Chicago's Best Outlying Communities

My nephew will have to move to Chicago from Dallas pretty soon, towing a wife and two very small children with him. He's not happy with the move, but in corporate America, things change very quickly and his position was shifted up north. The days of trusting management and officers are over. Anyone who hears rumors on their corporations planning a move should get on google and begin spending an hour each night researching where they might be relocated and finding all the alternatives to the inner city locations they may be facing. If it doesn't affect you, fine. It is crucial to keep on the Internet to find out things about any area that might really impact your family--crime, income levels, schools and all sorts of other pertinent information. I looked at the Chicago area so I can help my nephew and came up with some ideas.

Nothing near Chicago will be really bargain-priced. Moving there will probably involve some compromise in a certain area of consideration. Does low crime take first place on your list of priorities? Do you want the biggest home possible? Is your children's choice of a good school the most important priority? Look at the best communities that will satisfy your needs and make whatever compromises that will meet as many of those as possible.

Evanston seems to be considered "safe place" for out-of-towners, but this may be up for debate. It has a racially mixed population and many professionals live here happily, which is great. But house prices are high in this suburb. Evanston's houses are not necessarily opulent but are big and comfortable, and they command a premium because of the suburb's location fairly close to the University area. Many tenured professors live here.

Evanston is a community on the Lake and adjacent to Northwestern University. There is a high proportion of professionals here and the median house range here was $372,500 in 2005, so it seems there are more affordable homes here than in Glenview, though both towns are expensive. It also has a more racially mixed population. There are two hospitals located here and several nearby medical centers or clinics. There is one public and one private high school here, but many choices for middle and elementary schools, both public and private. I found 129 properties for sale between $300,000 and $400,000. Most had 3 or more beds, and 1.5 or more baths. However, the higher priced condos or townhomes in this range, more often than not, have just 2 beds and 2 full baths with lots of updated amenities. Oddly, I saw homes listed over $400,000 with sq. footage that was not much more than the lower-priced homes. There are many townhomes in the area and it's clear that a realtor should be used here. It is not at all uncommon to see most homes priced at well over $200 per sq. ft.

Glenview, Park Ridge and Schaumberg are other places that are family-friendly. Glenview, as a community, was only incorporated in the late 1800s and it has shown steady growth ever since, with some ups and downs. It's a well-planned community with "pocket parks" for each small neighborhood, so there is a lot of green space here. With a population of just over 41,000, it is not a high-density location and much of its acreage is devoted to residential development. Median house values here in 2005 were above $500,000. I found quite a few homes for sale with 3 beds, 2 baths for $300,000-$350,000. It is in the high $400,000 range where you begin to see homes with much more sq. footage and larger lots. Home styles are varied, from traditional and ranch to Georgian and even some Mediterranean. There was one two-story brick Georgian home with 3 beds, hardwoods, updated kitchen and 2 baths, fireplace, deck, full basement and two-car garage for $386,500. This is clearly an expensive neighborhood, but very near the Lake and beautiful open green areas. But it is more park-like and less dense than Evanston.

Oak Park really gained growth after the Chicago fire that decimated much of that city in 1871. After 1890 it began its largest growth, with most of the present day buildings being erected in the 50 years after that date. Frank Lloyd Wright was an Oak Park resident. The homes here range from Queen Anne, Italianate, traditional to the "prairie-style" that Wright created. A three bed, two bath home will list for half a million dollars down to around $325,000, but there are some that can be found for less. I found one home there for $368,500, with 4 beds and 2 baths, well under the average of $225,000 per sq. ft. for the area. Median home price for a home here is $340,000. On the upper end of the scale, many homes in Oak Park are well into the millions. Townhomes, of course, go for much less. There are several parochial schools in the village of Oak Park and some good schools are mentioned in the blogs, too. The trees and parks of Oak Park are a real drawing card.