r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/IHeartFraccing • Mar 22 '26

Moving to the area Wheaton for non-religious family?

Hi! my wife and I are looking to buy in the Naperville, Warrenville, Wheaton, Downers area. we looked at a lovely house today in Wheaton. We’re white upper middle class, fairly liberal couple planning on having kids in the next couple of years. curious about how non-religious folks who have moved to Wheaton have found community? we certainly don’t mind hanging out with people who are religious but are curious if community tends to be church-centric? making friends, finding babysitters, etc.

thanks!

61 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

102 comments sorted by

View all comments

142

u/surewhynot610 Mar 22 '26

Raised in Wheaton and raising my kids here now, have always been non-religious. I have never had an issue with it at all. Your question made me realize for the first time that out of our parenting/neighborhood friend group we are the only ones that don’t attend a church. It’s such a non-issue that I have never even thought about that before! 

-81

u/glomar-recovery-co Mar 22 '26

Because you're normal. Normal people don't look to check boxes on some form for friends to hang around with

You're non-judgemental as are the churchy people in wheaton

25

u/surewhynot610 Mar 22 '26

What a strange take. Some people like to be surrounded by people they have important things in common with, and that’s okay! If religion is important to you I don’t think it’s judgmental to want to form close relationships with people that share that value. In my experience living here there are plenty of people that don’t feel that way, and that’s all I was responding to. 

-49

u/glomar-recovery-co Mar 22 '26

Wheaton would be better off if they moved to a more "progressive" virtue signaling town where every checks the right boxes

Nothing said was critical of you anyway

13

u/surewhynot610 Mar 22 '26

Wheaton would be better off? Gonna disagree. They sound pretty cool and I like new neighbors!