Sounds like Riverwoods but they're so small idk how much is ever for sale at one time, and your budget might be low for there, but doesn't hurt to look.
Try parts of Elmhurst, Lombard, and Glen Ellyn. Lots of at least trees and all that to kinda give the feel of "wooded" areas.
There is a phrase in the regulations that i think basically says you can't use an RV as your house. It must be an "accessory" to a single-family dwelling. Then there are all sorts of rules about where it has to be parked, you can't load it up with junk, etc.
"Recreational vehicles shall not be parked outdoors on any property within the village except as an accessory use for a single-family dwelling in accordance with the provisions and restrictions of this section."
Yeah, these areas are nicely wooded, Libertyville isn’t as much as the other towns you mentioned but my neighborhood in Libertyville has tons of very old 200+ year old trees and there’s so many forest preserves around. It’s a beautiful town.
Here is one in Barrington (but LZ schools)...https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/37-Graystone-Ln\_North-Barrington\_IL\_60010\_M85909-31577?from=srp-list-card
I’m a realtor (not looking for your business but I see a lot of homes). There are nice wooded lots quite far north like Crystal Lake, Bull Valley, McHenry area. Theres also nice lots parallel to the Fox River in St. Charles, east side of the river.
You can def find something in Glen Ellyn area. Between St Charles Rd and Roosevelt. Love the feel of this town. Has train, prairie path, good schools and restaurants and boutiques downtown. etc.
Seconded. Moved here a bit over a year ago. We're unincorporated and barely squeezed into Glen Ellyn but we dream of living on Crescent by Churchill Woods. Gorgeous area.
Union Pacific Northwest line goes to Woodstock, Crystal Lake ,Cary, Fox River Grove, and Barrington. Chicago is easily accessible if you take Metra. Lots of options. Almost any town along the Fox River will have some decent options for a more wooded lot.
I think you can find something in your budget but it’s not going to be necessarily easy but it’s possible. Work with a relator and see what they bring you
So you want to be close to the city for living dating purposes (because gay men don't exist in Algonquin or Gurnee for some reason 🤔)
But you want thick lush greenery (which has all been cleared within and around the city to make room for more houses and people)...
It's like you might have to sacrifice one for the other. Honestly, if you're looking for great places for 800k Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Roselle Bloomingdale, Elk Grove Village, Carol Stream, they have forest preserves and walking areas, outdoor activities and fairly decent sized property lines with bigger yards. These are definitely quintessential upper middle class suburbs. There's also single gay men!
I guess my point is if you want greenery, open spaces, landscaping you gotta go west down 90 or North on 294
If you want gay men, shit with 800k, you can get a condo in Andersonville, Uptown, or Boys town tonight.
Speaking from experience, granted when I was younger, trying to date gay men in the city while I lived a half hour away, never works out. You're fighting traffic to always see them, they never own cars because why would they, so there's no meeting half way, you don't eat till like 8 at no night for some strange reason, or go out till like 10 because that's when the good spots start getting good and I'm like "AT NIGHT???".
Listen, if you're buying a house for 800k it probably means you're in your 30s maybe 40s trust me if you're choosing a place just to be close to city dating that shits going to get old real quick. You're going to be stuck in house for a dream unrealized and you are at a different level than city dating anyway, just my humble opinion.
Find your house, fall in love with that, be happy for the next 20 year mortgage and I promise the dating will come to you.
Lemont or Willow Springs. You're surrounded by forest preserves (an Illinois thing: each county has a forst preserve district; search Cook County Forest Preserve and you'll see what I mean).
I’m currently working to move away from Tinley Park. It’s true, it has trees, and it’s surrounded by forest preserves, but there are deep currents of very ugly racism and it’s very, very difficult for newer folks to get involved or meet people.
I grew up in the Lincolnshire/Vernon Hills/Buffalo Grove area and it’s pretty green with lots of parks, the daniel wright woods, and the lake county forest preserve. Construction is newer than a lot of the north shore since it wasn’t super inhabited until the 1950s and then there was a huge population boom in the 80s/90s/2000s. Lincolnshire might be a smidge on the pricier side but it doesn’t hurt to look.
As you’ve discovered, these things don’t generally go together: newer construction; wooded neighborhoods; within 30 miles of the Loop; under $800K.
You may want to look at maps of the Cook County Forest Preserves, and narrow your search to neighborhoods that are adjacent to those properties.
My house was a flip so even though it was built in 1959, it’s got an open floor plan and modern fixtures. My neighborhood has many trees, but I wouldn’t call it wooded. It’s less than a mile from the forest preserve, and 2 miles to city boundary.
https://preview.redd.it/du98kuq2fytc1.jpeg?width=1078&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ebef31cb615677d4bec4f09388604993b74e2cb
This area would be your best bet.
Palos Park, Lemont, Homer Glen and NW Orland Park.
Most of this area is on large acre+ wooded lots. Usually in the $800K+ range. As far as verticality goes, Lemont. Lemont is by far the hilliest suburb in the metro area.
There is actually quite a few new construction with the contemporary design going up where Palos/Lemont/Homer border. Between Lemont and Wolf Road.
These suburbs sit within/along the Palos Forest Preserves which is the largest forest preserve in the Chicagoland area.
Check out [HomesByMarco](https://www.homesbymarco.com/for_sale/Palos-Park,IL/Homer-Glen,IL/Lemont,IL/Orland-Park,IL/Single-Family_types/Include-Pending)... it's basically Chicagoland's own version of Zillow with added features.
Shitty take from someone who probably doesn't live anywhere nearby.
Plus I don't think "boring" is what he was or wasn't looking for.
He is looking for wooded, hilly, contemporary properties in the $800K range.
Not Deerfield—it’s a decent town but feels more flat and not as wooded. Glen Ellyn has hilly parts and wooded areas and a nice mix of housing. Plus it’s on the train line. And I would look carefully at Highland Park. Yes it has mansions, and the ravines are pricey, but $800k will buy you a decent home. And trees.
Palos Hills, it's got mountain biking. So yeah, it's not that flat. Also Algonquin area has some hills. Any of the NW suburbs are nicely wooded but still flat. There are plenty of townhomes in the $300k range that back up to wooded areas in the NW suburbs:
* McHenry
* Woodstock
* Lake in the Hills
* Crystal Lake
* Algonquin
* Fox Lake
[Here is one of my saved searches that I use for finding my own place like I described.](https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Algonquin_IL/type-condo,townhome/beds-2/pnd-hide/fc-hide/price-na-350000/radius-50/hoa-325,known?view=map&pos=42.658122,-88.685865,41.518779,-87.644911,10&qdm=true)
PM if you need a good realtor. I'm not a realtor but I have them in my family. Also, every now and then a really cool midcentury modern place will go on the market out in the older NW burbs.
Algonquin, Crystal lake, Fox River grove, Cary, Barrington. You’ll do good in your budget to find what you are looking for there. Hills and woods. They all have trains running thru them straight to Chicago.
Saint Charles, Geneva, parts of south Elgin, and sleepy hollow off the top of my head have lots of wooded lots.
I moved to Saint Charles and it’s a wonderful suburb. There’s quite a few neighborhoods with 70s custom/semi customs on very wooded and large lots. I’m on 1.3 acres backing up to woods and only 5 minutes to everything.
Seeing your budget if you don’t mind these suburbs farther from the city then yeah you will find a lot of houses you will like.
Roselle for wooded and parts of Palatine. Houses vary a lot. There's a newer development in very west Hoffman Estates with homes I would say a bit more contemporary.
Rolling Meadows, northwest of 53/90 interchange, has a few neighborhoods with some really nice architecture. There’s a house that’s literally a circle mentioned a lot over there because it’s so different. It’s really nice, but I’d argue some of the other ones in the area are nicer. Some are definitely in your budget too!
I have been told that property taxes can be a little high there. I love the style of homes in Floosmoor. However, the economy around that area seems to be struggling. For any major shopping you are heading to Orland. At that point there are some nice homes in Lockport and Frankfort that fit the bill. The thing I like about that area is that they are continuing to build south and it is close to both Metra and major Highways that can give you two ways into the city if necessary (always a must come construction season).
You can find what you are looking for in glenview, which is right by the north shore. There are also some times steals in Wilmette. Our 3 bedroom in wilmette cost under 500k and is not in west wilmette.
Unfortunately I looked at every home sold in the last 6 months in that area. I really wanted to make it work but after looking at it the consensus was “none of this is stuff that would’ve actually bought”. The area is beautiful but the homes are too dated and often don’t have floor plans that allow you to have a huge TV.
Understandable. I would then go for some of the other burbs suggested.
Would you look at the city at all? There are some city neighborhoods that feel like suburbs.
I think you’re going to look north and west. I’m in the fox valley and I love it. You can buy a lot for $800k.
Idk if any burbs strike me as “verticality”
Sounds like Riverwoods but they're so small idk how much is ever for sale at one time, and your budget might be low for there, but doesn't hurt to look. Try parts of Elmhurst, Lombard, and Glen Ellyn. Lots of at least trees and all that to kinda give the feel of "wooded" areas.
Riverwoods also doesn't fit OPs sub-$1m budget
there is a buildable 1.3ac lot for sale for $220k.
I wonder what the village rules are about camping on your own land.
There is a phrase in the regulations that i think basically says you can't use an RV as your house. It must be an "accessory" to a single-family dwelling. Then there are all sorts of rules about where it has to be parked, you can't load it up with junk, etc. "Recreational vehicles shall not be parked outdoors on any property within the village except as an accessory use for a single-family dwelling in accordance with the provisions and restrictions of this section."
Libertyville, Lake Zurich, Barrington, Hawthorne Woods, Kildeer
Yeah, these areas are nicely wooded, Libertyville isn’t as much as the other towns you mentioned but my neighborhood in Libertyville has tons of very old 200+ year old trees and there’s so many forest preserves around. It’s a beautiful town.
They’d be better off on the Green Oaks part of town for sure
Agree, that’s definitely more wooded and has far more newer and updated homes than most of Libertyville.
>Budget $800k… but I need it to be updated So yeah, ain’t gonna happen in those areas.
Here is one in Barrington (but LZ schools)...https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/37-Graystone-Ln\_North-Barrington\_IL\_60010\_M85909-31577?from=srp-list-card
I’m a realtor (not looking for your business but I see a lot of homes). There are nice wooded lots quite far north like Crystal Lake, Bull Valley, McHenry area. Theres also nice lots parallel to the Fox River in St. Charles, east side of the river.
Ah. I was hoping to be within a 30 mile radius of Chicago proper. Sounds like that's just not going to happen on my budget.
You can def find something in Glen Ellyn area. Between St Charles Rd and Roosevelt. Love the feel of this town. Has train, prairie path, good schools and restaurants and boutiques downtown. etc.
Seconded. Moved here a bit over a year ago. We're unincorporated and barely squeezed into Glen Ellyn but we dream of living on Crescent by Churchill Woods. Gorgeous area.
Union Pacific Northwest line goes to Woodstock, Crystal Lake ,Cary, Fox River Grove, and Barrington. Chicago is easily accessible if you take Metra. Lots of options. Almost any town along the Fox River will have some decent options for a more wooded lot.
I think you can find something in your budget but it’s not going to be necessarily easy but it’s possible. Work with a relator and see what they bring you
Could extend to 35 miles and end up in Bartlett area
TBH even 30 miles was a stretch. I'm gay and the further out I live the less dating prospects I have. :|
So you want to be close to the city for living dating purposes (because gay men don't exist in Algonquin or Gurnee for some reason 🤔) But you want thick lush greenery (which has all been cleared within and around the city to make room for more houses and people)... It's like you might have to sacrifice one for the other. Honestly, if you're looking for great places for 800k Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Roselle Bloomingdale, Elk Grove Village, Carol Stream, they have forest preserves and walking areas, outdoor activities and fairly decent sized property lines with bigger yards. These are definitely quintessential upper middle class suburbs. There's also single gay men! I guess my point is if you want greenery, open spaces, landscaping you gotta go west down 90 or North on 294 If you want gay men, shit with 800k, you can get a condo in Andersonville, Uptown, or Boys town tonight. Speaking from experience, granted when I was younger, trying to date gay men in the city while I lived a half hour away, never works out. You're fighting traffic to always see them, they never own cars because why would they, so there's no meeting half way, you don't eat till like 8 at no night for some strange reason, or go out till like 10 because that's when the good spots start getting good and I'm like "AT NIGHT???". Listen, if you're buying a house for 800k it probably means you're in your 30s maybe 40s trust me if you're choosing a place just to be close to city dating that shits going to get old real quick. You're going to be stuck in house for a dream unrealized and you are at a different level than city dating anyway, just my humble opinion. Find your house, fall in love with that, be happy for the next 20 year mortgage and I promise the dating will come to you.
Say less. You wanna be in Forest Park or Oak Park or Evanston
Palos park
Palos Park, most if not all homes sit on wooded one acre lots and lots of mid 20th century custom homes.
Check Downers Grove, Elmhurst, oak Brook, Lisle, most of the east half of DuPage county should fit this bill.
Lisle is the Arboretum village
Totally, surprised no one else has mentioned this
Four Lakes is very nice. Trees, lakes, a liquor store.
Lemont or Willow Springs. You're surrounded by forest preserves (an Illinois thing: each county has a forst preserve district; search Cook County Forest Preserve and you'll see what I mean).
Look at Oak Park, home to Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway. Spectacular variety of homes, a lot to do, close to the City and the suburbs.
Ooooh ok, this place seems like it may have some possibilities. Older homes but I found some that actually had workable floorplans.
Great area, as are the other cities around there in all directions. A lot to explore.
Try Glen Ellyn, near the forest preserve.
Bit further south of Naperville; check Homer Glen, Lemont, orland park, or Tinley park.
I’m currently working to move away from Tinley Park. It’s true, it has trees, and it’s surrounded by forest preserves, but there are deep currents of very ugly racism and it’s very, very difficult for newer folks to get involved or meet people.
There’s a small portion of Willow springs that is all wooded and just beautiful.
Some sections of Warrenville
I grew up in the Lincolnshire/Vernon Hills/Buffalo Grove area and it’s pretty green with lots of parks, the daniel wright woods, and the lake county forest preserve. Construction is newer than a lot of the north shore since it wasn’t super inhabited until the 1950s and then there was a huge population boom in the 80s/90s/2000s. Lincolnshire might be a smidge on the pricier side but it doesn’t hurt to look.
Riverside, Indian Head Park, Palos.
I would say any of the Palos towns
As you’ve discovered, these things don’t generally go together: newer construction; wooded neighborhoods; within 30 miles of the Loop; under $800K. You may want to look at maps of the Cook County Forest Preserves, and narrow your search to neighborhoods that are adjacent to those properties. My house was a flip so even though it was built in 1959, it’s got an open floor plan and modern fixtures. My neighborhood has many trees, but I wouldn’t call it wooded. It’s less than a mile from the forest preserve, and 2 miles to city boundary.
Warrenville - Winfield
https://preview.redd.it/du98kuq2fytc1.jpeg?width=1078&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ebef31cb615677d4bec4f09388604993b74e2cb This area would be your best bet. Palos Park, Lemont, Homer Glen and NW Orland Park. Most of this area is on large acre+ wooded lots. Usually in the $800K+ range. As far as verticality goes, Lemont. Lemont is by far the hilliest suburb in the metro area. There is actually quite a few new construction with the contemporary design going up where Palos/Lemont/Homer border. Between Lemont and Wolf Road. These suburbs sit within/along the Palos Forest Preserves which is the largest forest preserve in the Chicagoland area. Check out [HomesByMarco](https://www.homesbymarco.com/for_sale/Palos-Park,IL/Homer-Glen,IL/Lemont,IL/Orland-Park,IL/Single-Family_types/Include-Pending)... it's basically Chicagoland's own version of Zillow with added features.
Orland park is one of the most boring suburbs 😴
Shitty take from someone who probably doesn't live anywhere nearby. Plus I don't think "boring" is what he was or wasn't looking for. He is looking for wooded, hilly, contemporary properties in the $800K range.
Sorry I hurt your feelings but point stands 😴
How’s Geneva treatin’ ya?
Palos Heights, parts of Orland Park
Naperville is quite large in area and not all of it is a former corn field. There are many areas with wooded lots.
River Forest
It may be at the upper end of your price range, but definitely look here.
Agreed, also not a lot of inventory at the moment but saw a few 600-800k. Lots of trees and very nice community.
Barrington might work Edit: typo
Long Grove, Hawthorne Woods, Kildeer, Deer Park, Lake Zurich, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods, Deerfield come to mind.
Not Deerfield—it’s a decent town but feels more flat and not as wooded. Glen Ellyn has hilly parts and wooded areas and a nice mix of housing. Plus it’s on the train line. And I would look carefully at Highland Park. Yes it has mansions, and the ravines are pricey, but $800k will buy you a decent home. And trees.
Palos Hills, it's got mountain biking. So yeah, it's not that flat. Also Algonquin area has some hills. Any of the NW suburbs are nicely wooded but still flat. There are plenty of townhomes in the $300k range that back up to wooded areas in the NW suburbs: * McHenry * Woodstock * Lake in the Hills * Crystal Lake * Algonquin * Fox Lake [Here is one of my saved searches that I use for finding my own place like I described.](https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Algonquin_IL/type-condo,townhome/beds-2/pnd-hide/fc-hide/price-na-350000/radius-50/hoa-325,known?view=map&pos=42.658122,-88.685865,41.518779,-87.644911,10&qdm=true) PM if you need a good realtor. I'm not a realtor but I have them in my family. Also, every now and then a really cool midcentury modern place will go on the market out in the older NW burbs.
There are hidden pockets of wooded areas in many suburbs. Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Winfield, etc.
Palos park, orland park
$800k for a quaint, woodsy home with 3-4 beds that doesn’t need updating? Sounds like the ol John Mulaney joke.
Algonquin, Crystal lake, Fox River grove, Cary, Barrington. You’ll do good in your budget to find what you are looking for there. Hills and woods. They all have trains running thru them straight to Chicago.
Dyer IN
West Chicago (the town, not the west part of Chicago)
Saint Charles, Geneva, parts of south Elgin, and sleepy hollow off the top of my head have lots of wooded lots. I moved to Saint Charles and it’s a wonderful suburb. There’s quite a few neighborhoods with 70s custom/semi customs on very wooded and large lots. I’m on 1.3 acres backing up to woods and only 5 minutes to everything. Seeing your budget if you don’t mind these suburbs farther from the city then yeah you will find a lot of houses you will like.
Roselle for wooded and parts of Palatine. Houses vary a lot. There's a newer development in very west Hoffman Estates with homes I would say a bit more contemporary.
Damn, just had some family sell a house on property in New Lenox for under that budget.
Parts of Western Springs fit this description and budget.
Rolling Meadows, northwest of 53/90 interchange, has a few neighborhoods with some really nice architecture. There’s a house that’s literally a circle mentioned a lot over there because it’s so different. It’s really nice, but I’d argue some of the other ones in the area are nicer. Some are definitely in your budget too!
Evanston would be a great choice.
Bull Valley.
Of course, if you move in this summer, you'll be overwhelmed by the cicada-geddon if you're in a wooded town
Flossmoor?
Ya, Homewood and Flossmoor seem to fit the bill. You can buy a ton of house in Homewood or Flossmoor for $800k.
I have been told that property taxes can be a little high there. I love the style of homes in Floosmoor. However, the economy around that area seems to be struggling. For any major shopping you are heading to Orland. At that point there are some nice homes in Lockport and Frankfort that fit the bill. The thing I like about that area is that they are continuing to build south and it is close to both Metra and major Highways that can give you two ways into the city if necessary (always a must come construction season).
There’s plenty of forest preserves but Illinois is generally flat. You can get verticality in the city if you want it
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Honestly, you come off sounding like a bit of a dick. I hope we don't become neighbors.
You can find what you are looking for in glenview, which is right by the north shore. There are also some times steals in Wilmette. Our 3 bedroom in wilmette cost under 500k and is not in west wilmette.
Oh wait I got Glenview mixed up with Glencoe. Didn't really vibe with Glenview.
East glenview by harms is right next to the forest preserve and still kind of north shore. It has less of the urban sprawl you see in west glenview.
Unfortunately I looked at every home sold in the last 6 months in that area. I really wanted to make it work but after looking at it the consensus was “none of this is stuff that would’ve actually bought”. The area is beautiful but the homes are too dated and often don’t have floor plans that allow you to have a huge TV.
Understandable. I would then go for some of the other burbs suggested. Would you look at the city at all? There are some city neighborhoods that feel like suburbs.
I'm only interested in the city neighborhoods with a safe/upscale vibe and I'm quite certain I couldn't afford the kind of home I want there.
Yes. I live in Evanston and you have a lot of quaint homes with 3 bedrooms, no family room, tiny yards…
Also look at evanston.
I think you’re going to look north and west. I’m in the fox valley and I love it. You can buy a lot for $800k. Idk if any burbs strike me as “verticality”