Who lives in Long Grove?

[damba]

Originally Posted by pvande55

I suppose some prefer it, but it lacks many amenities you expect in a high class suburb. No Metra station (downtown commuters use those in Buffalo Grove or Prairie View) nothing is walkable. There is a small downtown, but not as busy as it once was. Their signature covered bridge was destroyed a few months ago and it's unclear if it will be rebuilt. It disappeared from their street signs years ago.

A friend of my wife’s grew up a stone’s throw from the bridge.

It will be rebuilt- that’s not in dispute. How precisely it gets paid for is the kicker. Since it made the national historic register last summer, a new set of rules/funding is now available, but arriving much slower since it involves our wonderfully nimble federal government <vbg>.

[damba]

Originally Posted by cfologan

https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/9/24...t-dennis-blair

Our search is less about precise location and more about the house. This one is the one we were thinking about but it's under contract now, so never mind!

Thank you all for your responses!

Keep looking at this one since we all know how home deals sometimes fall apart. YMMV

[wjj]

Holy cow. So much misinformation about Long Grove.


I have lived in northern Buffalo Grove, just a few blocks from Long Grove, for over 30 years. If it were not for the well and septic issue, we would have moved there instead of BG. Some people like the additional space that Long Grove offers. There are obviously a lot of people with very significant financial means who live there. These folks did not get where they are by making bad decisions.


Since well and septic and a downtown is not a concern for the OP, let's focus on the rest.


I commuted from the BG station for many years - not every day, just like the OP. Not an issue. However, LG is very spread out, so other stations could come into play if moving to the western side of the village.


I would suggest a middle ground from the 2+ acre estates vs an urban-like setting. There are a number of communities in Long Grove that border on Buffalo Grove. Look at places along Aptakistic Road (east of McHenry Road) like Bridlewood or Briarcrest. Or places just west of Arlington Heights Road (or bordering AH Road) like Country Club Estates and the many places along and just north of Checker Road and west of AH Road. These places border BG to the east and Arlington Heights to the south and are essentially like living in BG or AH but with more space - but 1 acre not 2+ acres for the most part. Also look along Half Day Road east of McHenry Road in places like Oak Hills and Promontory. Same kind of communities. Straight shot to the Prairie View Station.


All of these places go to District 96 K-8 schools and Stevenson HS, some of the highest rated public schools in the state. Routine shopping like for groceries is 5 minutes away (Sunset, Jewel, Marianos) and hard core shopping is 10 minutes north in Vernon Hills.


Long Grove is a great place to live and a lot of very successful people (and for what it's worth, pro athletes) live there. People who have the means to live just about anywhere. That should say something.

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by cfologan

https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/9/24...t-dennis-blair

Our search is less about precise location and more about the house. This one is the one we were thinking about but it's under contract now, so never mind!

Thank you all for your responses!

Love the house. Sorry it's under contract!

[northshorenative]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Long Grove has large lots specifically because of the reliance on private wells and septic fields. The municipal building standards also require all properties be equipped with fire sprinklers. These measures all were designed to minimize any kind of municipal infrastructure / shared services. Personally I am not a fan as these things put a large burden on home owners and their own diligence of sticking to the maintenance that such systems require. While that might keep taxes lower it means that when a poorly maintained home comes on the market it ends up depressing comparable home prices, not a good trade-off...


The relative distance between homes also makes it less conducive to the sorts of informal neighbor-to-neighbor communication that help folks stay connected to each other which is a negative factor with regard to all kinds of local events / and governance. I'm sure there are areas where the 'detachment' is even worse but the general trend over the past few decades has been that municipalities that foster more involvement seem to have attracted a more committed group of residents that work cooperatively to see positive changes as opposed to the "NIMBY" type activism; Long Grove is well known as being opposed to the extension of IL-53 or the widening of any roads that might improve the congested nature of Lake Co commutes...


The closest Metra station for most of Long Grove is probably in Buffalo Grove. That is part of the North Central Line service that is having a lot of options -- https://metrarail.com/maps-schedules/train-lines/NCS Figure about an hour to Unions Station...

The 36 mile or so drive to / from the Loop probably averages about 1:20 - 1:50 , but can really climb when there is road repaving and/or any weather related events. It might be tolerable if this is only happening a few days a week...

This is not necessarily true. Friends of ours live in Long Grove in a subdivision that shares a community well so they don't need to worry about individual maintenance.

Yes, they have large lots AND a very active homeowner's community that has many activities to accommodate connections such as neighborhood book clubs, pot luck dinners, holiday parties, and other events. She is very close to her neighbors - more so than I am in a "conventional" suburb.

Did you know the Village gives out daffodil bulbs every fall to every resident? It's truly lovely when hundreds of them bloom in the spring.

Her husband commuted for many years from the train in Buffalo Grove to the Loop. He did this with no problem at all. They love it there.