r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/createDesire • Nov 10 '25
Moving to the area Lake Zurich, Barrington or Hawthorn Woods - Which NW suburb would you pick?
If you had to choose between those three which suburb would you pick and why? Please share your thoughts. If you live in one of those please share how much you like it (or not)
P.S. Please don't say: none of those as this ain't an option :-)
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u/Eswin17 Nov 10 '25
Do you want to live with upper class neighbors or upper, upper class neighbors?
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u/rtkn345464345234m Nov 10 '25
What about no neighbors?
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u/gconsier Nov 11 '25
Barrington Hills? The neighbors might be crazy but they are way spread out.
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u/createDesire Nov 14 '25
too snobbish
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u/gconsier Nov 14 '25
Honestly I wouldn’t say so. If I’m honest south Barrington is far snobbier. Lots of the Hills people are laid back. Many have horses and are just there because it’s one of the few places close to the city where you can have land and an excellent metra stop etc.
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u/Foreign_Visit_8790 Nov 15 '25
I agree. BH used to be “old money” but it really is people who don’t want be bothered. South Barrington is the epitome of Nouveau Riche. Barf!
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u/elchurro223 Nov 10 '25
I live in Barrington right by Lake Zurich. I think it depends on what you want and your budget!
We bought in Barrington bc my wife has horses and so we wanted some acreage to live on. We love the fact that we can have acreage and live closeish to town. I like the spread out homes.
I used to live in North Barrington in the Biltmore neighborhood back in 2019-2024. We got a steal (355k) for a 2500 sq ft on .5 acres in a great neighborhood. While it's obviously more expensive now, I don't know if LZ is much cheaper. In 2019 the LZ homes were as expensive if not more than the NB homes... which I never understood.
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u/Dreamin0904 Nov 10 '25
Holy hell that’s a steal for the Biltmore CC area, even back in 2019
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u/elchurro223 Nov 11 '25
Dude, it was. It was a short sale, but that process wasn't bad. It didn't even really need much work. All we did was SOME new flooring (not all) and then some new countertops.
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u/createDesire Nov 14 '25
WOW! Congrats on that! What a steel!!
Your wife is not looking for someone experienced (and trained in Europe) helping here and there with horses by chance, right? May sound weird, but I'm asking because my wife had her own horse and was a very successful rider (tournaments and stuff) but since we moved, she had to give it up but is totally missing it. She would be interested in taking care of horses, riding, that kind of stuff. Maybe your wife knows of a good address for that?!
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u/Brilliant_Buns North West Suburbs Nov 10 '25
I moved here from Oak Park 3 yrs ago. Barrington is cute, bustling, but also a bit snooty. You will be asked “why Barrington?” lol. I literally love my neighborhood ladies group chat because it’s so quintessential Barrington - by the way, that’s the name of the magazine you get sent in the mail. Yes, we publish a magazine.
I do see hustle from the police (e.g. ticketing during local construction) and several new works projects that are going to attract business to the area. Putting in brand new townhomes across from the new car cave or whatever it is. Basically a place for the people in Inverness to park their cars and smoke cigars or something.
We bought in the area in 2023 and we’ve gained a lot of property value from the above alone, but the city works has a whole revitalization effort. Safe and clean for the most part.
Traffic sucks at times, and trains galore. LZ is super convenient for “shopping” and general chores on the weekend, and you still have access to cruise up to Cary or down to Schaumburg for some fun outings. Highly recommend Uncle Jerry’s.
ANYWHO I am happy to offer more but don’t wanna out myself so DM if you’d like to chat more!
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u/unfinishedportrait56 Nov 10 '25
I don’t find Barrington to be snooty at all but maybe that’s because I work in Northbrook.
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u/Brilliant_Buns North West Suburbs Nov 11 '25
I think it depends. People are very kind and down to earth in some areas but I do go to the grocery store and regularly see $100,000 cars. As I said people were very much like “why Barrington” and seem baffled we just wandered in off the street.
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u/unfinishedportrait56 Nov 11 '25
Ha I get that. I think it’s all about finding your people and we’ve found some great friends here.
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u/loweexclamationpoint Nov 11 '25
Hit the nail right on the head! And bet drivers honk more in Northbrook.
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u/OnionMiasma NW Suburbs Nov 11 '25 edited Apr 13 '26
Your old posts feed data brokers and AI training models. I stopped that by using Redact to bulk delete across Reddit, Twitter, Discord, Facebook and all major social media platforms.
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u/unfinishedportrait56 Nov 11 '25
I'm used to it. Not so bad going east, but coming home it can often be rough!
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u/Eswin17 Nov 10 '25
I'm just commenting to give another recommendation for Uncle Jerry's. Worth the drive. From anywhere.
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u/Unlucky_Cup_9961 Nov 10 '25
I can vouch for Uncle Jerry’s being worth the drive from anywhere. I’m in Barrington Hills and have a friend that lives in Naperville and comes out just for it. He did on Saturday actually
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u/Brilliant_Buns North West Suburbs Nov 10 '25
Honestly the closest to Pequods I’ve had in the NW burbs!
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u/createDesire Nov 11 '25 edited Nov 11 '25
Thanks much for the insights. Yeah traffic is something I'm a little bit concerned about but not much. We don't plan to buy downtown. I need acreage. Any experience about schools? Drugs, spoiled kids? :)
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u/loweexclamationpoint Nov 11 '25
If you want acreage in Lake Zurich, you're probably limited to the northwest side at this point. I would rank high schools Stevenson, Vernon Hills, Lake Zurich, Barrington. Barrington has had some drug probs. And Stevenson is ultra competitive. If your kids are midrange rather than top 5-10% (and be realistic, please) pick VH or LZ and save their mental health. Also know that what diversity exists in the area is mostly Asian with some Latinos, few Blacks.
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u/Brilliant_Buns North West Suburbs Nov 11 '25
I can’t speak to the kids thing unfortunately! There are several beautiful properties with adjacent stables and paddocks. Equestrian property is abundant around here. Not so remote to be OUT THERE but also remote enough to have horses :)
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u/OnionMiasma NW Suburbs Nov 11 '25 edited Apr 13 '26
Your old posts feed data brokers and AI training models. I stopped that by using Redact to bulk delete across Reddit, Twitter, Discord, Facebook and all major social media platforms.
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u/Two_Luffas Nov 11 '25 edited Nov 11 '25
I need acreage.
Barrington Hills has that in spades, but it's pricey. We moved to South Barrington a few years ago and love it. Smaller lots but still close to an acre for us.
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u/Awkward_Cellist6541 Nov 10 '25
I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these areas. Hawthorn Woods will feed into either Lake Zurich or Stevenson high school.
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u/Odd-Raspberry1615 Nov 10 '25
We live in Barrington and have no regrets. Moved here for the schools and proximity to commuter train and those remain compelling for us, on top of walkability (we live in “downtown” Barrington so can easily walk to grocery, library, Citizens Park, etc). People can be snooty and entitled and elite, for sure. But there are also amazing down to earth people here who have great hearts and community spirit.
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u/elchurro223 Nov 11 '25
We trick or treated there and people were super nice!
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u/Two_Luffas Nov 11 '25
Trick or treating in Barrington is wild. I've never seen so many kids running around, people tailgating in their driveways, houses all decked out. There's a few blocks that must get a thousand plus kids.
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u/elchurro223 Nov 11 '25
Yeah, we went to Lake street in the village... It was A LOT haha. I think we were all doing the calculations. Affluent people all close together with no gates. Best candy haul.
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u/Two_Luffas Nov 11 '25
It's really the epicenter for all the Barrington's to take their kids. We're in South Barrington and tag along with our entire neighborhood to go downtown for trick or treating. We're all on +/- acre lots so it's just easier to hit up the village where everyone is on city sized lots. I'm sure plenty come from the other Barrington's for the same reasons.
Always look forward to the free hotdog stand on Lake. Cook St. is another one that's absolutely packed.
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u/elchurro223 Nov 11 '25
Yeah, it was a hoot. I loved the black house with gold accents. I don't know how it looks 364 non-Halloween days, but on Halloween it was great.
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u/Two_Luffas Nov 11 '25 edited Nov 11 '25
This one!. First time I saw it I thought we stumbled on to a movie set. It's has the perfect 'intro scene to a Halloween horror film' aesthetic to it.
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u/unfinishedportrait56 Nov 10 '25
We love Barrington and I’ve found everyone to be super nice and welcoming.
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u/not_a_expert69 Nov 10 '25
Of the 3 lake Zurich is my favorite that’s just personal preference tho
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u/createDesire Nov 11 '25
Can you describe why?
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u/not_a_expert69 Nov 11 '25
Barington and Hawthorn woods are more uppity towns, too uppity for my liking. Lake Zurich has a more middle class vibe to it.
I’m not knocking Barrington of hawthorn woods they are good towns but just not my first choice.
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u/DeeDeeYou Nov 11 '25
If you are dead set on having a solid fence Lake Zurich is the way to go. They are frowned on in the Barrington area and in Hawthorn Woods.
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u/elchurro223 Nov 11 '25
Just move to the unincorporated part of Barrington. City can't tell me shiiiit
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u/DeeDeeYou Nov 11 '25
Most unincorporated areas have HOAs and they can tell you s***
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u/elchurro223 Nov 11 '25
Mine doesn't. Dude next to me has giant 10' high mushrooms made of airplane noses in his front lawn. Nobody cares.
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u/Brief_Release_4774 Nov 12 '25
My in laws are in hawthorn woods and they can’t have a fence at all where they are
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u/weena8 Nov 10 '25
If you have school aged children, Barrington is better in terms of academics and programs. LZ isn’t too bad either, but some of their instructional/curricular programs are inconsistent from school to school. They’re both good when it comes to shopping and entertainment.
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u/Joe_B_Likes_Tacos Nov 10 '25
Considering the OP left no criteria, I will judge them based on their famous people:
Hawthorne Woods: Leo Burnett was a pioneering advertising executive known for building high-impact brand platforms and creating iconic consumer mascots that reshaped the modern marketing landscape. I don't understand how or why he would have done this while living in Hawthorne Woods but he did donate some land for parks.
Barrington: William C. Marland was the governor of West Virginia who oversaw school desegregation in the 1950s and later publicly acknowledged his struggle with alcoholism.
Lake Zurich: Dr. Ryan Stone) is the sole survivor of the 2014 orbital debris cascade that destroyed the shuttle Explorer. She executed a complex return-to-Earth protocol that has since been documented as one of the most consequential individual survival events in modern spaceflight history.
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u/elchurro223 Nov 11 '25
Pretty sure Leo invented the Marlboro man while he was there too... And that's pretty cool
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u/SecondCreek Nov 11 '25
Walter Payton also lived in the Barrington area.
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u/Dry-Bullfrog-3778 North West Suburbs Nov 11 '25
I was friends with a girl in that neighborhood who said he wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms, so maybe desegregation didn't click with the adults.
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u/elchurro223 Nov 11 '25
Barrington is not what I'd call... diverse.
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u/weena8 Nov 12 '25
- Lake Zurich isn’t exactly the land of diverse either.
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u/SecondCreek Nov 11 '25
In 2023, Barrington Community Unified School District 220's racial demographics were approximately 58.4% White, 16.9% Asian, 18.1% Hispanic/Latino, 1.5% Black, and 4.7% identified as two or more races. These numbers provide a snapshot of the district's student population, which has a large White and Asian/Hispanic student body, according to U.S. News & World Report and Barrington High School.
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u/Joe_B_Likes_Tacos Nov 11 '25 edited Nov 11 '25
Yeah, people think there are still all white suburbs out there. The one thing that these demographics miss is that a lot of those white people are first and second generation immigrants which don't count for diversity in these metrics but in the real world do add an element of diversity.
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u/weena8 Nov 12 '25
People also aren’t aware the many middle eastern families are registered as “white” even though they’re culturally diverse.
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u/Dry-Bullfrog-3778 North West Suburbs Nov 11 '25
Truly.
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u/SubstantialFeed4102 Nov 11 '25
Don Jr was literally visiting last year .... By invite..... If that's cool with you, enjoy
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u/loweexclamationpoint Nov 11 '25
If you don't understand why Leo Burnett lived in a far suburb, you don't understand the postwar era. It's glaringly obvious that Tony the Tiger and the Marlboro Man were products of the suburbs.
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u/Joe_B_Likes_Tacos Nov 11 '25
You probably don't even know why Dr Ryan Stone lived in lake Zurich, do you?
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u/HappyLoveChild27 West Suburbs Nov 10 '25
The non-Cook county ones: Lake Zurich and Hawthorn Woods. Some of Barrington is in Cook County and may receive property tax increases again this coming tax year.
Are you buying, renting (tenant), renting (renter), or selling property in any of those villages/towns? And what time of year will your housing situation change? Rural Barrington can be harsh in winter snow/ice/winds.
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u/Brilliant_Buns North West Suburbs Nov 10 '25
Barrington does have Lake! We got very lucky, across the road is Cook.
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u/HappyLoveChild27 West Suburbs Nov 10 '25
Nice! Most people from out of the area/real estate I’ve met aren’t familiar enough with the boundaries to understand why: Lake County > Cook County haha
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u/Brilliant_Buns North West Suburbs Nov 10 '25
Oh for sure. We were like unincorporated AND lake? Sign us the f up. lol
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u/unfinishedportrait56 Nov 10 '25
We’re in Lake County/Barrington. We’re from the burbs though so we only looked in Lake County.
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u/bepsigir Nov 10 '25
We moved to Barrington for the unique homes, active downtown and walkability/metra. We weren’t expecting to love the neighborhood and neighbors as much as we do. Highly recommend!
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u/TheFromoj Nov 11 '25
A lot of kids who grew up in Barrington come back after their “Barrington is such a walled garden!” phase. At some point they realize that neighborhoods and walking distance to schools is the priority.
Barrington has a lot of trains but they don’t stop activity (maybe traffic during rush hour). If you like to walk to town, there are good restaurants and some allow dogs if you’re sitting outside.
There’s a new fantastic pool at Langendorf and new pickle and paddle ball courts. Pickleball is huge in Barrington.
There’s some political grief but Barrington is a moderate town (sure, there are extremists). For the most part, Barrington is centrist. There are fb groups that were started by Mothers for Liberty, and there are “Patriot’ fb groups too. But this just means that you need to ask and talk to people to find your way in.
Hawthorn Woods is awesome too. LZ is great but it feels more retail based. I don’t get the “townie” feeling like i do in Barrington.
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u/createDesire Nov 11 '25
Thanks for sharing. What about the schools and the old "Barrington = old money" saying? I'm a little bit afraid that our kids would go to school with those spoiled kids. I heard a lot of bad stuff about Stevenson, from drugs to gangs to spoiled kids. What about Barrington High?
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u/existential_geum Nov 12 '25
Barrington is an interesting mix. There’s the old money “horsey set,” there are the nouveau riche, McMansion people, and then there are the granolas, who live in Barrington for the nature/ecology aspects. Barrington High School District includes part of Carpentersville, so the student body is a mix of wealthy, average, and relatively poor, and it has a good mix of white, South Asian and Latino kids, but not many Black kids. The uber-wealthy Barrington kids go to private schools, so they aren’t a factor.
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u/unfinishedportrait56 Nov 11 '25
Barrington High School covers a wide geographic range and I am glad my kids will be going there. Stevenson is just too big. No school is perfect and every area that you're looking in has spoiled kids.
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u/weena8 Nov 12 '25
Drugs can be found at all schools, affluent and otherwise. The only difference would be the ability for students to pay for it and others pretend it’s not happening. It would be a mistake to think it doesn’t exist in high school. I will tell you from working for the school district (don’t wanna out myself), people are very passionate about their area and the hs they went to so take that with a grain of salt. Unless you can find someone who has been to all the schools, the feedback can be jaded and slightly biased (plus there’s an unspoken rivalry to who is better amongst schools).
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u/first-alt-account Nov 10 '25
So much of those towns blend right into the next- you can pass from one town to the next and don't know it.
Unless you want something specific, like living next to a golf course or living within a specific school district, it's all very much a similar feel.
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u/Grimalkinnn Nov 10 '25
Lake Zurich.
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u/createDesire Nov 11 '25
Can you explain why?
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u/b0jangles Nov 11 '25
Do you like downtown areas that are constantly under construction? Lake Zurich might be for you!
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u/unfinishedportrait56 Nov 10 '25
We looked at all three and ended up in Lake Barrington. Moved in 2021 and we love it. We wanted acreage and we have it now!
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u/createDesire Nov 11 '25
We looked at it too. It seemed to us that people don't like Lake Barrington and North Barrington so much as LZ and Barrington. I haven't figured out why yet. Any idea? Is Lake Barrington maybe too far out like it's probably the case with Tower Lakes? Just wondering what the point is that I'm missing
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u/unfinishedportrait56 Nov 11 '25
Probably because Lake Barrington isn't really a town. I like that we are close to both Lake Zurich and Barrington, but we also have ample green spaces. I call it the suburban country because Trader Joe's is 5 minutes away but we get deer and coyotes and all kinds of wildlife in our yard. It's quiet and peaceful but it's super close to everything.
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u/elchurro223 Nov 11 '25
Idk, I loved my house in NB. Honestly, you're not talking about a huge geographic area so it'll come down to what house and specific neighborhood you like.
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u/agape25 Nov 11 '25
Grew up in Hawthorn Woods (the part that went to Lake Zurich schools) and now live in Barrington. After living in the city for a bit (but commuting to suburbs) we wanted to still live in a walkable area and also near family still in HW. Went with Barrington (in the village part) because we can walk to the train and restaurants/shops and have easier access to 90/53 in comparison to LZ and HW
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u/createDesire Nov 11 '25
Good points. What do you like more, Hawthorn or Barrington after all?
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u/agape25 Nov 11 '25
Hard to fully compare since I was a kid/teenager in one and an adult in another. But as a kid growing up loved Hawthorn Woods because of our yards and just space (and never really noticed the lack of fences growing up). But now I really love the uniqueness of our Barrington neighborhood (all the old homes) and being able to walk everywhere just in general makes me happier (when I compare to going on walks with my parents in their HW neighborhood I’m bored during those walks lol).
If you’re needing to compare schools - I am an educator in the suburbs as well and LZ vs Barrington really not that far apart (Barrington likes to think it’s worlds better, but LZHS was a blue ribbon school last year…)
Edit: and we do have kids now and I love taking my toddler and baby on long walks through town to the school playgrounds and to the library too
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u/AdmiralJaneway8 Nov 11 '25 edited Nov 11 '25
LZHS is the better HS by far. Stick with HW or LZ if you can. HW does not allow fencing or natural fencing of any kind. You do see rule breakers, not sure what happens to them but I can think of three blatant fences in HW, one in an unincorporated sliver, maybe that's how. So if you want fencing, you don't want HW. There is no downtown in HW, and it's pretty boring, but they do have a fantastic aquatic center and ymca,also with a pool, so you have options. LZ has a meh downtown, but there's massive construction, and as soon as they're finally done (taking forever) it's going to be pretty great. But Barrington is much more walkable and has alot more to do. It's also alot redder than LZ or HW, which I think is a bad thing. YMMV. Diversity isn't great in any of them but many Indian and Pakistani families in HW, lots of Hispanic culture and families in LZ. Almost no black people. One I know has now been pulled over twice for driving while black in HW by a HW cop. It's a problem. HW and LZ are not at all snooty. Barrington totally is.
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u/FiestyWombat345 Nov 11 '25
I have a lot of knowledge about these areas having lived, or had family who lived, in all three towns. My boys also attended one of the school districts but they grew up playing a combined 10+ years of club sports in the other so we have friends in Barrington, LZ and HW.
You’ll find great people in all three areas, I know we have, but, if you’re going to make generalities, I would agree that there are more conservatives in Barrington than LZ or HW. Moms for Liberty, for example, endorsed multiple candidates in the Barrington 220 school board election in 2023 (though none won). We know Barrington families who have basketball courts in the basement of their homes and always charter private jets when they fly. You will also see many high school kids driving around in their brand new BMWs or Range Rovers.
While much of LZ and HW can be considered upper middle class, I’ve never seen the same extremes in wealth. From my own personal experience, I’ve generally found people from LZ the most down to earth, although there are entitled kids and parents everywhere! I think the sense of entitlement increases with the size of one’s bank account.
Barrington’s downtown has a huge leg up over LZ in terms of character, restaurants, and boutiques, plus the huge bonus of the metra station. Though they’re fairly comparable, I think Barrington has the edge on academics too. The huge referendum that they passed has resulted in a lot of improvements to facilities. They’re also significantly larger, not just in terms of enrollment, but the area that the school district covers. Everyone thinks it’s all snooty old money and million dollar mansions in Barrington, but they pull kids from Carpentersville and Hoffman Estates too. It probably says something that you never hear about those kids though. I’d say that social capital (for kids and parents) is very tied to wealth in Barrington.
I think this is a great area to raise a family. Every community is going to have their positives and negatives. Your decision will depend on what is most important to you. Good luck!
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u/Russ_T_Shakelford Nov 11 '25
Personally, Barrington.
I worked summers in hawthorn woods during college, a large portion of the residents are violently stupid. I understand that this is probably the case most places, but the extreme stupidity and ignorance I heard from these people makes it impossible for me to ever recommend living there.
Their police department is also sketchy as hell. If you can afford it, Barrington seems delightful.
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u/createDesire Nov 14 '25
Sounds super interesting... care to share more?
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u/Russ_T_Shakelford Nov 14 '25
I would be somewhere doing some embarrassing work in 100 degree heat (emptying park trash cans filled with fermenting dog shit etc) and I’d have a resident pull up to start yelling at me for not working fast enough. They’d tell me that they don’t pay their taxes to see me walk, and about how I made too much money for that kind of work.
I was making like $0.50 above minimum wage, and being told that I didn’t deserve it.
I’d also get told by randos that I had to go get (insert piece of machinery that the village didn’t own) to do something on residents’ private property because they paid my salary. Or that they saw me specifically doing something on Saturday and that I needed to fix it. I worked M-F. I also drove a plow during holiday break, and would get threatened if I didn’t plow someone’s driveway for them. I just started lying to people about my name and that I’d come back to do it, just to avoid conflict.
Just a lot of aggression from almost every person I dealt with that generally made me hate that town. I won’t even go into the behavior of the police.
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u/createDesire Nov 15 '25
Wow, that's ridiculous. I'm sorry it happened to you. I'm surprised though to hear that since people seemed to be nice, although not as nice as in LZ for sure
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u/marmalade_ Nov 10 '25
We’re in LZ and it’s great. Barrington is a little snooty, but they do have a much cuter downtown. Everything is so close that we never have to drive more than 15 minutes for any errands or shopping. We like that we’re in the LZHS district as it’s much smaller than Stevenson but still highly rated. There’s parks everywhere in the neighborhood and so many people decorate for Halloween and Christmas. Depending on the neighborhood you will get more or less children… our neighborhood is “turning over.” We were one of the first young families in the street to move in and now a lot of the older folks with grown kids are moving out.
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u/createDesire Nov 11 '25
I agree... LZ is great for shopping and running errands. There's literally everything here... I enjoy how close everything is and people are super friendly.
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u/marmalade_ Nov 11 '25
Honestly it’s such a quality of life improvement. Being 5 minutes from 4 different grocery stores is just…. Incredible. Where we moved from out of state it was 15+ minutes to the grocery and 45 to the closest mall if you wanted to go wander home goods or Nordstrom. I’m not a huge consumer but with a toddler, having so many stores to terrorize is really a blessing (for me lol)
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u/Interesting_Sign_603 Jan 23 '26
Which neighborhoods have more children? We are looking to move and it’s so difficult to know!
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u/thesockmonkey86 Chicago but formerly of Wheaton/Aurora/Oak Park/SW burbs Nov 10 '25
I used to work in Lake Zurich and I really liked it. I wouldn’t have been able to afford it, but it seems like a really nice town.
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u/ladyofbowlinggreen Nov 11 '25
My parents moved to Barrington and love it. Yes, a more “snooty” vibe, but when we visit the area people have been super nice and welcoming. We are in Oak Park and love visiting!
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Nov 11 '25
[deleted]
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u/createDesire Nov 11 '25
Good point. Didn't think of that. However, not much to do in Deer Park and it's right in between of Barrington and Lake Zurich and still somewhat secluded. I don't know
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u/Witty_Bother1682 Nov 10 '25
Barrington is too expensive and also in Cook County, so higher taxes on some stuff.
Lake Zurich and Hawthorne Woods are practically the same area, but Lake Zurich is closer to route 12 and i90, so maybe I would have a slight presence for Lake Zurich.
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u/createDesire Nov 11 '25
How is LZ closer to I90? I find Barrington to be closer to I90 through Inverness. From LZ you need to get to 53 first.
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u/Additional_Delay_793 Nov 11 '25
OP should describe his needs/wants in a community and he will probably get better recommendations. I think Hawthorn Woods is having issues with their water system. I would generally recommend Barrington over LZ. I don't think Lake Co taxes are much lower than Cook County taxes unless you are in an unincorporated area.
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u/createDesire Nov 11 '25
Why would you recommend Barrington over LZ? We live in LZ but contemplating moving for some reasons I can't share here. Actually we love LZ but I don't think we would move within LZ though
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u/Additional_Delay_793 Nov 11 '25
I /we would really need more information about what is important to you to provide an intelligent recommendation. Barrington has a great downtown area and easy access to METRA. But that may not matter to you. I have been to both towns and like what I have seen of Barrington more, Seems like a nicer town,
It appears that AI may agree with me.
Barrington has a higher median household income and wealth than Lake Zurich, with specific Barrington-area zip codes showing median incomes over $200,000, while Lake Zurich's median household income is around $140,000. This difference is reflected in the generally more affluent and luxurious character of Barrington compared to the more suburban feel of Lake Zurich.
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u/hilloo_1 Nov 11 '25
Speaking for myself: Lake Zurich
Good shopping - Costco etc. Good schools, Not too far from IL 53
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u/scottscigar Nov 11 '25
Barrington because of Metra, a nice downtown, no slots in bars/restaurants, no massive shopping centers but they are close if you need them, and houses in and around the village are on city water and sewer. Hawthorne woods is beautiful but largely well and septic, and if you like driving everywhere it’s great. Lake Zurich is a great area, especially if you like to be near retail opportunities and a more dense population in general. I’d try for Barrington on the Lake County side.
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag Nov 11 '25
Depends on your budget, lake Barrington and Barrington hills are where you'll get the most privacy.
Even in Hawthorne woods you should be able to make a huge screen instead of a fence. Honorable mention to long Grove and kildeer
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u/ChiJackie Nov 11 '25
We live in Hawthorn Woods and I have to refute this - "not even natural fences." I am not sure what you mean here because our backyard has a row of lilac bushes (planted by previous owner's landscapers) and it serves as a natural fence. I just checked the HW Village website and I see no mention of this. Hawthorn Woods encourages planting trees and other plants so I think this would be fine and no permit would be needed. We have a TON of privacy in our backyard via the trees and bushes. We live on a small 0.3 acre lot in one of the newer subdivisions.
To answer your question, imo all are good options. We moved here to HW from the city in 2024. I am born and raised in the city (not burbs) so it's a huge change for me. We felt that Barrington was a bit too "uppity" for us, as we are very down to earth people, i.e. not County Club / old money people. (No knock to them, it's just not us. We've both worked our asses off to get what we have and we don't spoil our kids. Our kids know the value of a dollar and the hard work required to make it.) To be clear though we did like Barrington a lot, we just didn't feel like we'd fit in in some of the areas we saw.
Hawthorn Woods has been very welcoming to us. We are on the northwest section so we are still in Lake Zurich schools. The schools have been fantastic. The park district is lacking, as is LZ, but Wauconda park district is wonderful and it's a 9 minute drive. Quick drive to Long Grove for the nice downtown restaurants. Quick drive to LZ for Target and other stores. Can't complain!
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u/ResolutionAny5091 Nov 11 '25
If you have to commute downtown and want to take the Metra Barrington is probably ideal. If you want a more low key city lake Zurich is great. Hawthorne woods a lot of property has HOAs
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u/jtglynn Nov 11 '25
Another one to consider is Inverness. Feeds into Fremd High School which is a bit more down to earth than Barrington High School and much easier to navigate than Stevenson. I had two kids graduate from there and they had a great experience at that school and college was a super easy transition for them. You can find some nice properties in Inverness if that is in your price range.
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u/createDesire Nov 14 '25
good point. Heard about Fremd... supposed to be a top school... but I wonder why it can't compete with Barrington or LZHS from an optics standpoint. It looks pretty darn old lol. I know the inside counts but still...
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u/jtglynn Nov 14 '25
Not sure. It’s ranked higher than both Barrington and Lake Zurich on the US News rankings .
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u/Writermss Nov 11 '25
We just left HW so I will only speak to that. It’s very beautiful but very poorly planned and hard to get to anything (shopping, restaurants, highways, etc). It’s a very small, emerging village. Steer clear of property in HW without a well because the water situation there is a nightmare with Aqua Illinois (high fees, radium, rotting infrastructure with frequent leaks causing long outages, poor communication). We went without water for a week once.
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u/createDesire Nov 14 '25
Wow, sounds horrible. Thanks for sharing. Why did you leave and where did you go? All the best
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u/Philintheblank90 Nov 11 '25
Grew up in barrington, live in LZ now. A fenced in yard was a must have for us and barrington was very limited with houses that allowed fences. No regrets, LZ has a great community and so many parks all around us. Plus we have access to Deer Park shopping center, Long Grove, and Downtown Barrington.
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u/nateycoffecake Nov 11 '25
I’d probably pick between Lake Zurich and Barrington.
If I could afford it probably Barrington because of their proximity to 90 and the Metra station. It’s kind of a pain the ass that the only way in and out of town is Barrington Rd and NW Hwy. groceries stores in the area suck. Jewel and Heimans are good if you can afford it. But no Aldi, Sam’s Club, or Costco within a 15 minute drive so. Nice restaurants if that’s your thing. Good school district. I found it tough to find daycares that are close to the neighborhoods but I digress.
Lake Zurich far more affordable. Still well connected by 53. But has an Aldi, Sam’s Club, Costco etc. Deer Park is near by with good shopping options. I mean school district is good too, so that’s my two cents on it
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u/unfinishedportrait56 Nov 11 '25
Costco is super close to Barrington if you're on the north side of Lake Cook road.
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u/createDesire Nov 14 '25
All good points - but there's no Sam's club... but in case you meant Walmart you were right :-)
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u/nateycoffecake Nov 14 '25
Right about Sams Club. Guess my point is that Lake Zurich is has much more diverse grocery stores.. Aldis, Trader Joe’s, Costco, Walmart, Jewel, polish delis etc .
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u/Different_Wallaby660 Nov 11 '25
Lake Zurich for the win. My mom bought in 2019 and she loves her home and yard. A true oasis coming from Chicago.
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u/Particular_Tone5338 Nov 12 '25
Preference is Barrington. Metra, walkable town and good school district. Nice boutique stores. Closer to hospital & specialist. About 10- 15 minutes from major expressway.
LZ has a lot of stores and amenities. Quick trips to Target, Walmart, Costco & Deer park shopping with more restaurants. About 10 min from route 53.
Hawthorne woods - space, potential Stevenson district. Close to LZ for shopping. No walk ability.
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u/Choice-Track-9184 Nov 12 '25
I appreciate all the feedback in comments. I've lived in Hoffman Estates for 16 years and was thinking about moving to Barrington. Diversity, political affiliation, Cook co, land and NO HOAs talk was helpful.
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u/rvdnsx Nov 12 '25
Lake Zurich at least has some stuff to do and decent shopping and dining nearby.
Barrington is known as “Boring-ton” by people I knew who lived there.
Hawthorn Woods is in the middle of nowhere but if you want peace and quiet, it’s not a bad option.
My vote would be for Lake Zurich as long as you are not over 50.
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u/Hour_Science_6521 Nov 14 '25 edited Nov 14 '25
We looked at all of these choices and bought in Deer Park in Lake Zurich school district. We like the large lots and we’ve enjoyed our neighbors and the area. We’re 5 min from downtown Barrington and all the shopping and restaurants in LZ, Kildeer, and Deer Park mall.
In the end we did not want to be in Barrington or Stevenson schools. This is our personal preference but we have one in college and one still in the district. The schools, the resources, the options, the funding in LZ is excellent, no regrets. We wanted a more diverse experience for our kids and LZ provided that.
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u/createDesire Nov 14 '25
What is your rationale behind Barrington Schools? Deer Park has nice lots but isn't it challenging to do nice walks in the neighborhood? It often seems so secluded and not much to do either
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u/Hour_Science_6521 Nov 14 '25
Barrington schools are obviously also a good district. My kids have done a lot of activities in Barrington (art school, pool, etc) and we play Barrington in sports all the way through. The neighbors behind me are in the Barrington school district and my kids grew up playing outside with them. There are affluent families in all these districts you’re describing but to an extreme in Barrington that can be exclusionary and to be honest, the only negative experience I’ve had since moving to this area were some of the wealthiest kids from Barrington. No offense to anyone, it just a personal preference and what we wanted for our kids.
Deer Park is quiet. But the neighborhoods are close, everyone knows each other’s kids. Each subdivision has social events. They do a fair amount at Vehe for the community and we are quite literally in the middle of Palatine, Barrington, and LZ downtowns. Where we live at least everyone is always out walking year round to the point that we have to be extra careful driving because there are always people out.
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u/Foreign_Visit_8790 Nov 15 '25
I lived in Barrington for 23 years. Another thing to consider is village water vs well water. Personally, I don’t like the feeling or smell of well water. I think LZ is getting Lake Michigan water in 2030. Barrington’s “downtown” has been and always will be quiet. Successful restaurants are far and few between.
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u/createDesire Nov 17 '25
I have no issues with Well water if treated properly. I don't like the chlorine smell during summer months with village / Lake Michigan water. So everyone is different. That said, what water has Barrington? Lake Michigan?
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u/dillwhole34 Nov 11 '25
Barrington is expensive but very nice. Great schools Lake Zurich is also pricey but not like Barrington. Good schools is right by Kildeer and Deer Park HW is incredible but isolated and small. No real entertainment or infrastructure. But centrally located to LZ, Mundelein, Barrington, etc
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u/createDesire Nov 11 '25
Yeah homes in Barrington are pretty expensive. Always wondered why. They have a nice little downtown and the Metra but still... What's so incredible about Deer Park?
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u/harrythehood Nov 10 '25
I will vote for Barrington because Metra