Any thoughts on Roselle? (Chicago, Naperville: houses, transfer, neighborhoods)

[BurbBound]

My wife and I have two very young children (1.5 and -0.5) and are looking to buy a house in the Chicago suburbs. I work in River North and will Metra to/from work.

Our house budget is <$280,000.

Thank you!

[knitgirl]

I grew up there, my parents and my brother and his family live there. Pretty typical middle class suburb, not too exciting, decent, but not top schools. You can probably find something reasonable in your price range. Trains from Roselle go to Union Station.

[chet everett]

I mostly second knitgirl's thought. Like many suburbs, Roselle is trying to "upgrade" its core near the train. The degree to which they've been successful is debatable - OT1H the Lynnfred Winery with its onsite cellar, tasting room and bed & breakfast is really unique plus for the town, but the mix of shops nearby is not even as upscale as Downers Grove. The schools are OK but certainly not as well regarded as even Naperville let alone the top tier districts, and I think it has to do with the kind of housing patterns that the area has had more than anything else. It is not like there are any glaringly bad trailer parks or anything, just that many of the homes were built in an era when "style" was so blah / bland as to be non-existant: https://www.redfin.com/IL/Roselle/54.../home/13710540

Another with so little "curb exposure" (to say nothing of actual 'appeal') that most buyers would drive right past -- https://www.redfin.com/IL/Roselle/60.../home/13711401


$280k is probably on the low side, but I suspect if you do find something it might be a decent value, though like many towns without a strong commercial base the property taxes are worrisome...

[Caglee]

Lake Park High School is very good, don't know much about the elementary/middle schools in the area.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Caglee

Lake Park High School is very good, don't know much about the elementary/middle schools in the area.

In all seriousness, the well regarded US News list of high schools shows that there are well over 50 high schools in Illinois that have more successful academics -- Search Illinois High Schools | US News

There are other positives to consider when deciding where to live but have some objective measure of the relative strength of high schools is still fairly straightforward...

[MillennialUrbanist]

I'd describe Roselle as "meh". It's heavily overshadowed by its northern neighbor Schaumburg. And doesn't have enough uniqueness to stand out on its own, save for the small downtown area. It's your usual auto-centric suburb: decent for families, but far from trendy nowadays. Also, there are some "alternative" (*cough* massage *cough*) businesses on Route 53.

As for your Metra commute from Roselle to River North, it's not going to be an easy one. Union Station, where Milwaukee District West trains go to from Roselle, is quite far from River North. You'll need to make a connection on CTA buses or trains, and the ride from Union Station will be 10 to 15 minutes, or even longer if you're using buses in traffic.

[Aerio]

I grew up in neighboring Elk Grove Village, and here are my observations:

1) you will have a long commute. Have you researched your times on Google Maps, including getting to the Roselle train station, taking it to Union Station (or possibly transferring onto a bus and not ending at Union Station) and finally approaching your workplace?

2) it's nothing special, but it isn't bad. I would say it's safe, offers good schools and various activities for adults and children, and is located in a good part of Chicagoland. The surrounding suburbs will also offer good amenities. Depending on where you live and if you stay for long, Roselle students go to Lake Park High School or Conant. Both are fine.

I agree with the information written by the previous posters as well. Good luck in your search.

[Lookout Kid]

I feel like a lot of the suburbs along Lake Street on the way out to Elgin are kind of similar. The vibe is a mix of working class and middle class and there are many light industrial parks along the way. But Roselle, Bloomingdale and Bartlett are a bit nicer than Hanover Park and Streamwood. Roselle has some of the better schools of the bunch. Housing is cheaper than in more upscale suburbs, but taxes can be very high as a percentage of home value as a result.

I recently walked the little downtown area in Roselle. It's not much. There is a nice-looking Italian wine bar/restaurant, some Asian fusion place, and a mix of dentists, optometrists, an Asian market, and a few other things. There are a couple of poorly located vacancies that break up the flow. The Starbucks is nice for commuters, and there are a few charming blocks of older houses that are mostly in good shape. But it's a far cry from the train-oriented more upscale suburbs like Elmhurst, La Grange, Wheaton, etc.

Get in to the bulk of neighborhoods in any of these towns, and you see the same three 1960's-1970's houses again and again. Raised ranch, split level, and ranch. They are everywhere. Some have strange alpine motifs or colonial add-ons, but it's really a lot of repetition.

[4122]

I feel that suburbs im the Lake Park HS district are a good value compared to how good the school is. It's not Lyons twp ir a Wheaton hs, but it's still a good high school. My brother lives in Roselle and both of his kids went to Lake Park HS and both have great jobs and were successful in high school.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by 4122

I feel that suburbs im the Lake Park HS district are a good value compared to how good the school is. It's not Lyons twp ir a Wheaton hs, but it's still a good high school. My brother lives in Roselle and both of his kids went to Lake Park HS and both have great jobs and were successful in high school.

You can certainly do a lot worse than Lake Park High School. It may not be on the top of any list of best high schools, but it is definitely much better than average and provides a good value in terms of housing costs/school quality.