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My family and I (wife + 2 year old) are looking to move to Chicagoland in the summer and would appreciate your help on where to buy.
Context: My wife and I are both early 30s black immigrants who have lived in the NY area for most of our time in the US. We used to live in NYC but moved to Westchester County when we had our little one.
I just got an opportunity with a company in the Palatine/Schaumburg area and my wife is in talks with a company in the Lake Forest area. If all goes to plan, we will relocate to Chicagoland late Spring/early summer.
Budget: Up to $700k for a 4+ BR, 3+ bath
We would like your thoughts on where we could live in between the two areas that is not crazy for commuting. We have both been spoiled by NY's Metro North + subway but we are pretty flexible people so wouldn't mind driving. I however hate hate traffic so I want to limit my drive time to ~25 minutes, inclusive of traffic.
Other considerations: We want an excellent school district (especially elementary schools) but from what I have seen on GreatSchools, there seems to be plenty good school districts in the suburbs.
We would also love diversity but I know enough of Chicago's issues to accept that it may not be an option if we want to limit our commute to 25 minutes between Lake Forest and Schaumburg. For example, we love Evanston (my sister went to the business school at Northwestern) but the commute is not likely to work for us.
A nice downtown would also be nice but not a deal breaker.
So far we are looking (online) at Long Grove, Buffalo Grove, Lincolnshire and Lake Zurich.
Hey Champs, I'd probably concentrate less on Lake Zurich, it puts you even farther from Lake Forest (if your desire is to live somewhere between that and Schaumburg). Everything else would work. Buffalo Grove is the most centrally located between LF and Schaumburg. Lincolnshire would place you closer to Lake Forest. Also there's Arlington Heights, which has a nice downtown area, but it will put you closer to Schaumburg/Palatine. Really, the only area I would avoid looking in would be Wheeling, but otherwise all the towns around that way are pretty nice. Schools are all great in all those parts.
Diversity-wise, well, depends what you're meaning. There are a whole lot of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants (with myself included) from Europe, Asia, and Latin America here. So, you'll fit right in if that's what you mean. If you mean black people specifically, no there's no big black community north of the city other than in Evanston, N. Chicago, Waukegan or Zion.
My family and I (wife + 2 year old) are looking to move to Chicagoland in the summer and would appreciate your help on where to buy.
Context: My wife and I are both early 30s black immigrants who have lived in the NY area for most of our time in the US. We used to live in NYC but moved to Westchester County when we had our little one.
I just got an opportunity with a company in the Palatine/Schaumburg area and my wife is in talks with a company in the Lake Forest area. If all goes to plan, we will relocate to Chicagoland late Spring/early summer.
Budget: Up to $700k for a 4+ BR, 3+ bath
We would like your thoughts on where we could live in between the two areas that is not crazy for commuting. We have both been spoiled by NY's Metro North + subway but we are pretty flexible people so wouldn't mind driving. I however hate hate traffic so I want to limit my drive time to ~25 minutes, inclusive of traffic.
Other considerations: We want an excellent school district (especially elementary schools) but from what I have seen on GreatSchools, there seems to be plenty good school districts in the suburbs.
We would also love diversity but I know enough of Chicago's issues to accept that it may not be an option if we want to limit our commute to 25 minutes between Lake Forest and Schaumburg. For example, we love Evanston (my sister went to the business school at Northwestern) but the commute is not likely to work for us.
A nice downtown would also be nice but not a deal breaker.
So far we are looking (online) at Long Grove, Buffalo Grove, Lincolnshire and Lake Zurich.
Thanks for your help!
Based on what your requirements are, the Lake County side of Buffalo Grove (not the Cook County side) would be your best bet followed by the eastern side of Long Grove. Both (along with Lincolnshire) feed into Stevenson HS which has been ranked in the top five non-selective public high schools in the state for many years. And one of the top in the country. The three elementary districts that feed into SHS are all outstanding. Most of BG and LG would go to District 96 elementary, middle, junior high.
Lake Zurich would be a definite step down in schools - and would make the commute to Lake Forest and Schaumburg a bit iffy time wise. Lincolnshire is great but the commute from there to Palatine/Schaumburg would exceed your limit.
Your budget is fine for the Lake County side of BG and probably most of the eastern side of LG. There is a big difference between LG and BG though. BG is your typical upper middle class suburb but with lots of parks and open space. LG on the other hand is more rural (1 acre minimum lots and many much bigger - no sidewalks - well and septic). And there are some serious seven-figure mansions sprinkled in throughout LG. As you probably know, LG and BG border one another.
There is no public transportation going suburb to suburb to speak of. So you will need two cars. From Lake County BG or east LG to say Town Line Road and I94 in Lake Forest and say the Woodfield area in Schaumburg would be about a 20 to 25 minute drive door to door most days in normal (pre-Covid) traffic. Probably a little less right now.
I'm bias as we were living in the Long Grove area before we moved out of Illinois last year. I'd recommend all of the districts that feed into Stevenson HS except for Diamond Lake. We were in D96 and absolutely loved it. 102 and 103 are excellent as well. That being said, diversity in terms of a black/AA population is going to be a challenge for this area. The majority of families are white, Asian and southern Indian. I want to say that Stevenson's student population is around 40% Asian but don't quote me on that. Wonderful sense of community and families. I miss our network.
Lake Zurich is going to put you even further away from both Schaumburg and Lake Forest. Also, the schools (while still very good), are not as strong as what you'll find in Stevenson Country. There is a VERY small section of LZ that feeds into 96 but again, location wise you're going to be further west. Parts of Kildeer and Hawthorn Woods also feed into SHS but the majority go to LZ schools. You REALLY have to pay attention to your boundaries when it comes to suburbs and districts.
You may find a bit more diversity in Cook County BG, which feeds into BG High School and Wheeling HS. BG HS, I'd maybe consider but I wouldn't recommend Wheeling.
As G in MP said, if you're looking for a large black population and top rated schools, you're not going to find it north of the city. The only town/district I can think of would be Evanston and geographically that wouldn't work for you. Definitely stay away from North Chicago, Waukegan and Zion.
My family and I (wife + 2 year old) are looking to move to Chicagoland in the summer and would appreciate your help on where to buy.
Context: My wife and I are both early 30s black immigrants who have lived in the NY area for most of our time in the US. We used to live in NYC but moved to Westchester County when we had our little one.
I just got an opportunity with a company in the Palatine/Schaumburg area and my wife is in talks with a company in the Lake Forest area. If all goes to plan, we will relocate to Chicagoland late Spring/early summer.
Budget: Up to $700k for a 4+ BR, 3+ bath
We would like your thoughts on where we could live in between the two areas that is not crazy for commuting. We have both been spoiled by NY's Metro North + subway but we are pretty flexible people so wouldn't mind driving. I however hate hate traffic so I want to limit my drive time to ~25 minutes, inclusive of traffic.
Other considerations: We want an excellent school district (especially elementary schools) but from what I have seen on GreatSchools, there seems to be plenty good school districts in the suburbs.
We would also love diversity but I know enough of Chicago's issues to accept that it may not be an option if we want to limit our commute to 25 minutes between Lake Forest and Schaumburg. For example, we love Evanston (my sister went to the business school at Northwestern) but the commute is not likely to work for us.
A nice downtown would also be nice but not a deal breaker.
So far we are looking (online) at Long Grove, Buffalo Grove, Lincolnshire and Lake Zurich.
Thanks for your help!
LG, BG, Lincolnshire and Lake Zurich will resemble - to some degree- the very furthest northern reaches of Westchester (but without the stone walls, windy roads, and farms). Great proximity to Schaumburg and Lake Forest, but they are quite sprawled out and can be sleepy for someone who lived in the NY MSA. There is some diversity due to the Asian population, but very little diversity otherwise. I have spent a lot of my life on the East Coast, and don't feel particularly comfortable in those towns (though Long Grove in particular is nice).
The commute would be a bit further for your wife (30 min), but Arlington Heights would be a really good option. Great suburban downtown, multiple train stops to the city, more neutral location to get into the city, very walkable. Northern Arlington Heights, which I would not recommend, feeds into BG. Central/downtown/in town neighborhoods go to Arlington Heights/Hersey, which is a very good district.. That's what I'd recommend, personally. Southeast Arlington Heights goes to Mount Prospect, and southwest goes to Rolling Meadows.
Some great neighborhoods, Tier 1 district and close to the core:
The other suburb I would recommend, which is more "inner ring" and offers more walkability/amenities/train stops than the further reaching suburbs, is Glenview. I'd assume ~30 minutes to Schaumburg, a bit less to Lake Forest. Some of the best schools in the State, a bit more diversity, great neighborhoods around the core, very transient. $700k might push you a bit further from the core into subdevelopment neighborhoods (especially west), which is not my preference.. But may be OK for you? But houses do pop up at <$700k in the more desirable neighborhoods.
Yeh, I was thinking Glenview for him too, but Glenview would be a haul to Schaumburg during rush hr. If you're looking for fastest routes it's 53 and 294 for going north to south, and Palatine Rd when traveling east/west. I would concentrate in towns that could use those routes to get to/from work.
I've lived in a bunch of these places btw, Glenview, Wheeling, Elk Grove, Palatine (ehh, Rolling Meadows area really), Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, and now west of Lake Zurich in unicorp Barrington.
LG, BG, Lincolnshire and Lake Zurich will resemble - to some degree- the very furthest northern reaches of Westchester (but without the stone walls, windy roads, and farms). Great proximity to Schaumburg and Lake Forest, but they are quite sprawled out and can be sleepy for someone who lived in the NY MSA. There is some diversity due to the Asian population, but very little diversity otherwise. I have spent a lot of my life on the East Coast, and don't feel particularly comfortable in those towns (though Long Grove in particular is nice).
The commute would be a bit further for your wife (30 min), but Arlington Heights would be a really good option. Great suburban downtown, multiple train stops to the city, more neutral location to get into the city, very walkable. Northern Arlington Heights, which I would not recommend, feeds into BG. Central/downtown/in town neighborhoods go to Arlington Heights/Hersey, which is a very good district.. That's what I'd recommend, personally. Southeast Arlington Heights goes to Mount Prospect, and southwest goes to Rolling Meadows.
Some great neighborhoods, Tier 1 district and close to the core:
The other suburb I would recommend, which is more "inner ring" and offers more walkability/amenities/train stops than the further reaching suburbs, is Glenview. I'd assume ~30 minutes to Schaumburg, a bit less to Lake Forest. Some of the best schools in the State, a bit more diversity, great neighborhoods around the core, very transient. $700k might push you a bit further from the core into subdevelopment neighborhoods (especially west), which is not my preference.. But may be OK for you? But houses do pop up at <$700k in the more desirable neighborhoods.
EDIT: Didn't see the 4+ bedroom requirement, that may pose some more challenges in Glenview.
This is amazing! Thanks so much. Arlington Heights seems to check a lot of the boxes. I didn't know much of Glenview but after reading your and the other Glenview suggestion, I have looked into it and like it. The commute seems like it would be a bit problematic but hopefully not as bad with remote work looking like being here to stay. I will add both AH and Glenview to my list.
Hey Champs, I'd probably concentrate less on Lake Zurich, it puts you even farther from Lake Forest (if your desire is to live somewhere between that and Schaumburg). Everything else would work. Buffalo Grove is the most centrally located between LF and Schaumburg. Lincolnshire would place you closer to Lake Forest. Also there's Arlington Heights, which has a nice downtown area, but it will put you closer to Schaumburg/Palatine. Really, the only area I would avoid looking in would be Wheeling, but otherwise all the towns around that way are pretty nice. Schools are all great in all those parts.
Diversity-wise, well, depends what you're meaning. There are a whole lot of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants (with myself included) from Europe, Asia, and Latin America here. So, you'll fit right in if that's what you mean. If you mean black people specifically, no there's no big black community north of the city other than in Evanston, N. Chicago, Waukegan or Zion.
Thank you so much for your reply. Yeah I have kind of given up on having a significant black population unless we decide to stay in Evanston and brave the commute, which is really not ideal for two working parents with a two-year old kid.
What do folks think of Vernon Hills? My wife read they have a nice mall and immediately added it to our list
Thank you so much for your reply. Yeah I have kind of given up on having a significant black population unless we decide to stay in Evanston and brave the commute, which is really not ideal for two working parents with a two-year old kid.
What do folks think of Vernon Hills? My wife read they have a nice mall and immediately added it to our list
Vernon Hills, to me, always felt like a slightly newer/smaller Buffalo Grove. Major roads with commercial activity, well kept sub developments, no downtown area, not walkable.
If you're willing to starting moving that direction/away from Schaumburg, I would highly recommend Libertyville next door. I almost did add it, but was hesitant due to your commute and proximity from the city. Libertyville has a dense core with a great little downtown.. A bit older and more established neighborhoods around the downtown, and then more sub developments moving outward.
As for the Glenview recommendations... Seems like a uniquely good fit for you guys. There's a lot of activity and "stuff" relative to places like Vernon Hills or Buffalo Grove. Sounds like your wife and daughter would probably love The Glen Town Center. Restaurants, bars, a theatre, some good shopping, a childrens museum, a lake with some docks and a beautiful path, sports fields, a massive Parks and Rec facility with pools/babysitting/gym, etc. The Glen also has it's own train station, luxury houses and condos. We just found out that a soul food/live jazz joint is going in The Glen, which will be another welcomed addition.
There's also a more traditional downtown Glenview/Glenview Road, which has an express train, library, park, a few restaurants and bars, a butcher, a donut joint, an ice cream stand, a brewery, etc.
It's a very commercially active area with a lot to do for families. Glenview is also very close for a night out in Evanston or the North Side of Chicago. FYI - the indoor/outdoor mall at Old Orchard is only a few miles down the road : )
Last edited by mwj119; 03-23-2021 at 08:10 PM..
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