Pleasant, quiet, boring North or West suburb (Chicago, Naperville: apartment complex, violent crime)

[Kmanshouse]

As for boring - that would be most of them.

Schaumburg fits your bill. While known for Woodfield Mall/shopping, it's on the far east side of the 'burb and not in your face if you live west of there.

Roselle is next door to Schaumburg - very middle class, decent suburb. Bloomingdale could work, too.

Could also look into Downers Grove - above average, but not elite schools, good commute to the city, within an hour of Skokie. That price point might be tough, but possible.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by strollingcentrist

Congrats on the move and welcome. I think it's easier to search based on high school districts than towns. Fwiw, I grew up in various suburbs and went to U of I and a top 20 grad school.

Three full baths will limit your options. Happy to provide more info, especially if more specific criteria come to mind.

-Libertyville, Vernon Hills: most pleasant drive to downtown and Skokie via Edens/94
-Hersey
-Prospect
-Fremd
-Lake Zurich
-Barrington
-Buffalo Grove/BGHS: agree with Hiruko that it's blandville, disagree with wjj about Stevenson. Great school but definitely not the overall culture I think you're looking for

I'm not from the area around Stevenson HS, but based on the descriptions I've heard of Stevenson and how it ranks annually on US News, Niche, and whatever other sites, I would assume feeding into that school isn't what the OP is looking for. So I agree with you there.

I agree with you on Libertyville, Vernon Hills, Hersey, Prospect, and BGHS are good options from what I've heard, what they're looking for in terms of safety, price, commute to Skokie and commute to Sears Tower.

I'm skeptical about a commute from Lake Zurich, Barrington, and Fremd feeder areas to both Skokie and Sears Tower at certain times of day.

Would Deerfield also be a reasonable choice? Are parts of Park Ridge not in a flight path?

[strollingcentrist]

I agree with the skepticism about LZ/Barrington/Fremd and would only recommend if commuting via the Barrington/Palatine train station is acceptable. Their variety of housing options for OP's preferences makes them worth a look. Overall, OP appears to be looking for Hersey/Prospect if they can find a suitable house. I'm not familiar with the Western Suburbs other than Oak Park, Hinsdale/Oak Brook, and Naperville so can't help much there.

Deerfield is much more in "elite world" with pressure cooker academics and less political diversity (very progressive).

I'm quite familiar with Park Ridge. I've only heard of airplane noise being problematic in the small portion south of Devon. Others don't even notice it. But Park Ridge is far more expensive. Park Ridge's greatest appeals that justify its expense while sacrificing space don't seem to matter to OP: walkability, charming downtown, central location, and being culturally connected to Chicago's northwest side (strong community spirit and roots, active Catholic presence, outspoken, sporty).

[Ole Texan]

Know you said north, north west. But take a look at Naperville, a western suburb about 28 miles from the Loop. Good to excellent schools. Depending on time of day about 70 minutes from Skokie, 45 minutes to O’hare, and 50 minutes to adjacent to Willis Tower by Express train. No flight path, not likely near road noise.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by Ole Texan

Know you said north, north west. But take a look at Naperville, a western suburb about 28 miles from the Loop. Good to excellent schools. Depending on time of day about 70 minutes from Skokie, 45 minutes to O’hare, and 50 minutes to adjacent to Willis Tower by Express train. No flight path, not likely near road noise.

As someone who lives in Naperville, I would not recommend it for what they're looking for.

Express train - the train ride itself is fast, but getting to the train, ensuring you have enough time to park and what not can put the total commute at about 70-75 minutes. I'm a mile south of downtown Naperville and that was the case for me when I worked a couple blocks east of the Sears Tower.

I also wouldn't recommend it for expecting to regularly visit Skokie.

Naperville schools may not be as hardcore as Stevenson's level but it's probably close. At the HS level it is supposedly more of a pressure cooker than any other school in the western suburbs (except maybe Hinsdale Central).

[ToriaT]

South Wheaton is great. I live there and I love it. Very safe and convenient. There are a mix of political views here now. Subdivisions to look at are Stonehedge, Arrowhead, and a few others I can't think of their names now.

Good grocery shopping from Aldi, Jewel, Pete's, Marianos, Trader Joes and Whole Foods all in the vicinity.

Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove are also good.

[movin1]

My sister lives in Lombard, it's nice and so are many of the towns in that area. Straight shot drive on 290 to the city, time depends on traffic. Downers Grove Metra station is just south of Lombard.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

South Wheaton is great. I live there and I love it. Very safe and convenient. There are a mix of political views here now. Subdivisions to look at are Stonehedge, Arrowhead, and a few others I can't think of their names now.

Good grocery shopping from Aldi, Jewel, Pete's, Marianos, Trader Joes and Whole Foods all in the vicinity.

Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove are also good.

South Wheaton is good in general. For the same reason I wouldn't recommend Naperville for this particular family, I also wouldn't recommend south Wheaton, either.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by movin1

My sister lives in Lombard, it's nice and so are many of the towns in that area. Straight shot drive on 290 to the city, time depends on traffic. Downers Grove Metra station is just south of Lombard.

Lombard also has its own Metra station.

If looking at Lombard, I would take a precise look at schools because some are rated better than others.

Also, I consider this kind of a borderline location for regularly traveling to Skokie, but definitely a step in the right direction for commute vs. Wheaton or Naperville. A step down in terms of schools though - might as well just look at homes feeding into Niles West and live near your Skokie relatives if you're considering Lombard.

[hawksbill]

Thank you all for your input! This is very helpful. We're closely monitoring MLS listings in the corridor between about Libertyville and Schaumburg.

I have one follow up question regarding gangs and overall safety.
While crime statistics for the North and Northwest burbs are generally pretty reasonable, I have seen numerous references to local gang activity in the news and on social media.

For example, the Latin Kings, Surenos, and Gangster Disciples appear to have a presence in areas like Mt. Prospect and Palatine. I try to take sensational news stories and social media posts with a grain of salt, but the police in both of these towns have set up gang units, which is slightly alarming.

I was reading some comments written by a Mt. Prospect apartment resident (very anecdotal, I know) who had a family member get "jumped" by Latin King gang members on the way to school--north of Algonquin near Busse Rd, right on the Prosect High boundary (and Hersey's district includes the Boxwood area which also looks pretty questionable). Even if this is a relatively uncommon occurrence, this is the type of thing that I'd like to avoid completely.

Am I being overly cautious here, or are there legitimately bad areas dispersed throughout some of these otherwise highly regarded Northwest suburbs?