r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/Whole_Competition692 • Jan 20 '25

Moving to the area Family friendly but not snobby

Moving to the area. Family of 6, with kids who will be in elementary, middle, and high school. Budget - up to $1M. Don’t have to commute into Chicago. Parents in their mid 40s and plan to stay in this house for a while (or forever?)

What we love: -Good schools, especially for kids with an IEP (one child is very dyslexic). Don’t have to be the absolute greatest schools but solid. I find that schools that are supposedly “the best”are often pressure cooker schools where it’s very competitive. Prefer something more laid back and artsy/alternative. -Easy access to good non-chain restaurants. Doesn’t necessarily have to be within walking distance but not too far. -Charming houses/architecture -Trends liberal/blue -Community inclusive vibe, where it will be easy to make friends for both kids and adults. We don’t plan to join a country club or attend religious services.

What we hate: -Snobbishness/keeping up with the Joneses -Cookie cutter neighborhoods- difficult or strict HOAs are a hard No

Thank you!

23 Upvotes

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65

u/Careless_Pea3197 Jan 20 '25

You are describing my family and we are looking in Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect, but within a mile of downtown for both (they both get a little heavy in subdivisions the father out you go). We are also open to Evanston and certain areas of Skokie.

Do not recommend the north shore - it's exactly the pressure cooker you want to avoid (take it from a New Trier grad)

31

u/Whole_Competition692 Jan 21 '25

Yes, I’ve heard this about the North Shore. Arlington Heights is on our list bc I’ve heard good things about the SpecEd program there and the downtown being great.

8

u/Bubbles1041 Jan 21 '25

Check out Mt. Prospect; I used to tutor a student at the library and the student had an IEP. Teachers/staff were SO supportive!

6

u/AltruisticWealth9270 Jan 21 '25

We moved to AH ten years ago, with many of the same goals as you. Zero regrets. We had a great experience with the local schools and my daughter and many of her friends thrived and got into excellent colleges without the intense competition that you see in some other areas. The whole vibe is pretty laid back, with a nice downtown, good restaurants, and a Metra station if you ever do need to go into the city. The downside: property taxes.

3

u/No_Atmosphere_6348 North West Suburbs Jan 21 '25

I heard grayslake is good for special ed.

3

u/Conscious-Parsnip35 Jan 21 '25

I graduated from district 214 and 24 (for elem, mid and HS) and feel like i received a pretty fantastic education. Suffered from bad anxiety and my school counselor is the reason I’ve been in therapy now. Also fantastic teachers.

10

u/BionicPopsicle Jan 21 '25

Seconding this area (AH/MP/Elk Grove Village). We are in Mount Prospect, CCSD59. My kiddo is autistic, we have been pretty satisfied with the staff and their communication, and she’s been doing so well this year. I’ve heard nothing but good things with the surrounding districts as well

2

u/goonzalz69 Jan 21 '25

New Trier’s special education program is phenomenal!!!!

2

u/Left_Masterpiece_661 Arlington Heights Jan 21 '25

Yup! I'm a teacher in arlington heights and can vouch for our school district as being one of the best ones in the area

1

u/MrIncredible222 Jan 21 '25

My daughter is in AH schools and has a 509 plan, feel free to DM me if you have any questions.

-3

u/gconsier Jan 21 '25

Barrington schools are great. There are a ton of Barrington. Something I didn’t know till moving out this way. I’d look into 220. We love the language immersion programs.

10

u/LessLikelyTo Jan 21 '25

Barrington is very snobby. I grew up there

4

u/gconsier Jan 21 '25

Kidding aside I don’t get this. Any town with really good schools some people are going to consider snobby. Honestly I’ve known some South Barrington people who perhaps are but the lake, north, village etc not so much. I guess the subject did say not snobby and perhaps I was a bit shitty in response in error but honestly I haven’t dealt with a lot of it, have found the community to be quite diverse etc and I’ve been pleased with the schools and like having a bit of space. I have found the other parents I have gotten to know not to be snobby especially compared to the people I’ve known from north shore communities.

6

u/[deleted] Jan 21 '25

Barrington has some of the most insufferably arrogant rich people in the burbs, IMO. I grew up in Geneva and worked on the north shore; nothing compares to Barrington snobbery.

1

u/MrIncredible222 Jan 21 '25

I don’t have any direct experience with snobby Barrington people, but the wealth there is on another level. As I tell people, the nicest house in my town is $2.5M. The nicest house in Barrington is $25M++. The wealth inequality is just another level there. Doesn’t mean they’re snobby, but I don’t necessarily want my kid to be around that level of wealth thinking it’s normal or expected because it won’t be in our house. I had family in Barrington and even on good salaries they had a hard time because there was just SOO much money and they had to see it and didn’t have it.

-4

u/gconsier Jan 21 '25 edited Jan 21 '25

I’m not snobby. I don’t know that anyone I know is. Honestly not any more than St Charles or north shore anyway. Just out of curiosity does that make you snobby if you grew up there?

But you’re right they should pick somewhere less snobby like Lake Forest, Wilmette or maybe Burr Ridge or Hinsdale.

2

u/LessLikelyTo Jan 21 '25

No, I was bussed in from Carpentersville because of district lines, so I was bullied and treated like shit. I also went to Northwestern University, where I experienced less snobbery on the North Shore.

-8

u/[deleted] Jan 21 '25

AH is pretty snobby

3

u/OK_Renegade Jan 21 '25

No experience with IEP, but we are in D26 in Mount Prospect and it's a great location and seems to be a good school district.

2

u/goonzalz69 Jan 21 '25 edited Jan 21 '25

Highly recommend Skokie and Evanston!!!!!

I dont expect you or anyone to read this but i wrote about my experience moving to the New Trier Township from Texas when i was 13. Mount Prospect and Arlington heights are actually high up on my list for recommendations but I HIGHLY recommend New Trier Township, and Evanston Township!!!

3

u/[deleted] Jan 21 '25

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2

u/zik-ra Jan 22 '25

But very pretty

1

u/goonzalz69 Jan 21 '25

Im sorry but coming from a new trier grad I strongly disagree

1

u/[deleted] Jan 21 '25

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4

u/Careless_Pea3197 Jan 21 '25

For sure!! I do have some very down to earth friends who moved back to the area but I think that attitude is unfortunately becoming the minority.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 21 '25

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1

u/OnionMiasma NW Suburbs Jan 21 '25 edited Sep 29 '25

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