Suburbs that are obscure or little-known (Chicago, Naperville: college, live, metra)

[MillennialUrbanist]

Let's start this fun thread.

Some suburbs are famous: Highland Park, Schaumburg, Naperville, Oak Park, Fox Lake, etc. Others are more like infamous: Harvey, Maywood, etc. Even people outside the Chicago area may have heard of these suburbs.

But I'm sure there are Chicago suburbs that almost no one knows about, not even people in the Chicago area, unless they live or work in it or next to it. Let's name these suburbs and put them on the map, and add a story if you wish. I'll start with my own examples.

Bannockburn
I actually had my first job there. I never knew it even existed until I submitted my resume. After I started, when I had to talk to local vendors and give them my location, they'd often ask: "Where's that?" Even my colleagues jokingly called it "suburb of Highland Park" (which actually borders Bannockburn to the east and acts as its water supplier).

Golf
It's tucked away between Glenview, Niles, and Skokie. Despite its long history, its own Metra station, and its namesake road, very few people know it even exists. Unless, of course, they get pulled over on Golf Road at night and see the cop car.

[BIG CATS]

Long Grove, Wasco, and Wayne come to mind.

[MillennialUrbanist]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

Long Grove, Wasco, and Wayne come to mind.

I know Long Grove pretty well. But the other two I had to google.

Keep 'em coming.

[4122]

Knollwood, Volo, Old mill creek, mettawa

[fusillirob1983]

Merrionette Park - just south of Mount Greenwood. Growing up, we joked that most of the town is a large baseball field complex.
Hometown - it's basically a suburb of Oak Lawn.
Forest View - small town across the street from the portage discovered by Marquette and Jolliet.
Phoenix - was originally called Phenix Park.
Green Oaks - I never heard of it until I went to college from someone from there and learned it was next to Libertyville.

[deeman7]

Berkeley - Small suburb bordering 294 and 290. You may have used one of their Hand Driers though.


Sleepy Hollow - Small suburb ouside East/West Dundee

[ToriaT]

I thought there was a thread on this already. Besides Forest View, Stickney. Warrenville and Winfield. Riverwoods.

[aga412]

Campton Hills, Maple Park, Kaneville, Virgil, Lily Lake, Boulder Hill, La Fox, Burlington, Port Barrington, Elwood, Crest Hill

[Clark&Addison]

Berkeley, Phoenix, and Golf are all great examples IMO. All relatively "inner-ring" and surrounded by other suburbs on all sides, yet rarely mentioned or thought of.

Indian Head Park, Justice, and Hodgkins are all between Burr Ridge and the city and I feel like I rarely hear them mentioned, on here or in real life. Another one in the area is tiny Hometown, bordering the city. It actually has a pretty interesting street layout that really stands out in a satellite aerial.

I would also include Inverness, as it is surrounded by Barrington and Palatine but you rarely hear it mentioned, maybe because it is almost exclusively residential.

On the flip side is McCook, which has almost no residential. I wouldn't say it's forgotten or little-known, but I think it rarely comes to mind as a suburb for most people and more of an industrial entity, if that makes any sense.

[Clark&Addison]

I would also add Stone Park.