Finding our forever home in the north shore or northwest suburbs (Evanston: house, schools)

[FREIGHTON13]

Long-time reader, first time poster here.

I am looking for some feedback and input on making a move from the west suburbs to the north shore/nw burbs.

Here is our situation: My husband and I are currently living in Berwyn. We chose Berwyn to be near grandparents. We like the town, however, we don't want to raise our family or be here long-term (for a number of reasons). We are ready to find our forever home and believe somewhere along the north shore or in the northwest suburbs would be an ideal location for our family. We're just not sure which one!

Here is some more background.

We are an LGBTQ+, mixed race family. I am half Hispanic and my husband is half Black. We also have a 4yr old and newborn who are also mixed race.

Therefore, choosing a town and area that is accepting, progressive (enough), open-minded and family-oriented with great schools are all super important characteristics for us. We'd also like to be close to the lake!

We are leaning toward Highland Park given it's charm, proximity to the lake, access to downtown HP and Ravinia, seemingly diverse schools (based on greatschools). We recently also came across a new build in Buffalo Grove that we like a lot. We also looked at some homes in Lincolnshire, Deerfield and Wilmette. We started looking in these areas based on our budget <$800K and house needs (~2500 sq ft/4BR+/2BA+)

We are most interested in HP and Buffalo Grove, and would appreciate hearing from those who currently live or are very familiar with these towns -- to understand how accepting they would be of our family, and in particular, our kids as they near school-age. It's important our kids get a great education, however, it's equally important our kids are in an environment where they are accepted and surrounded by open-minded teachers and kids. Even better if there is some actual diversity.

Look forward to the responses!

J

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by FREIGHTON13

Long-time reader, first time poster here.

I am looking for some feedback and input on making a move from the west suburbs to the north shore/nw burbs.

Here is our situation: My husband and I are currently living in Berwyn. We chose Berwyn to be near grandparents. We like the town, however, we don't want to raise our family or be here long-term (for a number of reasons). We are ready to find our forever home and believe somewhere along the north shore or in the northwest suburbs would be an ideal location for our family. We're just not sure which one!

Here is some more background.

We are an LGBTQ+, mixed race family. I am half Hispanic and my husband is half Black. We also have a 4yr old and newborn who are also mixed race.

Therefore, choosing a town and area that is accepting, progressive (enough), open-minded and family-oriented with great schools are all super important characteristics for us. We'd also like to be close to the lake!

We are leaning toward Highland Park given it's charm, proximity to the lake, access to downtown HP and Ravinia, seemingly diverse schools (based on greatschools). We recently also came across a new build in Buffalo Grove that we like a lot. We also looked at some homes in Lincolnshire, Deerfield and Wilmette. We started looking in these areas based on our budget <$800K and house needs (~2500 sq ft/4BR+/2BA+)

We are most interested in HP and Buffalo Grove, and would appreciate hearing from those who currently live or are very familiar with these towns -- to understand how accepting they would be of our family, and in particular, our kids as they near school-age. It's important our kids get a great education, however, it's equally important our kids are in an environment where they are accepted and surrounded by open-minded teachers and kids. Even better if there is some actual diversity.

Look forward to the responses!

J

I guess diversity is relative and there is a visible minority community, Hispanic especially, in Highland Park and Highwood. However, I would not describe Highland Park as diverse vis-a-vis a community like Evanston or even Buffalo Grove with its large Asian population. At $800k, however, you are a little high-end for Buffalo Grove. To me, reading this, Evanston or Skokie seem like no-brainers. I'm not sure why they are not on your radar. Lincolnshire, Deerfield, and Wilmette, while not "conservative," lean decidedly more traditional, for lack of a better description. Evanston has a vibrant and growing LGBT scene with a dedicated community liaison and it's own Pride organization founded within the last couple of years. The LGBT community and scene are part of the community fabric in Evanston in a way that other northern suburbs can't compare.

[AdmiralAdama]

Highland Park will be very welcoming to you. Agree with above that you also must check out Evanston

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by FREIGHTON13

Long-time reader, first time poster here.

I am looking for some feedback and input on making a move from the west suburbs to the north shore/nw burbs.

Here is our situation: My husband and I are currently living in Berwyn. We chose Berwyn to be near grandparents. We like the town, however, we don't want to raise our family or be here long-term (for a number of reasons). We are ready to find our forever home and believe somewhere along the north shore or in the northwest suburbs would be an ideal location for our family. We're just not sure which one!

Here is some more background.

We are an LGBTQ+, mixed race family. I am half Hispanic and my husband is half Black. We also have a 4yr old and newborn who are also mixed race.

Therefore, choosing a town and area that is accepting, progressive (enough), open-minded and family-oriented with great schools are all super important characteristics for us. We'd also like to be close to the lake!

We are leaning toward Highland Park given it's charm, proximity to the lake, access to downtown HP and Ravinia, seemingly diverse schools (based on greatschools). We recently also came across a new build in Buffalo Grove that we like a lot. We also looked at some homes in Lincolnshire, Deerfield and Wilmette. We started looking in these areas based on our budget <$800K and house needs (~2500 sq ft/4BR+/2BA+)

We are most interested in HP and Buffalo Grove, and would appreciate hearing from those who currently live or are very familiar with these towns -- to understand how accepting they would be of our family, and in particular, our kids as they near school-age. It's important our kids get a great education, however, it's equally important our kids are in an environment where they are accepted and surrounded by open-minded teachers and kids. Even better if there is some actual diversity.

Look forward to the responses!

J

BG and Highland Park are vastly different areas as far as "feel" is concerned. The latter being much more of a traditional, pre-war rail suburb. The former is a post war suburb, an accumulation of many different developments and main roads.

Cost aside, it sounds like you prefer the feel of Highland Park.

Have you considered Evanston? It has a similar, albeit more congested feel as Highland Park. More diversity, though, across more demographics.

You could also consider neighborhoring Skokie/Niles. The schools are strong, and it might just be the most desirable stretch of properly diverse and integrated suburbia in IL. This area will feel more like Berwyn, however, so maybe that's not the environment you want moving forward?

For a "compromise", it'd be silly not to consider Glenview. More diverse than neighboring Northbrook/Deerfield, more desirable school system than neighboring Skokie/Niles. Central and east Glenview feel a bit more like a traditional North Shore suburb, with a lot of new mixed in. West and northwest Glenview will feel more like a NW suburb, not dissimilar to Buffalo Grove.