North Naperville vs South Naperville (Chicago, Aurora: real estate, apartments, renting)
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We are moving to Naperville from downtown Chicago in the next 2 months. We are a family of 4. Our children are toddlers and we plan on making this our home for the extended future. We both have fairly well paying careers (physician and small business owner). Please tell me the most distinct differences between North Naperville and South Naperville and which is considered more desirable to live in. Thanks!
We are moving to Naperville from downtown Chicago in the next 2 months. We are a family of 4. Our children are toddlers and we plan on making this our home for the extended future. We both have fairly well paying careers (physician and small business owner). Please tell me the most distinct differences between North Naperville and South Naperville and which is considered more desirable to live in. Thanks!
I have friends that live in Lakeview and give their friends expecting babies little bibs that have quotes like: "Mommy and Daddy, PLEASE say NO to 6_3_0!"...
I am going to assume that you will also be working in Naperville, becuase if not the commute into/out of Chicago lately has been absolute HELL with the tollway reconfigurations...
As Naperville is SO LARGE there are at many distinct zones "north" and far more that are south, way south, and omigawdisthistheozarks south, reaching all the way into WIll Co...
I hope that you are only renting in Chicago, as trying to sell a place in under two months may not be realistic. Generally the markets have been slow, but there are not really any HUGE discounts in any of the desirable areas of the region and it may be wise to move more slowly and consider as a broad a range of suburbs as possible.
Anyhow, I will attmept to give an overview of Naperville.
North the first section is near I-88, lots of homes from the 60's thru 80s', generally the schools with the best numbers, but some of the 'history' of this was the hangover of years of Bell Labs families and that has gotten diluted. Moving slightly south you have the sections close to Ogden, still the same schools but the pattern of development is a bit newer, with more highly organized subdivisions the norm for east to west. Still north but close to downtown you have the "core" that includes the Historic district, as well as some areas that have had a lot of teardowns and some of the same subdivisions and country club type development that exists in other more expensive ares of DuPage to the east. Still north, but WAY to the west there are not many homes, as that area is dominated by offices, until you get to Rt 59 which is a whole different world. There is a whole subset of stores, apartments, townhouses and even single family homes that were developed in a very dense manner.
Continuing south the developments are much more distinctive moving east to west, the east end basically starts at Benedictince Univeristy in Lisle where some school district and municiple boundaries cut through subdivisions. South east there are portions of Naperville that are somewhat rural, south central there are mostly subdivision that were developed in the last 20 years or so.It gets more complicated "near" southwest the subdivisions are newer, some quite modest. Farther south the size grows, and the prices increase a bit, but going farther south the size may be even larger but prices are not much higher. The school district changes, and some people like the newer facilities and opportunites of the 204 schools, while other prefer 203. There are differences in test scores, but 204 also covers quite a bit of development that is part of the Aurora municiple area, with a more diverse range of students.
It is pretty much impossible to describe every detail of city of over 120,000 people, but I have tried to summarize some of the important real estate differences.
There are a huge variety of very desirable towns that exist between Naperville and Chicago, I don't know if there is some reason you want to focus on Naperville without knowing about the specific pluses/minuses of it for your situation...
It depends on what you're looking for. I've lived in North Naperville my entire life and it's actually really affordable now for Naperville. Most of the newer construction has gone up in South Naperville but the price you'll pay for a home in most of those areas is going to be more than what you'll pay in N. Naper. As far as schools go you really can't go wrong with 203 or 204 but if you're in 204 you'll want your kids going to Neuqua rather than Waubonsie Valley IMO (and I'm a Waubonsie Valley alum.) I went to school with guys that teach at both schools and Neuqua seems to be the favorite son of 204 right now.
I personally think it's easier to get around North Naperville than South but that may be because I know it so well. As far as shopping, dining and entertainment go you really can't go wrong on either side (though I feel they've done a better job with the layout of N. Naper than South...again I'm probably biased.)
I have friends that live in Lakeview and give their friends expecting babies little bibs that have quotes like: "Mommy and Daddy, PLEASE say NO to 6_3_0!"...
I am going to assume that you will also be working in Naperville, becuase if not the commute into/out of Chicago lately has been absolute HELL with the tollway reconfigurations...
As Naperville is SO LARGE there are at many distinct zones "north" and far more that are south, way south, and omigawdisthistheozarks south, reaching all the way into WIll Co...
I hope that you are only renting in Chicago, as trying to sell a place in under two months may not be realistic. Generally the markets have been slow, but there are not really any HUGE discounts in any of the desirable areas of the region and it may be wise to move more slowly and consider as a broad a range of suburbs as possible.
Anyhow, I will attmept to give an overview of Naperville.
North the first section is near I-88, lots of homes from the 60's thru 80s', generally the schools with the best numbers, but some of the 'history' of this was the hangover of years of Bell Labs families and that has gotten diluted. Moving slightly south you have the sections close to Ogden, still the same schools but the pattern of development is a bit newer, with more highly organized subdivisions the norm for east to west. Still north but close to downtown you have the "core" that includes the Historic district, as well as some areas that have had a lot of teardowns and some of the same subdivisions and country club type development that exists in other more expensive ares of DuPage to the east. Still north, but WAY to the west there are not many homes, as that area is dominated by offices, until you get to Rt 59 which is a whole different world. There is a whole subset of stores, apartments, townhouses and even single family homes that were developed in a very dense manner.
Continuing south the developments are much more distinctive moving east to west, the east end basically starts at Benedictince Univeristy in Lisle where some school district and municiple boundaries cut through subdivisions. South east there are portions of Naperville that are somewhat rural, south central there are mostly subdivision that were developed in the last 20 years or so.It gets more complicated "near" southwest the subdivisions are newer, some quite modest. Farther south the size grows, and the prices increase a bit, but going farther south the size may be even larger but prices are not much higher. The school district changes, and some people like the newer facilities and opportunites of the 204 schools, while other prefer 203. There are differences in test scores, but 204 also covers quite a bit of development that is part of the Aurora municiple area, with a more diverse range of students.
It is pretty much impossible to describe every detail of city of over 120,000 people, but I have tried to summarize some of the important real estate differences.
There are a huge variety of very desirable towns that exist between Naperville and Chicago, I don't know if there is some reason you want to focus on Naperville without knowing about the specific pluses/minuses of it for your situation...
Chett,
Dare I post an OPINION on this thread? Remember me, the one who thinks nowhere is anywhere to live but Wheaton? LOL, just joking, even though accused of it in several posts. I'll be curious to see what responses you get from this post of yours and will watch closely.
I too, only wish to know if you, jacquieoh, have decided on Naperville for some particular reason and if any other suburbs were considered, depending on your price range. There are MANY nice ones (in addition to Wheaton) to choose from, much closer to the city. Please let us know.
If Naperville is what you are set on, both Chett and Naperville77 are correct (IMO) that Norh to central is a better choice, overall. South has beautiful, big homes, a nice golf community called White Eagle and another one called Tammarack(sp?), but are such a nighmare of a commute, depending on where your employment is. Just my opinion! Many will tell you (including me) that dist. 203 is stronger than 204, by the numbers, and why houses are more expensive for less house, but both are good. Good luck.
And please, anyone who thinks I am trying to "plug" my community or "bash" another one, I am not, just as I was not the first time around. We have a contract on our home so not trying to use this thread to "sell our home" as accused of earlier in the month. I am genuinely interested to know if you considered any other communities, that's all. Thanks
FMV, your post is both polite and informative. North and South Naperville are both nice but somewhat different. We're looking specifically in central/North Naperville as we like being close to Naperville's beautiful downtown, being in the #203 school district and in living in an older, established neighborhood. We know we will get less house for the money, but for us, the advantages outweigh the tradeoff.
FMV, your post is both polite and informative. North and South Naperville are both nice but somewhat different. We're looking specifically in central/North Naperville as we like being close to Naperville's beautiful downtown, being in the #203 school district and in living in an older, established neighborhood. We know we will get less house for the money, but for us, the advantages outweigh the tradeoff.
Great choice in Naperville. And so glad to see you appreciate home values and why they are what they are!! Dist. 203 is top notch. I love the downtown myself and have praised it all along. Thanks for responding. Are you and the original poster one in the same? If not, could jacquieoh please respond to my questions about other communities? I really am curious to know if you looked at others and narrowed it to Naperville as a whole.
Thanks.
Nope, I'm not the OP . I'm just someone who is moving to Naperville and planning to stay for a long time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fairmarketvalue
Great choice in Naperville. And so glad to see you appreciate home values and why they are what they are!! Dist. 203 is top notch. I love the downtown myself and have praised it all along. Thanks for responding. Are you and the original poster one in the same? If not, could jacquieoh please respond to my questions about other communities? I really am curious to know if you looked at others and narrowed it to Naperville as a whole.
Thanks.
My husband and myself have been city people all our lives. We loved our condo in River North and managed to hit every new restaurant opening, every music event to hit town, took our dog everywhere, inc. Montrose Beach almost every day in the summer. Then we had twins, and now we eat at Leona's, spend our weekends primarily at the zoo or doing errands, and have yet to catch a baseball game. In other words, we were willing to put up w/alot of aggravation to enjoy the city but now find we no longer have the time, patience, or inclination to do that. My husband was offered a position in Aurora and that is when we decided it was time to move to the western suburbs. We looked up Glen Ellyn, Oakbrook, Hinsdale, Plainfield, etc. We settled on Naperville due to the vibrant downtown, amazing reputation for schools, and same great reputation for safety. I laugh when I read other posts on here complaining about traffic and congestion in Naperville. We now live in the heart of traffic hell where driving 6 blocks down Clybourn on Saturday afternoon will set you back 45 mins and if you can find a parking garage it will cost $24 for 2-4 hours. We marvel at the ease of driving in downtown Naperville on the weekends and can't believe you can actually park for free in most areas. By no means due we want to raise our kids in a bubble. We know there is crime everywhere, however having lived next door to housing projects for 5 years we welcome the suburban quiet and yes, boredom. I think we are leaning towards the downtown area as we are willing to sacrifice space for location. I thank every one for their replies. You've been a huge font of information. Now that you know a little bit more of our circumstances please feel free to respond w/more suggestions or info.
The schools in Naperville are pretty good, but my friends looked at Naperville and ultimately opted for Wheaton, because of the smaller school district and more community feel the got from it then Naperville. Downtown Naperville is a great place to go and a great place to live. I ventured out there one weekend for the home fair and they have some nice houses for much cheaper than the other western suburbs of Clarendon Hills, Hinsdale, and Western Springs, and far lower than the North Shore. I think by moving away from Lake Michigan you will be giving up a lot. The northern suburbs are more similar to the northside. Most people from your neighborhood who move to the burbs will move to Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, etc. If your husband could find an opportunity in the city or in the northern suburbs, you would be much happier and find it more comfortable. But, Naperville is a great town!
I think by moving away from Lake Michigan you will be giving up a lot. The northern suburbs are more similar to the northside. Most people from your neighborhood who move to the burbs will move to Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, etc. If your husband could find an opportunity in the city or in the northern suburbs, you would be much happier and find it more comfortable. But, Naperville is a great town!
Here we go AGAIN, how do you know they will be happier ? What are they "giving up"? Why would it be "more comfortable" for them? "Most people from her burbs will move to Evanston Wilmette ,etc?" WHAT?? What orifice do you pull your information out of anyway? We chose NOT to live on the north shore, are you aware thousands choose the same way? The op asked NOTHING about the North Shore suburbs and I dont beleive they were an issue anywhere on this thread.
Last edited by nanannie; 06-23-2008 at 07:35 AM..
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. I'm just someone who is moving to Naperville and planning to stay for a long time. 
Here we go AGAIN, how do you know they will be happier ? What are they "giving up"? Why would it be "more comfortable" for them? "Most people from her burbs will move to Evanston Wilmette ,etc?" WHAT?? What orifice do you pull your information out of anyway? We chose NOT to live on the north shore, are you aware thousands choose the same way? 
