Which Chicago suburbs are the best? (Aurora, Naperville: houses, magnet schools, college)

[ahava]

Originally Posted by nanannie

Next big growth??They are already grown huge and expansive.That area of Randall rd is a mess of ugly strip malls and cookie cutter tree- less subdivisions.It was beautiful country at one time.Will any developer ever take into consideration to have larger lots,or save acerage and trees for the future?.Or is our future just jiffy lubes and McDonalds in between the boring look a like "little boxes made of ticky tacky."..sad

I have to agree with nanannie on this one. Calling that stretch of Randall Rd "a picture of the future," while probably an accurate statement, is just disturbing.

[crbcrbrgv]

What about cheaper suburbs?

[sunnydaysathome]

Northern suburbs are very desirable, but pricy. close to Botanic Garden and Ravinia (oh yes, nothing like a wonderful evening at Ravinia in the summer). Full of rich yuppies. Niles, Des Plaines and Park Ridge have older, tree-lined streets with old, brick ranch homes in need of remodeling. Cherished for proximity to downtown, but also in the path of planes coming into O'Hare (bad air).

If commute into downtown Chicago is not an issue, there are whole new communties springing up west of Elgin and north on Rangall road to Crystal Lake. THis area is nice for families, with new schools, new malls, very much the safe, beautiful, suburban, middle class life.

Also, Naperville is very desireable with the train going into the city and lots of high-paying local jobs. Very upscale and desireable with lots of educated professionals, and a cute downtown. Rated one of the top places to live in US.

Don't even think about going south.

[pandabear]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Also, the schools are outstanding and a little more diverse than Hinsdale. I've read some comments on this thread stating "This town is getting better because Mexicans/Blacks are leaving". Statements like that are probably part of what makes Californians not like the Chicago area.
I attended Naperville North High School and can tell you it is good for education but terrible for diversity. Naperville in general is about as white-bread as you can get. And they have a sign for every damned little accomplishment. "Naperville, home of the 2004 Safety Rodeo champions". You go, Naperville!

PULEASE, you should see how white californian's act when "diversity"(and i dont mean the type from asia) is cast in to their white worlds. I mean wasnt california home of the WATTS riots, and 30's later RODNEY KING riots. There is no racial harmony in that place, just economic segregation.

[pw72]

Originally Posted by kirstenleigh

I have to agree with nanannie on this one. Calling that stretch of Randall Rd "a picture of the future," while probably an accurate statement, is just disturbing.

Well, I was using Randall Rd. as an example of what is happening all over Chicagoland. Crystal Lake and Woodstock still actually have a small town feel within the suburban surroundings.

I will stick up for one good Randall development, Algonquin Commons. Thought it was quite well-done, and the 2nd phase seems to be coming together quite nicely.

[Steve-o]

Randall Rd is everything that is killing America. Strip malls, chain stores, chain restaurants, etc, etc. I admit that its convenient, but its too BLAH. The Algonquin and Geneva Commons are unique, I suppose, but not what the area needs. There are lots of nice downtown areas along the Fox, no need to keep building, building, building more stores, ya know what I mean?

[acreplus]

Look into Lemont...when 355 extension is completed I'm sure getting in and out town will be easier. Distance very close to Naperville.

[gardener34]

I moved to the fox river valley about 13 years ago and love it there.
St. charles, Geneva, Batavia, South Elgin are recommended. Geneva has a train into the city if you need it. Lots of outdoors stuff to do there because of the river and bike trails through the area.
In chicagoland though, where you live should depend ENTIRELY on where you want to commute from. Cause the commutes can be brutal.

[HotPotatoGirl]

I grew up in Palatine, a northwest suburb. Palatine High School had a great art department, some other good things going for it, and some not so good things. It has a very diverse population. Parents moved to Prospect Heights just before I graduated from Palatine High School, and I'm living in Prospect Heights right now. I have lived on the far northside of Chicago as well (the lovely Andersonville neighborhood), and am planning on moving to Glenview where my boyfriend and I both work. (We'll be renting.) Eventually, we will probably move away from the Chicago area, but want to stay in the Midwest. Maybe Minnesota/Minneapolis or Wisconsin...or even the far northwest suburbs of Chicago like Woodstock (if we choose to be closer to family).

Our concerns are air quality, water quality, and living quality. We are also serious gardeners. These priorities make us want to get away from the negatives of the Chicago area, but we are finding the right place for us here in the mean time. Chicago's municipal water quality is terrible. Chlorine, fluoride, even arsenic according to the Tap Water Quality Database by Environmental Working Group (EWG) EWG Investigation | U.S. Tap Water Quality Database. Use a water filter in the shower and I recommend bottled or distilled water for drinking. Brita does not filter out the bad stuff.

Fortunately in the quiet little suburb of Prospect Heights, with big 3/4 to 1 acre backyards, tall trees, and more expensive homes, each home has its own filtered well water (although some want to change this). When we move to Glenview, which has municipal water, we will filter all the water in the home.

Air quality in the city of Chicago is BAD, very bad. I grew up in the burbs, and living in Chicago for 2 and 1/2 years proved to me that the air pollution combined with the concrete, concentration of EMF's, and general lack of green was totally unhealthy. Friends of ours live there, but we don't recommend it if you need clean air and space. The City of Chicago just started using a few wonderful hybrid buses in its public trans fleet, but that is no where near enough. The city is doing a lot to go green, but it is still polluted with regular air quality alerts. And it will never be a green city as long as those terrible, toxic coal plants are sitting there polluting the southside.

If you live in the area, I recommend subscribing to an organic CSA farm to get fresh delicious local produce in season. http://www.locaharvest.com (broken link) or CSA Learning Center at Angelic Organics has farm options. There's two great educational organic non-profit CSA farms in the burbs - Green Earth Institute in Naperville and Sandhill Organics in the Prarie Crossing conservation community in Grayslake. Glenview Park District also has Historic Wagner Farm and Museum. There are a couple urban farms in Chicago too. And more organic farms in the farther areas and southern Wisconsin who deliver to the burbs and the city. Woodstock, about 1 and 1/2 hours from Chicago, is home to Underwood Gardens, Underwood Gardens-Heirloom seeds, open pollinated and rare seeds., an organic sanctuary that sells heirloom seeds for fruit, veggies, flowers, and herbs. The organic farm community in the Illinois/Wisconsin area is very strong.

It seems like Lake County and McHenry County have great forest preserves and more open space areas. I went to school in Lake Forest, northshore. Very pretty trees, by the lake, but less diverse and very expensive. A lot of Asian Americans live in the northwest suburbs and the north suburbs closer to the city, but there are populations in other suburbs too. People seem to think Glenview has a good school district and they have a lot going for their park district. Evanston is nice if you want to be very close to the city but not in the city. All these cities are close to the Metra train that goes to downtown Chicago. Skokie and Evanston are connected to the city by the el train as well. My boyfriend's family live in Lake in the Hills, where the infamous Randall Rd is. I agree. The unending strip malls and cookie-cutter homes with no trees is at first appalling and sad. His little brother seems to like it there. He had a great 5th grade teacher and is really into sports.

We loved California when we visited. But I really appreciate the rainy springs and summer showers and lush green landscape here in the Midwest.

[Evie7463]

I would consider Park Ridge and DesPlaines NW burbs -- and those are reasonable and nice.