Barrington? (Chicago, Evanston, Oak Park: real estate, crime rates, brokers) - Chicago Suburbs - Illinois (IL) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

aeh · 11-20-2006, 12:54 PM

Wow, this is just what I was looking for. Lots of info, too. We still want an upscale, quaint area but don't want any of that crap like you all were mentioning. Yes, we can afford it, but I don't want my kids to grow up like that at all. Is Cary upscale? Is Crystal Lake? Basically, I want somewhere with nice, large houses (currently over 6000 sf but no snobs in our area and it doesn't matter what you drive even though people where I live now are very wealthy), trees and big lots (at least 1 acre) and nice families, not snobby, materialistic, "let's buy, buy, buy" attitudes!! My husband will be working in Hoffman.

domergurl · 11-20-2006, 01:14 PM

What about Glen Elyn? I seem to recall it being a nice town.

Steve-o · 11-20-2006, 02:20 PM

Glen Ellyn is quite pricey too, not as bad as Barrington(s), but not Carol Stream either.

Barrington is chock full of mega-mansions. Great schools, friendly people, but ONLY if youve got $$$. Its the Paradise Valley of Cook County....

Crystal Lake, Sleepy Hollow, Algonquin are growing way too fast. Soon their schools will be overcrowded like the rest of them.

Id suggest Naperville. It falls inbetween Barrington(s) and Glen Ellyn. Property taxes are high, but so is the standard of living. CNN/Money magazine consistently rank Naperville as one of the best places to live in the nation. GREAT schools, thriving nightlife/shopping/dining experiences. Theyre a bit snobbish, but generally friendly. LOTS of stuff to do in Naperville for prices higher then Glen Ellyn and lower than Barrington.

aeh · 11-20-2006, 02:30 PM

If you lived in a house that was 1M, would you be the poor people in Barrington? I know Naperville is great, but it all looks the same!

aeh · 11-20-2006, 02:32 PM

Thanks. And I will check out Glen Ellyn!

What about Long Grove? Snobby people there, too?

Steve-o · 11-20-2006, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeh

If you lived in a house that was 1M, would you be the poor people in Barrington? I know Naperville is great, but it all looks the same!

Naperville doesnt look the same at all IMHO, LOTS of different style houses and condos, etc... Really attractive place, especially downtown and close surrounding streets. To me, Santa Fe and Phoenix/Albuquerque all look the same, thats why I love the midwest and the architecture, its the best in the nation IMO.

As for Long Grove, thats a beautiful town with neat shopping. Very wealthy too, 1 million dollar homes (and way up) are the norm.

Also, a 1 million dollar home in Barrington is probably average, but it seems that the 5 and up ones are more noticeable and therefore seem more of the norm, even though its probably not the truth.

cdrobert · 11-22-2006, 08:29 PM

Barringtonites have a diesease that plagues virtually all upper middle class societies. That is the false sense of wealth disease. Unlike the west coast and east coast where money talks, people who live in barrington think they are the richest thing on the planet when they live 2 million dollar houses. Why dont they see what 2 million dollars gets them in hermosa beach, ca. Ill tell you, not much.

wallstreet1986 · 11-24-2006, 08:00 AM

Barrington is too far from the city of Chicago. It is a 40 to 45 mile drive from the city. On the train it takes a long time.

The town is weird in that there is huge rush hour traffic even though it is so far out. It is pretty but the prices are comparable to a nicer place like Lake Forest or Oakbrook or Hinsdale which are much closer in to the city.

Hinsdale is great especially if you commute to the city or the airport. 30 min by train to the city, 20 miles from Chicago, 10 miles from the airport.

If you cant afford it look further west like Naperville or Aurora. Aurora is about as far out as Barrington but I wish no one that commute into the city.

reppin_the_847 · 11-24-2006, 03:02 PM

I can see why people are cracking on Barrington so much, but despite whatever snobby air that some people might put on in the area, I'm sure the community offers a great quality of life (if you can afford it). Yes it is a bit further from the city compared to some other upscale areas such as Winnetka (near north), Lake Forest (slightly far north) and Hinsdale (near west), but you said that you (or your husband) would be commuting to Hoffman Estates. If you want the ideal commute and you want to be situated in the Barringtons, I'd perhaps consider South Barrington because it is naturally the closest Barrington to Hoffman Estates. It is situated well into the Cook County side and your commute to work should be a piece of cake. The housing there seems to be very much on the newer side (large McMansions) if that is your cup of tea. My family is from unincorporated Libertyville (a section in the east known as Green Oaks), and while I may recommend my parents' community, it is WAY TOO FAR from Hoffman Estates and the commute would be killer. If you were to opt for the North Shore I'd probably go with an area like West Lake Forest, Bannockburn, Riverwoods, Deerfield, Northbrook or the western part of Glenview just so you have easy access to 294 (easy to reach 90 or Golf Rd to get to Hoffman Estates). But again South Barrington is geographically your best bet most likely.

Mattey · 12-19-2006, 11:43 PM

I'm a senior at the high school as of right now...and i really like it alot. There are a lot of drugs, and theres definitely a lot of money. I really think that if you tell your kids that your not interested in them doing drugs, they probably won't. My parents had a big influence on the fact that i always say NO. I've lived in south barrington and gone to barrington school districts since kindergarten and the education is really good. i've had substitute teachers from other schools in the area tell me how lucky i am to be attending barrington schools. Also barrington isn't just a bunch of rich snobs. downtown barrington is very nice situated middle class area and there are a lot of nice people there. my neighborhood is very nice as well, my neighbors being those "snobs" that drive ferrari's and porsches but hey, they have great personalities, and my next door neighbor even helps my dad with our house maintanence. spend $300 a week on clothes? sure some people do but i probably average less than $300 a year and i keep myself clean. I also have a job which i support my hobbies, car payments, and other stuff on, and i also know that most of my friends have jobs as well. Barrington is stereotyped way too much. Thats one of the downsides about it, you tell people your from barrington and they some people are definitely turned off by it. As for alternatives to the high prices of barrington, there are two nice neighborhoods off of route 59 on shoe factory road, which are located in hoffman estates, right off of forest preserve property and are very nice neighborhoods which are still in the barrington school district. i would suggest checking those out if your still interested.