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Hi,
My family will be relocating to Chicago this summer for my husband's job. He will be working downtown (near the Bean) and we are looking for a burb with a good Metra commute. We have two children (7 and 12) and want a single family in a walkable community with great schools and commute times. Our budget max would be $850,000. Is it possible to find this? We lived in Chicago before (Lakeview and Deerfield) so we are familiar with cost of living, taxes, etc. I'm thinking about Glenview, Northbrook and Hinsdale. We are very family with the North Shore suburbs, but we don't know a lot about the others. Thanks for your help!
I think he will need to drive - no easy metra route to the bean.
Hinsdale is a great choice - add western springs, clarendon hills and la grange to your west list. That is the full (inner-ring) gold corridor that is highest in desirability - they all have great downtown cores, great schools, family friendly and safe. Also include elmhurst.
Make sure to plan a visit to each towns downtown to feel them out and walk thru the neighborhoods...
If you search these boards you will see soo much info on each town - there is a reason... they are the best in the west...
Here are just some examples - but you will have healthy options with your budget... try to find station/downtown walkable (location, location, location) home...
Thanks! He really wants to take the Metra. He knows he will have to walk from there, but he's stubborn. So ideally, we would love a place where we could walk to (an express) train and be in an area where we can walk to town, library, parks etc. Thanks for the input about the West! Taxes are so high in Hinsdale. Are the schools worth it? We plan to go and explore soon.
Definitely look for walkable station - that was us too. Taking train is so much less daily stress for us... hopefully someone adds a bean route I am unaware of also... express from gold corridor can be 18-25min to the loop which is awesome...
Chet will chime in (he is this boards school expert) and am sure will give a ultra detailed answer packed with numbers... we live in la grange and 69% of our taxes go to schools. The schools in these areas are amazing (hinsdale is the known best) and the way we look at it is either going to cost us in taxes or private schools to get that quality...
also if you mention where you are coming from many peeps on CD boards give really good comparisons to help new folks better gauge towns. Many of us are transplants here...
Thanks! He really wants to take the Metra. He knows he will have to walk from there, but he's stubborn. So ideally, we would love a place where we could walk to (an express) train and be in an area where we can walk to town, library, parks etc. Thanks for the input about the West! Taxes are so high in Hinsdale. Are the schools worth it? We plan to go and explore soon.
For your punchlist, high property taxes will be part of the equation unfortunately.
The good thing is, your budget is awesome and good school/community choices are plentiful.
South Barrington, Inverness, Palatine, Highland, and even as far as Crystal Lake. First four: good school, metra very close but you have to include parking at metra parking lot. That's how my daughter commutes to her working destination at downtown.
Based on budget, you can probably call just about any community home (excluding Kenilworth/Winnetka). A house in Northbrook is likely going to be a bit larger than a house in Hinsdale. Which then begs the question, why not consider Wilmette? Though folks have their gripes with the New Trier district, it's about as good as it gets, and the alumni and network is crazy powerful. Pros and cons, but definitely an alternative to a Hinsdale from a price perspective.
Based on my personal preference- some semblance of walkability, a downtown, amenities, some diversity in the way of neighborhoods, schools- I would put Wilmette/Hinsdale/La Grange/Glenview/Park Ridge ahead of a Northbrook. Then, in those communities, I'd focus on a house in the neighborhoods that I like. Wilmette would be, essentially, anything east of the railroad tracks. Hinsdale would be any neighborhood bordering downtown, though I don't find as much differentiation by area. La Grange would be a home north of 47 and west of 45. In Glenview, I'd go for the neighborhoods of East Glenview or in Swainwood. As an alternative, there is Golf, which is it's own village in South Glenview. Own train station, elementary schools, etc., but very nice, and very convenient. And in Park Ridge, I'd look at neighborhoods south of Touhy and north of W Talcott.
As far as schools, based almost entirely on test scores and reputation, I'd say New Trier>Hinsdale/Glenbrook South>Maine South/Lyons. But, i'd highly suggest making this the very last part of your decision, if at all. It's good to consider when selecting initial towns, but at your price point, every suburban community is going to have good schools.
EDIT: When I say New Trier is the best of the bunch, understand that I'm exclusively talking from an outsiders perspective. I believe only a % of what the rankings say, and can't surmise what someone would consider to be the most important factor when considering a district for their children. For me, it's obviously about a quality education, but also opportunities to get involved, a strong network post-graduation, and a sense of community. New Trier may offer all of those things, but the Range Rovers parked in the school lot may be a deterrent. Much more investigation is necessary- Chett, thoughts here?
As stated above, with an $850k budget, you can almost live wherever, but certainly depends on what your requirements are for a house. What type of environment do you like? Is having a walkable community important? Do you plan to visit the city beyond your husband's commute? Do you have friends or family in certain areas? The answers to those questions will help guide your decision. I'd then visit the communities and drive/walk around to get a feel for them.
As far as high school quality, studies have shown that a student's outcome is more a result of their own internal intelligence, motivation, parental involvement and family resources rather than amazing instruction....Said another way, a child who has two well-educated parents who emphasize reading, studying, etc. and have the economic resources to get their child involved in activities will do the same at New Trier as they will at Fremd in Palatine. It just so happens that there is a higher percentage of those types of families in the New Trier district (because it costs $$$ to live there) and thus they on average have higher test scores. But if you remove a middle of the road student at NT and put them in a "worse" performing high school, they'd likely be closer to a "top" student there, which can actually be a benefit. New Trier is hypercompetitive in everything (beyond academics too) so isn't the best environment for everybody. (Full disclosure: I went to New Trier, did very well and got admitted to a top 10 university, so not like I personally had a poor experience, but I know many that did.)
Having said that, I believe there IS a minimum threshold for schooling that could pull down top students if there are other issues that pervade the student body (e.g. gangs, violence). So, yes, having a very intelligent motivated student with parents that are very involved and emphasize education can likely NOT overcome the issues at many high schools on the South and West Sides of Chicago. But they certainly can (and the student might even be BETTER off) at a school like Oak Park/Evanston that has a decent contingent of wealthy students, but also has more socioeconomic and racial diversity. The wealthy white students at those students do EXACTLY THE SAME as the students at New Trier. Obviously, those schools still offer a very extensive curriculum, AP classes, tons of extracurriculars, etc. I guess my point is that I wouldn't quibble between schools that are the "top" and others that are simply "good/decent" because those results are largely a result of the input (i.e. makeup of the student body) rather than superior instruction.
Obviously, others take a different opinion on the school selection process (and that's fine), but thought I'd at least provide another perspective. I plan to send my children to (public) schools that are probably considered "good, but not elite" in a Chicago suburb, and deliberately chose that option over a school like New Trier. (The other factors I mentioned in my first paragraph were also a consideration for my family).
I would think sticking to your initial target areas of Glenview, Northbrook and Hinsdale would give you more than enough options, but I'd personally spend more time in those areas and choose 1 to focus on. (Although Glenview/Northbrook might be able to be considered "as one" considering they're right next to each other).
As stated above, with an $850k budget, you can almost live wherever, but certainly depends on what your requirements are for a house. What type of environment do you like? Is having a walkable community important? Do you plan to visit the city beyond your husband's commute? Do you have friends or family in certain areas? The answers to those questions will help guide your decision. I'd then visit the communities and drive/walk around to get a feel for them.
As far as high school quality, studies have shown that a student's outcome is more a result of their own internal intelligence, motivation, parental involvement and family resources rather than amazing instruction....Said another way, a child who has two well-educated parents who emphasize reading, studying, etc. and have the economic resources to get their child involved in activities will do the same at New Trier as they will at Fremd in Palatine. It just so happens that there is a higher percentage of those types of families in the New Trier district (because it costs $$$ to live there) and thus they on average have higher test scores. But if you remove a middle of the road student at NT and put them in a "worse" performing high school, they'd likely be closer to a "top" student there, which can actually be a benefit. New Trier is hypercompetitive in everything (beyond academics too) so isn't the best environment for everybody. (Full disclosure: I went to New Trier, did very well and got admitted to a top 10 university, so not like I personally had a poor experience, but I know many that did.)
Having said that, I believe there IS a minimum threshold for schooling that could pull down top students if there are other issues that pervade the student body (e.g. gangs, violence). So, yes, having a very intelligent motivated student with parents that are very involved and emphasize education can likely NOT overcome the issues at many high schools on the South and West Sides of Chicago. But they certainly can (and the student might even be BETTER off) at a school like Oak Park/Evanston that has a decent contingent of wealthy students, but also has more socioeconomic and racial diversity. The wealthy white students at those students do EXACTLY THE SAME as the students at New Trier. Obviously, those schools still offer a very extensive curriculum, AP classes, tons of extracurriculars, etc. I guess my point is that I wouldn't quibble between schools that are the "top" and others that are simply "good/decent" because those results are largely a result of the input (i.e. makeup of the student body) rather than superior instruction.
Obviously, others take a different opinion on the school selection process (and that's fine), but thought I'd at least provide another perspective. I plan to send my children to (public) schools that are probably considered "good, but not elite" in a Chicago suburb, and deliberately chose that option over a school like New Trier. (The other factors I mentioned in my first paragraph were also a consideration for my family).
I would think sticking to your initial target areas of Glenview, Northbrook and Hinsdale would give you more than enough options, but I'd personally spend more time in those areas and choose 1 to focus on. (Although Glenview/Northbrook might be able to be considered "as one" considering they're right next to each other).
Good luck!
Great post.
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