Quick thoughts on La Grange Park (Harding Woods)? (Chicago, Naperville: real estate, rent)

[mtottson]

Good Morning,

We have spent considerable amount of time home shopping and think we have found one in the Harding Woods area of La Grange park. Seems like a great area: schools rated well, taxes lower than surrounding areas, walking distance to metra and downtown La Grange. Beyond those things, can anyone share more info about the general community, diversity, etc.

We are a Jewish family and know that obviously north shore is where the larger Jewish population is, but wanted to know if there is even a small population in these close western suburbs. Mostly concerned with children feeling included, etc.

Additionally any other information about the community, home value trend, tax trends, pros/cons,etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

[JJski]

This is really a great choice - you save money in taxes by crossing Ogden. Especially this micro LGP area feels the exact same (almost) as La Grange proper... I reference it as the secret LG extension frequently...

I personally believe the values in harding woods will go up considerbly in near future (its a great location) and would also expect to see tear downs there soon as La Grange dries up...

[chet everett]

I do know that there are certainly folks throughout the western suburbs that do attend Jewish synagogues in Oak Park, Lombard , and Naperville -- Oak Park Temple | A Reform Jewish Congregation Congregation Beth Shalom https://congetzchaim.org/ I cannot say with certainty that anyone from LaGrange is currently active in those congregations but I would be surprised if there were not at least a few families nearby of Jewish background.

As far "being included" I know from experience that all parents in affluent areas make an effort to find out about ANY dietary restrictions of any of their children's classmates and the schools support not just such efforts but anything that fosters understanding and diverse composition of classes. There are kids from all cultural / faith backgrounds represented at Lyons Township High and all the feeder schools are aware of the steps needed to make everyone feel respected.

The relative trend of values in LaGrange Park has been positive and that is driven largely by the factors you mention -- very nice setting that mostly shares in the popularity of LaGrange itself. Folks who live in the north part of LaGrange mostly shop at Jewel in LaGrange Park or the Mariano's in Westchester so see LOTS of neighbors in those areas. The range of families at LT reflects the broader reach of the district that includes smaller parcels in the part of Brookfield south of Ogden as well as mansion sized homes in Burr Ridge. The relative breadth of homes in LGP is narrower, but firmly in the "desirable" range with lots of well cared for homes sandwiched between the Nazareth Academy campus and the Forest Preserves.

Not really any negatives that jump out, a handful of homes are occiansionally negatively impacted by heavy rains, that is as much due to folks getting lazy about cleaning their gutters than it is any regional shortcoming of Salt Creek / DesPlaines River. Fiscally the trends in taxes are pretty much in line with surrounding communities, good schools do place a burden on residents especially in areas with minimal commercial / industrial tax base, but LGP tries to keep their local expenditures inline with revenues, something that is also positively impacted by mostly well prepared students from caring families...

[deeman7]

LGP is a nice place. There are a good number of homes in that section that are undergoing gut rehabs as I type this. Certainly a hot place for real estate.

[mtottson]

Thank you all for the responses. We went under contract (bit the bullet). That being said, still would love to hear any more insights about the area,etc. We are cautiously excited.

[JJski]

Congrats --- I think you will be very happy with the decision after getting settled in… We will see you around town...

Below are a few communities to join to help you acclimate faster to the area:

LG/LGP are highly active on nextdoor --- make sure to join this community which is specific to Harding Woods neighborhood…
https://nextdoor.com/neighborhood/ha...ange-park--il/

Also since you will be in downtown la grange a lot make sure to also follow this page.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/LaGrangeIL

[MillennialUrbanist]

Chiming in with an inquiry. What are your thoughts/opinions/concerns about condominiums in La Grange and La Grange Park? I'm looking to buy a condominium, and it's one of the suburbs I narrowed down my choices to. I realize Chicago would better match the environment I'm looking for, but two things: (1) it's out of my budget, and (2) it's too far from the venues I frequent.

I don't have kids, which means I'm more concerned about nightlife than schools. And true to my name, I like walkable neighborhoods with public transit and multistory buildings. (LG/LGP is close enough to that.) But I welcome any input.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by MillennialUrbanist

Chiming in with an inquiry. What are your thoughts/opinions/concerns about condominiums in La Grange and La Grange Park? I'm looking to buy a condominium, and it's one of the suburbs I narrowed down my choices to. I realize Chicago would better match the environment I'm looking for, but two things: (1) it's out of my budget, and (2) it's too far from the venues I frequent.

I don't have kids, which means I'm more concerned about nightlife than schools. And true to my name, I like walkable neighborhoods with public transit and multistory buildings. (LG/LGP is close enough to that.) But I welcome any input.

I like LaGrange quite a lot and even had some younger co-workers choose to buy condos there. The keys that helped them in their decision included the fact that they were generally the kind of people that did NOT like throwing away their income on rent and they could see the longer term trend of being able to EVENTUALLY sell their condo and move into a single family home in the burbs as part of their overall plan for not just financial gain but relationship / life direction. That sort of implies that there were more mature / already in some kind of committed relationship with someone who had similar ideas...

The "value" of a multi-story building BY ITSELF is highly questionable -- if there is not enough nearby to make it convenient it is just sort of an odd anomaly. If you are familiar with this building in Wooddale that would be good only for looking at jets headed to / from O'Hare -- https://www.homesbymarco.com/img/w36...dale_il_01.jpg

In contrast there is at least a smattering of things in downtown LaGrange that make is walkable for groceries from Trader Joes, lots of restaurants, a few nice enough places to get beer and watch a sports game. The caution would be that none of the spots can hold a candle to ANYTHING in the traditional youth oriented bars of Lakeview, Wicker Park / Bucktown or the greater West Loop / River North when it comes to live music / meeting new people.

I would also be very cautious that with continuing consolidation of employment AWAY FROM THE SUBURBS even folks with traditional office jobs who might've worked at the McDonalds HQ in Oak Brook or other places along I-88 / 355 are going to be LOTS MORE SCARCE than they currently are -- that will have negative impact on potential for two income couples to value a place that has good access to both Metra and suburban employment centers. Of course if OP or potential partner is involved in health care there are still lots of places like Loyola, Hines and other big medical centers near LaGrange as well as several suburban hospitals that will continue to be a big part of the regional employment...

[MillennialUrbanist]

Originally Posted by chet everett

In contrast there is at least a smattering of things in downtown LaGrange that make is walkable for groceries from Trader Joes, lots of restaurants, a few nice enough places to get beer and watch a sports game. The caution would be that none of the spots can hold a candle to ANYTHING in the traditional youth oriented bars of Lakeview, Wicker Park / Bucktown or the greater West Loop / River North when it comes to live music / meeting new people..

Well, I'm 33, which puts me way past the stereotypical "youth" age. And like I said, Lakeview is way out of my budget. But at the same time, a confirmed bachelor like me would be as welcome in a family-centric subdivision as bacon in a synagogue. So I'm striking a balance with La Grange [Park], which is urban enough to meet my needs.

Furthermore, the bulk of my social life is now through my Meetup groups, who do most of their events in lively bars and city parks around west suburbs. Along with sporadic day trips to Wisconsin and what-have-you. Which renders the need to "go to youth bars to meet people" virtually nonexistent. So LG[P] is fairly suitable for my lifestyle, since it gives me access to a Metra line serving those areas, as well as downtown Chicago, while keeping the price low enough to let me actually buy the condo.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by MillennialUrbanist

Well, I'm 33, which puts me way past the stereotypical "youth" age. And like I said, Lakeview is way out of my budget. But at the same time, a confirmed bachelor like me would be as welcome in a family-centric subdivision as bacon in a synagogue. So I'm striking a balance with La Grange [Park], which is urban enough to meet my needs.

Furthermore, the bulk of my social life is now through my Meetup groups, who do most of their events in lively bars and city parks around west suburbs. Along with sporadic day trips to Wisconsin and what-have-you. Which renders the need to "go to youth bars to meet people" virtually nonexistent. So LG[P] is fairly suitable for my lifestyle, since it gives me access to a Metra line serving those areas, as well as downtown Chicago, while keeping the price low enough to let me actually buy the condo.

... and if you want to maximize the odds of a long term relationship it probably makes sense to factor that into your decision. Lots of people delay "pairing off" well past 30, while living in the burbs is not a "deal killer" it will means LOTS more driving than if you were living someplace with better access to CTA, I'd rate Oak Park / Forest Park / Berwyn and (possibly) Evanston as better served by transit even if your social events tend to be the western suburbs as at least given you options.

The relative "pleasantness" of LaGrange / LGP is pretty hard to beat but it still can't hold a candle to Chicago in terms of the potential of Chicago for social interactions / events. If you are looking at comparable priced condos in the towns mentioned you might actually get more for your money AND have better transit as a plus/