The city of Glenview is situated on the North Shore, north of the city of Chicago. Glenview's grade schools are high-performing, though its high school is a little less so. Glenview once was home to the Glenview Naval Air Station, which was torn down almost 20 years ago. The area is now an extravagent area known as the Glen, which has a residential neighborhood, a Metra station and a shopping area. The average home price is more than $630,000, and the city is linked to downtown Chicago by the Edens Expressway and a Metra train line.
Holstein Park, in the heart of Bucktown, has been around for more than 150 years. The area hearkens to the days of old, working-class Chicago, with its older-construction homes -- with an average price about $590,000 -- and shade trees lining the streets. At the park itself, Bucktown residents go to "The Pool" in the summer and take advantage of the field house and fields attached. The area is close to Interstates 90 and 94, as well as Western and Fullerton avenues, giving you easy access to downtown and to the suburbs. Shopping, dining and nightlife are within easy walking distance, making Holstein Park and Bucktown desirable places to live.
Orland Park, situated in the south suburbs of Chicago, has large tracts of Cook County Forest Preserves as well as parks and golf courses. It also is home to much of the shopping in the area, with LaGrange Road providing a large mall, several strip malls and big-box stores. With a modest average home price -- about $370,000 -- Orland Park is an ideal place to look for that two-story four-bedroom house you've always wanted. The grade schools and high schools perform around the state average. Transportation to and from Chicago is easy via Metra, but the Tri-State Tollway (Interstate 294) is a bit harder to get to. If you don't mind battling traffic lights, you can take either Harlem or, farther east, Cicero, Western or Halsted Streets north into the city.
