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I apologize if this has been asked a million times before - I am completely new to this forum and kind of at a loss.
We are a family of four who will most likely be moving to the Chicago area from Raleigh, NC. My husband will be working near Schaumburg and I will be home w the kids who are 7 and 10. We have NO idea where to start looking for a house. I was kind of set on Oak Park because of its vicinity to downtown Chicago but the crime statistics concern me a bit. I've also looked at Naperville which looks nice but also.... VERRRRY white and suburban and maybe completely bland.
We are from Denmark - all born there - so culturally we don't feel like we belong anywhere in particular. We have been really happy in Raleigh but definitely see (and dislike) the Southern shortcomings when it comes to racism, intolerance, the whole obsession with religion...Etc. Still, downtown Raleigh has worked well for us and it feels like the perfect sized town. We also love that there is a lot of gorgeous nature surrounding us which is something we would definitely be looking for.
What I am terrified of is settling somewhere that looks "nice" and (relatively) safe, just to bore myself to death. We like diversity, an urban feel and a downtown area with more than just a Walgreens and a couple of chain restaurants.
We love walkability (or to be able to bike somewhere) and that the whole town - both downtown area and surroundings have something to offer, culturally, community wise, aesthetically...
We would be looking at houses in the 800-900,000s maximum probably and need a nice backyard.
One BIG criterion would be good public schools.
Any recommendations/words of wisdom? Anything would be immensely appreciated. I'd also love to hear if there are other areas you would recommend for us to look at.
For what it’s worth, I think Naperville’s whiteness is exaggerated - in 2019 it was 72% white, compared to 69% for Oak Park. Oak Park has the reputation for being more diverse because of its history of social progressivism and black/white integration, whereas Asian/whites living together is pretty unremarkable. The more conservative politics and more recent Asian immigration are probably why that perception exists.
That being said, I think your criteria pretty handily rules out Naperville. Downtown is nice but it’s basically a 3x3 block square. The rest of Naperville is as you noted, “nice” but pretty bland. There’s the Dupage River Trail for biking which is nice, but outside of downtown it’s really just a generic upper middle class suburb.
Evanston might be a good fit for you - “diverse” (putting this in quotes because, like Oak Park, it’s still 2/3 white with a smattering of minorities), great schools, a very urban downtown area and access to the lakefront. At your price point it’s definitely attainable. It’s more international than Oak Park as well, especially with Northwestern attracting so many foreign students and faculty to the area. Another advantage is that Evanston is where the North Shore starts - it’s very wealthy suburbs on one side, and not far from some cool Chicago neighborhoods like Devon Avenue & Andersonville. Oak Park is pretty isolated by comparison, especially as it’s hemmed in by two very blighted areas - Austin and Maywood.
For what it’s worth, I think Naperville’s whiteness is exaggerated - in 2019 it was 72% white, compared to 69% for Oak Park. Oak Park has the reputation for being more diverse because of its history of social progressivism and black/white integration, whereas Asian/whites living together is pretty unremarkable. The more conservative politics and more recent Asian immigration are probably why that perception exists.
That being said, I think your criteria pretty handily rules out Naperville. Downtown is nice but it’s basically a 3x3 block square. The rest of Naperville is as you noted, “nice” but pretty bland. There’s the Dupage River Trail for biking which is nice, but outside of downtown it’s really just a generic upper middle class suburb.
Evanston might be a good fit for you - “diverse” (putting this in quotes because, like Oak Park, it’s still 2/3 white with a smattering of minorities), great schools, a very urban downtown area and access to the lakefront. At your price point it’s definitely attainable. It’s more international than Oak Park as well, especially with Northwestern attracting so many foreign students and faculty to the area. Another advantage is that Evanston is where the North Shore starts - it’s very wealthy suburbs on one side, and not far from some cool Chicago neighborhoods like Devon Avenue & Andersonville. Oak Park is pretty isolated by comparison, especially as it’s hemmed in by two very blighted areas - Austin and Maywood.
This is exactly the kind of insider info I was looking for - thank you so much!!
It does sound like I’ll be bored to death in Naperville. I used to work fulltime before moving here so the whole stay at home mom-thing has been an adjustment and I definitely need something to fill my days with - which is why I am so adamant about the town having something to offer.
Evanston was the first place I looked and it would for sure be our 1st choice - but the commute to Schaumburg just seems to be nightmarish. So that has ruled it out for us, sadly.
Last edited by daneinthestates; 07-31-2020 at 07:47 AM..
I apologize if this has been asked a million times before - I am completely new to this forum and kind of at a loss.
We are a family of four who will most likely be moving to the Chicago area from Raleigh, NC. My husband will be working near Schaumburg and I will be home w the kids who are 7 and 10. We have NO idea where to start looking for a house. I was kind of set on Oak Park because of its vicinity to downtown Chicago but the crime statistics concern me a bit. I've also looked at Naperville which looks nice but also.... VERRRRY white and suburban and maybe completely bland.
Any recommendations/words of wisdom? Anything would be immensely appreciated. I'd also love to hear if there are other areas you would recommend for us to look at.
Thanks SO much in advance!
If the racism in your current community bothers you and you do not want to live in a majority white suburb, why don't you consider taking a chance on a City neighborhood that needs integration? The Austin neighborhood of Chicago has beautiful housing stock (a lot of it available very cheaply and in need of some updates). It is located just east of Oak Park so it has the same public transit and expressway access that the former does.
If the racism in your current community bothers you and you do not want to live in a majority white suburb, why don't you consider taking a chance on a City neighborhood that needs integration? The Austin neighborhood of Chicago has beautiful housing stock (a lot of it available very cheaply and in need of some updates). It is located just east of Oak Park so it has the same public transit and expressway access that the former does.
I don't know how to put this so it doesn't come off Karen but... It is my understanding that Austin really is not safe. I still have two young kids who I would like to keep safe - and I myself would like to feel safe too.
Are the public schools in the Austin area excellent? Because that was one of my most important criteria.
I guess I just have no desire to seek out more challenges than I think I'm able to handle in a new neighborhood. I'm sorry if that comes off privileged.
This is exactly the kind of insider info I was looking for - thank you so much!!
It does sound like I’ll be bored to death in Naperville. I used to work fulltime before moving here so the whole stay at home mom-thing has been an adjustment and I definitely need something to fill my days with - which is why I am so adamant about the town having something to offer.
Evanston was the first place I looked and it would for sure be our 1st choice - but the commute to Schaumburg just seems to be nightmarish. So that has ruled it out for us, sadly.
Ah, that makes sense.
Depending on how important proximity to work is, you may want to consider Arlington Heights. It’s a similar situation to Naperville but AH does have a great downtown and it would be a 15-20 minute commute into Schaumburg. AH is quite white but it’s also interestingly the center of the Japanese community in Chicagoland - you’ve got the area that’s anchored by Mitsuwa Marketplace and a number of Japanese restaurants and businesses around it. There are some additional amenities like the Busse Woods Forest Preserve and the Arlington Park Racetrack. Schools are good, although I think people prefer to be in the Prospect SD (AH is split into two districts).
River Forest & Oak Park are really more interesting, though the commute is longer than from Arlington Heights. I should clarify that Oak Park isn’t completely surrounded by bad neighborhoods - the immediate area of Oak Park, River Forest, & Forest Park are all quite interesting with some nice commercial corridors and attractions. Forest Park does not have access to OPRF high school so I would not consider it for that reason.
Going north from that area you’ll enter Elmwood Park which is the center of the Italian community in the suburbs. To the south, Berwyn has a huge collection of bungalows and is quite diverse with a mix of primarily white & Hispanic residents. But yes, do be cautious of crossing the river into Maywood or crossing the Oak Park border into Austin. General rule of thumb seems to be East of Ridgeland you need to be more careful.
Last edited by garyjohnyang; 07-31-2020 at 08:06 AM..
Reason: Grammar
I don't know how to put this so it doesn't come off Karen but... It is my understanding that Austin really is not safe. I still have two young kids who I would like to keep safe - and I myself would like to feel safe too.
Are the public schools in the Austin area excellent? Because that was one of my most important criteria.
I guess I just have no desire to seek out more challenges than I think I'm able to handle in a new neighborhood. I'm sorry if that comes off privileged.
I mean, it's okay if you want to live where you want to live but you might want to reconsider using words like racism and whiteness in your posts. You come across like you're virtue signaling. And since racism is now being defined as systemic, and you are talking about spending nearly a million dollars on a home in an income segregated area, you hopefully can see how your position is problematic.
Anyway end of lecture, happy Friday and I hope you find a house.
Depending on how important proximity to work is, you may want to consider Arlington Heights. It’s a similar situation to Naperville but AH does have a great downtown and it would be a 15-20 minute commute into Schaumburg. AH is quite white but it’s also interestingly the center of the Japanese community in Chicagoland - you’ve got the area that’s anchored by Mitsuwa Marketplace and a number of Japanese restaurants and businesses around it. There are some additional amenities like the Busse Woods Forest Preserve and the Arlington Park Racetrack. Schools are good, although I think people prefer to be in the Prospect SD (AH is split into two districts).
River Forest & Oak Park are really more interesting, though the commute is longer than from Arlington Heights. I should clarify that Oak Park isn’t completely surrounded by bad neighborhoods - the immediate area of Oak Park, River Forest, & Forest Park are all quite interesting with some nice commercial corridors and attractions. Forest Park does not have access to OPRF high school so I would not consider it for that reason.
Going north from that area you’ll enter Elmwood Park which is the center of the Italian community in the suburbs. To the south, Berwyn has a huge collection of bungalows and is quite diverse with a mix of primarily white & Hispanic residents. But yes, do be cautious of crossing the river into Maywood or crossing the Oak Park border into Austin. General rule of thumb seems to be East of Ridgeland you need to be more careful.
Thanks for all this - I really do appreciate it. It's incredibly helpful in order for me to get some - any - kind of impression of the Chicago area. Full disclosure: I have never been to Chicago, or any other place in Illinois. So I am absolutely lost in knowing where to look. Your input is very helpful.
Moving from Denmark to NC was a transition and although I think Chicago and its surrounding areas would align a lot more with our general cultural views, I still have no clue what to expect or look for.
Schaumburg is not near any of the areas you are looking at. The drive from Oak Park to Schaumburg right now with half the traffic on 290 is fine, but if/when everything picks back up, it is a nightmare for the latter third of the afternoon commute back to Oak Park.
I didn't see Elmhurst mentioned. I think that would fit most of your requirements. It's closer to the city than Naperville, it has a nice downtown area, very safe, very good schools, not too far from Schaumburg (and rail access to the city if there is a job change to Chicago).
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