Buffalo Grove/Arlington Heights vs. Naperville

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by Kmanshouse

As you go East, house prices go up. This is because they are closer to Chicago and offer shorter commutes. Maybe that's changed post-covid, but I doubt it.

Yep, generally accurate, and with the exception of a place like Naperville that has a good express train to downtown even though it's like 30 miles out, but that is definitely why places like LaGrange, Western Springs, Elmhurst, Downers Grove, Park Ridge, etc. are all expensive, in combination with having good to very good schools.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by lizamoo2

Hello! My family is moving from Austin Texas, and we are looking for a Chicago suburb with good schools, a diverse population, affordable housing, and good character. We like how Naperville and Arlington Heights/Buffalo Grove look on paper but we don't really know. We're going to visit in early June but I thought I would ask if anyone had any insight into which area is better. Maybe we could save ourselves some time and just focus on one area. Thanks so much in advance for anyone's insights!

Please define....
1. Good character
2. Diverse population
3. Affordable housing

[GWoodle]

Originally Posted by lizamoo2

My husband and I both work remotely so it's more a matter of the feel of the area and whether or not the schools are good. We've looked at a lot of houses and schools, but we were hoping to get an insiders view of what the towns are like. Are people friendly or do they keep to themselves? Is it diverse and segregated or do people seem to mix? Is everyone rich or is there a nice mix of people? That kind of thing. Just if you happen to know anything about that. If not, no worries, thanks for the response!

Since you work remotely affordability comes up as an issue. Maybe the area of St Charles-Geneva-Batavia offers something. Naperville may be oversold as a "hot" market. As you go west get closer to the edge of the hustle of the city. Character comes from downtown development along the Fox river.

[personone]

3 of the nicest suburbs in the country. Can’t go wrong with any of them. All very diverse and good schools. Naperville may have a slightly nicer downtown/towncenter area.

[BOBNCHI]

RENT FIRST!!, in one of the desired areas to get a feel for the entire local and Chicago area. Having said that, what's your budget? And gotta ask, are you familiar with living and driving in the snow, cold?

[ToriaT]

Naperville. You can't go wrong. I don't know much about Buffalo Grove. I do like Arlington Heights but I think Naperville is better in many ways. You can't beat the charming town. Its big and it has everything you need. I live a stone's throw from Naperville and its a wonderful place to live. I'd skip Geneva and St. Charles as being too far in my opinion for jaunts into the city. Naperville is right off I-88 and its easy to get to Chicago or other suburbs from there. Geneva and St. Charles are not well served by expressways and trains. If you hate the city and never want to go there, they might be a choice. I think schools are better in Naperville and there is some diversity.

[amd555]

Have you considered Mount Prospect? We considered AH and chose Mount Prospect due to lower taxes and location. Happy to chat and share info/

[StuckInIllinois]

Not an expert on any of these suburbs, but as a chicagoland native who went to UIUC, I can say that I've met a lot of smart peers from all the schools in these towns, especially Naperville and Stevenson schools.

[tolovefromANFIELD]

Originally Posted by Kmanshouse

I lived in Naperville for 15 years and had our kids go through the whole school system. From 2004-2019.

Naperville is a very nice town with amazing schools, both districts. It's a high achieving populace where people make their own money (as opposed to family wealth). The downtown is unbeatable in the suburbs - a gathering spot for families, students, adults, etc. The park district is solid. The library system has won national awards.

With all of that one might think it's a snobby place, or unaffordable. The latter is definitely false, as I found it to be more affordable than suburbs to the north and east. Snobbery is a personal thing - the lower you are on the socioeconomic scale the more you may think it's snobby. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the poor end and 10 being the rich end of the population, we were probably a 4. Thus, we fit in with people but there were definitely families that had way more than we did, and we felt "below average". Didn't bother us too much but it might bother some.

Naperville is way more diverse than people think. And Aurora is next door, which is VERY diverse and a lot of the kids in d204 all go do school together with Aurora and Naperville mixed.

The Neuqua Valley High School zone is definitely the richest one, in either district, and it has a reputation as such.
Metea Valley and Waubonsie are below that and both have very diverse student bodies. Metea and Waubonsie have more of a friendly rivalry and both love to beat Neuqua....Naperville North and Naperville Central are D203, and Central is an awesome school right by downtown - there is a little snobbery but it's not too bad.

Naperville is divided into subdivisions. Everyone lives in some named subdivision and what this does is unintentionally advertise how much money you have. Honestly though, in my experience people didn't care. Most were plenty nice and comingled just fine, and most of that issue is within one's own level of security. This isn't Winnetka.

Keep in mind, it's a competitive place. So you need to jump on opportunities to get your kid into sports, activities, etc. Families in Naperville are very involved and go above and beyond for their kids - if you sleep on that, you'll be too late and stuff will get full.

This is actually pretty spot on. I'll add that Naperville is transient central and full of corporate relos, so it might be easier to fit in there.

Also, if either you or your spouse have a "VP" right behind your name on your business card and/or email signature line, you'll fit right in.

Do you like being around Indians and/or are you Indian yourselves? 25-30% of the student age population is Indian--even more so in 204.

RE market is beyond hot there.

Btw, I hated every minute of living in that town next to the most uninteresting human beings who've all been brainwashed into thinking that their kids are somehow going to change the world....but I can't deny its popularity and/or ease of living--schools/parks/libraries/safety/shopping/restaurants and the best suburban downtown.

[Kmanshouse]

Originally Posted by tolovefromANFIELD

This is actually pretty spot on. I'll add that Naperville is transient central and full of corporate relos, so it might be easier to fit in there.

Also, if either you or your spouse have a "VP" right behind your name on your business card and/or email signature line, you'll fit right in.

Do you like being around Indians and/or are you Indian yourselves? 25-30% of the student age population is Indian--even more so in 204.

RE market is beyond hot there.

Btw, I hated every minute of living in that town next to the most uninteresting human beings who've all been brainwashed into thinking that their kids are somehow going to change the world....but I can't deny its popularity and/or ease of living--schools/parks/libraries/safety/shopping/restaurants and the best suburban downtown.

Pretty accurate. I found the parents, in many cases, to be OVERLY worshipping of their children. I mean, it's good they love them though - better than the other way around. But at times I felt it nauseating.