Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago Suburbs
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-09-2018, 03:26 PM
 
5 posts, read 5,139 times
Reputation: 15

Advertisements

We're relocating back to Chicago from Mountain View, CA and are looking for suggestions for good suburbs with good schools (Pre-K+) and a close commute to the city. We have two kids (2yr and 4yr). We're familiar with Northbrook and Wilmette, but are also considering Hinsdale and nearby areas. Just wondering what people's thoughts are on these neighborhoods, or have other suggestions. Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-09-2018, 03:55 PM
 
4,011 posts, read 4,283,352 times
Reputation: 3118
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobajoy View Post
We're relocating back to Chicago from Mountain View, CA and are looking for suggestions for good suburbs with good schools (Pre-K+) and a close commute to the city. We have two kids (2yr and 4yr). We're familiar with Northbrook and Wilmette, but are also considering Hinsdale and nearby areas. Just wondering what people's thoughts are on these neighborhoods, or have other suggestions. Thanks!
Both of those suburbs are great, it depends on how close to the city (and perhaps lakefront) you would like to be(?). Commute how long max and via train or car?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-09-2018, 05:35 PM
 
768 posts, read 1,110,276 times
Reputation: 370
West (hinsdale area) i would expand to include Clarendon Hills, Western Springs and La Grange... North shore if you want to go to bed at 8pm on Saturdays....
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-09-2018, 08:35 PM
 
4,011 posts, read 4,283,352 times
Reputation: 3118
Quote:
Originally Posted by JJski View Post
West (hinsdale area) i would expand to include Clarendon Hills, Western Springs and La Grange... North shore if you want to go to bed at 8pm on Saturdays....
ROTFL

As if the western suburbs are some sort of significant nightlife destination(?)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-09-2018, 09:14 PM
 
768 posts, read 1,110,276 times
Reputation: 370
No chicago west loop, river north but west does have some life...

I do have to correct myself - evanston does too...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-10-2018, 10:29 AM
 
4,011 posts, read 4,283,352 times
Reputation: 3118
Quote:
Originally Posted by JJski View Post
No chicago west loop, river north but west does have some life...

I do have to correct myself - evanston does too...
Nothing in the western burbs comes close to what Chicago offers, so I’m not sure why you are bothering with that.

Oh yes. You visited HP while home shopping a few years ago, during a time when a lot of locals were likely away on vacation. You didn’t bother to visit all the good restaurants/bars nearby in Highwood though. Yeah, it’s safe to say you are a little myopic.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-10-2018, 10:37 AM
 
768 posts, read 1,110,276 times
Reputation: 370
Quote:
Originally Posted by damba View Post
Nothing in the western burbs comes close to what Chicago offers, so I’m not sure why you are bothering with that.

Oh yes. You visited HP while home shopping a few years ago, during a time when a lot of locals were likely away on vacation. You didn’t bother to visit all the good restaurants/bars nearby in Highwood though. Yeah, it’s safe to say you are a little myopic.
U r correct. Nothing does (or ever will) compare to downtown chicago but having kids (same age as OP) means you still want some life at least we did... and we visited coveted NS multiple times... it was way too sleepy for us.... much more so than West IMO - and some people want that...

So Sorry but evanston was the only area of North Shore that did it for us....

Our young family wanted it all in a community/town/downtown, restaurants, few kid friendly bars, events, some energy in core after 8pm on weekends, historic homes, great schools, train, easy big city access, safety and all walkable... young family lists are complex now a days...

Last edited by JJski; 03-10-2018 at 11:13 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-10-2018, 12:03 PM
 
9,952 posts, read 6,730,482 times
Reputation: 19662
Quote:
Originally Posted by JJski View Post
U r correct. Nothing does (or ever will) compare to downtown chicago but having kids (same age as OP) means you still want some life at least we did... and we visited coveted NS multiple times... it was way too sleepy for us.... much more so than West IMO - and some people want that...

So Sorry but evanston was the only area of North Shore that did it for us....

Our young family wanted it all in a community/town/downtown, restaurants, few kid friendly bars, events, some energy in core after 8pm on weekends, historic homes, great schools, train, easy big city access, safety and all walkable... young family lists are complex now a days...
You seem to be veering WAY off the OP where none of these items are requested or even mentioned? The OP is from Mountain View with two young kids. That’s all we know. They could be fortysomething parents, because it is ridiculously expensive to buy a home in Mountain View and as a result, can be cost prohibitive to have kids until you are in your later 30s and can buy something big enough to hold 2 kids. Most of the people who want the excitement of the city live in the city and then take the Google buses or something equivalent to get to work.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-10-2018, 12:46 PM
 
2,756 posts, read 4,428,872 times
Reputation: 7524
OP - are you only interested in school quality? And what do you consider "close" commute to the city? Where is your work?

You make it sound like you have lived here before so... are Northbrook/Wilmette type suburbs what you want?

If you can afford Mountain View, you can afford anything here obviously.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-12-2018, 10:25 AM
 
5 posts, read 5,139 times
Reputation: 15
School quality is near the top of the list. It doesn't have to be the best in the state, but above average for Elem, Middle and High school.

I'll be working in the west loop, so not the easiest commute. It's about a 9min from Ogilvie. Hoping for something less than an hour total.

General convenience is the one thing that we don't have a good feel for since we're in California right now. We're really interested in Hinsdale area, but we don't know if the day to day conveniences are there. For example, lots of dining options (fast food + restaurants), good shopping close by, grocery stores, Target / Walmart. And if the neighborhood traffic is bad (Mountain View is terrible).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2022 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago Suburbs

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:59 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top