Chicago Suburbs to move to from Austin TX (Naperville, Skokie: real estate, house)

[ssnewbie2019]

Hello
We are an India/Pakistan Muslim family deciding to relocate between Austin, TX to Chicago Suburbs. I work in Tech and my current job is permanently remote. 2 Kids 4yr old and 1 yr old.
Schools are extremely important and our #1 criteria. We really like Naperville and Lincolnshire but these are too far from Chicago and would ideally like to find something commutable to chicago downtown
Ideally looking for a New construction or 3-4 yr old house around 700-800k.
Would love to hear any suggestions on what suburbs/neighborhoods we should be looking at?

Thanks!

[flamadiddle]

Naperville was my first thought. Maybe take a look at La Grange, IL.

https://www.google.com/search?q=la+g...4dUDCA4&uact=5

[ToriaT]

Naperville. It is not too far to commute. There are newer homes there. Perhaps some building going on too. Closer in suburbs the homes are older and there is no land to build.

[Pseudonym18123]

I’ll actually suggest Lincolnshire, or surrounding areas like Buffalo Grove and Vernon Hills. In VH in particular, the Gregg’s Landing neighborhood has a great deal of newer construction and develop,met that can be found rather cheaply. But it all depends where you or your family will be. Lincolnshire is nice, there are some newer construction homes off Half Day you might want to check out too. Schools in Lincolnshire are slightly more acclaimed than in Naperville. Naperville schools are excellent, especially D203 and Neuqua Valley, but these do not have nearly as many amenities as Stevenson, which is the school district that serves Lincolnshire (as well as most of Buffalo Grove and Long Grove, another area to check out, and parts of Vernon Hills). It also has a larger Indo-Pak community. The Barringtons are another area you could check out, although the are farther form the city, and schools are also excellent, though not nearly as highly rated as Naperville or Lincolnshire.
Hope this helps!

[Burbmama]

Oak Brook might be an option, or Oak Park/River Forest which are separate cities, but often spoken of together since they are next door to each other. You can also look at Riverside for good schools and an easy commute to Chicago this would also put you not far from Bridgeview which has a large Muslim population. The suburbs closer to the city tend to be older homes than what you are looking for. Lots of development in Berwyn (next door to Riverside) has seen some of the older homes taken down and replaced with larger, new construction. Elementary schools are ok but the high school here is not great.
Wherever you go, please do review the property taxes, they are much different here in IL than TX. Good luck!

[Pseudonym18123]

Originally Posted by Burbmama

Oak Brook might be an option, or Oak Park/River Forest which are separate cities, but often spoken of together since they are next door to each other. You can also look at Riverside for good schools and an easy commute to Chicago this would also put you not far from Bridgeview which has a large Muslim population. The suburbs closer to the city tend to be older homes than what you are looking for. Lots of development in Berwyn (next door to Riverside) has seen some of the older homes taken down and replaced with larger, new construction. Elementary schools are ok but the high school here is not great.
Wherever you go, please do review the property taxes, they are much different here in IL than TX. Good luck!

If schools are the primary concern, Oak Park/Bridgeview is not the move. The schools range from alright to decent, but you can do so much more with your money’s worth. Both Naperville and Lincolnshire have higher Muslim concentrations in the area surrounding and have far better schools. It should also be noted that the majority of Muslims in these western areas are Arab; for Indo-Pak Muslims, go to the Oak Brook area, or even BG/Lincolnshire. Oak Brook is great too, but is split between school districts. The best district is the one that goes to Hinsdale Central, although Downers Grove North HS and York HS are fine too. Willowbrook HS homes in Oak Brook are ones I’d avoid; it’s not a bad high school by any means, but definitely a tier down from DGN, York, and Hinsdale Central. Where your wife is working also matters. If she’s working in the West suburbs, I’d go with Hinsdale/Oak Brook. If she’s working in northern suburbs, I’d go with Lincolnshire or Buffalo Grove.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by Pseudonym18123

If schools are the primary concern, Oak Park/Bridgeview is not the move. The schools range from alright to decent, but you can do so much more with your money’s worth. Both Naperville and Lincolnshire have higher Muslim concentrations in the area surrounding and have far better schools. It should also be noted that the majority of Muslims in these western areas are Arab; for Indo-Pak Muslims, go to the Oak Brook area, or even BG/Lincolnshire. Oak Brook is great too, but is split between school districts. The best district is the one that goes to Hinsdale Central, although Downers Grove North HS is fine too. Willowbrook HS homes in Oak Brook are ones I’d avoid; it’s not a bad high school by any means, but definitely a tier down from DGN and Hinsdale Central. Where your wife is working also matters. If she’s working in the West suburbs, I’d go with Hinsdale/Oak Brook. If she’s working in northern suburbs, I’d go with Lincolnshire or Buffalo Grove.

If schools are the number one concern you will not do better than Stevenson HS and its feeder districts 96, 102, and 103 (basically Lake County Buffalo Grove, Long Grove, Lincolnshire, parts of Kildeer and Hawthorn Woods). Stevenson is more like a small college than a HS with amazing facilities (but you will really pay for it through real estate taxes). Stevenson has an enrollment that is 1/3 Asian, mostly south Asian. It is quite large with about 4,300 students. There is some new construction in Buffalo Grove that would fit your budget. If your wife's work location is in the West suburbs, it will be a long haul, especially in the winter. North or Northwest suburbs would be fine.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by Pseudonym18123

If schools are the primary concern, Oak Park/Bridgeview is not the move. The schools range from alright to decent, but you can do so much more with your money’s worth. Both Naperville and Lincolnshire have higher Muslim concentrations in the area surrounding and have far better schools. It should also be noted that the majority of Muslims in these western areas are Arab; for Indo-Pak Muslims, go to the Oak Brook area, or even BG/Lincolnshire. Oak Brook is great too, but is split between school districts. The best district is the one that goes to Hinsdale Central, although Downers Grove North HS and York HS are fine too. Willowbrook HS homes in Oak Brook are ones I’d avoid; it’s not a bad high school by any means, but definitely a tier down from DGN, York, and Hinsdale Central. Where your wife is working also matters. If she’s working in the West suburbs, I’d go with Hinsdale/Oak Brook. If she’s working in northern suburbs, I’d go with Lincolnshire or Buffalo Grove.

I don't know about Bridgeview, but Oak Park and River Forest schools are highly rated and consistently rank among the best in the state.

[reppin_the_847]

Originally Posted by ssnewbie2019

Hello
We are an India/Pakistan Muslim family deciding to relocate between Austin, TX to Chicago Suburbs. I work in Tech and my current job is permanently remote. 2 Kids 4yr old and 1 yr old.
Schools are extremely important and our #1 criteria. We really like Naperville and Lincolnshire but these are too far from Chicago and would ideally like to find something commutable to chicago downtown
Ideally looking for a New construction or 3-4 yr old house around 700-800k.
Would love to hear any suggestions on what suburbs/neighborhoods we should be looking at?

Thanks!

Not sure about the pricing / budget in these areas, but in the North I'd also check out Deerfield, Northbrook, Glenview, Northfield, Wilmette & maybe Highland Park. All have quicker drive times to Chicago compared to Lincolnshire (especially Northfield & Wilmette). Winnetka & Glencoe may be too out of budget & less diverse feeling for what it's worth.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by ssnewbie2019

Hello
We are an India/Pakistan Muslim family deciding to relocate between Austin, TX to Chicago Suburbs. I work in Tech and my current job is permanently remote. 2 Kids 4yr old and 1 yr old.
Schools are extremely important and our #1 criteria. We really like Naperville and Lincolnshire but these are too far from Chicago and would ideally like to find something commutable to chicago downtown
Ideally looking for a New construction or 3-4 yr old house around 700-800k.
Would love to hear any suggestions on what suburbs/neighborhoods we should be looking at?

Thanks!

I think that Skokie, Morton Grove, and Lincolnwood are good options for someone looking for a large Indian and Islamic population, along with newer construction at $700-800k. They also offer a shorter commute time to the city than some of the other communities mentioned.