Odinson Posted January 25, 2018 at 04:28 PM Share Posted January 25, 2018 at 04:28 PM About 7 miles to the start of the Blue Line L at Forest Park, plenty of parking there. Nice bike ride to that L too, mostly on the Prairie Path. Gets a little interesting through Bellwood and Maywood but besides getting chased a few times by dogs, I haven't had any real trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagt48 Posted January 25, 2018 at 06:59 PM Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 at 06:59 PM We might look at Glenn Ellyn. We are looking really at elementary schools and proximity to the city for her. If it was just me then we'd be looking west for more land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soylentgreen Posted January 26, 2018 at 06:10 PM Share Posted January 26, 2018 at 06:10 PM I grew up in Lombard, which is very close to Elmhurst.Elmhurst is very nice. Expensive, though. The downtown is old school. There's an old movie theater that's been fully restored. There are little shops and restaurants. There are plenty of doctor's offices and a world-class hospital. It's close to highways and there is a train station downtown too. That being said, be aware that DuPage is becoming more and more liberal. If you're able to afford to live in Elmhurst, money is probably not one of your problems. Consider Lake County.Overall, Elmhurst gives a high quality of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRJ Posted January 26, 2018 at 06:20 PM Share Posted January 26, 2018 at 06:20 PM I don't think DuPage is becoming more liberal so much as the last census allowed the maps to be rejiggered so that I land in a democratic district for state senate that includes both cook and dupage. Every other political district I'm in is solidly republican. Go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundguy Posted January 26, 2018 at 08:09 PM Share Posted January 26, 2018 at 08:09 PM Elmhurst. Check out Hamburger Heaven.S/E corner of North and York.They'll be closed until spring. I lived for a time in a 2 story house on what is now part of the parking lot to the east. It must have influenced my sense of smell. The scent of hamburgers cooking always reminds me of home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagt48 Posted January 29, 2018 at 03:22 PM Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 at 03:22 PM I drove right by Hamburger Heaven. It looked right up my alley. I will have to head back when they open. My BIL lives not too far from there. There was some mention of heading up to Lake in the thread. Honestly I would like that more. When I looked at a couple of places online in Buffalo Grove I could have sworn that taxes were much higher. Taking a look again they are more comparable to what I was expecting to pay wherever we move. I'd also like being closer to Wisconsin for weekend camping, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xwing Posted January 29, 2018 at 05:19 PM Share Posted January 29, 2018 at 05:19 PM I don't think DuPage is becoming more liberal so much as the last census allowed the maps to be rejiggered so that I land in a democratic district for state senate that includes both cook and dupage. Every other political district I'm in is solidly republican. Go figure. Unfortunately DuPage County is no longer the deep red it was in my childhood (grew up here). It is now strongly purple (e.g. about evenly mixed). DuPage voted for Hillary last election. :Crying. =-(: That said, Lake County is even more liberal. Lots of limousine liberals there and lots of anti-gun towns and areas in Lake... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagt48 Posted January 30, 2018 at 02:28 AM Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 at 02:28 AM Good thing they can't pass any more "bad" laws then! My biggest concern from up that way is the commute for my wife to Downtown. I'd be fine down the in southwest suburbs, but I'm not seeing any express trains for her. Going to Union Station first and then taking the CTA for another fifteen minutes sounds annoying. That's a plus for coming in from the west. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowhouse5 Posted January 30, 2018 at 03:00 PM Share Posted January 30, 2018 at 03:00 PM Union Station to Millennium park isn't that much farther.Still very walkable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagt48 Posted January 30, 2018 at 04:36 PM Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 at 04:36 PM True. Ultimately it would be up to her. Any other gun- and commuter-friendly (or at least not too hostile) locations we should be looking at? Lots to think about so far. We will probably be there for ten years or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicagoresident Posted January 30, 2018 at 05:12 PM Share Posted January 30, 2018 at 05:12 PM Union Station to Millennium park isn't that much farther.Still very walkable.Divvy bike memberships are like $70 a year and they've introduced protected bike lanes to most of the loop. It's really not a bad option spring to fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xwing Posted January 31, 2018 at 05:30 PM Share Posted January 31, 2018 at 05:30 PM Going to Union Station first and then taking the CTA for another fifteen minutes sounds annoying. That's a plus for coming in from the west. Union Station and Ogilvie are so close as to not matter. The northern entrance for Union is literally across the street from the southern entrance to Ogilvie. And even the "bulk" of the stations are only 2 blocks apart. So "which station" your train comes into should be a non-issue. I used to go into Ogilvie, and then switched to Union (northern set of tracks) after I moved many years ago. It added about 2 min to my walking commute... If you're in the southern set of tracks, add an additional 2 min to that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted February 1, 2018 at 01:00 AM Share Posted February 1, 2018 at 01:00 AM Union Station to Millennium park isn't that much farther.Still very walkable.Divvy bike memberships are like $70 a year and they've introduced protected bike lanes to most of the loop. It's really not a bad option spring to fall. IMO its an option all year long. Being cold is a choice. Proper clothing is the only differential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicagoresident Posted February 1, 2018 at 03:25 AM Share Posted February 1, 2018 at 03:25 AM They lock them down in bad weather including snow and cold unfortunately, or at least they used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted February 1, 2018 at 01:37 PM Share Posted February 1, 2018 at 01:37 PM They lock them down in bad weather including snow and cold unfortunately, or at least they used to. According to Divvy, they are not locked out for weather. Individual stations could be closed or relocated for construction though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagt48 Posted February 1, 2018 at 02:06 PM Author Share Posted February 1, 2018 at 02:06 PM My wife isn't a biker, but having lived downtown for a few years she no stranger to walking in the rain and snow. She actually talks about how she misses the 30-40 minutes of walking a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregivq Posted February 6, 2018 at 03:11 PM Share Posted February 6, 2018 at 03:11 PM I live in Elmhurst and am happy to provide any advice. Yes, it's expensive and it's sellers' market. Flooding, air traffic, and more recently residential burglaries are causing some chatter. The town is as 2A friendly as Hinsdale or Wheaton (most comparable towns). There are some places that are posted and more than half of them are required due to alcohol (wine places). I never had a problem getting magazines or ammo shipped directly to my house. Police is also very good but some claim that they are bored and maybe a bit jumpy (can't really agree or disagree on that one though I did get a warning for going 26 in 25 zone). There are at least 2 organizations in Elmhurst working to further women's rights and Democracy. The latter (action for better tomorrow) is rabidly anti-Republican and attempted to push some dealer licensing like laws mandating who knows what on FFLs. The city also has some silly rules on BB guns, discharging, carrying firearms. Obviously the last two are rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagt48 Posted February 6, 2018 at 06:54 PM Author Share Posted February 6, 2018 at 06:54 PM 26? Seriously? It will be nice to have space and the ability to get standard capacity mags shipped to me again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregivq Posted February 6, 2018 at 07:39 PM Share Posted February 6, 2018 at 07:39 PM I thought that stop was more about 'who are you' and 'what brings you here' than worrying about speeding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayEm Posted February 13, 2018 at 04:49 PM Share Posted February 13, 2018 at 04:49 PM I live in a town next to Elmhurst and know lots of people who live/have lived in Elmhurst. It's a nice area, but pretty expensive. The south side of Elmhurst seems to be the nicer part; the north side is where most of the air traffic issues are. If you're living close to the train station you will be in a nice area. The police are most concerned with DUI's and traffic citations; they love giving out parking tickets too. You mentioned you're interested in schools - Their high school is one of the nicest in the area, but has a heroin problem (no one else mentioned it so i thought it's worth noting). I don't know enough about the elementary or middle schools to comment. Villa Park and Lombard are nice towns and a little bit cheaper. Worth a look if you don't want to pay Elmhurst prices. We're pretty pro-2A in Villa Park, but like anywhere in IL it will be a mix. I never have issues ordering ammo online or having online purchases sent to my FFL. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any specific questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagt48 Posted February 13, 2018 at 05:01 PM Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 at 05:01 PM My son is only 11 months, so we are more concerned with elementary schools. I hadn't even thought about drug problems. Hopefully by that time we will have headed west for either greener pastures or snowy mountains. We've gotten busy lately and have slowed down the home search. I'm honestly thinking that Lombard/Downers/Villa Park is where we will end up. We just need to find time to actually go look actually more places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InterestedBystander Posted February 13, 2018 at 05:13 PM Share Posted February 13, 2018 at 05:13 PM Post above reminded me of a recent article about VP on a best places to live list. http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171226/best-kept-secret-no-more-villa-park-makes-top-places-to-live-lists Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregivq Posted February 14, 2018 at 02:35 AM Share Posted February 14, 2018 at 02:35 AM I think overall home prices are much different between Elmhurst and Villa Park. If you could find something good in Elmhurst and get on it rather fast then you're golden as it really is seller's market and will likely stay that way. Just be cautious of homes with flooding issues. In Elmhurst you definitely don't want to live anywhere near a street drain as that is your lowest spot and everyone's water will be going to you eventually pooling by the drains. And of course some part of the property should be sloped away...you'd be surprised how many are storm water traps, no way out in front or back. If you end up buying in Elmhurst let me know in what area and I'll gladly let you know if there's a flood issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagt48 Posted February 14, 2018 at 03:48 AM Author Share Posted February 14, 2018 at 03:48 AM I will certainly do that. Thats very good advice! We looked at a couple of places there, but for the price I was not impressed. I'm 6'1, and in both places I couldn't walk the entire basement or even get down a flight of stairs without ducking. If only we had about another $300k... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted February 14, 2018 at 01:50 PM Share Posted February 14, 2018 at 01:50 PM I think overall home prices are much different between Elmhurst and Villa Park. If you could find something good in Elmhurst and get on it rather fast then you're golden as it really is seller's market and will likely stay that way. Just be cautious of homes with flooding issues. In Elmhurst you definitely don't want to live anywhere near a street drain as that is your lowest spot and everyone's water will be going to you eventually pooling by the drains. And of course some part of the property should be sloped away...you'd be surprised how many are storm water traps, no way out in front or back. If you end up buying in Elmhurst let me know in what area and I'll gladly let you know if there's a flood issue. Elmhurst has done a lot of flood remediation in the worst areas. Nothing is foolproof but every little bit helps. Just remember the three most important decision makers in buying a home in Elmhurst, "Altitude, altitude, altitude'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRJ Posted February 14, 2018 at 04:35 PM Share Posted February 14, 2018 at 04:35 PM I think overall home prices are much different between Elmhurst and Villa Park. If you could find something good in Elmhurst and get on it rather fast then you're golden as it really is seller's market and will likely stay that way. Just be cautious of homes with flooding issues. In Elmhurst you definitely don't want to live anywhere near a street drain as that is your lowest spot and everyone's water will be going to you eventually pooling by the drains. And of course some part of the property should be sloped away...you'd be surprised how many are storm water traps, no way out in front or back. If you end up buying in Elmhurst let me know in what area and I'll gladly let you know if there's a flood issue.Elmhurst has done a lot of flood remediation in the worst areas. Nothing is foolproof but every little bit helps.Just remember the three most important decision makers in buying a home in Elmhurst, "Altitude, altitude, altitude'. I thought that was Des Plaines. Between the airport and the river you want to be as high as possible without getting your roof clipped by a 737. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted February 14, 2018 at 05:42 PM Share Posted February 14, 2018 at 05:42 PM I think overall home prices are much different between Elmhurst and Villa Park. If you could find something good in Elmhurst and get on it rather fast then you're golden as it really is seller's market and will likely stay that way. Just be cautious of homes with flooding issues. In Elmhurst you definitely don't want to live anywhere near a street drain as that is your lowest spot and everyone's water will be going to you eventually pooling by the drains. And of course some part of the property should be sloped away...you'd be surprised how many are storm water traps, no way out in front or back. If you end up buying in Elmhurst let me know in what area and I'll gladly let you know if there's a flood issue. Elmhurst has done a lot of flood remediation in the worst areas. Nothing is foolproof but every little bit helps. Just remember the three most important decision makers in buying a home in Elmhurst, "Altitude, altitude, altitude'. I thought that was Des Plaines. Between the airport and the river you want to be as high as possible without getting your roof clipped by a 737. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregivq Posted February 15, 2018 at 01:34 AM Share Posted February 15, 2018 at 01:34 AM Elmhurst is better prepared now but even that one in 5 years rainstorm will give you lots of regret. And really if your backyard is lowest and in the front you have a drain than what can you really do? Spring Rd too...water sports! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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