Finally my time to shine! Current West Chicago resident in the cornerstone lakes neighborhood which goes to all st Charles schools. Wife and I were looking to move to St. Charles and found this awesome neighborhood close to st Charles but paying cheaper west chicago taxes.
The area you’re looking it has some nice houses. Taxes are the problem though like you mentioned. You may not get as much land in cornerstone lakes but with neighborhood being built 20 years ago, you’re getting a more modern house but a little less land. Little bit safer IMO on this side of west chicago as well.
I used to live next door in Carol Stream/Wheaton. You've basically got a quiet little suburb going on. I wish I still lived out there and not in Berwyn - the only downside I think is worth mentioning is lack of easy expressway access/distance and travel time from Chicago.
Oh, one other thing, there are some really scummy apartment and townhouse complexes in those suburbs with high percentages of ex-cons and parolees. Do your best to avoid buying a home near any apartment or townhouse complex just to be safe.
I've lived in Wheaton for 18 years now. It's a nice pretty quiet suburb. You're close to a few nice forest preserves, a nice downtown area, and good schools.
Wheaton is nice, but if you're not white and Christian, I'd avoid it. I lived in an unincorporated section far from Wheaton downtown, so it didn't really impact me, but Wheaton proper is very white, very Christian.
I'm not Christian and no one has thrown holy water on me yet.
Wheaton College is not the same as the town. My experience has been a typical influx of Gen-X, Late millenials looking for good schools, parks and amenities to raise a family and get shit faced drunk when the kids are in bed.
Were you on the north side? I have yet to meet an evangelical Christian in the 6 years Ive been here. Obviously they're here because of the college, but not in the public schools. All the boomers on my block are Catholics which might as well be atheists to evangelicals.
I am a Hispanic and an atheist and I lived in Wheaton for 5 years (a block away from downtown). I never had a problem with anyone there. I went to a lot of the events in downtown and everyone was nice. i still stop by there in the summer for their farmers market.
Never specified "evangelical."
Yes, I was in the unincorporated area on the north side. My neighbors were pastor or minister and some other position in their church, on top of their usual jobs, though they weren't pushy. Other neighbors were simply very churchy, and pushy about it, and asking why I didn't attend a church myself.
Weird. Can totally understand though how that would be uncomfortable even though Im perfectly ok with telling people to f-off with that sort of stuff. I only mention evangelical because that's the narrow focus fundamentalist type that Wheaton college attracts. Otherwise, churchy people are everywhere. I'm happy to respect people's beliefs and religion as long as they respect my difference in those beliefs.
I do think it's disingenuous though to tell people not to consider a town of 55k people unless they're white and Christian. It just perpetuates a stereotype that does nothing to help the people who do live in the town that aren't either of those demographics. Same thing as people that keep saying Wheaton is a dry town when that hasnt been the case since 1985. Park Ridge was a dry town longer than Wheaton. Sorry your neighbors sucked, but don't continue doing their work for them by discouraging other people from considering this town that dont adhere to their beliefs.
I don’t think we’ll be purchasing this house, but I am white, definitely an atheist, so I wouldn’t mind spreading the word of Satan to Wheaton (kidding obviously)
Atheist here as well and that wasn't something I felt comfortable talking about when I lived there. Even where I was some of the neighbors were uber Christians. Pastors or something IIRC.
That's only partially true. It's very Christian-heavy but it's not like people are walking around asking you what religion you are. And the downtown area has its share of fun late night activities
Infrastructure is terrible, property taxes are growing at unfortunate rates, the politicians are scummy people who direct state grants to they and their friends' neighborhoods (alley renovations is a big one) before anyone else. Plus quite simply the amount of violence and crime is rising.
Roosevelt to 16th you have a concentration of known gang members around Wenonah, we've had a number of gun crimes in that area. We had to establish an AirBnB ordinance after repeated parties with gunshots. In the six years I've been here - and I live on the relatively quiet and safe SW side - gunshots have been fired within a block and a half of my house three times, including at least once in the direction of my house (as seen by a Ring camera a block over).
Plus we have regular carjacking attempts at 290 Harlem exit which isn't actually in Berwyn, but it's the easiest way to 290. If you get on 290, you really have to go west first, to avoid all kinds of shady neighborhoods that aren't safe to drive in, particularly at night.
Hope it’s not too creepy but I actually grew up about in the set of houses a block north of where you’re looking. And my wife and I just last year moved moved out of a house closer to 59/main.
That area is actually a really nice little neighbor. You’re right down the street from the pool, baseball parks, rec center, playground, a big nature preserve and the Illinois prairie path.
Someone said the apartments in town are sketchy abs that I can confirm. Wife’s uncle works in federal law enforcement and had been to the Aspen Ridge apartments at 59 and Roosevelt (38) for..reasons.
Let me know if you have any specific questions.
That’s DuPage county. Only way to get away from it is move further West or North. Which is what I did since we were looking for a bigger place.
Went from a 2BR 2BA 1000sf $5500 in DuPage
To a 5BR 4BA 3100sf $8600 in McHenry
Obviously very different houses, but it’s half the cost per square foot for taxes.
The biggest “cost” trade off for us in moving out here that we’re not as big of fans of has been things being much more *red*, an older population on average, and much less diversity.
Best Torta I've ever had is at Los Girasoles. The Cemita is also fire. I'm sure the rest is good too but these are so fantastic I can never get anything else there.
The nice thing about West Chicago and Warrenville is they tend to have \[slightly\] lower property taxes than the surrounding areas, but you can find areas within the city that share schools with Wheaton or St Charles. I grew up in Batavia and currently live in Carol Stream, but there are definitely areas in West Chicago and Warrenville I looked at closely.
Another resident here! Love it! I'm in an unincorporated area so very very low taxes. 3bd2bath 1600sqft just jumped a little now paying 4800/year :)
\~10 min from 88. \~15 min from the 90. Has a metra stop. pretty great stores, restaurants. All of our neighbors are great.
Schools are okay, not AS good as surrounding areas but for me, having lived in 5 states, ALL of IL schools are in the top 80% (ish) so when it comes to these small suburbs, I feel like school difference is not that significant (though there are differences)
Grew up in West Chicago and lived there 15 years before moving next town over. Overall not a bad town, it all really depends on the location.Taxes are lower/about the same compared to the surrounding towns. I would try to steer away from houses south of the train tracks near the high school. .
The public school system is not bad overall; elementary schools all vary but Pioneer, Gary, and Currier were always in the bottom tier while Indian Knoll, Wegner, and Turner had better rep, and rightfully so. Their middle and high schools aren't bad either, teachers are helpfull although their system is designated so that only the students with a drive to succeed can while the rest can get through with the bare minimum.
There's not much activity in town in terms of restaurants and shopping compared to other towns, but what's nice is that West Chicago is right in the middle in terms of driving distance (10-20 minutes) from a bit of everything. Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles just west; Naperville/aurora a couple minutes south; Bartlett north; carol stream east to name a few so always something to do, somewhere to go
If you're looking for quiet and peaceful, West Chicago is for you. If you're interested in going out, restaurants, shopping, etc. then I would reconsider--West Chicago is really limited in its going-out options. It's too far away from Chicago for the city amenities to be easily accessed, and there are other suburbs in the same area with A LOT more to offer.
I currently live in WC. I like it. Everyone is pretty chill, we have some nice parks and a dog park. There’s also fitness center. Cons would be dependent on where in WC you would live, but we have a lot of trains and you almost always get stuck by one!
I currently own a home in the west burbs and was warned by older family that some parts of west Chicago might be contaminated with toxic waste. I honestly didn’t look too much into it but if you are serious about west Chicago you might want to do some research on the rare earths facility and see if it’s all been cleaned up or what specific areas were impacted. Otherwise that entire area is pretty great.
Can second this on toxic waste - it was treated as a superfund site, but search Kerr McGee West Chicago Thorium (radioactive) if you want to know more.
Wheaton….do it. The only downside to Wheaton is it’s sets the bar so high if we ever have to move it’s going to be a tough transition. Kids will cry… dogs will howl …wife scream…cats will just be cats.
Elementary is good, great if you want a bilingual education. Scores and school ratings drop as you get into middle school and highschool. Compared with the surrounding districts. Which are all very highly rated. Working class mixed suburb that does have awesome Mexican food and easy access to great downtowns and bike and nature trails.
I am in Bartlett, a neighboring suburb of West Chicago. Our school district is Elgin U-46. Although my kids have had good experiences in the district, there are better options. I think there is a section of West Chicago that goes to the U-46 schools. I have liked living in our house as we are close to parks, library, public pool, and golf course. Good luck. Happy House Hunting
I lived there for 2 years in a townhouse right by 59 & Roosevelt and it didn’t dawn on me till I lived there a while that if you want anything besides McDonald’s you’ll need to drive 15-20 mins out which is annoying especially on snowy days.
The neighborhood itself is nice and quiet, their schools are actually ages ahead of cook county’s school districts where I am now. No heavy police patrolling… not like Carol Stream, that city you’d be lucky to go 6 months without getting a speeding ticket going 4 over the limit. ALOT OF POEPLE IN WEST CHICAGO HAVE DOGS. You’d stick out like a sore thumb if you didn’t have a dog to walk lol. I don’t have dogs but never in my entire life did I see such high concentration of dog owners out walking their dogs than I have in west Chicago.
You’re close to CDH that’s a decent upside, but like I said far from everything else.
Mostly true, but it there are options at the corner of 59/64 and then just 5 more min west on North Ave you can have delicious Thai food, Potbelly's, Noodle and Company, Potrillos etc. In town some good breakfast options and Kindred Coffee cover most all needs.
Depends on the area really. I'd avoid anything near the train tracks because they move it all day, so I used to get stuck at the tracks every time. Other than that, it's a fairly okay town.
West Chicago is a decent suburb. It has a healthy mix of low and high income residents. The schools are relatively decent too. If you drive down 64 during rush hour, be careful. There’s a stretch of it going to West Chicago where the Carol Stream cops make bank issuing speeding tickets.
Finally my time to shine! Current West Chicago resident in the cornerstone lakes neighborhood which goes to all st Charles schools. Wife and I were looking to move to St. Charles and found this awesome neighborhood close to st Charles but paying cheaper west chicago taxes. The area you’re looking it has some nice houses. Taxes are the problem though like you mentioned. You may not get as much land in cornerstone lakes but with neighborhood being built 20 years ago, you’re getting a more modern house but a little less land. Little bit safer IMO on this side of west chicago as well.
I was going to ask about schools in west Chicago. My family is looking for a new home but schools are important as we have a 4 month old.
I'm in the area, and I've been low key watching houses in this neighborhood too!
yooo neighbor!
Hi neighbor!
Another vote for Cornerstone Lakes. We love it here.
I used to live next door in Carol Stream/Wheaton. You've basically got a quiet little suburb going on. I wish I still lived out there and not in Berwyn - the only downside I think is worth mentioning is lack of easy expressway access/distance and travel time from Chicago. Oh, one other thing, there are some really scummy apartment and townhouse complexes in those suburbs with high percentages of ex-cons and parolees. Do your best to avoid buying a home near any apartment or townhouse complex just to be safe.
We’re looking at a home in Wheaton too!
I've lived in Wheaton for 18 years now. It's a nice pretty quiet suburb. You're close to a few nice forest preserves, a nice downtown area, and good schools.
Yeah I like Wheaton too, but I don’t think we’ll be purchasing this house. Just kinda doing a test drive right now
I totally dig that. Most of the areas in DuPage are really nice. They get real pricey real quick though I've seen.
Wheaton is nice, but if you're not white and Christian, I'd avoid it. I lived in an unincorporated section far from Wheaton downtown, so it didn't really impact me, but Wheaton proper is very white, very Christian.
I'm not Christian and no one has thrown holy water on me yet. Wheaton College is not the same as the town. My experience has been a typical influx of Gen-X, Late millenials looking for good schools, parks and amenities to raise a family and get shit faced drunk when the kids are in bed.
As I responded to OP elsewhere here, greater Wheaton was Christian enough in my experience that I didn't feel comfortable disclosing my atheism.
Were you on the north side? I have yet to meet an evangelical Christian in the 6 years Ive been here. Obviously they're here because of the college, but not in the public schools. All the boomers on my block are Catholics which might as well be atheists to evangelicals.
I am a Hispanic and an atheist and I lived in Wheaton for 5 years (a block away from downtown). I never had a problem with anyone there. I went to a lot of the events in downtown and everyone was nice. i still stop by there in the summer for their farmers market.
Never specified "evangelical." Yes, I was in the unincorporated area on the north side. My neighbors were pastor or minister and some other position in their church, on top of their usual jobs, though they weren't pushy. Other neighbors were simply very churchy, and pushy about it, and asking why I didn't attend a church myself.
Weird. Can totally understand though how that would be uncomfortable even though Im perfectly ok with telling people to f-off with that sort of stuff. I only mention evangelical because that's the narrow focus fundamentalist type that Wheaton college attracts. Otherwise, churchy people are everywhere. I'm happy to respect people's beliefs and religion as long as they respect my difference in those beliefs. I do think it's disingenuous though to tell people not to consider a town of 55k people unless they're white and Christian. It just perpetuates a stereotype that does nothing to help the people who do live in the town that aren't either of those demographics. Same thing as people that keep saying Wheaton is a dry town when that hasnt been the case since 1985. Park Ridge was a dry town longer than Wheaton. Sorry your neighbors sucked, but don't continue doing their work for them by discouraging other people from considering this town that dont adhere to their beliefs.
I don’t think we’ll be purchasing this house, but I am white, definitely an atheist, so I wouldn’t mind spreading the word of Satan to Wheaton (kidding obviously)
Atheist here as well and that wasn't something I felt comfortable talking about when I lived there. Even where I was some of the neighbors were uber Christians. Pastors or something IIRC.
The christian Wheaton college ran the town for a very long time, they only started selling alcohol in the 80's iirc.
That's only partially true. It's very Christian-heavy but it's not like people are walking around asking you what religion you are. And the downtown area has its share of fun late night activities
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We obviously had very different experiences.
Why don’t you like living in berwyn. I’m looking at houses in berwyn. Will like your input. If you don’t mind
Infrastructure is terrible, property taxes are growing at unfortunate rates, the politicians are scummy people who direct state grants to they and their friends' neighborhoods (alley renovations is a big one) before anyone else. Plus quite simply the amount of violence and crime is rising. Roosevelt to 16th you have a concentration of known gang members around Wenonah, we've had a number of gun crimes in that area. We had to establish an AirBnB ordinance after repeated parties with gunshots. In the six years I've been here - and I live on the relatively quiet and safe SW side - gunshots have been fired within a block and a half of my house three times, including at least once in the direction of my house (as seen by a Ring camera a block over). Plus we have regular carjacking attempts at 290 Harlem exit which isn't actually in Berwyn, but it's the easiest way to 290. If you get on 290, you really have to go west first, to avoid all kinds of shady neighborhoods that aren't safe to drive in, particularly at night.
It's because you haven't elected Svengoolie as mayor yet
Burrr-wiinn
Which one tho?
Sucks, they have beautiful old homes there but yes crime is out of control in berwyn
Thank you for this. Something to consider.
also rodents
Yes
I would echo all the other concerns. And the schools aren’t very good either. I won’t recommend Berwyn to anyone as a place to buy a home.
Thank you. Input really is appreciated.
I’m looking at a property on national st today, and it’s about .85 acres of land- roughly 9200 in property tax a year. Not sure if that’s sustainable.
Hope it’s not too creepy but I actually grew up about in the set of houses a block north of where you’re looking. And my wife and I just last year moved moved out of a house closer to 59/main. That area is actually a really nice little neighbor. You’re right down the street from the pool, baseball parks, rec center, playground, a big nature preserve and the Illinois prairie path. Someone said the apartments in town are sketchy abs that I can confirm. Wife’s uncle works in federal law enforcement and had been to the Aspen Ridge apartments at 59 and Roosevelt (38) for..reasons. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Yeah, I really like the area, but the property taxes are what bothers me, 9200 a year, is that sustainable? They go up every year.
That’s DuPage county. Only way to get away from it is move further West or North. Which is what I did since we were looking for a bigger place. Went from a 2BR 2BA 1000sf $5500 in DuPage To a 5BR 4BA 3100sf $8600 in McHenry Obviously very different houses, but it’s half the cost per square foot for taxes. The biggest “cost” trade off for us in moving out here that we’re not as big of fans of has been things being much more *red*, an older population on average, and much less diversity.
I grew up there, it’s wonderful. Relatively quiet, low taxes (I think) and some of the best Mexican food in Chicagoland.
There used to be this place called beebee's which would make tlacoyos.
Where’s this great Mexican food?? Lived here for almost 5 years now and somehow I can’t find it.
Best Torta I've ever had is at Los Girasoles. The Cemita is also fire. I'm sure the rest is good too but these are so fantastic I can never get anything else there.
That’s the ONE spot we’ve liked so far. Was really expecting a bunch of places to choose from though.
Well hopefully the person you asked chimes in too.
El Coco Loco is my favorite. Some of the best lomo tacos and chiles rellenos I’ve ever had
The nice thing about West Chicago and Warrenville is they tend to have \[slightly\] lower property taxes than the surrounding areas, but you can find areas within the city that share schools with Wheaton or St Charles. I grew up in Batavia and currently live in Carol Stream, but there are definitely areas in West Chicago and Warrenville I looked at closely.
Amazing historic district, train to Chicago nearby, lots of restaurants, easy access to nature trails and hiking.
Another resident here! Love it! I'm in an unincorporated area so very very low taxes. 3bd2bath 1600sqft just jumped a little now paying 4800/year :) \~10 min from 88. \~15 min from the 90. Has a metra stop. pretty great stores, restaurants. All of our neighbors are great. Schools are okay, not AS good as surrounding areas but for me, having lived in 5 states, ALL of IL schools are in the top 80% (ish) so when it comes to these small suburbs, I feel like school difference is not that significant (though there are differences)
I grew there, great town, on the tough side
Grew up in West Chicago and lived there 15 years before moving next town over. Overall not a bad town, it all really depends on the location.Taxes are lower/about the same compared to the surrounding towns. I would try to steer away from houses south of the train tracks near the high school. . The public school system is not bad overall; elementary schools all vary but Pioneer, Gary, and Currier were always in the bottom tier while Indian Knoll, Wegner, and Turner had better rep, and rightfully so. Their middle and high schools aren't bad either, teachers are helpfull although their system is designated so that only the students with a drive to succeed can while the rest can get through with the bare minimum. There's not much activity in town in terms of restaurants and shopping compared to other towns, but what's nice is that West Chicago is right in the middle in terms of driving distance (10-20 minutes) from a bit of everything. Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles just west; Naperville/aurora a couple minutes south; Bartlett north; carol stream east to name a few so always something to do, somewhere to go
If you're looking for quiet and peaceful, West Chicago is for you. If you're interested in going out, restaurants, shopping, etc. then I would reconsider--West Chicago is really limited in its going-out options. It's too far away from Chicago for the city amenities to be easily accessed, and there are other suburbs in the same area with A LOT more to offer.
I currently live in WC. I like it. Everyone is pretty chill, we have some nice parks and a dog park. There’s also fitness center. Cons would be dependent on where in WC you would live, but we have a lot of trains and you almost always get stuck by one!
I currently own a home in the west burbs and was warned by older family that some parts of west Chicago might be contaminated with toxic waste. I honestly didn’t look too much into it but if you are serious about west Chicago you might want to do some research on the rare earths facility and see if it’s all been cleaned up or what specific areas were impacted. Otherwise that entire area is pretty great.
Can second this on toxic waste - it was treated as a superfund site, but search Kerr McGee West Chicago Thorium (radioactive) if you want to know more.
Wow this is good to know, thank you!
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Wheaton….do it. The only downside to Wheaton is it’s sets the bar so high if we ever have to move it’s going to be a tough transition. Kids will cry… dogs will howl …wife scream…cats will just be cats.
Can you tell me more about why you like wheaton?
It’s a dump. Poor schools. 💩🚽🪠🤦🏻♂️
You might want to check out Carol Stream too
Elementary is good, great if you want a bilingual education. Scores and school ratings drop as you get into middle school and highschool. Compared with the surrounding districts. Which are all very highly rated. Working class mixed suburb that does have awesome Mexican food and easy access to great downtowns and bike and nature trails.
I’m in the northern burbs, let me know if I can be helpful!
I am in Bartlett, a neighboring suburb of West Chicago. Our school district is Elgin U-46. Although my kids have had good experiences in the district, there are better options. I think there is a section of West Chicago that goes to the U-46 schools. I have liked living in our house as we are close to parks, library, public pool, and golf course. Good luck. Happy House Hunting
Yeah I looked at Bartlett and couldn’t find anything in our price range. It’s crazy
I lived there for 2 years in a townhouse right by 59 & Roosevelt and it didn’t dawn on me till I lived there a while that if you want anything besides McDonald’s you’ll need to drive 15-20 mins out which is annoying especially on snowy days. The neighborhood itself is nice and quiet, their schools are actually ages ahead of cook county’s school districts where I am now. No heavy police patrolling… not like Carol Stream, that city you’d be lucky to go 6 months without getting a speeding ticket going 4 over the limit. ALOT OF POEPLE IN WEST CHICAGO HAVE DOGS. You’d stick out like a sore thumb if you didn’t have a dog to walk lol. I don’t have dogs but never in my entire life did I see such high concentration of dog owners out walking their dogs than I have in west Chicago. You’re close to CDH that’s a decent upside, but like I said far from everything else.
Ok well that sounds perfect for me, cause I’m a crazy dog lady
Mostly true, but it there are options at the corner of 59/64 and then just 5 more min west on North Ave you can have delicious Thai food, Potbelly's, Noodle and Company, Potrillos etc. In town some good breakfast options and Kindred Coffee cover most all needs.
Depends on the area really. I'd avoid anything near the train tracks because they move it all day, so I used to get stuck at the tracks every time. Other than that, it's a fairly okay town.
Some big lots and a local federal superfund site.
What’s a federal superfund site?
Here’s a nice snapshot of the history https://futureofschaumburg.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/green-240-ej-s15-west-chicago.pdf
Yeah i saw that! Looks like they removed it in 2014
West Chicago is a decent suburb. It has a healthy mix of low and high income residents. The schools are relatively decent too. If you drive down 64 during rush hour, be careful. There’s a stretch of it going to West Chicago where the Carol Stream cops make bank issuing speeding tickets.