Another Person Needing Help with Relocation (Arlington Heights, Arlington: homes, good schools, price)

[ahava]

Originally Posted by nysoccermom

Mundelien, when I looked them up, didn't have the best schools. Is that correct? I thought I read, though, that parts of it has Stevenson HS, do you know?

Small isolated parts of Mundelein are in the Stevenson district - literally only a few streets. You'd have better luck finding houses in Mundelein with Vernon Hills HS and Hawthorn elementary schools, both of which are much better than the Mundelein schools.

[chloemom]

you can probably find a small home in any of these areas in your price range - all these areas mentioned have great schools because of high property taxes. mundelein would be my last choice, even if you find a street that goes to stevenson, resale will be tougher - good luck

[NUman]

Well, I am glad you have chosen Chicago as your next adventure. We do tend to get quite a few New Yorkers here, but many have lived here or grown up here in the past. I am shocked that you were able to live in New York with only a $400,000 housing budget. That will not buy you into the nicest areas of Chicago. You can have nice, decent areas, with good schools, not the top performers though. You do have some options, you will still have to make compromises like commute, home age, square footage, etc. I have made a list of recommended communities and included some information and links regarding the towns, including three sample real estate lsitings.

1) Grayslake, IL

Grayslake is a very nice community just southwest of Gurnee, IL. Grayslake has a neat town center. The town center is a little spread out and only has some neccesities and lower-end shops. Grayslake has a nice public library with nicely kept grounds. There are some older homes intermixed with the shops and on some of the side streets. Residential Structures were primarily built between 1970 and 2000. There is some new construction, but it is usually over $400,000. Some of the older homes are hard to come by and usually need updating. The schools in Grayslake are considered to be pretty goood. GreatSchools.net gives the two high schools about a 9 of 10; Middle Schools about an 8 of 10; and Elementary Schools about a 8 of 10. Grayslake is close to plenty of recreational opportunities including Gurnee Mills Mall, Six Flags Great America, Illinois Beach State Park, and it also has its share of local parks. Grayslake is about a 40 minute commute to Glenview with average traffic. In poor weather this can be closer to 60 minutes.

Here are some sample listings in your price bracket:
Single Family Home - 580 TRESTLE CT, GRAYSLAKE, IL, 60030 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - 128 BLUFF AVE, GRAYSLAKE, IL, 60030 - Realtor.com - Really Check Out this one! It has great lakeviews, and you can walk to town!
Single Family Home - 1562 LEVI BAXTER, GRAYSLAKE, IL, 60030 - Realtor.com

Here are some helpful links:
Welcome to Grayslake, Illinois
Community Consolidated School District 46 - Grayslake, IL


2) Gurnee, IL

Gurnee has long been a symbol of the American Dream. Home ownership in Gurnee is very high. While Gurnee is not a traditional neighborhood, it is a traditional suburbsn neighborhood. Gurnee has a lot of Commercial Space along the tri-sate expressway and along Grand Avenue. There is plenty of shopping with Gurnee Mills Mall, Grand Avenue, and the Kenosha Outlet Malls right up the road. Gurnee is only one community away from the lake and is near Illinois Beach State Park. Wonderful Beaches can be found in nearby Lake Forest and Highland Park. Some of Gurnee has older homes, but just like Grayslake they are most likely going to need work. Gurnee has a good reputation in terms of schools. GreatSchools.net gives there High Schools about an 8 of 10; Middle schools; 8 of 10; and Elementary Schools about 7 of 10. Gurnee is also known for having a lot of bang for your buck. Housing is very economical and is primarily built after the 1990's. New Construction in Gurnee is comming to an end and has gone out with a big blast of larger high end homes by Toll Brothers. Your price range will go far here. The commute time to Glenview would be around 35 minutes with mediukm traffic. In bad weathere this is more like 50 minutes.

Here is a sample of real estate listings in your price bracket:
Single Family Home - 6375 ANDOVER DR, Gurnee, IL, 60031 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - 281 LONG HILL RD, GURNEE, IL, 60031 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - 4198 RUSSELL AVE, GURNEE, IL, 60031 - Realtor.com

Helpful Links:
Village of Gurnee Home Page
www.greatschools.net/city/Gurnee/IL


3) Hawthorn Woods, IL

Hawthorn Woods is a popular choice for middle-class and upper-middle class families, looking for an affordable community with good schools and close proximity to Chicago. Hawthorn Woods is till out of your price range but you may like neighboring Lake Zurich. It has everything that Hawthorn has at a lower price. Commute time to Glenview is around 37 minutes around 45 in bad weather.

Sample listings in your bracket:
Single Family Home - 23528 N EAST RD, LAKE ZURICH, IL, 60047 - Realtor.com - Take A Look! It is a renovated ranch with 4 beds, 3 baths and high-end upgrades. Great location to top it off!!!!
Single Family Home - 21259 W SHADY LN, LAKE ZURICH, IL, 60047 - Realtor.com - Very Very Good Deal. New Construction, in a very desirable location.
Single Family Home - 292 HANBURY DR, LAKE ZURICH, IL, 60047 - Realtor.com

Helpful Links:
Village of Hawthorn Woods Home Page
Lake Zurich, IL - Official Website
CUSD95 Home Page
Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce Home Page


4) Arlington Heights

Arlington Heights is a fantastic affluent community in the near northwest suburbs of Chicago. It has wonderful tree lined streets with gracious old homes. It is a haven for Chicago's traditional upper-middle class railroad city commuters. It is located only 28 minutes from Glenview, IL and all it has to offer. Arlington Heighst is best known for Arlington Race Track. It has a nice downtown and great schools. The high school, John Hersey is considered to be one of the best in Chicagoland. Housing is rare under $600,000.

Sample Listings in your price bracket:
Single Family Home - 1005 N RACE AVE, ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL, 60004 - Realtor.com - Rare Renovated Home, with nice kitchen!
Single Family Home - 432 S ARLINGTON HEIGHTS RD, ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL, 60005 - Realtor.com
Single Family Home - 3928 N Wilke RD, Arlington Heights, IL, 60004 - Realtor.com

Helpful Links:
Village of Arlington Heights, Illinois
www.arlingtonhtschamber.com
www.ahsd25.k12.il.us


I Hope Your Dream of Living in Chicago Comes True! Be sure to look over everything!

[nysoccermom]

Wow, I couldn't ask for better information! I REALLY appreciate all the advice and information.

Just a little background - we currently live about an hour and a half outside of NYC, hence the $400,000 budget. We could stretch a little more but that would require me working full-time, which I really don't want to do, especially if we are moving. I'm an RN and I know I can find a job.

Anything else you can think of, please let me know.

I'm concerned that Grayslake is too far. Would I feel like I'm in the middle of nowhere? Is there a big climate difference?

[kilgresak]

Libertyville and Green Oaks are great and the Libertyville schools are excellent. Glenview is expensive...hard to get much there for $400K. The farther north you guy from Glenview, the price will go down. About 30 minutes from Libertyville to Glenview.

[MiamiVice1985]

That's an idyllic image of Hispanics, and I wish they assimilated into society that well everywhere. In Illinois, the term "Hispanic" might as well mean Mexican, as greater than 95 percent of Hispanics in Illinois are Mexican. This is very unlike Florida, and especially Miami, where Hispanic could mean someone was from a host of different Caribbean, central, and South American countries. Not many Mexican Immigrants are the engineers, doctors and lawyers coming into Miami with cash ready to buy McMansions in "Doralezuela" and fill the driveway with Nissan Muranos and Infinitis.

My high school in Illinois, for example, had the third highest percentage of Hispanics in the Lake county; we had a 25% Hispanic population, and almost none of them learned in English, they went to ESL specialized classes. These people were really poor, and the county and state paid for even their lunches, not to mention expensive ESL tutoring. The dropout rate at my old high school was very low, but for some reason for the Hispanic(Mexican) population it was very high, like 1 out of every 2 (surprising considering all of the aid and the fact that they are taught in SPANISH). What a drain on local taxpayers. The school is rapidly going downhill, as middle class families are fleeing to school districts with better test scores. What was once a wealthy, middle-to-upper middle class suburb of Chicago with a great football team is now going downhill and in danger of being taken over by the state comptroller. Also, real estate values around the school have PLUMMETED. I think that most Hispanic immigrants were warmly welcomed everywhere (for the reasons StoneOne mentioned:Christian Ideals, good authentic food, and common interest) until they started to become a majority.

[OakBrookMom]

If you are looking at test scores like the ACT, Stevenson High School will probably be the most consistently highly ranked high school in the areas w/in 30 minutes of Glenview in your price range. The foundation needed for consistently high scores doesn't begin in high school so that gives you an idea of the quality of the elementary school districts. There are multiple suburbs that have sections feeding into Stevenson including Buffalo Grove and Vernon Hills which are the two areas where you will find at least a selection of 2 story 4BR/2BA homes- no new homes mind you and no larger homes with the 3 car garage. Vernon Hills will be newer than Buffalo Grove - check out the Gross Pointe subdivision in VH as there are always a few homes for sale there.
I noticed your member name - my oldest is a travel soccer player and my husband coaches - when you get the home you want and start looking into clubs, look at the clubs out of Libertyville - they have a great program there - that's where we would like our child to play if we moved up that way.

[nysoccermom]

Thanks for the info!

One question, I read in the thread that Stevenson school is so large that my children transfering, ages 8 and 5, will feel lost. Is that your experience? Will there be so many cliques that they will feel isolated? Or, do you think because they are so young, they still have time to "fit it"?


Thanks.

[chet everett]

There are a sizable number of corporate transfers into Stevenson and its feeder schools -- you kids will not be the only "new kids" by a long shot. I think the same can be said for the Glenbrook High schools and its feeders and to a lesser extend to Deerfield and its feeders. These are all schools with much better than average scores, but there are precious few properties in your price range. You really will need to do a lot of "online leg work" to have a manageable list of places worth checking out. I'd worry more about than the kids fitting in...

[nysoccermom]

How come I don't hear a lot of feedback about Arlington Heights. In my research, the schools look good. The homes seem to be within my price range. What's the catch?