Work in Evanston, three young kids, where to live? (Glenview: house, neighborhood)

[Movingsoon4]

Hi everyone. My husband works in Evanston and we have decided to move closer to where he works. We have 3 kids (oldest is 7) and we are Catholic, although our religion is not a huge part of our lives. We currently live in Lake Zurich.

We are slowly learning about each of the nearby suburbs and have heard from several people that certain suburbs are heavily populated by people of Jewish faith and that non-Jewish families and their children were not welcome or they were made to feel like outsiders. This seems harsh but but we have been told this by people we trust and on most occasions it is the first piece of advice we get. We have heard it so many times that we are now really concerned about it.

We are looking at homes in the $1 million range, are looking to stay within a 30 to 40 minute drive of Evanston and would like to live north or northeast. We like Wilmette and Glenview a lot but have heard a lot of what I mentioned above. We also like Lincolnshire but don't think we want to go much further than that. Schools are obviously very important to us so we want to make sure we move to an area with great public schools, of which there seem to be many.

Any recommended areas to look at or opinions on the cities mentioned above would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

[chet everett]

A $1M budget is pretty deccent for Park Ridge. It is fairly religously diverse. Schools are quite good. Manageable commute to Evanston. Good train service to Loop.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by Movingsoon4

Hi everyone. My husband works in Evanston and we have decided to move closer to where he works. We have 3 kids (oldest is 7) and we are Catholic, although our religion is not a huge part of our lives. We currently live in Lake Zurich.

We are slowly learning about each of the nearby suburbs and have heard from several people that certain suburbs are heavily populated by people of Jewish faith and that non-Jewish families and their children were not welcome or they were made to feel like outsiders. This seems harsh but but we have been told this by people we trust and on most occasions it is the first piece of advice we get. We have heard it so many times that we are now really concerned about it.

We are looking at homes in the $1 million range, are looking to stay within a 30 to 40 minute drive of Evanston and would like to live north or northeast. We like Wilmette and Glenview a lot but have heard a lot of what I mentioned above. We also like Lincolnshire but don't think we want to go much further than that. Schools are obviously very important to us so we want to make sure we move to an area with great public schools, of which there seem to be many.

Any recommended areas to look at or opinions on the cities mentioned above would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Not certain, but IMO Stevenson will have a larger % of Jewish families than New Trier. I don't perceive parts of Glenview and Wilmette attending New Trier as your friends do. I always viewed Northbrook, Glencoe and Highland Park fitting that description more. BUT, demographics do change and evolve.

[themag62]

Definitely not true of Glenview. and I'm very skeptical of your friends' report on Wilmette. OLPH Catholic elementary school in Glenview has an enrollment of 1,000 students, the largest in the archdiocese.

[japster28]

Glenview is definitely a good choice for you. Its religiously and ethnically (somewhat, but more so than say, Winnetka, Highland Park and glencoe. Plus Glenbrook South High School is excellent. Northbrook is a good choice too, idk where your friends heard the Jewish stories. But I have not heard anything like that has ever happened. Glenbrook North, the school that serves Northbrook is also good.

[chicagoRE]

What about Northbrook? Yes, there is a Jewish population but I know many people who live in the area who are not Jewish and have never had an issue. We currently live here (LZ) as well, just moved here last summer and still commute to downtown/northern burbs but we are both realtors and have flexible schedules so do not deal with rush hour most days.

[Larry Siegel]

I live in the McKenzie school district of Wilmette. The median home value is a little under $1 million so you can afford to live here. It's about 15% Jewish. I do know that overwhelmingly Jewish areas can be unwelcoming to non-Jews but this isn't one of those areas.

This isn't New York or SF, so a $1 million house budget will go pretty far in almost any suburb or city neighborhood.