Wheaton & Glen Ellyn - other cities like them? (for sale, townhomes)

[Lookout Kid]

My kids are in the school system in Glen Ellyn, and I will be brutally honest with you about the diversity in this town as it exists in 2018.


My kids go to a school in District 41 that was probably about two-thirds white kids the last time I saw any stats about it (now that they are actually in school, I rarely check on the school's "report card" since it is really not relevant to how they are each doing academically themselves). They do have kids of different races in their classes, but very few African Americans. Most of the non-white students in their classes are either Asian (both East Asian and Indo/Pak) or Hispanic. Some come from refugee resettlement programs. But there are some African American kids as well. More than there used to be. There is another elementary school in town (Churchill) that is more African American diverse because it has a lot of apartments feeding in to it near the Glendale Heights border.


And that brings up a difficult reality. When I walk around my neighborhood of neatly kept homes, nearly everyone I see is white. If I go to a social event, church, or fundraiser, I see almost entirely white faces.



The sad truth is that the great majority of Hispanic or African American kids that go to our school system live in the lower income apartments that ring the busier roads in town or in the unincorporated zone near Glendale Heights. So it feels very segregated to me by income and race. That's not to say that there aren't any well off professionals in town who are African American or Hispanic, there are just not very many.



I think this is going to be an issue in any of the DuPage County towns mentioned in this thread. Some look diverse on paper by raw numbers, but are deeply segregated by housing type and neighborhood. Heck, even ol' Oak Park has this issue to some degree. The schools are certainly more diverse than they were in 1985, but it's not exactly a melting pot.

[Jesseco]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

My kids are in the school system in Glen Ellyn, and I will be brutally honest with you about the diversity in this town as it exists in 2018.

My kids go to a school in District 41 that was probably about two-thirds white kids the last time I saw any stats about it (now that they are actually in school, I rarely check on the school's "report card" since it is really not relevant to how they are each doing academically themselves). They do have kids of different races in their classes, but very few African Americans. Most of the non-white students in their classes are either Asian (both East Asian and Indo/Pak) or Hispanic. Some come from refugee resettlement programs. But there are some African American kids as well. More than there used to be. There is another elementary school in town (Churchill) that is more African American diverse because it has a lot of apartments feeding in to it near the Glendale Heights border.

And that brings up a difficult reality. When I walk around my neighborhood of neatly kept homes, nearly everyone I see is white. If I go to a social event, church, or fundraiser, I see almost entirely white faces.

The sad truth is that the great majority of Hispanic or African American kids that go to our school system live in the lower income apartments that ring the busier roads in town or in the unincorporated zone near Glendale Heights. So it feels very segregated to me by income and race. That's not to say that there aren't any well off professionals in town who are African American or Hispanic, there are just not very many.

I think this is going to be an issue in any of the DuPage County towns mentioned in this thread. Some look diverse on paper by raw numbers, but are deeply segregated by housing type and neighborhood. Heck, even ol' Oak Park has this issue to some degree. The schools are certainly more diverse than they were in 1985, but it's not exactly a melting pot.

Yes, I'm sure you are right about that. I'm not sure that I've ever seen a true melting pot, come to think of it. I have seen some planned communities where that is the goal, though.

[twohearts56]

I was wondering if Wheaton or Downers Grove has a better downtown? I know about Naperville but it is getting pretty congested there. I wiuld prize some walkability. Any input would be appreciated.

[RJA29]

Originally Posted by twohearts56

I was wondering if Wheaton or Downers Grove has a better downtown? I know about Naperville but it is getting pretty congested there. I wiuld prize some walkability. Any input would be appreciated.

They are different. Downers Grove is more urban. Wheaton is more quaint. You should visit both - they are within ~30 minutes of each other.

[deeman7]

Originally Posted by twohearts56

I was wondering if Wheaton or Downers Grove has a better downtown? I know about Naperville but it is getting pretty congested there. I wiuld prize some walkability. Any input would be appreciated.

Depends on what your definition of 'better' is. What about Glen Ellyn or LaGrange? Check 'em out and let us know what you find out!

[DougStark]

Don't worry about possible new taxes. Pritzker will likely legalize marijuana and gambling. Yippie!!

[ToriaT]

Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove, and LaGrange all have walkable nice downtowns. Of course Naperville does too. Naperville is big and very crowded and congested...its a lot quieter in the other towns. As I said before if you retire, you don't have to go out much in the cold weather you can pursue indoor activities. The cold will break in a little while and then we will be looking forward to spring. I love the change of seasons and I embrace them. We don't shovel snow as we have a plow service. You would not need that in an apartment or condo. Wheaton has some good apartments downtown and several condo developments. Wheaton 121 is awesome! A friend lived there and we were able to go inside. It was wonderful.

https://connorgroup.com/apartments-c...l/wheaton-121/

There is also Wheaton Center that has been newly upgraded.
https://www.renewwheatoncenter.com/

There are also two condo developments downtown and a bunch of condos and townhouses within a mile or two of the downtown area.

[twohearts56]

Thank you!

[twohearts56]

Thank you! I am leaning towards Wheaton. It seems like LaGrange is more expensive than Wheaton close to downtown.

[twohearts56]

[quote=ToriaT;54258654]Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove, and LaGrange all have walkable nice downtowns. Of course Naperville does too. Naperville is big and very crowded and congested...its a lot quieter in the other towns. As I said before if you retire, you don't have to go out much in the cold weather you can pursue indoor activities. The cold will break in a little while and then we will be looking forward to spring. I love the change of seasons and I embrace them. We don't shovel snow as we have a plow service. You would not need that in an apartment or condo. Wheaton has some good apartments downtown and several condo developments. Wheaton 121 is awesome! A friend lived there and we were able to go inside. It was wonderful.

https://connorgroup.com/apartments-c...l/wheaton-121/

There is also Wheaton Center that has been newly upgraded.
https://www.renewwheatoncenter.com/

There are also two condo developments downtown and a bunch of con and townhouses within a mile or two of the downtown.

Where are the 2 condo developments downtown and townhomes within 1 or 2 miles of downtown?