Looking to move from East Coast to Chicago suburbs and want to know where we should be looking. Since my daughter will be in kindergarten next year schools are the first priority of where we decide to move. Any advice on areas to look and what elementary schools are best. The more advice the better! Also can't be too expensive of an area, looking for houses under $300k to buy or equivalent to rent.
I did live in Lindenhurst and Arlington Heights before getting married but I never paid attention to schools to know if I should look there again. My husband will be working in Lincolnshire so keep a commute in mind with suggestions if you can.
Look @Lake Bluff, Lake forest or Libertyville, Great scool and very close to Lincolshire.
Great scholl, all te school levels ar within top 5 in IL.
I work in Lincolnshire and work in Lake Bluff.
V.
Another vote for Cary here. The commute to Lincolnshire will be about 45 to 75 minutes depending on time of day and time of year. My husband also works in Lincolnshire, but is able to work from home a few days a week, so he doesn't mind the commute on the other days.
Good luck with the move!
Hi Daniel,
We live in Buffalo Grove and love it! The houses in Lake County are more expensive. We live in the Cook County side, and you should be able to get a house under $300. The schools are great. Our kids go to Longfellow, and we love it.
We love Wauconda! I taught here for 9 years before getting married and kids of my own. My children will be attending the public schools when they are older. The neighborhood I live in has lots to do for kids too. Parks, forest preserve/trails, lot and lots of kids!
It's tough to find houses under 300K and good schools but this is a good time to buy. You can find a house in Lindenhurst for under 300K. I would suggest getting in the Milburn district.
Good luck!
My family and I(husband, 2 boys) moved to Algonquin 3 years ago. We have been nothing but pleased with the area and school system. My second son is special needs and discovered one of the best programs around. We are surrounded by great neighbors, a ton of kids, and quiet, safe neighborhoods.We have since added 2 more girls to the mix and couldn't be happier...just a thought.
I work in Buffalo Grove on the edge of Lincolnshire and live in Cary and love it. Cary schools were ranked in the top schools in IL and you can find homes for under 300k easily. We live near the schools and there are homes in our neighbor for sale right now around 250k. In this market you should be able to get a great deal on a house. Good Luck and Welcome Back to IL.
I am not sure about housing prices, but I think Lincolnshire is pretty pricey. You should get a good, local realestate agent. Some nice communities in that area are Libertyville, Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights.
The problem with the North Shore of Chicago, is many areas are expensive. Generally, you will get more house for your money 1 or 2 communities west of the lake. The collar suburbs will probably be out of your price range. Towns like Glenview, Northbrook, Deerfield, all have good schools, but it will be hard to find a house in your price. Maybe a condo. The newer communities farther from the lake have great, newer houses for better prices, but be careful about schools that are overcrowded. Many of these towns grow so fast and their community services and tax base have not kept up with the demand. You do not want your daughter in a kindergarten class with 30 kids and 1 teacher and/or a grade school with 500 students! Too Big! For example, Gurnee is a great town, but I heard the class sizes are very big there. Get a good agent who will give you the honest scoop, and research the towns online to get the info and statistics you are looking for. Go to school websites too. Good Luck. this is a great place to live! (with all the craziness in the market, you will probably get a good deal, so at least you got that going for you!)
We live in Crystal Lake and love the area. You can get a lot of house for the money compared to other suburbs, and we have everything shopping wise and it's easy to get to the city if you want. The schools in CL are great. We live in Woodscreek subdivision and Woods Creek Elementary school is top ranked in Crystal Lake. You can get a great house under $300K and go to Woods Creek Elementary. The surrounding cities have good schools as well, and more affordable housing. The other great thing is that the shopping right here in Crystal Lake/Lake in the Hills/Algonquin area on Randall Rd. is booming and they are still building. You can also get a brand new home for a great price out here if that is what you want as well. The park district here is awesome, and the surrounding cities park districts are great as well. Wonderful, family friendly community and we are so happy we moved here 3 years ago. Good luck!
Don't forget Wisconsin! We've had an increasing number of Chicagoans move up to Kenosha, which is on the Wisconsin/Illinois border. You can get more house for your money and we offer a strong public school system with high performing charter schools.
Here's a link about Kenosha.
Our lakefront neighborhood is walking distance to Metra too!
Something else to consider...
Did you have concerns on property taxes? If you chose to remain in Lake county taxes are a little higher. Hawthorn Woods home price is on the higher end. But I would definitely send my kids to those schools. Freemont schools are nice too.Wauconda, Lake zurich, lots to choose from.
However we purchased in McHenry county, we have a bigger lot, older home, and pay less in taxes than we did in lake county. So I would suggest to look for what feels like home and comfort for your family. Antioch is a nice area too! Just keep an open mind! Good luck and best wishes on your move.
Hi, Welcome back. I would suggest Vernon Hills, Libertyville or Gurnee. I work in Lincolnshire and I live in Gurnee, my son just started kindergarten and I like this school. We used to live in Vernon Hills (fantastic commute), but we were able to get a bigger home in Gurnee. All these school districts are good in these areas. Good luck to you.
For 300,000, Gurnee is a good choice. The schools are good (smaller class sizes) and the housing is affordable. The town is great for young families. :)
Libertyville/Vernon Hills area is great, too, but you get a lot less for your money in a house.
We moved to Cary IL 8 years ago when I was pregnant with my son- even though we live in Cary the kids go to school in Crystal Lake. Great school system- regardless we decided to send our children to a catholic school- Saint Peter and Paul. I really enjoy my neighborhood and school. We were looking to relocate in the schaumberg area originally- but houseing was so expensive- and taxes! We were able to find a beautiful home in the 250's of course thats about 300 today but who knows with our housing market. I recommend asking your realator they should know a lot about the schools and once you find a home and move I recommend finding a moms group- there are newcommer groups or Mothers and more clubs. Good Luck!
I would say Lake Villa/Lindenhurst or maybe Antioch. My husband works in Lincolnshire as well and he commutes from Antioch. Not a terrible ride, but not perfect either. We chose their because of the schools and home prices. The closer you get to Lincolnshire the more you will pay in the value of the home.
I also love Crystal Lake. I grew up in Barrington, so I'm not far from my home turf. I agree with the mom below who is also in CL. The schools are great, the area provides everything you would need, and I feel comfortable letting my kids play around the neighborhood. Very family centered community, "everyone" has kids, and the community caters to families.
I did my student teaching in Libertyville at Butterfield school- very close to Lincolnshire!!! (Maybe 15 minutes away)The teachers, parents, kids, principal were all a dream to work with. I wish we lived there. Go to realtor.com and check out home prices in this area. I believe the school district was 76, so make sure that you would fall into that area. There are homes that are under $300k , older split level homes, that are in nice neighborhoods. Go on a tour of the school if you can, I know many parents did at Butterfield and loved it as I did too. Unfortunately, we are not in that school district, my son is very young still, but would love to move there when it is time for him to enter school. E-mail me if you have any other questions about it :)
Jennifer
Hi There,
I lived in Wheeling all my life until I got married. We bought a townhome in Gurnee (near Grand & Dada Roads). It's near everything & housing is affordable. Schools are supposed to be good too. If you need a realtor, who is very nice & not very pushy & is great with 1st time buyers, her name is Barb Hibnick at www.barbhibnick.com. Her & her husband Ray are a great team to work with. Her office is in Buffalo Grove. We've been here for 3 years & have a 17 month old son & can walk to almost anything. Good luck to you!
