this isn't a travel related question, but hopefully Chicago residents can help?

Question

Is there a place online where I can find the listing of best neighborhoods to live (property values, crime stats, schools)

especially needing info on schools.

Born and raised here all my life, but looking to move for my daughter.

Answer 1

a. http://www.chicagocrime.org/
-As someone has already mentioned, this site allows you to see crimes in the various neighborhoods.
b. To see info on schools:
http://www.suntimes.com/pcds/html/stng/hs/top50highschools.html
http://www.suntimes.com/pcds/html/stng/hs/top50elementary.html
http://schoollocator.cps.k12.il.us/
-The first two links give the ratings of the Chicago Sun Times, while the third link gives various information on the schools. (You can see information with the school's academic ratings, racial percentages, etc. The website is pretty reliable.) Personally, I'd look for elementary magnet schools or elementary Catholic Schools, and then when she gets old enough to go to high school (assuming she's not already in 8th grade) you can have her try out for the selective enrollment schools (ie. Payton, Northside, Lane, etc.) or a magnet high school. (Lincoln Park High School, for example, is both an attendance area school and has a magnet program that I *think* has made it #30 in the nation.)

Answer 2

My husband and I just did all of this research a few years ago. We used to live in Lincoln Park--which we love...but wanted something less congested, more family oriented--not that LP wasn't...be wanted slower pace. We ended up in the Far North Side. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighborhoods_of_Chicago

Home prices are holding well here, but you might be able to find a nice home/townhome for a little less since there is a lot of inventory out there.

What we did was look at best neighborhood schools...then neighborhoods/crime/home prices from there. The good ones this way are Edison Park, Norwood Park, Oriole Park, Wildwood, Edgebrook. Usually good schools and low crime go hand and hand. You can find best school information thru Chicago Magazine (I think Sept or Oct issue had it broken out by county and Chicago). Or even online at Suntimes/Tribune with a simple google search. Here is one http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-05grade-school-rank,0,671914.story?coll=chi-classifiedhomes-utl

This area has a lot of city workers that live here...which could be why the crime rate is low. Also what is nice about this area is that it is not congested. No taxis going thru the area. Easy street parking. Parks nearby. Close to expressway. It is definitely more suburban this way, easy to get around...etc. We are also very close to Skoie/Niles/Park Ridge.

There are a lot of nice neighborhoods out there. Good Luck.

OH--I just discovered a couple cool realtor sites recently. http://www.ziprealty.com/index.jsp and http://www.trulia.com/
Perhaps there is some useful info there. I like the map search. And one had a HEAT MAP, with price levels by neighborhood.

Answer 3

Well, Chicago Magazine recently published a list of the top elementary school in Chicago: (http://www.chicagomag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=8642F5EFCEA14A939100AB7214F31861&nm=Archives&type=PubPagi&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle+Title&mid=61BFC65300D24DB58350C761094153A1&tier=4&id=5931EE1557024022AB24A313ED5B0484). Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the rankings.

As far as property values, try this page: (http://www.chicagohome.com/neighborhoodMasterList.cfm). You can click on the neighborhoods, then click on "View Home Prices". You can get an idea of what homes are going for.

Finally, check this website for neighborhood crime info (http://www.chicagocrime.org/)

Answer 4

You can try Realtor.com for information nation wide by just about any sort (zip code, state, area). The Chicago Tribune publishes property values and trends in their Real estate section.

Answer 5

I don't know of any online info. Neighborhoods to try are Lincoln Square, Wicker Park, Bucktown. They have many conveniences and are fairly reasonable price wise.

Answer 6

sorry i have no sources but i'd say move deep in Lincoln park or way up north past Bryn mawr...is that how u spell it?

Answer 7

try www.cityrating.com