Western Springs, LaGrange or Geneva? (Chicago, Downers Grove: best town, hotel, affordable houses)

[peripatetic poetic & chic]

Hi all,

I've been perusing the forum for a while now and have found the wealth of information so helpful in our quest to narrow our search for what I hope will be our "forever" neighborhood, so thanks! My husband works in Downer's (transferred there last spring) and we were initially steered toward the Plainfield/Oswego area. We are currently in temporary housing in Oswego and have decided that it is not the place for us. After many weekends spent in the car driving through neighborhoods and attending open houses, we've narrowed it to the above towns (I think). However, my husband leans toward Geneva (more house for the money, a potential new-construction opportunity) while I favor Western Springs (older homes, seems closer-knit, more of a bedroom community) My questions for the forum are as follows:
- is there a major discrepancy among any of these school districts, and are there any elementary or middle schools in Western Springs/LaGrange that are not as well regarded?
- it sounds as though none of these communities has much to offer by way of diversity - is that true?
- we are only able to spend $350K on a starter home and I am willing to buy a fixer-upper, but want it to be a sound investment. I also don't want my kids to feel stigmatized as the poor kids on the block (I can't believe I'm saying that in the same breath as "$350K" but that seems to be the Chicago market...)
- we moved from Ohio where, although we were only there for three years, we developed a very close group of friends through our neighborhood's newcomers association. Does anyone know if any of these neighborhoods offer that type of association, or if one is exceptionally welcoming to newcomers? Or has a particularly good park district? My husband seems convinced that we'll have a better chance of meeting other young families if we live in an area like Mill Creek in Geneva.

Thank you in advance for your opinions!

[crbcrbrgv]

Well that's an easy one to answer. If you have 350k for a home, you'll be living in a box in Western Springs or La Grange. You have no choice but to go to Geneva.

[Drover]

Maybe you and your husband should stay in a hotel out in Geneva some weeknight and then have him do the commute from there to Downers Grove and back the next morning and afternoon, and then see if he's still keen on living in Geneva -- ESPECIALLY in the "new construction" part of Geneva which is on the west side of town (read: will add another 15 minutes each way to the commute versus the east side of Geneva). Ask him if he wants to do that commute 5 times a day for the next X years, with congestion expected to get even worse out there each year, and see if his enthusiasm for living in Geneva still holds up.

[ahava]

I agree with Drover - Geneva will be a long commute and may or may not be worth it. To answer your questions...
-The only school I would avoid is the middle school in district 105 in La Grange. That means Countryside, where most of the houses under $350k are located, is out. But I think you'll have the best luck finding a decent house in your price range in La Grange Highlands. The Highlands school district is really good and there aren't as many huge teardown houses there as in Western Springs and La Grange so you won't have to worry about being stigmatized (though I don't think you would be). I looked on realtor.com and all of the houses under $350k in Western Springs except one are right next to the tollway or right next to Ogden Ave (busy major road) - not an ideal location in either case.
-La Grange has some diversity...6% Black and 3.7% Hispanic...but yes, all three towns are mostly white.
-Both La Grange and Western Springs have a newcomers association and both towns have good park districts. If you want to look at the programs they offer, the websites are Park District of La Grange and Recreation - Village of Western Springs.

[NearWestSider]

All of the school districts in La Grange are excellent, including 105 (which includes Seventh Ave. and Spring Ave. Schools, both in La Grange). Some of the snootier people in the area look down on Gurrie Middle School because it includes Hodgkins and Countryside (both working class areas) but any condescension has purely to do with the social pecking order, not academics, which are excellent. South La Grange also has the most affordable houses in the area, so you would be doing yourself a disservice to not consider it.

Ultimately, all of the area schools feed into Lyons Township, which is a really huge school. The Gurrie kids actually have a leg up at first, because they arrive already accustomed to dealing with people from different backgrounds.

In terms of diversity, La Grange would be first, and Western Springs would be last. One of the standing jokes among the kids in La Grange is that Western Springs is where the bubble people live, which is an exaggeration of course, but I think even the residents would admit that part of the charm of Western Springs is its isolation. La Grange, with its downtown (which serves as the downtown for La Grange, La Grange Park,Brookfield, Countryside, and Western Springs) has a more urban vibe in general.

The La Grange newcomer's club is very active and serves both towns, and if you join and participate you will quickly meet a lot of people.

[sgresident]

The Mill Creek area of geneva is very nice. they have a wide range of homes there. You would be in a good school district too. It is not too far west from all of the big randall road shopping. It would be a sound investment. the comments about the drive to work in downers grove may or may not be accurate. it depends on where in downers grove your husband will be driving to. I would think that your trip down randall to orchard and the tollway could take at least 15 minutes, then at least 30 minutes east. Since I live in Sugar grove, i will steer you there! we have direct tollway access, not as much congestion, but not as much shopping. Kaneland schools are good and a new middle school will be breaking ground on wednesday this week. also a new library. Homes here are an excellent value.

[vicarebo]

Well, my biased vote is for Western Springs! It was recently voted best town to raise a family ( or something like that) and district 101 (the public school for most of WS) was rated fourth best in Illinois. For 350k you would get a small, older home, no question about that. I lived in just such a home in WS and it was close to Ogden but It was not an issue at all. WS is close-knit and probably has the least snobby people you'll meet given the net worth of its residents! It is close to everything and really has a small town feel. Family is very important in WS, trumping material status.

[LakeShoreSoxGo]

I don't think you can convice everyone that a small house in a desirable area is the way to go...despite overwhelming evidence. Some people really just need that extra living space: quarter acre lot, 3 car garage, yard for the kids and the dog. I know it sounds crazy but there are tons of people willing to sacrafice a couple hours(sometimes one way) in a car for this. Personally I'd use your female powers of persuasion on hubskie and go with the LaGrange area.

[treeg26]

I moved to Geneva a little over a year ago and have NO complaints. I love everything about Geneva. The schools are excellent, the Park District is great, everything close by (grocery stores, shopping), the BEAUTIFUL river paths, the great little shops in downtown.....everything! I love it here and plan on staying forever!!

[Drover]

Originally Posted by treeg26

I moved to Geneva a little over a year ago and have NO complaints. I love everything about Geneva. The schools are excellent, the Park District is great, everything close by (grocery stores, shopping), the BEAUTIFUL river paths, the great little shops in downtown.....everything! I love it here and plan on staying forever!!

I'm guessing you also don't have to commute to Downers Grove every workday...