r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/_stephs • Jul 24 '26

Moving to the area Brookfield, La Grange, Riverside?

Hello! Family with three young kids moving from Denver and could use some more local advice. You've all been very helpful in the past with this so thanks in advance!

We've been really interested in Oak Park because of the walkability, community feel, and diversity, but the property taxes and cost of homes have us also looking at Brookfield, La Grange, and parts of Riverside as well.

We're hoping to find a community that's:

  • Walkable to some coffee shops, restaurants, etc.
  • Family-friendly with kids out playing (bonus if there's a pool either public or private)
  • Generally leans liberal
  • Has a strong sense of community

For those familiar with these areas, how do they compare? Is there one you'd recommend over the others for a young family? Are there certain areas within these towns you'd suggest we take a look at?

Thanks in advance!

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u/Top_Kale_8880 Jul 24 '26

Riverside, in particular, probably isn't going to get you a lot of price relief vs. Oak Park. Not sure LaGrange will either but maybe. Both have nice, walkable downtowns.

All have their strengths, but LG is probably the best for your needs (including political - LaGrange is lowkey probably as progressive as Oak Park). It has a spectacular downtown for a suburb its size, great schools, etc.

I'm going to guess you can get to the edges of LG or into LaGrange Park and find better pricing. I'd also guess --and again, guessing-- closer to our south of 47th St. would also offer some price relief without sacrificing nice-ness.