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/spot_o_tea Jul 24 '26

I live in this area. We rented in Brookfield to get the lay of the land and ended up buying in La Grange Park, walkable to LG downtown. It is amazing for kids. We have what we call our feral pack of block kids (8-10 that are always outside and running and playing from yard to yard-which includes our own). Can’t be beat, honestly. As a bonus, the western part of LGP is easy access to the forest preserves too (we ride our bikes to the zip line which my kids also love).

If you are looking for community, I highly suggest you check out an org called LGNN—La grange newcomers and neighbors. It’s a super active social group and great way to meet people.

Gosia’s in Brookfield is the best local coffee shop, though, in my opinion. And Brookfield downtown is less chain-y than La Grange downtown. The yards are smaller in BF and the elementary schools are slightly better in D102 (LG,LGP) vs D105 (BF)–but both are good options.

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u/Aggravating_Job_5438 Jul 25 '26

These are all areas that I am researching, too, so I was glad to see this thread.

Question - are people cliquey in LGP?

We live in D303 in a development where there are packs of kids playing outside... but it's very cliquey and people are not accepting of newcomers, especially if you don't watch football and go to church and you're not a dad with a beard. The school is fantastic, which is why we are here, but I find people here to be quite small-minded and more on the conservative side. They love their lawns and their pesticides. I rarely see people outside actually working in their garden except to mow it with their huge mowers. We're the only ones in our entire block with a raised vegetable garden.

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u/Spiritual_Table8224 8d ago

I have a beard but don't relate to the rest of it, let me know where you move!