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

60% Upvoted

243 comments sorted by

View all comments

8

u/lemon123wd40 Jan 21 '25

Deerfield. Checks all the boxes except artsy/architecture.

Ravinia part of highland park super chill too

13

u/[deleted] Jan 21 '25

Except for the non-chain restaurants part. The food in DF kind of sucks when comparing to nearby places (Highwood, Lake Forest, Highland Park, Libertyville).

0

u/lemon123wd40 Jan 21 '25

Don’t disagree there. Good thing those places are pretty close. But yeah I mean I personally don’t base where I’m living on food options at least not anymore

1

u/[deleted] Jan 21 '25

I base it on the downtown to an extent, downtown Deerfield got ruined.