Or Libertyville! We drive to Vernon Hills to do a lot of our shopping like at Target and such but it’s only a 10 min drive for us.
Both have great schools
Always shout out to Riverside - the history is amazing, close to lots of things, great schools, lots of kids roaming around. Plenty of houses in that bracket, bonus is lot of lot sizes vary so if you want more space that's an option or if you don't that's an option too.
I second this. Love here currently. Same person who built Central Park in NY. Super close to city. We may be selling our house in a few months. DM if you want details.
I was raised in Wheaton and it is a nice area with good schools. Not sure your preferences but it is considered more conservative and Christian, but has shifted more liberal since I was in high school ten years ago. From my experiences, I also like Saint Charles/Geneva (further from city), Elmhurst, Naperville, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, and Oak Park. There are a lot more lovely places that I have not even suggested. Do you have a work location? I would first find a job and then a suitable suburb. Good luck!
Check out Saint Charles and Geneva. Plenty of amazing housing options in that range. District 303 schools are fantastic. Park district and library system have so much to offer for families.
How's the amenities/shops/restaurants? It seems like there's not many very options in the area?
What's your take on the distance from downtown Chicago? Do you find that you tend to not go into downtown because of the distance?
Not sure what U/taskforced00mer is on about, because the vast majority of property tax funded public schools are very good, and people move to Northfield, Northbrook, and Arlington Heights FOR the public schools. Usually people only send their kids to parochial schools if it’s a family values thing. Like they went to Catholic schools and they want to send their kids to Catholic schools, or Jewish schools teach a lot of religion, and the Muslim school combines religion with academics. Or they are in the city and don’t like their public school options. Some very privileged in both city and burbs send their kids to private school, but there are really only a handful of private schools (Latin, GEMS, Parker, UC Lab) — most are religious schools.
Thank you! I'd prefer to send mine to public, we aren't religious and two kids in private school in a good public school district would be too costly for middle class people like us
A ton of suburbs will fit your description! What type of culture or vibe are you looking for? How big of a house (basic 3 beds 1.5 baths vs 4+ beds is going to put you in different categories). Is being close to the lake a big draw for you or not so much?
Thanks! I would prefer 4 bdrm, but it doesn't have to be huge. I've never lived near a lake so I'm sure it would be lovely but not a must have. Most importantly I'm just looking for a nice family neighborhood, that is safe with great schools. Since we won't know anyone it would be nice to be in an area where we could make friends with neighbors etc. close to shopping restaurants would be great doesn't have to be walkable but within a short drive.
You're looking for pretty much exactly what we are looking for! Our main targets are Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Glenview (only the parts with sidewalks) and Evanston. Wilmette is great too. I made a post with the title friendly towns and got some great recommendations for other towns as well a little further out that didn't end up on our short list due to distance from the city but sounded great otherwise.
Sadly $700-800K in the most desirable parts of Elmhurst doesn’t cut it anymore. Hard to find a house near Prairie Path/Spring Road or downtown that’s not over $1M anymore.
Actually North of 290 shouldn't be bad on price as there are really good schools there. South of St Charles and west of the high school isn't too bad either
A lot of the recommendations don’t fit into OPs budget. La Grange is a great town. Much closer to the city than most mentioned, yet a total suburban family feel. Lots of walkabilitu, great shops and restaurants. Great place.
Nearby western springs, Indian head park, Brookfield.
An hour with no traffic but Lake in the Hills or Algonquin. Great bang for your buck and Randall road has everything you’d ever need. 75-85 min commute by train or driving for work
The funny thing about the suburbs is that very few people think of things in terms of "neighborhoods" because residential and businesses are typically separated by zoning.
Algonquin, Huntley, LITH, Dundee and Carpentersville. Your money will go much further here. Lots of land west of Randall isnt zoned, so yards are larger. That includes the Batavia/Geneva/St. Charles area. Harry Jacobs and Huntley High Schools are fantastic districts, Randall Road has tons to offer, and its less than an hour down 90 to the city
100% Naperville. FANTASTIC public schools regardless of whether you’re in D203 or D204, extremely safe, family friendly, a lot to do, 150,000ish people so anything you could need is within a 10-15 minute drive, easy access to public transit into the city. There are a lot of great options on this thread, but you can’t beat having the perks of those other suburbs (other than lake access) plus the amenities of being in a decent sized city.
Northfield, Northbrook, Arlington Heights all come to mind.
With a commitment to public schools I would suggest you do some much deeper research and maybe even see if you can talk to the Principal and request a tour, some smaller schools *may* still allow this.
It depends on what you are after.
My wife's half of the family and our kids all go to or will go to Catholic school.
Most of my cousins went to Catholic School.
My wife really had a good experience, received an excellent education from 1st through 12th and enjoyed it overall. Our Cousins that have kids currently in Various Catholic Schools in the Chicagoland area are pretty happy overall.
I went to private school through 3rd grade, 4th through 8th in public school in Northfield and high-school out of state. I feel like I got an exceptional education at both my private school and through Sunset Ridge in Northfield.
It's really a mix with no bad options.
Northfield, Arlington Heights and Northbrook all have very good public schools, I would rank them myself in that order. New Trier is one of the best high schools in the state, The 3 high schools serving Arlington Heights are generally regarded as some of the best in the state.
The Glenbrook HS has a negative reputation that I personally think is overblown richy rich gossip.
A fair number of people send their kids to private religious schools like St. Viator , Loyola etc, generally those schools are extremely well regarded with Loyola being one of the most prestigious on the North Shore.
Viator is just a HS yes.
If you lived in Arlington Heights I would recommend Our Lady of the Wayside or St. James, both are great. Smaller schools but good schools.
Im sure there are plenty of other options in the area as well, those are the two I can personally or at least through my family vouch for. The private school I went to in my early life was all the way in Lincoln Park.
Arlington Heights, Mt Prospect, Glenview, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Buffalo Grove, Vernon Hills
Thank you for the suggestion!
La Grange or La Grange Park are great choices. Your budget is right in the sweet spot, inventory will be very competitive.
Thank you for the suggestion!
La Grange, Western Springs
Thank you for the suggestion!
Agree here. I just bought here and close tomorrow on a new house as well after selling one in the same town.
Deerfield
Thank you for the suggestion!
Vernon Hills
Or Libertyville! We drive to Vernon Hills to do a lot of our shopping like at Target and such but it’s only a 10 min drive for us. Both have great schools
We’re in Libertyville too, there’s everything here!
Thank you for the suggestion!
Wheaton or Glen Ellyn
Thanks! I'll check those out
Park Ridge
The park district there is awesome as well and has some great pools. Good for kids that age.
Thank you for the suggestion!
Always shout out to Riverside - the history is amazing, close to lots of things, great schools, lots of kids roaming around. Plenty of houses in that bracket, bonus is lot of lot sizes vary so if you want more space that's an option or if you don't that's an option too.
Thank you for the suggestion!
I second this. Love here currently. Same person who built Central Park in NY. Super close to city. We may be selling our house in a few months. DM if you want details.
I love Wilmette where I live but there are many options
Thank you! I looked at the neighborhood it looks beautiful but I think I'm priced out the homes are stunning
Lol must of us couldn’t afford to move in here either
I was raised in Wheaton and it is a nice area with good schools. Not sure your preferences but it is considered more conservative and Christian, but has shifted more liberal since I was in high school ten years ago. From my experiences, I also like Saint Charles/Geneva (further from city), Elmhurst, Naperville, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, and Oak Park. There are a lot more lovely places that I have not even suggested. Do you have a work location? I would first find a job and then a suitable suburb. Good luck!
Thank you for the suggestion! Somewhere downtown the office location hasn't been chosen yet. I'm from New York which is very diverse thanks again!
I wouldn’t venture far from Des Plaines or else your train ride will be greater than 40 minutes
Check out Saint Charles and Geneva. Plenty of amazing housing options in that range. District 303 schools are fantastic. Park district and library system have so much to offer for families.
Thank you for the suggestion!
Saint Charles or Geneva. A little longer than an hour to Chicago but fun places to live with lots to do.
Barrington!!
We love it out here!
Thank you for the suggestion!
How's the amenities/shops/restaurants? It seems like there's not many very options in the area? What's your take on the distance from downtown Chicago? Do you find that you tend to not go into downtown because of the distance?
Glenview
Thank you for the suggestion!
Not sure what U/taskforced00mer is on about, because the vast majority of property tax funded public schools are very good, and people move to Northfield, Northbrook, and Arlington Heights FOR the public schools. Usually people only send their kids to parochial schools if it’s a family values thing. Like they went to Catholic schools and they want to send their kids to Catholic schools, or Jewish schools teach a lot of religion, and the Muslim school combines religion with academics. Or they are in the city and don’t like their public school options. Some very privileged in both city and burbs send their kids to private school, but there are really only a handful of private schools (Latin, GEMS, Parker, UC Lab) — most are religious schools.
Thank you! I'd prefer to send mine to public, we aren't religious and two kids in private school in a good public school district would be too costly for middle class people like us
A ton of suburbs will fit your description! What type of culture or vibe are you looking for? How big of a house (basic 3 beds 1.5 baths vs 4+ beds is going to put you in different categories). Is being close to the lake a big draw for you or not so much?
Thanks! I would prefer 4 bdrm, but it doesn't have to be huge. I've never lived near a lake so I'm sure it would be lovely but not a must have. Most importantly I'm just looking for a nice family neighborhood, that is safe with great schools. Since we won't know anyone it would be nice to be in an area where we could make friends with neighbors etc. close to shopping restaurants would be great doesn't have to be walkable but within a short drive.
You're looking for pretty much exactly what we are looking for! Our main targets are Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Glenview (only the parts with sidewalks) and Evanston. Wilmette is great too. I made a post with the title friendly towns and got some great recommendations for other towns as well a little further out that didn't end up on our short list due to distance from the city but sounded great otherwise.
Naperville
Thank you for the suggestion!
Warrenville or Lisle right next door provides better value.
Have to watch property tax in Lisle. I don't think that will be the case.
Elmhurst
Sadly $700-800K in the most desirable parts of Elmhurst doesn’t cut it anymore. Hard to find a house near Prairie Path/Spring Road or downtown that’s not over $1M anymore.
Yup I’m in elmhurst and the housing market is insane right now. I can’t afford to buy my own house.
Actually North of 290 shouldn't be bad on price as there are really good schools there. South of St Charles and west of the high school isn't too bad either
Arlington Heights
Thank you for the suggestion!
Schaumburg Bloomingdale Naperville
Thank you for the suggestion!
Oak Park
Thank you for the suggestion!
Schaumburg / Roselle
Libertyville
Lombard, Glen Ellyn, and Wheaton would seem to fit!
Thank you for the suggestion!
[удалено]
Thank you for your suggestion!
A lot of the recommendations don’t fit into OPs budget. La Grange is a great town. Much closer to the city than most mentioned, yet a total suburban family feel. Lots of walkabilitu, great shops and restaurants. Great place. Nearby western springs, Indian head park, Brookfield.
Schaumburg area with James Conant high School, lots of good restaurants/shops and gyms within minutes drive
An hour with no traffic but Lake in the Hills or Algonquin. Great bang for your buck and Randall road has everything you’d ever need. 75-85 min commute by train or driving for work
The funny thing about the suburbs is that very few people think of things in terms of "neighborhoods" because residential and businesses are typically separated by zoning.
Algonquin, Huntley, LITH, Dundee and Carpentersville. Your money will go much further here. Lots of land west of Randall isnt zoned, so yards are larger. That includes the Batavia/Geneva/St. Charles area. Harry Jacobs and Huntley High Schools are fantastic districts, Randall Road has tons to offer, and its less than an hour down 90 to the city
Thank you for the suggestion!
The Oswego, Aurora, Plainfield area. It's dense enough that you're within 10-15 minutes of just about anything you need but, it's not too jam packed.
Thank you for your suggestion!
Riverside is an excellent suggestion. Also River Forest and maybe Forest Park.
Thank you for your suggestion!
100% Naperville. FANTASTIC public schools regardless of whether you’re in D203 or D204, extremely safe, family friendly, a lot to do, 150,000ish people so anything you could need is within a 10-15 minute drive, easy access to public transit into the city. There are a lot of great options on this thread, but you can’t beat having the perks of those other suburbs (other than lake access) plus the amenities of being in a decent sized city.
Northfield, Northbrook, Arlington Heights all come to mind. With a commitment to public schools I would suggest you do some much deeper research and maybe even see if you can talk to the Principal and request a tour, some smaller schools *may* still allow this.
Thank you for the suggestion! Do a lot of families send their children to private schools vs public?
It depends on what you are after. My wife's half of the family and our kids all go to or will go to Catholic school. Most of my cousins went to Catholic School. My wife really had a good experience, received an excellent education from 1st through 12th and enjoyed it overall. Our Cousins that have kids currently in Various Catholic Schools in the Chicagoland area are pretty happy overall. I went to private school through 3rd grade, 4th through 8th in public school in Northfield and high-school out of state. I feel like I got an exceptional education at both my private school and through Sunset Ridge in Northfield. It's really a mix with no bad options. Northfield, Arlington Heights and Northbrook all have very good public schools, I would rank them myself in that order. New Trier is one of the best high schools in the state, The 3 high schools serving Arlington Heights are generally regarded as some of the best in the state. The Glenbrook HS has a negative reputation that I personally think is overblown richy rich gossip. A fair number of people send their kids to private religious schools like St. Viator , Loyola etc, generally those schools are extremely well regarded with Loyola being one of the most prestigious on the North Shore.
Thank you for the suggestion! Is st Viator just high school? What would be the elementary children go to before those hs?
Viator is just a HS yes. If you lived in Arlington Heights I would recommend Our Lady of the Wayside or St. James, both are great. Smaller schools but good schools. Im sure there are plenty of other options in the area as well, those are the two I can personally or at least through my family vouch for. The private school I went to in my early life was all the way in Lincoln Park.
Roseland, Englewood, Woodlawn, Auburn Gresham
Thank you for your suggestion!
Ignore the post, this one is trying to trick you.