or is not a good thing. Dont let people tell you EVERYONE IS A SNOB in Hinsdale (sour grapes?) Yes, much wealth is there too, but its no different in any other towns of affluence. YOU pick your associates/friends,and their are plenty of nice families there. I do not mean to say Orland Park is not nice or well loved by many, just my opinion,I'd vote Hinsdale .(nope, dont live in Hinsdale,but grew up not far from there-best pal lived there, husband worked there, I was a nurse at the Hospital, and my daughter got married at that lovely old antique church by Graue Mill, so I am familiar with it.)
Not to mention that in both towns the schools are excellent, so its not like I am comprimising anything by not living in Hinsdale. 
I had the same choice, picked Hinsdale
