Scoop on Itasca (Chicago, Arlington Heights, Wheaton: house, neighborhoods, theatre)

[hippie_chick]

So I ventured up to the Chicagoland area on a househunting trip. Driving around I ended up a bit lost in a little place called Itasca. Those I've met either don't know where it is or think it is far far west. But I found it to be only 20-25 minutes from Ohare. It seems to have good school ratings and a charming little downtown. Am I missing something? Or do you think this would be a good option for working at Ohare area and having 2 preschoolers?

Any help appreciated!!

[ToriaT]

Also check out the neighboring town, Roselle.

[chet everett]

Schools are not fantastic but for the price one should not expect that. Trend also shows recent decline in perf -- http://iircapps.niu.edu/Apps/en/Scho...du/helper.html

The town is fairly spread out and the sections closest to the semi-walkable downtown tend to get a good bit of noise from O'Hare while the more wooded / quiet sections will require a car trip for absolutely everything. Even in the semi-walkable "downtown" there are just a handful of businesses (including a pretty good bar / pizza place -- Tree Guys...) and nothing particularly well laid out due to the somewhat odd twists that the various surface streets and expressways take as the slice up the town.

Not an unreasonable trade-off but certainly one reason that some folks are not keen on the trade-off.

The other factor is what I guess is best called "demographic mix" -- there are a noticeable number of folks with very outspoken anti-tax / anti-government views that do use their location along the busier roads to make those views known. There are also a fair number of folks that sort of align themselves with what one could call the more "government take care me" mindset. This combination leads to at least some interesting politics and I suspect some "dueling" neighbors. Again not the worst situation to be sure but for someone with a screen of "hippie chick" it may be wise to scout out any potential neighborhood for obvious clashes...

[hippie_chick]

Awesome. Thanks Toria & Chet! I will look at Roselle too. I found a home/neighborhood in Wheaton I like as well. But it seems like that might be a bit of a nightmare drive?
The only people I ran into in Itasca were in BMWs, wearing Uggs, & their day diamonds. I thought it might be a nice mix but thanks for the heads up on the politics.
I just want to be where everyone gets along (greater good), within 30 minutes of Ohare, I'm not so house poor I eat ramen every night, and yet the fact that I have a nanny isn't an alien concept. Any other area suggestions? Trying to keep it under $350k for at least 3/2 with basement.

[Aerio]

I grew up in Elk Grove, right next door. Roselle and Itasca are fine, decent towns. No news, nothing happening there. If your children live there, they will receive a fine, decent education and most likely grow up to be good citizens. Either downtown isn't superb but it's reasonable. Honestly, you'll be driving in both towns to get to anywhere. If you work at O'Hare, and have two pre-schoolers in either town, you'll lead a comfortable-enough life. There's not much more to say, to be honest.

[hippie_chick]

Okay. Got it. Thank you very much Aerio! Boring isn't always the worst thing.

Is Elk Grove okay too? I noticed a nice cluster of shops/movie theatre @ the corner of Biesterfield & AH Rd. The school reports I found ranked Elk Grove schools (Elementary esp) as lower than Itasca. But I think I don't understand how to really look at the school data.

@Chet - The link you supplied to test data. Is that a public site? Can I look at other school districts? I tried to modify the web address to see but it did not work.

[ChicagoMeO]

I love ElkGrove. Its a small suburb that if you like that small town way of life, it seems cute.. and not too expensive. Only good if you are not trying to travel on the Metra to work, since you have to drive too far to either the Arlington Hts Station or the Medinah station.. but its really a sweet town, with the nearby Busse Woods.

[chet everett]

I would not really classify Elk Grove Village as "small town" as it mostly laid out with older somewhat disjointed subdivisions that make it rather difficult to either physically get around to the various amenities that the village does have or get to know know much of the overall area... I can't disagree that Busse Woods is a large and mostly peaceful Forest Preserve ...

The various pluses & minuses of towns that are more affordable in suburban Cook Co. or the less desirable parts of DuPage or Lake Co. really need to be weighed against shopping for a more affordable home is a nicer town. Depending on what one needs in terms of commuting and schools along with other desirable features, saving even 20% or so might not be the best strategy if overall costs including property taxes are factored along with loner term appreciation.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Aerio

I grew up in Elk Grove, right next door. Roselle and Itasca are fine, decent towns. No news, nothing happening there. If your children live there, they will receive a fine, decent education and most likely grow up to be good citizens. Either downtown isn't superb but it's reasonable. Honestly, you'll be driving in both towns to get to anywhere. If you work at O'Hare, and have two pre-schoolers in either town, you'll lead a comfortable-enough life. There's not much more to say, to be honest.

Sadly the outdated views that some folks have about growing up to be "good citizens" stand in stark contrast to the reality that half of Illinois students are NOT meeting the standards for their grade level -- Half of Illinois high schoolers not reading at grade level « Watchdog.org

For folks contemplating making a long term investment in a home who want to ensure their kids are in a district that values student acheivement it would behoove them to give primary consideration to schools on the Illinois Honor Roll for Academic Excellence. It makes the most sense to focus on towns / districts with good consistency from elementary through middle school. Due to how the awards are scored it is unusual for non-selective admissions high schools to make the list.(and it is extremely challenging for families to count on successfully navigating the sections process for CPS selective admissions schools...) For towns served by multiple districts it can be a bit tricky to determine the various attendance boundaries but the long term benefits are worth the effort Illinois Honor Roll - Academic Excellence Awards 2012 List

[cubssoxfan]

Check out Arlington Heights; neighborhoods that fall into D25/D23 AND Hersey or Prospect HS. Or Mt. prospect; neighborhoods that fall into D57 AND Prospect HS. Should be able to find 3/2 with basement for $350K and schools are better than Itasca, Roselle and Elk Grove. AND you are still within 30 minutes of O'Hare