Lake Zurich/ Hawthorn Woods/ Deer Park/ Kildeer (Palatine, Barrington: buying, school district)

[gracie97]

Hi- I'm moving up to the northwest suburbs. We're looking at these four areas because we're interested in Lake Zurich schools (I know Stevenson is great but just a little too big for my taste). Does anyone have any info on the differences among these four towns? I've gotten the impression that all the stores, etc, are in LZ and the rest are primarily residential? Do they all use the same park districts, etc?

Thank you!

[middle-aged mom]

LZ has the lake/ beach. Beach access is restricted to LZ residents.No pool. The Ela area library is located in LZ.( Most, not all, areas feed into LZ schools)

Kildeer has minimal recreational facilities. Farmington Bath/Tennis is a private club with many area family members. They have a well regarded sport program for children. ( Most, not all areas, feed into LZ schools)

Hawthorn Woods has a terrific Aquatic Center and park system. Non residents can use facilities at higher rates. (Some parts of HW feed into LZ schools.)

Deer Park has minimal parks and recreation. (The village is split between LZ and Barrington schools.)

A small portion of Barrington and North Barrington also feed into LZ schools.

Generally speaking, LZ has the most affordable housing and smaller lots.

Shopping/ dining is predominately along Rand Road in Lake Zurich easily accessable from any of these areas.

Don't assume school district and take a cold hard look at property taxes if you are considering buying in the area.

[ARasiarmos]

Your not alone in your gut feeling of the Stevenson HS district. We often see families move to/from the surrounding Stevenson/Lake Zurich/Barrington school district. All attempting to find a suitable enviornment for their family, each having different reasons/needs for wanting to be a part/not part of a particular HS district.

There are many similarities and differencies to Lake Zurich, Deer Park, Hawthorn Woods, and Kildeer. All offer a small town feel with easy access to Route 53, making it easy to get to any major expressway!

Having lived in the area for over 16 years, I've seen the area develope in a positive direction. Hawthorn Woods provides many parks, most in subdivisions however the largest being the Hawthorn Woods Community Park and Heritage Oaks, adjacent to the Hawthorn Woods Country Club. Lake Zurich has dozens of parks throughout the area. Locally is the Lake Zurich Baseball Softball Association which enrolls hundreds of boys/girls from tee-ball to Colt level. Kids participate from many surrounding towns in this program, regardless of HS district. The Deer Park residence are split between Lake Zurich and Barrington sports even though they have several parks of their own. As well as Kildeer residence are split between Lake Zurich, Barrington and the Long Grove park district.

Most of us in the area do shop in Lake Zurich, Deer Park, Palatine and Barrington. Basically because of their ease and conveniences. The larger park districts are Lake Zurich and Barrington for the areas you have specified. All offering every sport from football, soccer, cheerleading, hockey, gymnastics, etc. at a recreational and travel level.

I can go on and on about our wonderful community. Let me know if I can answer more specific questions. I'm happy to help.