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View Poll Results: Most desirable Chicagoland suburb?
Winnetka 21 16.15%
Wilmette 6 4.62%
The Barringtons 12 9.23%
Hinsdale 12 9.23%
Western Springs 1 0.77%
Oak Brook 0 0%
Oak Park 15 11.54%
Naperville 17 13.08%
Evanston 12 9.23%
Kenilworth 10 7.69%
Glencoe 6 4.62%
Glenview 5 3.85%
Northbrook 4 3.08%
La Grange 9 6.92%
Voters: 130. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 11-20-2018, 07:30 AM
 
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Originally Posted by sypher133 View Post
Glen Ellyn > Naperville, La Grange, Oak Park, Western Springs.

And its not even on the list... pointless poll.
Naperville I'd agree with - Though, as the poll reflects, many others don't.

As for Glen Ellyn vs. LG, Oak Park, and Western Springs.. We can agree to disagree.
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Old 11-20-2018, 08:29 PM
 
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Originally Posted by BOBNCHI View Post
Berwyn.
Berwyn!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtvXtLBSN8c
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Old 11-26-2018, 10:37 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mwj119 View Post
Naperville I'd agree with - Though, as the poll reflects, many others don't.

As for Glen Ellyn vs. LG, Oak Park, and Western Springs.. We can agree to disagree.

I guess a start would be to define what is "desirable". Here's my quick breakdown on how I made my decision. Everyone has their own opinions...I've had a chance to live in 3 of the 4 cities listed up for debate. Hope this helps and contributes to the conversation.

Oak Park: nice restaurant scene, close to city. Metra is a +. Way to close to Austin and Maywood for my liking, crime was always a concern when I lived there.

LG: Nice downtown, similar to GE. GE homes and surrounding downtown area attracts more $1M+ valued properties than LG. GE a slight notch above.

Western Springs: Downtown is a step below GE, homes and surrounding property values slight notch above GE, almost a tie but I give the win to GE due to the abundant amount of tree lined streets and more attractive downtown area.
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Old 11-26-2018, 12:01 PM
 
3,497 posts, read 2,189,618 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sypher133 View Post
I guess a start would be to define what is "desirable". Here's my quick breakdown on how I made my decision. Everyone has their own opinions...I've had a chance to live in 3 of the 4 cities listed up for debate. Hope this helps and contributes to the conversation.

Oak Park: nice restaurant scene, close to city. Metra is a +. Way to close to Austin and Maywood for my liking, crime was always a concern when I lived there.

LG: Nice downtown, similar to GE. GE homes and surrounding downtown area attracts more $1M+ valued properties than LG. GE a slight notch above.

Western Springs: Downtown is a step below GE, homes and surrounding property values slight notch above GE, almost a tie but I give the win to GE due to the abundant amount of tree lined streets and more attractive downtown area.
Regarding the last point, property values in WS are significantly higher than GE. I agree that GE has the more appealing downtown area but WS is better located both in proximity to DT Chicago/Chicagoland area and the neighboring towns are also generally nicer. Schools are also more highly rated in WS than GE, which is a very desirable feature for many young families.
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Old 11-26-2018, 12:59 PM
 
13 posts, read 14,028 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by My Kind Of Town View Post
Regarding the last point, property values in WS are significantly higher than GE. I agree that GE has the more appealing downtown area but WS is better located both in proximity to DT Chicago/Chicagoland area and the neighboring towns are also generally nicer. Schools are also more highly rated in WS than GE, which is a very desirable feature for many young families.

Significantly higher than GE? Totally disagree. WS and GE are very comparable. I agree, WS is a notch above, but nothing significant.

GE has a lot more inventory, so even these numbers are skewed.

https://www.zillow.com/glen-ellyn-il/home-values/
https://www.zillow.com/western-springs-il/home-values/


Sure, Hinsdale Central > Glenbard West, but nothing "significant". Cant go wrong with either school district.

Both GE and WS are about 40 min metra commute, via car GE is 25 miles and WS is 20 miles.....
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Old 11-26-2018, 03:25 PM
 
3,497 posts, read 2,189,618 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sypher133 View Post
Significantly higher than GE? Totally disagree. WS and GE are very comparable. I agree, WS is a notch above, but nothing significant.

GE has a lot more inventory, so even these numbers are skewed.

https://www.zillow.com/glen-ellyn-il/home-values/
https://www.zillow.com/western-springs-il/home-values/


Sure, Hinsdale Central > Glenbard West, but nothing "significant". Cant go wrong with either school district.

Both GE and WS are about 40 min metra commute, via car GE is 25 miles and WS is 20 miles.....
I would consider prices at 36% higher in WS compared to GE significant. That’s a big jump and part of what makes WS so expensive is exactly what you hit on - low supply. It’s a small town but highly desirable thus prices are pushed up. The high school is LT, not Hinsdale Central. LT is better but not markedly better than GW or GS however K-8 grade schools in WS are outstanding whereas GE are hit or miss. Metra times from WS are as low as 29 minutes if you catch one that isn’t making every stop into/out of the city. Via car, drive time from downtown to Western Springs is 31 minutes right now whereas downtown to GE is 43 min. A bunch of “small” differences tend to add up to a big difference. Just my opinion as someone who has cross-shopped both towns in the past. Also, I like the La Grange/WS/Hinsdale corridor much better than Lombard/GE/Wheaton corridor. Personal preference perhaps.

Edit: another thing that favors WS is the lower property tax rate compared to GE. We essentially ruled out GE during our previous home search based on property tax rate alone. It was very high in GE compared to the other towns we were considering.

Last edited by My Kind Of Town; 11-26-2018 at 03:34 PM..
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Old 11-26-2018, 05:13 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by My Kind Of Town View Post
I would consider prices at 36% higher in WS compared to GE significant. That’s a big jump and part of what makes WS so expensive is exactly what you hit on - low supply. It’s a small town but highly desirable thus prices are pushed up. The high school is LT, not Hinsdale Central. LT is better but not markedly better than GW or GS however K-8 grade schools in WS are outstanding whereas GE are hit or miss. Metra times from WS are as low as 29 minutes if you catch one that isn’t making every stop into/out of the city. Via car, drive time from downtown to Western Springs is 31 minutes right now whereas downtown to GE is 43 min. A bunch of “small” differences tend to add up to a big difference. Just my opinion as someone who has cross-shopped both towns in the past. Also, I like the La Grange/WS/Hinsdale corridor much better than Lombard/GE/Wheaton corridor. Personal preference perhaps.

Edit: another thing that favors WS is the lower property tax rate compared to GE. We essentially ruled out GE during our previous home search based on property tax rate alone. It was very high in GE compared to the other towns we were considering.
Rule of thumb in GE: send your kids to St. Pets K-8. GBW is the way to go for high school. One of the prettiest high school campuses in IL with the surrounding lake ellyn proximity.

My main and largest influencer when making a decision on where to live was downtown. GE is thriving and WS simply doesn't even have one (minus that dead strip by the tracks)

Why isn't elmhurst on this list ????
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Old 11-26-2018, 06:10 PM
 
3,497 posts, read 2,189,618 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sypher133 View Post
Rule of thumb in GE: send your kids to St. Pets K-8. GBW is the way to go for high school. One of the prettiest high school campuses in IL with the surrounding lake ellyn proximity.

My main and largest influencer when making a decision on where to live was downtown. GE is thriving and WS simply doesn't even have one (minus that dead strip by the tracks)

Why isn't elmhurst on this list ????
Downtown GE is cute but let’s not get carried away here. It doesn’t compare to downtowns like Naperville, Elmhurst, LG, or even Wheaton for that matter. If that was the largest influencer for you I can think of at least half a dozen towns in the western suburbs alone with a better downtown area than GE. Also, if I’m paying $10k+ in taxes I really wouldn’t want to send my kids to a private school for 9 years. Agree that GE campus is beautiful but as a parent I’m less concerned about the aesthetic characteristics of the grounds and more concerned about the course offerings and academic performance.
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Old 11-26-2018, 06:40 PM
 
13 posts, read 14,028 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by My Kind Of Town View Post
Downtown GE is cute but let’s not get carried away here. It doesn’t compare to downtowns like Naperville, Elmhurst, LG, or even Wheaton for that matter. If that was the largest influencer for you I can think of at least half a dozen towns in the western suburbs alone with a better downtown area than GE. Also, if I’m paying $10k+ in taxes I really wouldn’t want to send my kids to a private school for 9 years. Agree that GE campus is beautiful but as a parent I’m less concerned about the aesthetic characteristics of the grounds and more concerned about the course offerings and academic performance.
Jeez you won't let this one go, will you. GBW does have excellent academic performance that incorporates a beautiful in town feel that is unlike any other city in IL. Best of both worlds, with a variety of attractive offerings...

Back to my main point, if your going to run a poll at least consider adding towns that encompasses a larger audience perspective.

Data speaks for itself with Western Springs having a total of 0 votes thus far...
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Old 11-26-2018, 07:03 PM
 
3,497 posts, read 2,189,618 times
Reputation: 1950
Quote:
Originally Posted by sypher133 View Post
Jeez you won't let this one go, will you. GBW does have excellent academic performance that incorporates a beautiful in town feel that is unlike any other city in IL. Best of both worlds, with a variety of attractive offerings...

Back to my main point, if your going to run a poll at least consider adding towns that encompasses a larger audience perspective.

Data speaks for itself with Western Springs having a total of 0 votes thus far...
I agree with your main point but disagree GE is more desirable than WS. I voted Hinsdale but I’m biased
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