What's better Geneva, Naperville or Evanston? (Chicago, Skokie: to rent, homes, theatres)

[MovingAZtoIL]

We are planning to move from Phoenix to Chicago this summer and we are having a hard time selecting the right area. We have considered Naperville, Saint Charles, Geneva, Evanston, Highland Park as well as a few others. I like the idea of being near the water but I also like the idea of living in a quaint little suburb like St. Charles. We work from home (but must commute for meetings, etc) so we are somewhat flexible on location. Here is a quick list of what we are looking for:

- Good high school
- 1/4 - 1/2 acre lot minimum
- 3+ bedrooms
- Up to $500k budget
- Not ridiculously far from downtown

Also a couple questions:
What can one expect in the way of property taxes is these areas?
How long is the commute downtown?

Your feedback is appreciated!

[US-Traveller]

Originally Posted by MovingAZtoIL

We are planning to move from Phoenix to Chicago this summer and we are having a hard time selecting the right area. We have considered Naperville, Saint Charles, Geneva, Evanston, Highland Park as well as a few others. I like the idea of being near the water but I also like the idea of living in a quaint little suburb like St. Charles. We work from home (but must commute for meetings, etc) so we are somewhat flexible on location. Here is a quick list of what we are looking for:

- Good high school
- 1/4 - 1/2 acre lot minimum
- 3+ bedrooms
- Up to $500k budget
- Not ridiculously far from downtown

Also a couple questions:
What can one expect in the way of property taxes is these areas?
How long is the commute downtown?

Your feedback is appreciated!

With your budget and land requirements Evanston is not going to be doable. If you are willing to look at smaller lots and properties that are not walking distance to the lake then you'll be able to find some. Evanston Township High School has a good reputation and has produced many notable alumni. If you were looking in Evanston, I might also look into Skokie, which is served primarily by Niles North High School, but parts are served by Evanston Township High School and Niles West High School. These communities will offer a relatively short car or train commute.

St. Charles/Geneva area is nice, but far from downtown. You won't be by the lake, but you'll probably get your land requirement. St. Charles and Geneva have decent schools from what I understand, but they are not acclaimed.

Naperville has very reputable and acclaimed schools, an award-winning Downtown, and good public transportation. You'll also get most of what you are looking for in Naperville.

I would cross Highland Park off because it is going to be too expensive. The best selection of housing is going to be in Skokie and in the Western Suburbs for what you seem to be looking for in a house.

[pvande55]

You won't get the land in Evanston. Geneva is probably best for land. You might find something in Naperville with those specifications, and some express trains will get you to or from downtown in 33 minutes. Property taxes average 2 percent of fair market value, with Cook County a bit lower. In Naperville or Geneva you will be far from Lake Michigan but close to the scenic Fox river.

[acdevane]

You won't get the lake in Geneva, but you will get water - the Fox River. You can still picnic on the riverside, with smaller throngs of people. You can canoe and kayak on the river.

Naperville has the DuPage River running through it and the scenic Riverwalk that runs along it. Quite captivating really. There are also some bike trails that run along the river as well.

As far as the schools go, I try not make those judgement calls, but offer some points to consider. Each case is different depending on what you're looking for for your child. One child may struggle in a specific environment while another thrives. Is your child a social butterfly and highly competitve or a bookworm and comfortable in their own skin? What makes a good high school? Big is not necessarily better. Scores sometimes only tell a partial story, particularly if there are initial entrance requirements. Ideally I'd recommend visiting a school that you are considering and attempt to talk to a couple of teachers and a few students to see if it's a good fit.

Something to consider - as much as I'm a huge fan of the Naperville school system, the education that is received is second to none in the area. However, when it comes time for college, some of the students find themselves faced at a distinct disadvantage. Because there are SO many (almost all) students that are college bound from Naperville, we're hearing that some colleges and universities apply a cutoff on the number of kids they will accept from Naperville. In addition it becomes increasingly difficult to be in the top 10% of the class. Class rank was recently dropped from the 203 schools because it was placing students with amazingly high GPA's at a disadvantage. All things to consider.

In respect to taxes make sure you're getting the whole picture there as well. Mill Creek subdivision for example has some city services rolled into their taxes in addition to pool and golf course (which I believe you pay a yearly fee for as well), but for example a $414K home has $12,600 taxes. My only point is to investigate what your taxes, HOA's, SSA's & utilities are going to run you per month, and what you're going to get in return for that. Then you'll be comparing apples to apples.

The train is conveniently located in Geneva and there are two stops in Naperville. There are express trains that can reduce the commute time. Schedule

Hope this helps. Good Luck

[BurrRidge Cub]

Originally Posted by MovingAZtoIL

We are planning to move from Phoenix to Chicago this summer and we are having a hard time selecting the right area. We have considered Naperville, Saint Charles, Geneva, Evanston, Highland Park as well as a few others. I like the idea of being near the water but I also like the idea of living in a quaint little suburb like St. Charles. We work from home (but must commute for meetings, etc) so we are somewhat flexible on location. Here is a quick list of what we are looking for:

- Good high school
- 1/4 - 1/2 acre lot minimum
- 3+ bedrooms
- Up to $500k budget
- Not ridiculously far from downtown

Also a couple questions:
What can one expect in the way of property taxes is these areas?
How long is the commute downtown?

Your feedback is appreciated!

I'm not really all that familiar to those areas you listed, but I am pretty familiar with the Hinsdale, Darien, Downers Grove area. It's a nice area with good High Schools (either Hinsdale Central, Hinsdale South, or Lyons Township). Don't think you can go wrong with any of those High Schools. We live in the Burr Ridge area, and my daughter (3.5 yrs old) goes to Pleasantdale Elementary for preschool, and it's a great school.

There's homes in the Downer's Grove area (5 bd, 3 ba, with a basement, just one for example) for 419k. The taxes on that is around $6600.

If you can't get what you're looking for in the other areas, then I would expand your search in these areas. It's closer to the Loop than being in Naperville, and pretty close to the Metra, if you want to catch the train into Chicago.

[MovingAZtoIL]

Thanks all. This is very helpful and I appreciate your input!

[Steve-o]

Geneva is definitely the most charming, but Naperville is definitely more fun. Depends on what you like.... charming, vintage homes and downtown area (Geneva), or bustling, newer homes and youthful, fun-oriented downtown (Naperville)? Naperville's high schools rank better than Geneva's, so thats another thing to consider. I can almost guarantee that your kids will enjoy Naperville a lot more than Geneva, thanks to the riverwalk, nightclubs, movie theatres, swimming quarry, etc.

I have lots of pics of both Naperville and Geneva posted here on the Chicago suburbs thread, located at the top of the page.

[MovingAZtoIL]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Geneva is definitely the most charming, but Naperville is definitely more fun. Depends on what you like.... charming, vintage homes and downtown area (Geneva), or bustling, newer homes and youthful, fun-oriented downtown (Naperville)? Naperville's high schools rank better than Geneva's, so thats another thing to consider. I can almost guarantee that your kids will enjoy Naperville a lot more than Geneva, thanks to the riverwalk, nightclubs, movie theatres, swimming quarry, etc.

I have lots of pics of both Naperville and Geneva posted here on the Chicago suburbs thread, located at the top of the page.

Steve-O,
Those are great photos and Geneva certainly is charming. How far is Geneva from Naperville? Google Maps says 30 minutes but I know that is in an ideal situation with no traffic.

Our next step will be to spend some time in these areas so we can make the best decision. Thanks for your input and the pics!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by MovingAZtoIL

Steve-O,
Those are great photos and Geneva certainly is charming. How far is Geneva from Naperville? Google Maps says 30 minutes but I know that is in an ideal situation with no traffic.

Our next step will be to spend some time in these areas so we can make the best decision. Thanks for your input and the pics!

Id say 30 minutes is about right, thats about what I average.

Here are some Naperville pics for you if youd like, I havent posted these up on the photo thread yet.

[nat03]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Geneva is definitely the most charming, but Naperville is definitely more fun. Depends on what you like.... charming, vintage homes and downtown area (Geneva), or bustling, newer homes and youthful, fun-oriented downtown (Naperville)? Naperville's high schools rank better than Geneva's, so thats another thing to consider. I can almost guarantee that your kids will enjoy Naperville a lot more than Geneva, thanks to the riverwalk, nightclubs, movie theatres, swimming quarry, etc.

I have lots of pics of both Naperville and Geneva posted here on the Chicago suburbs thread, located at the top of the page.

Agreed about Naperville. My brother visited on a random summer weekday and commented that downtown Naperville seemed like a resort town because so many people were strolling about eating ice cream and shopping. Youthful and lively is helped by North Central College located right in downtown Naperville.

Property taxes in DuPage county are much higher than Cook county, but the city services in Naperville are amazing. e.g. one time a plumber told us he had to dig up our front yard to fix our clogged pipes; when the city heard about the emergency dig via the utility company they came out, checked out the situation and told us we didn't need to dig we just needed to rent a snake to clear out pipes. No charge. Saved us $600 easy.