NY to Chicago Suburbs

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by olive03

As a non Chicago native, I was always told that north shore = old money and NW affluent burbs (i.e. the Barringtons) = new money

North Shore does have a lot of generational money, no doubt.

I think the new money definition in the W/NW came as a result of the 80s 90s surge in places like Barrington, Inverness. They were high growth areas with an influx of white collar buyers.

The buying patterns have changed in many ways, as you would expect.

Over the last two decades, more "new money" folks have been moving to places like Elmhurst or Wilmette than Barrington or Long Grove or Inverness. The inner suburbs are filled with tear down activity and a growing barrier of entry.

I'd say the outer, new money suburbs were experiencing near crisis levels of lack of demand prior to this pandemic. Those big houses, big lots, and long commutes became outdated quickly. Houses would sit for a year(s), and in some cases were selling below the purchased price in the late 90s. And, property taxes went up % point after % point as values fell, and so the cycle continued.

In any event, the pandemic seems to have stabilized this a bit more as options have become more scarce everywhere. But to the original point, I think a lot of new money over the last decade or two can be found North, NW, W. More dependent on location within these towns, and the towns proximity to the city.

[garyjohnyang]

The other commenters have underscored Asian diversity, but I would add that Buffalo Grove/Vernon Hills are a suburban hub for the Russian-speaking community in Chicagoland (many of whom are Jewish - probably not nearly as much as Westchester, but still a noticeable population). Other posters are right to point out, though, that there are very few black people in the area. Re: black immigrants as you're probably aware Chicago does not receive many immigrants from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, West Africa, etc. There are some concentrations such as in Edgewater/Uptown but on the whole black immigrants seem to be scattered all around Chicagoland.

[personone]

Originally Posted by garyjohnyang

The other commenters have underscored Asian diversity, but I would add that Buffalo Grove/Vernon Hills are a suburban hub for the Russian-speaking community in Chicagoland (many of whom are Jewish - probably not nearly as much as Westchester, but still a noticeable population). Other posters are right to point out, though, that there are very few black people in the area. Re: black immigrants as you're probably aware Chicago does not receive many immigrants from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, West Africa, etc. There are some concentrations such as in Edgewater/Uptown but on the whole black immigrants seem to be scattered all around Chicagoland.

Agree. There is strong Asian diversity in pockets all around Chicagoland, and it is growing. In the next decade, I think and hope that this will be very noticeable and pronounced.

[garyjohnyang]

Originally Posted by personone

Agree. There is strong Asian diversity in pockets all around Chicagoland, and it is growing. In the next decade, I think and hope that this will be very noticeable and pronounced.

Yeah. I think if Chicago/Chicagoland as a whole becomes a more popular destination for Asian immigrants, that could have the potential to reverse our population decline - especially given that our traditional sources of foreign-born residents, Latin America and Eastern Europe, are not sending nearly as many people as they used to.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by mwj119

North Shore does have a lot of generational money, no doubt.

I think the new money definition in the W/NW came as a result of the 80s 90s surge in places like Barrington, Inverness. They were high growth areas with an influx of white collar buyers.

The buying patterns have changed in many ways, as you would expect.

Over the last two decades, more "new money" folks have been moving to places like Elmhurst or Wilmette than Barrington or Long Grove or Inverness. The inner suburbs are filled with tear down activity and a growing barrier of entry.

I'd say the outer, new money suburbs were experiencing near crisis levels of lack of demand prior to this pandemic. Those big houses, big lots, and long commutes became outdated quickly. Houses would sit for a year(s), and in some cases were selling below the purchased price in the late 90s. And, property taxes went up % point after % point as values fell, and so the cycle continued.

In any event, the pandemic seems to have stabilized this a bit more as options have become more scarce everywhere. But to the original point, I think a lot of new money over the last decade or two can be found North, NW, W. More dependent on location within these towns, and the towns proximity to the city.

I can't add any more reputation but just wanted to say 100% accurate.

[reppin_the_847]

If you're adding Glenview to the list, I'd probably also add Northbrook & Deerfield to the list (along with the smaller hamlets of Bannockburn & Riverwoods which seem to share schools with Deerfield). Long Grove which was referenced earlier also seems like a very solid choice, as would be Lincolnshire. I'm confident that you'll find a place that works for your needs.

[champs2012]

Bumping this up to let others know how we decided. We ended up in Barrington village after a long, painstaking search.

My wife gave up the job in LF for one in Hoffman Estates, which helped a lot. The commute for each of us is roughly ~20 minutes each way on local routes, which is amazing. We liked a lot of the towns in or close to the Northshore such as Highland Park, Wilmette, Evanston, Glenview but the commute didn’t make much sense (my wife goes to the office 4 days a week). After looking at maybe twenty different towns (from Naperville to Hawthorn Woods, Barrington to Highland Park), we narrowed our search down to:
1. Barrington
2. Arlington Heights
3. Long Grove
We loved the houses and lot sizes in LG and Inverness but couldn’t get over the lack of a proper downtown or activity in either town. We chose Barrington over AH because it’s smaller and felt like it had a better sense of community. Fingers crossed we made the right choice.

Thank you all for your input.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by champs2012

Bumping this up to let others know how we decided. We ended up in Barrington village after a long, painstaking search.

My wife gave up the job in LF for one in Hoffman Estates, which helped a lot. The commute for each of us is roughly ~20 minutes each way on local routes, which is amazing. We liked a lot of the towns in or close to the Northshore such as Highland Park, Wilmette, Evanston, Glenview but the commute didn’t make much sense (my wife goes to the office 4 days a week). After looking at maybe twenty different towns (from Naperville to Hawthorn Woods, Barrington to Highland Park), we narrowed our search down to:
1. Barrington
2. Arlington Heights
3. Long Grove
We loved the houses and lot sizes in LG and Inverness but couldn’t get over the lack of a proper downtown or activity in either town. We chose Barrington over AH because it’s smaller and felt like it had a better sense of community. Fingers crossed we made the right choice.

Thank you all for your input.

Long Grove's downtown is a major focal point for the area and actually attracts quite a few tourists. You might check out the covered bridge, Ma and Pa's Candy, Buffalo Creek Brewing, Broken Earth Winery, and Joanie's Pizza among others.

Inverness is essentially a subdivision attached to Palatine. Its downtown is Downtown Palatine.

It is always nice to have follow-ups.