Medical professional working at Loyola hosp. needs advice regarding loctation and purchase vs. renting (Chicago: layoffs, public school)

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by BRU67

I heard they sure weren't thrilled when the Title Max went in where the old Sara Lee was on Harlem and Longcommon!

Harlem Avenue sucks. But to be fair, we have that crap in Glen Ellyn too. So does Naperville. Pretty much any retail strip that has low rents or too many vacancies has one of these title loan sharks, a pawn shop, or a Cash 4 Gold these days.

[DandiDay]

Hi folks -
Just wanted to offer a short update. Still waiting on the "official" start date for DH - in the meantime, we've decided to purchase, and will probably raise our budget a bit higher. We're going to try to stay an extra few years (3-6 total years).

It takes quite a bit of time to really research all of these burbs, compare housing prices, real estate taxes, and areas within these little towns! I've spent countless hours searching info on them, and on Redfin.

I was enthralled with Riverside at first - loved the greenery and winding roads, and even found the perfect house! Well, that is, until I looked at the r.e. taxes...almost 17K!!!!!!!! Yikes!!!!

NOW I fully understand that a viable downtown with an array of shops and restaurants is necessary in this regard!

The more I research, the more I'm leaning towards Wheaton- not only for all of the reasons beautifully explained by Holl1ingsworth and LookoutKid, but also because DH also likes to bike, so the bike paths are appealing to him.

*** 1. Could you (and anyone else) be able to tell me where some of the best places to live in Wheaton are? Good proximity to downtown (walkable?), the library, and indoor pools? Also proximity to the bike paths and parks?

****2. Add to that the best school districts (for resale) and resale value/opportunity too...

****3. Is there anything else about Wheaton you can share from your personal experiences? Such as, is it desirable to live within walking distance to town? Any particular style/size house that seems to be popular? I've noticed that the more urban areas have a variety of older homes- Victorian, Craftsman, Prarie, 4-square, and some with finished or unfinished/full basements, etc. Are these types of homes outmoded in Wheaton in favor of younger homes? Larger? If so, any particular style? Popular price range?

****4. I still have to delve further into some other areas, such as Western Springs, Elmhurst, River Forest, and Brookfield. Comparing these to Wheaton, which would you scratch off of the list? Come closest? Which are the safest? Best amenities? BTW, I've investigated most of the other 'burbs we have discussed along the way.

**** 5. Again, compared to Wheaton, which of these (that I've investigated) should I scratch off of the list, as well as comes the closest to a "Wheaton feel"? Oak Park (I think it's too urban for us), La Grange, La Grange Park, Downer's Grove, and Clarendon Hills.

I've already discounted Riverside (no retail, high RE taxes), and Hinsdale (too $$$$$).

In re-reading all of the posts, I now understand much more of the information discussed and am beginning to put it into perspective!

We have a lot of obligations between now and next month, when DH begins work (now it looks like the 1st or 2nd week of Nov.) However, we may have time to squeeze a house-hunting visit in beforehand.

So, answers to the questions I have here may help us narrow down our choices. (As well as reduce my time spent on Redfin!!!)

Thanks again for all of your very kind assistance and time!
Best regards,

Dandiday

[ToriaT]

Hollingsworth has said it all.....I am a resident of Wheaton, and its a wonderful community to live in. Anything I would say would just regurgitate what he has said already. Basically the old town core of Wheaton is where the older homes are and they are beautiful. You have just about any style of housing there. Then there are newer developments further north and south. I prefer South Wheaton because I think its better for shopping and road access. Easier to get to I 88. I love living by Marianos, whole foods and Danada, the prairie path, etc. The homes in South Wheaton are newer mostly subdivisions. But they are no crappy subdivisions, they are filled with well built homes that are very nice for the most part. You can't go wrong with any school...people will say Wheaton north tests a bit higher than WWsouth HS but really both are great schools.

I would scratch River Forest off the list..too expensive really. I would look at places like Wheaton, glen Ellyn, la grange, downers grove, Elmhurst. they are all nice.

[DandiDay]

Thank you, ToriaT!!!

Every bit of info helps!!!
DD

[chet everett]

Wheaton to Maywood is gonna be a less than optimal commute. You can find similar housing in LaGrange and shave lots of commute time. If you don't need good high schools you can save money by looking at Westchester or even Hillside. Both have top notch access to Forest Preserves along Salt Creek and other recreational options.

Elmhurst is mostly as pricey as Wheaton, Glen Ellyn and Western Springs even more so.

[Lookout Kid]

You can basically think of the towns along the BNSF line from Riverside to Western Springs as a western Cook County mini-region, including Riverside, Brookfield, La Grange, La Grange Park, and Western Springs. Or some people might think of the towns from La Grange to Naperville as a belt of mostly prosperous suburbs, excluding the more down-market Brookfield.

Additionally, towns like Elmhurst provide an easier commute to Maywood, and compare quite favorably to Wheaton.

I agree with Chet. Wheaton is a nice place to live, but I don't see much reason to make the commute to Maywood more complicated than it needs to be when there are equivalent or better options much closer to work. And I live in Wheaton's neighbor Glen Ellyn, so my biases might push you to Wheaton. But I think there are better options for you closer to Loyola Medical Center.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

You can't go wrong with any school...people will say Wheaton north tests a bit higher than WWsouth HS but really both are great schools.

Yes, but WWsouth is filled with mouthbreathers who stink up the football field.

Sorry, just trying to get in to this rivalry with Glenbard West.

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I agree with Chet. Wheaton is a nice place to live, but I don't see much reason to make the commute to Maywood more complicated than it needs to be when there are equivalent or better options much closer to work. And I live in Wheaton's neighbor Glen Ellyn, so my biases might push you to Wheaton. But I think there are better options for you closer to Loyola Medical Center.

All biases aside, the commute from Wheaton would not be overly burdensome. The OP's DH would have to deal with the Hillside Strangler on the way to work, which would push the inbound commute time to about 40 minutes. But driving home there are no choke points to contend with, and depending where in Wheaton DH would be headed, the commute would be about 25-30 minutes.

Boiled down, the decision will be a matter of personal preference. The general appeal of the Wheaton/Glen Ellyn area might be enough to compensate for the extra 20-30 minutes total in the car each day. Then again, the OP might like La Grange or Elmhurst better to begin with and the shorter commute will just be icing.

Bringing the biases back in, my wife and I found the amenities, charm and overall look/feel of Wheaton to be far more appealing than La Grange, Elmhurst and the like. We were drawn to the area so much so that we didn't care about the additional commute time -- and I work all the way in the Loop.

I also believe the OP was looking for an in-town liberal arts college. If that is still a requisite, it may help with the whittling process. Worth mentioning is that Wheaton College, located just outside downtown Wheaton, is the highest ranked liberal arts college in the state. And that's not my bias, that's according to US News and Forbes.

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Yes, but WWsouth is filled with mouthbreathers who stink up the football field.

Sorry, just trying to get in to this rivalry with Glenbard West.

I'm going to hold my tongue until after tomorrow's game against Central. We need a W in bad way.

I will say you've had an easy schedule so far against the namby-pampies from Hinsdale Central, Lyons, et al. You got lucky against our mouthbreathers, your only real opponent this year.

[chet everett]

It would be dishonest to hold my tongue about how "big L" liberal things are not at Wheaton College -- it is good school but decidedly hews to its "bible college" roots. In contrast if the OP's daughter wants something a bit more mainstream Elmhurst College is probably a better bet and an artsy / more urban school like Columbia College really seems quite a bit more a long the lines of where I'd see folks with the sort of background described gravitating towards...