Chicago Subs (Arlington Heights, Evanston, Elmhurst: loft, townhouse, neighborhoods) - Chicago Suburbs - Illinois (IL) - City-Data Forum

Senecass · 08-20-2009, 01:32 AM

Hello, I am looking for your help, my family and me (1 3y. old daughter) will move to chicago next spring before that we will go there in Oct. to look at location in il. and in. the see what works for us best.

We now live in munich germany and are looking for a neighborhood that is:

1. Safe
2. Not further than 40 miles from chicago centre
3. Very good Schools (Public)
4. Close to the water would be nice
5. House max 350000 3 bed 2 bath

Thank you very much for your help...

SENE

cubssoxfan · 08-20-2009, 08:43 AM

Try Arlington Heights. It meets 4 of your 5 wishes. The only water is Lake Arlington which is a 50 acre lake with a 2 mile walking/biking trail around it. So I do not count it as being close to the water since it is not Lake Michigan or a larger lake you can swim in or go motor-boating in(although you can use sail boats, kayaks and canoes in Lake Arlington). There are several neighborhoods in walking distance to the lake. Arlington Vista comes to mind as having homes closest to your price range. There are MANY good suburbs to choose from. Where is work? Traffic is terrible and work location needs to be at or near the top of your list in choosing location. Sind Sie Deutsch? If "ja", how important is it to be near German cultural areas?

knitgirl · 08-20-2009, 08:51 AM

You need to be reasonably close to work - traffic can be horrendous. Let us know where you will be and we'll be better able to help you.

bulldawg1594 · 08-20-2009, 11:28 AM

maybe highland park.

nanannie · 08-20-2009, 01:24 PM

The North Shore suburbs are where the water is, right on Lake Michigan. Beautiful towns and great schools, but with your price range, maybe Evanston has more to offer. If you are willing to commute to the lake, I would suggest Elmhurst, Lombard area. Also, agree with the suggestion of Arlington Heights. Good Luck with your move and welcome to the USA.

Anthera · 08-20-2009, 06:51 PM

Make it a townhouse and look at Valley Lo in Gleniew. close to Lake Michigan, but Valley Lo has its own private lake too.

Senecass · 08-21-2009, 12:32 AM

Thank you so much for all your replies I will be working downtown chicago and yes I am German my wife is from Florida so a few germans would be nice but not really mandatory.

Thank you again for your help.

Greetings from Munich...

NYrules · 08-21-2009, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senecass

Hello, I am looking for your help, my family and me (1 3y. old daughter) will move to chicago next spring before that we will go there in Oct. to look at location in il. and in. the see what works for us best.

We now live in munich germany and are looking for a neighborhood that is:

1. Safe
2. Not further than 40 miles from chicago centre
3. Very good Schools (Public)
4. Close to the water would be nice
5. House max 350000 3 bed 2 bath

Thank you very much for your help...

SENE

I hope you realize to go 40 miles in Chicago it CAN take you better than 2 hours during the day and if there is construction or snowy weather it will go up from there. 40 miles is pretty far out. There are plenty of burbs that fit your bill that are within 20 miles of the Loop. Don't rule out some SW burbs. They aren't close to the lake per se, but can get you one heck of a house for $350,000 now with the economy being in the tank. Schools are top of the line too. Perhaps check out the towns along La Grange Road from I-55 south down to Rte 30. Also throw Lemont in there as well as that is a beautiful town.

Laura RD Mom · 09-04-2009, 04:41 PM

Welcome to Illinois ~ I would definitely recommend Geneva, Illinois. I've lived here for 8 years. I am actually in the process of trying to sell our current home as we need to build a larger one. Our house is in a neighborhood called Mill Creek. We live in the Village Home section which are nice sized houses where you don't have to do the lawn work, snow removal or window washing. I have it listed currently for $350,000 ~ it's a 3 bed, 2 1/2 bath home with a nice loft on the upper level and a full basement. The neighborhood and Geneva itself are very, very family oriented. In Mill Creek we have 2 golf courses, 2 schools, a church and a small shopping center which has a market and a dry cleaners. There are lots of walking paths and bike trails also here. The schools are great ~ the elementary schools are in Mill Creek, then the Middle Schools are very close by also. Downtown Geneva has very quaint shops while having lots of larger stores on the outskirts of town. We have a train station that can take you downtown Chicago which is 40 miles from here. Geneva is considered very safe too. Good luck!