North shore suburbs with diverse residents (Chicago, Buffalo Grove: houses, neighbourhoods, middle school)

[damba]

Originally Posted by SS77

We purchased our current home in Hoffman Estates as a new construction over a decade ago - before the influx of real estates sites such as Zillow and Redfin, which make it easier to evaluate criteria buyers might be keen on (schools, for example). We do take some responsibility for not being as judicious as we could have been in researching school districts; however, it didn't even cross our minds. Buying a house in Hoffman Estates - logic predicates one would go to Hoffman Estates schools, not Elgin schools! By the way, our neighbors ONE street over are assigned to the Barrington school district.


If it wasn't for our assigned school district, we'd stay put. The move to Lincolnshire/ Winnetka area, in addition to the schools, is also driven by proximity to my work (Deerfield).

If commute plays into this at all (below schools, obviously), you might consider slightly smaller homes around Lincolnshire if the tax bite by Daniel Wright is the bitter pill to swallow. That would be at most a 10+ minute commute to Lake Cook Rd/294. Edens/spur to DF Rd in the morning from Winnetka isn't usually horrible, but the suburban commute is about as easy as you could ask for. YMMV.

[4122]

Originally Posted by damba

There you go with the big chip on your shoulder again. News flash- Barrington might not be the shangri-la you have portrayed it as either.

I didn't say every town in the area. I have been to Barrington many times and have done extensive research on the schools. I don't just name towns. now we know where op works, that changes things. Barrington is further from work, but the commute isn't too bad. Straight shot down Lake Cook.

[4122]

The Stevenson area is the area with the highest property taxes in Lake County. Long Grove, Kildeer, and Hawthorn Woods are areas that have portions in the Stevenson school district that are unincorporated. This means taxes are lower than the rest of the school district. Most of Long Grove is in the Stevenson school district.

[damba]

I missed your reply.

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

Not just South Asian, but specifically high Indian population... I don't see that OP post re: HE not being accepting, only your post re: DF being more accepting than HE. I wanted you to clarify that opinion with examples, since I've lived/worked extensively in both towns and that has not been my experience.

FWIW, I've never heard of kids in the schools or neighborhoods in DF actively harassing a family or child because they hailed from the subcontinent. OTOH, my friends who live not far from the OP in HE, have Indian neighbors who had their garages tagged following the Trump victory. YMMV.

What is your experience out of curiosity?

And there's a reason why there is an influx of South Asians in Hoffman Estates area - this demographic tends to conduct a lot of school research... The problem is the OP picked the wrong street to move to, considering Hoffman Estates feeds into three other better-performing districts, and IMO the town has a diverse and inclusive population, and is likely pretty "grounded" (OP term).

The barrier to entry is somewhat lower in HE than DF, and there are a lot more variety of housing options overall. Of course the immigrants are going to consider such places first since they are more accessible. Given the existence of nearby grocery stores/services and other residents from the same background who may tailor to their needs makes it more attractive too. But again, does that necessarily make it by default more accepting? Not so sure.

So 3 specific needs OP mentioned- good schools, Indian acceptance, groundedness could possibly be met if they move to a different part of the same town (also, Cook County property taxes are significantly lower). By all means, check out the North Shore - it's a great area (especially the lake access which OP never mentioned), but maybe don't overlook a possible path of least resistance..

Yep. That's my take as well. Also, IMNSHO, if the OP wants to get out of some of the Lake County property taxes though, she should shop at a different price point to get the school choices she's looking for.

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by damba

I missed your reply.



FWIW, I've never heard of kids in the schools or neighborhoods in DF actively harassing a family or child because they hailed from the subcontinent. OTOH, my friends who live not far from the OP in HE, have Indian neighbors who had their garages tagged following the Trump victory. YMMV.

What is your experience out of curiosity?.

As I said, my experience is that I have lived and worked in both towns and am very familiar with the people and politics of the towns, as well as the schools. I also have Indian friends and associates who are very happy living in HE.... I believe your one friend's experience is an anomaly and not at all representative of the area. Just as I feel this one DF resident is not at all giving a fare portrayal of the town of DF...

"...has finally convinced me when Deerfield is accused of xenophobia, racism and general disdain for the poor, those accusations are dead-on accurate." -
Letter: Unfavorable perception of Deerfield is warranted - Northbrook Star

[damba]

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

As I said, my experience is that I have lived and worked in both towns and am very familiar with the people and politics of the towns, as well as the schools. I also have Indian friends and associates who are very happy living in HE.... I believe your one friend's experience is an anomaly and not at all representative of the area. Just as I feel this one DF resident is not at all giving a fare portrayal of the town of DF...

"...has finally convinced me when Deerfield is accused of xenophobia, racism and general disdain for the poor, those accusations are dead-on accurate." -
Letter: Unfavorable perception of Deerfield is warranted - Northbrook Star

Sorry, but a poorly conceived church plan to put up affordable housing right behind one million dollar homes is not the same animal as we are discussing in this thread. You only know the information that has been presented by the major Chicago news media and not all the details/history of the plan, which was hatched to help a church stay afloat after horrible embezzling episode.

In no way have I characterized the entire city of HE in that manner, btw. Why don't you PM the OP regarding what actually transpired with her kids there and see if your tune changes though.

[Rhino4401]

Consider Glencoe

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by damba

Sorry, but a poorly conceived church plan to put up affordable housing right behind one million dollar homes is not the same animal as we are discussing in this thread. You only know the information that has been presented by the major Chicago news media and not all the details/history of the plan, which was hatched to help a church stay afloat after horrible embezzling episode.

In no way have I characterized the entire city of HE in that manner, btw. Why don't you PM the OP regarding what actually transpired with her kids there and see if your tune changes though.

My DF example was to illustrate how ridiculous it is to dismiss an entire town based on one story where you don't know all the background...

OP has made no mention of harassment (only you mentioned this with some vague story from a friend of a friend). Every town can have some bad neighbors. I have only recommended OP consider multiple schooling alternatives, yet you keep trying to steer the conversation toward some sort of HE harassment event that OP never mentioned.

Among other things, I recommended to consider moving within the same town to a better district, and poster 4122 recommended nearby D220 schools (which are great) and you got all defensive about that. Why are you dismissing others researched and well-stated opinions? I get it - you like DF alot. It's a good town, but just curious, do you own or market real estate in DF?

I have many decades of experiences and interactions with all aspects of all the towns mentioned and know the stories, and then some... One story about one neighbor from an unknown poster would not change my opinions, so no need to PM the OP.

[4122]

Originally Posted by Rhino4401

Consider Glencoe

I agree. It's a friendly town in the nt district. The commute would be very reasonable versus Winetka and Wilmette.

[SS77]

Originally Posted by damba

In no way have I characterized the entire city of HE in that manner, btw. Why don't you PM the OP regarding what actually transpired with her kids there and see if your tune changes though.

The holiday weekend precluded me from chiming-in in a timely manner. We've lived in Hoffman Estates for almost 13 years, and haven't encountered inappropriate behavior because of our ethnic background. We really like the suburb, and our son's elementary school - it has a terrific mix of diverse students (ethnic and socioeconomic). While the elementary school is meeting our expectations, our neighbors have provided unflattering accounts (academic standards, lack of opportunities) of the middle and high-school (we have been assigned the Elgin school district). Our only motivation for moving is providing a better academic environment for our son.