Lombard/Glen Ellyn vs Norridge/Harwood Heights (Hinsdale: houses, buy)

[chet everett]

The obvious sites like Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce and Home - Clarendon Hills Chamber Of Commerce are easy enough to check. Probably also worth checking out things like Clarendon Hills Lions Club - We Serve! and Hinsdale Community House Current Programs Summer 2014

[bmollhag]

When we were considering Elmhurst we actually spent a weekend there to see what it would be like to live there and got a hotel room. That is when I discovered the plane noise problem. I don't think I would have thought of that if I hadn't of spent the night.

We did put some boots on the ground when we were comparing Glen Ellyn and Lombard. We took the train several times to these places and sort of crossed off Wheaton. While I like it, it seems a bit too cookie cutter and a little less established. Pus, even though it is only 10 minuets or so further out,I remember when we started considering Glen Ellyn we were talking about how that was pushing it in terms of distance from the city. I just can't see moving to Wheaton. The websites were a great idea as I didn't even think to consider libraries and other local activities/festivals.

The reason I asked how much more a Glen Ellyn address vs a Lombard one would matter in terms of resale was because I figured that while Glen Ellyn had a nicer downtown, it was not like we couldn't live in Lombard and frequent downtown Glen Ellyn all the time and still have a 10-15min edge on getting to the city and airport etc. What I mean is these suburbs are so close together that its not like you can't live in one suburb and utilize the downtown of the other.

Now I have come to realize it does matter in terms of Glen Ellyn vs Lombard because of the difference in the quality of the school districts and the difference in the amount of home owners vs renters. But in terms of say Hinsdale vs Clarendon Hills vs La Grange I don't think we would regret our home purchase in say Hinsdale if we preferred the ice cream shop or grocery store in Claredon Hills or La Grange because the communities are so close its not like we can't just cross the suburban lines and frequent the establishments we prefer. Is this correct or am I missing something? Now I think the Hinsdale suburb has a bit more catche than LG and CH but I think LG and CH are a wash in terms of prestige. Is this correct?

To be honest I hadn't thought about La Grange and will go there this weekend to see if we like it. But I was just wondering more so on the property taxes and the vibe/tone that would be difficult to get in a weekend trip. For some reason I think of La Grange as having very high property taxes. I am not sure if this is correct especially with what you are saying with their vibrant downtown, but it is a concern. Also I thought it was a bit more hipstery (if thats a word), but again I could be mistaken. I was just wondering if anyone had further insight on La Grange because I think Glen Ellyn, while beautiful, is a bit out of the way of the south side, and we are still waiting on word from the bank for the Hinsdale house. Our agent doesn't know when word will come and even if it is accepted soon, who knows what will happen at inspections. I guess I would just like to have a plan b.

Again thank you all so much for your help and insights.

[chet everett]

LaGrange is nice. Would not call it "hipster" by any conventional standards. Taxes are generally nowhere near as high as someplace like Oak Park or Flossmoor... Easy enough to get to Hyde Park and other southside spots too, a plus for your situation.

Speaking of easy ro get around -- while to physically get to downtowns in adjacent towns is no big deal the point I was making was that so long as the town you buy a home in has someplace to gather with neighbors / kids you will not need to rely on adjacent towns and generally it is a useful way to sort of get to know neighbors to stroll into the core of town and grab a latte or an icd cream...

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by bmollhag

We took the train several times to these places and sort of crossed off Wheaton. While I like it, it seems a bit too cookie cutter and a little less established. Pus, even though it is only 10 minuets or so further out,I remember when we started considering Glen Ellyn we were talking about how that was pushing it in terms of distance....

I've never heard Wheaton described as less established -- especially when compared to Lombard. Certainly it has one of the longest and richest histories of any of Chicago's suburbs. Wheaton began life as an important rail stop, found prominence as the capital of DuPage County, has been home to many of Chicago's most famously wealthy people, and even houses America's first 18-hole golf club.

But enough of Wheaton, if it doesn't suit your personal tastes and/or is too much of a commute, I'm happy because it means one less town on your short list.

Not too many hipsters in La Grange...at least not that I have seen. And I can't imagine the tax situation being so incredibly different there versus Hinsale/Clarendon that it should warrant any kind of worry. Although trying to get your home reassessed / tax bill lowered can be absolutely treacherous in Cook County. It's a little easier in DuPage.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by holl1ngsworth

I've never heard Wheaton described as less established -- especially when compared to Lombard. Certainly it has one of the longest and richest histories of any of Chicago's suburbs. Wheaton began life as an important rail stop, found prominence as the capital of DuPage County, has been home to many of Chicago's most famously wealthy people, and even houses America's first 18-hole golf club.

But enough of Wheaton, if it doesn't suit your personal tastes and/or is too much of a commute, I'm happy because it means one less town on your short list.

Not too many hipsters in La Grange...at least not that I have seen. And I can't imagine the tax situation being so incredibly different there versus Hinsale/Clarendon that it should warrant any kind of worry. Although trying to get your home reassessed / tax bill lowered can be absolutely treacherous in Cook County. It's a little easier in DuPage.

It was sort of THE "establishment" choice for a traditonal GOP stronghold. That of course has long since changed.

About the only things that it makes sense in the context of the changes in other towns is that there is a "harder" transition with things like the old public works building right across from a newer condo / apartment with a swanky spot on the ground floor. It does not have the same degree of cohesive charm of Glen Ellyn or the more fully built-out look/feel of even Downers Grove...

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by chet everett

It was sort of THE "establishment" choice for a traditonal GOP stronghold. That of course has long since changed.

About the only things that it makes sense in the context of the changes in other towns is that there is a "harder" transition with things like the old public works building right across from a newer condo / apartment with a swanky spot on the ground floor. It does not have the same degree of cohesive charm of Glen Ellyn or the more fully built-out look/feel of even Downers Grove...

The old public works is an attractive brick building. Ditto for the old courthouse structures... they are gorgeous.

I think Wheaton is doing a stellar job attracting businesses and managing development properly; the new and old mix is quite charming. Downers looks/feels more fully built out? C'mon. There are nice retail and restaurant offerings, but the district is small and aesthetically it's a hodgepodge. Nothing particularly interesting in the way of architecture.

The velocity of money in Wheaton right now far exceeds any other western suburbs. And it's just gonna get better: WHEATON DOWNTOWN STRATEGIC AND STREETSCAPE PLAN. I think Wheaton has a great tradition of "thinking before acting" and involving members of the community, which will act to further establish its position as a hub for small- to medium-sized finance companies and continue to draw investment and home buyers from other suburbs that don't have the same physical potential or governmental/communal cooperation.

[chet everett]

I didn't say those building aren't visually appealing, it is just a very different kind of transition. In some ways it is more like what happens in small cities / towns that are off by themselves in parts of formerly industrial or agricultural areas -- kind of classic "redevelopment".

It is nicely transitioning.

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I didn't say those building aren't visually appealing, it is just a very different kind of transition. In some ways it is more like what happens in small cities / towns that are off by themselves in parts of formerly industrial or agricultural areas -- kind of classic "redevelopment".

It is nicely transitioning.

Yes, it's nice, but different? I guess I just don't see how the layout/aesthetics of downtown Wheaton vary from say a Glen Ellyn or Hinsdale. Aside from being significantly larger and maybe having more development currently underway. Perhaps a lower percentage of German imports parks along the main drag?

Transitioning? From what to what?

As if Wheaton exists as something so different than Clarendon Hills. Or Hinsdale.

[chet everett]

It is different.

The Old Courthouse is a GIANT Landmark that none of the towns have. It had transitioned to a totally differntion use. There is a diffeerent layout to the various "subclasses" of different retail space too -- on the east end of downtown the VERY large TomsPrice buildings and parking are kind of a separate "campus" from the smaller shops and resturants in the core, the big changes near Roosevelt are different than any other town has seen -- there used to be a funky little Jewel-Osco at Cross & Willow, that's gone. That big 5/6 story building at Liberty & Cross has kind of a "placeless" quality, probably will for a long time as I don't think the owners of the little brick two-story are going anyplace anytime soon and for that matter neither are the drycleaners in the one story building on Main...

Don't get me, it ain't no East Garfield Park of vacant "landmine" type but there are still too many surface parking lots and things "in transition" to make the south side of the tracks have a nice cohesive feel. I am fairly sure it will continue in a postive direction, but in the context of comparision to Glen Ellyn or Downers Grove there is still more work to happen...
(and I would dynamite that Public Works Water Divison garage on Reber if I was not worried they'd put me in Federal Prisiom as a terrrorist instead just a developer with no patience...)

[bmollhag]

When I said Wheaton seemed more cookie cutter and less established I did not mean comparatively to Lombard, I meant comparatively to Glen Ellyn. It was just the streets seemed more gridlike. In Glen Ellyn the roads were windy and tree lined. Also the homes and subdivisions seemed more cookie cutter and new to me while the homes in Glen Ellyn seemed more established. Don't get me wrong Wheaton is a great place to live with an excellent school district and what I am sure are dedicated planners who are taking their time to make the right decisions. If Wheaton was closer to Chicago and more accessible to the south side I would not hesitate to purchase there. To be honest I have started looking in more the Hinsdale, CH, and LG area.

I just had a question. Why do you suppose there are so many threads comparing Evanston to LG when they are in completely different areas?