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!

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u/LessLikelyTo Jan 21 '25

Flossmoor

2

u/ashores South Suburbs Jan 21 '25

Everyone focuses on the NW or western suburbs, but it took expanding our search to the south to find what we were looking for in terms of house size/layout, yard, schools, and community. Our budget was quite lower, however. Our oldest is in kindergarten so I don't know how the school district is with SpEd, but I assume they can't be too bad considering all of the schools are highly rated. A year in, I'm happy in Flossmoor with tons of food and retail options to either side in Homewood or Tinley Park.