Chicago may be one of the most exciting places to be single, or even to meet someone and fall in love, but once you’ve said your “I dos” and started shopping for Pampers or preschools rather than puppies or plants, it might be time to leave the city. That’s right, Mom and Dad, it might be time to head to the suburbs. 
Don’t worry—Chicago will always be close by, and some of these suburbs are actually pretty exciting all on their own. That’s why we combed through data from AreaVibes, GreatSchools.org, PlayScore.org, and the U.S. Census to come up with a list of the 10 best Chicago suburbs for families.
There’s a reason this village is one of the fastest growing in the Chicago area—well, lots of reasons, actually, all of which have to do with a flat out pleasant way of living. Unlike a lot of suburban communities these days, which show problems from rapid urbanization, Buffalo Grove manages to remain a community of tree-lined streets, beautiful homes, safe neighborhoods, and friendly faces. It’s the kind of place where your kids can still play safely outside, where there are festivals for every holiday (and then some), a weekly Farmers’ Market in the summer, and the oh so awesome Limelight Cafe, an event where your teenagers can perform at the Buffalo Grove Town Center.
“Wheaton Public Library, Wheaton, IL: Regional Bike Ride Chicago”byDaniel X. O'Neilis licensed underCC BY 2.0
Sure, Wheaton may have a higher cost of living than most places, but as they say, you get what you pay for. From downtown Wheaton to the Danada area, this city is dotted with restaurants, boutiques, and things to do for parents and kids alike. It was recently ranked the “healthiest of Chicago’s largest suburbs” by “Chicago Magazine” for its beautiful open areas (over 800 acres of land and 52 parks), bustling downtown, and low, low crime rate. On top of all that, Wheaton not only has some of the best schools for your kids, but it also has one of the best libraries in the country. Seriously. Wheaton’s public library is rated among the top 10 in the nation.
“Happy!”byJacob Bøtteris licensed underCC BY 2.0
Lisle may be a great place for singles, but it’s also an excellent place to raise your family—especially if you’re fond of things like nature, a peaceful environment, and you know, an overall high quality of life. It’s called the “Arboretum Village” because it’s one of the greenest in the area, from its beautiful parks and the Morton Arboretum to its tree-lined residential streets. In between all those trees, you’ll find everything from single family homes to apartments and condos. The downtown area is a picture perfect collection of shops, wonderful restaurants, booming businesses, and a newly renovated prairie-style streetscape—which basically just means it’s easily walkable and looks about as perfect as a movie set.
Recently Lincolnshire was ranked one of the best places for education in the Chicago area, due to its students’ excellent test scores, the money spent on each student, and the impressive school system in general. If that’s not reason enough to raise your family here, there’s always the beautiful single family homes spread out over large lots (some of the most expensive—and luxurious—in the Chicago area), parks and trails, the bustling downtown, the quiet residential areas, and you know, an overall sense of community, safety, and wellbeing.
Somehow Itasca manages to maintain that small town charm it started out with decades ago, with its charming downtown, homes, and storefronts, straight out of another era—and yet, sneakily, it’s adopted all of the modern amenities you’ll need, without beating you over the head with them. So whether you want to head to Daddy O’s Diner for a malt milkshake or Starbucks for a latte, Itasca has you covered. It also has you covered when it comes to housing options. To the north of the beautiful Itasca Country Club are newer homes (and an awesome water park), and closer to downtown you’ll find older homes, some dating back to the 1800s.
Elmhurst is the kind of place that not only looks good on paper, with its students’ excellent test scores, one of the highest median household incomes in the area, and an unemployment rate that’s hard to beat (it’s 7.48 percent, by the way). It’s also a wonderful place to live. You can enrich your little ones’ minds at the Elmhurst Historical Museum, the public library, the art museum, and the symphony orchestra. There are also 22 parks, a community center, a fitness center with an indoor lap pool, tennis courts, outdoor pools, a golf course, a gymnastics center… Really, aside from a giant pool filled with candy, this place pretty much has your kids covered. And yes, home payments are generally a bit more expensive here than in most Chicago suburbs, but just look at the homes that money is paying for.
Winfield recently ranked as one of Chicago’s best suburbs for young couples for many of the same reasons it shows up at No. 7 on this list. It’s the second safest place in the Chicago area, the schools are excellent, and the amenities can’t be beat. But underlying it all is a real sense of peace and community that you simply won’t find in a big city. It’s the kind of place where homes and shops date back to the earliest days of its founding, including one of the oldest taverns around, John’s Restaurant and Tavern, and even Schmidt’s Pond, dating back to the late 1800s. Some of the homes here date back just as far, though most are more modern, single-family homes dotting quiet residential streets.
This isn’t the first award for the Village of Downer’s Grove—recently it was named one of America’s Friendliest Towns by “Forbes” and even one of the Top 10 Livable Cities for Kids by Livability.com. Of course much of this has to do with its stellar schools and more than enough activities to keep your kids busy year-round (think soccer, summer camps, art classes, dance, etc.), but it’s also a great place to be a parent. There are over 150 restaurants in the community for a nice night on the town, the unemployment rate is low and stable, plus living here likely means you’ll be making more money than most outside of Chicago.
If you can afford the prices in Lake Forest, it really doesn’t get much better than this. It’s one of the best places in the Chicago area for education, with its small class sizes, excellent test scores, and high budget per student. But it’s also one of the best places in the Chicago area to just be a kid and have fun. There are summer camps for all ages, early childhood programs through the Lake Forest Parks and Rec Department, the Lake Forest Library, and for those looking to get some outside time, there are lots of parks, beaches, and forest preserves. Like we said in the beginning, though, this place is expensive. Of course that means many of the homes are luxurious and large, with vast lawns, and lots of trees.
This village is an excellent option for families looking to spend a little less on their home payments—so they can spend a little more on having fun! And Mundelein has plenty of that. There are festivals throughout the year, Diamond Lake Beach, summer concerts at the Kracklauer Park gazebo, Night Out Celebrations. There’s disc golf and regular golf, there’s fishing and water skiing, hockey, basketball, tennis, and so much more. The homes here are mostly single family, but you’ll also find townhomes and condos, if you’re looking for something a bit smaller.
We know how exciting Chicago can be, but you might want something a little quieter when it’s time to raise a family. Luckily, these 10 communities are, and they’re just a quick commute away from all the action. If you’re interested in learning more about these places, or you're ready to find your own family home, just get in touch.
Just like any of our other Big Deal Lists here at Movoto, we started this one by gathering up all of the places near Chicago with populations of 5,000 people or more. Then, with sources like AreaVibes, GreatSchools.org, PlayScore.org, and the U.S. Census, we researched each place in terms of the following family-friendly criteria:
Once we eliminated any places that didn’t have complete data, we were left with a total of 90 Chicago suburbs. We ranked all of these places with scores from one to 90 in each category, and then averaged all of these into one overall Big Deal Score for each place, where the 10 lowest scores went to our 10 best ‘burbs for families. To see a more complete list of our rankings, just take a look at the table below. 
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