Western Suburbs? (Chicago, Naperville, Schaumburg: for sale, crime rates, houses)

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by NUman

I actually found that Glenbard West had more african-americans than New Trier. Glen Ellyn itself had almost as many african americans as the 50,000+ New Trier Township. My wife told me that Naperville was too far out and that parts of it were very cookie-cutter. I thought the homes near Downtown Naperville were very nice. What high school would that area go to? My son enjoys some sports like Fencing, Swimming, Rock Climbing, and other non-team sports. He also is very good at music and right now we have three excellent music teachers at his school and out of school. On GreatSchools.net someone wrote that the Art and Music programs at Hinsdale Central were seriously lacking, because all the funding was being diverted to the sports programs. I am looking for something like New Trier were everything is well funded and everything is excellent. Which town is the most beautiful? Has anyone had any exprience with Rite Way Custom Homes? Also, how do Lyons Township, Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, and Wheaton North compare? Is it like comparing Lamborghinis and Ferraris?

Lyons Township high school probably has the most to offer as far as extra-curricular activities go. They have outstanding music and theater departments along with great athletics. One big difference between LT compared to those other schools is that although it has a high percentage of affluent kids attending the school, there are also many that are more blue-collar. I would argue LT is more diverse than the other schools you mention. Also, I would think LT would have the most African-Americans out of all the schools you mention. LT tends to represent every race, every income level and every mixture of race and income level.
As for which town to live in, well that would be a tough choice. La Grange has a gorgeous downtown with beautiful older houses. Western Springs used to sport a lot of gorgeous old houses also, but it seems to be heading down McMansion road. Don't let test scores deceive you. Lyons Township has kids that are recent immigrants that don't speak much English. Since they have to take the state tests regardless, this brings the overall total down. As for that section of Naperville you speak of, I believe the majority of downtown Naperville still attends Naperville North high school. I attended both Lyons Township and Naperville North and can attest to the fact that Lyons Township has many more programs than the Naperville schools. People will argue with me about this but then again people who only drive through Naperville argue with me about my opinions about Naperville on city-data even though I lived there and attended schools there for years.

[NUman]

Lyons Township High School looks like a pretty good fit. My son still says that western Springs is not as nice as Glen Ellyn, because Glen Ellyn has a nice downtown, a nice big lake, it is close to other things like the Morton thing, and it has prettier homes and streets. I just really question Glenbard West High School. It seems like not many people know about it except for people who have lived or grown up in Glen Ellyn and that is not really that many people. Crbcrbrgv, you said that there is a higher percentage of blue-collar families and immigrant families who have children in Lyons Township Schools. I don't know if that would be easy moving from far northern New Trier Township to a place with plenty of economic diversity. We do have immigrant families in New Trier, but they are usually Asian or European immigrants who are already established and have plenty of money. With the higher population of students from blue-collar families, is it as safe as Hinsdale Central or New Trier? Also, if people had a choice would most buy in Western Springs or Clarendon Hills? When you say Western Springs is headed down McMansion road, do you mean homes like they build in sbudivisions or west Wilmette or do you mean homes like they have built in Hinsdale or Glen Ellyn? Also Crbcrbrgv, do you have an opinion on Glen ellyn or Wheaton and Glenbard West or Wheaton North?

[ahava]

Originally Posted by NUman

With the higher population of students from blue-collar families, is it as safe as Hinsdale Central or New Trier? Also, if people had a choice would most buy in Western Springs or Clarendon Hills?

Lyons Township is as safe as Hinsdale Central or New Trier but they're currently having a problem with bathrooms being vandalized, which I doubt happens at H-Central or New Trier. They're installing more security cameras this year so they can crack down on the problem, but if H-Central and New Trier are anything like Stevenson (which they are) they already have security cameras in every main hallway and that's why they don't have a vandalism problem. Those schools can afford those things. Lyons Township's revenue is about $57 mil/year, Hinsdale's (for both high schools) is about $70 mil, and New Trier's is over $85 mil. However, Lyons Township pays their teachers more than those schools, which means they can hire the best teachers, but it also means they don't have as much money for extras like security cameras.

In my opinion, Western Springs is nicer than Clarendon Hills or Glen Ellyn, but I live there, so obviously if I didn't think that way I would be living somewhere else. I've never been to Glen Ellyn's downtown so I can't compare it, but Western Springs has a very cute downtown, and I think the houses and streets are pretty. That's really subjective though; you need to visit each town and form your own opinion of the aesthetics.

[NUman]

Would you say that Western Springs was headed down McMansion road or not? I would not call teardown and rep[lace homes McMansions, most of the time. I live in a home built in 2007 and it is very sensitive and most new homes here in New Trier recieve warm reception. The only community that complains about teardowns is Kenilworth.

What is Glenbard West's annual revenue and how does it compare to the schools that I have mentioned? Ahava, are you satisfied with Lyons Township and Western Springs K-8 schools? Also, what is the difference from living on the Cook County side or DuPage county side of Hinsdale? I prefer the Cook County North Shore suburbs, they seem to be less uppity, even though they are wealthier than the Lake County North Shore communities. Also, are there many working proffesional mothers in the western suburbs? I know one reason we fit in here is because most households in New Trier are double income.

[ahava]

Originally Posted by NUman

Would you say that Western Springs was headed down McMansion road or not? I would not call teardown and rep[lace homes McMansions, most of the time. I live in a home built in 2007 and it is very sensitive and most new homes here in New Trier recieve warm reception. The only community that complains about teardowns is Kenilworth.

What is Glenbard West's annual revenue and how does it compare to the schools that I have mentioned? Ahava, are you satisfied with Lyons Township and Western Springs K-8 schools? Also, what is the difference from living on the Cook County side or DuPage county side of Hinsdale? I prefer the Cook County North Shore suburbs, they seem to be less uppity, even though they are wealthier than the Lake County North Shore communities. Also, are there many working proffesional mothers in the western suburbs? I know one reason we fit in here is because most households in New Trier are double income.

There are a lot of teardowns in Western Springs, that's probably what the other poster was referring to. For the most part they're tasteful, unlike what I've seen in other suburbs.

The Glenbard high school district's annual revenue is about $107 mil, for 4 high schools. I am very satisfied with the Western Springs school district and LT. The schools are one of the main reasons why we moved to Western Springs and we haven't been disappointed.
The difference between the Cook County side of Hinsdale and the DuPage county side is the property tax rate. The school districts are the same. DuPage has the lower taxes. I can't speak for every western suburb but here there are a lot of working mothers because it takes two incomes to afford a nice house.

[NUman]

I am going to be visiting the Western Suburbs with my family this Friday evening through Sunday evening. We will be staying at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center. Is it easy to explore Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Western Springs, Hinsdale, and Clarendon Hills from there? I was also looking at the crime rates in Oak Brook earlier today. Why are they so high, compared to the neighboring communities? Also in these towns, are there any places that I should be sure to go take a look at? My son told me about this upscale restaurant in Western Springs that we would like to visit while we are there. Does anyone know the name? Is there anything special going on Saturday or Sunday in those areas?

I also think I am interested in Naperville. Exactly how far from the Northwestern University Campus in Chicago is it? Also, how far from Bolingbrook? What are the home prices in Downtown Naperville? What is the difference between Naperville North, South, and the others and Neuqua Valley? Is there anything we could see in Naperville?

[NUman]

Are Western Suburb residents Cubs or Sox fans? I always heard south of Grand Avenue was Sox territory. Here in New Trier people have tons of cubs stuff houses with cubs logos in their driveways. In Glencoe there is a big cubs party on Old Green Bay Road every year hosted by a very wealthy resident.

[here to help]

Hello

Well the towns that you mentioned are all very nice for different reasons.

Hinsdale is large and has an abundance of available higher end homes. It has a wonderful town center with shops, restaurants and boutiques which gives it a charming feel. It feeds into Hinsdale Central which is highly rated for their academic excellence. The streets are tree lined and homes are large, sometimes too large with lot coverage being an issue. There are many historic homes but the serge of new construction has taken over in the last 10 years.

Clarendon Hills is the sleepy sister town to Hinsdale offering beautiful new construction homes as well. The lot sizes are, on average, a little larger and it is not as congested as it's larger counter part- Hinsdale. There is a small downtown area but it is quaint. Walker and Prospect schools (elementary) are the top two of the entire district shared with Hinsdale. It is a well keep secret to the out of area buyers but a town that should definitely be considered. It also feeds into Hinsdale high school.


Western Springs and LaGrange feed into Lyons Township which offers drafting as an elective freshman year. Tons of class options. They are similar in set up to Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills with Western Springs being the more quiet of the two. Beautiful homes in the Old town area and beyond. LaGrange has a beautiful historic area as well with large front porch 4-squares with tons of room and charm. Close to Oak Brook, airports, express train and great downtown area.

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Have a good night!

[here to help]

The restaurant in Wesern Springs is Vi. It is on the south side of the tracks on Lawn.

I really think you should focus on the closer in suburbs.

Have fun this weekend!

[ahava]

Originally Posted by NUman

I was also looking at the crime rates in Oak Brook earlier today. Why are they so high, compared to the neighboring communities? Also in these towns, are there any places that I should be sure to go take a look at? My son told me about this upscale restaurant in Western Springs that we would like to visit while we are there. Does anyone know the name?

Oak Brook's crime rate is high because of the mall. Any town with a large mall has an elevated crime rate because of it. The restaurant your son mentioned probably is Vie. It's been rated in several places as one of the top restaurants in Chicagoland.