I completely forgot that last summer, I had shot a brief video on my smartphone, as I was out with my family on a bike ride along the North Branch Trail. It’s a fabulous and healthy activity, and on weekends, the trail accommodates a ton of joggers, bicycle-riders, and outdoor-lovers in general. If you’re new to the area, or have never visited the trail before, do so on a weekend. You are guaranteed to enjoy this experience.

Don’t get me wrong: I love that we have a Metra train station in Edgebrook. But every time the northbound train pulls into the station, it’s easily a 3-minute wait for Devon Ave. car traffic (from train approaching to train leaving the station). A 60646 Blog reader had privately suggested to me a couple of weeks ago that – in the name of efficiency – we ought to discuss moving the station back to where it was before: across from Old Edgebrook, east of Central Ave., on Cook County forest preserve grounds. Sounds good to me. What do you think?

Based on my personal experience, today, I’d like to offer ten tips to individuals/families that are contemplating moving to the neighborhoods of Edgebrook or Sauganash, on the northwest side of our great City of Chicago.

1. Edgebrook and Sauganash are predominantly single-family home neighborhoods. Looking at housing types, Sauganash is a bit more diversified, as one will find townhouses for sale – a housing type that’s completely absent in Edgebrook – as well as condominiums, and to a lesser extent 2-4 unit apartment buildings. The latter two housing types, while occasionally offered for sale, are rarely found in Edgebrook. Alas, rental properties are far and few between. As of this writing, there are two broker-offered rental properties in Edgebrook, and five in Sauganash. When these rental properties do become available, in the majority of cases, they are offered for lease by the owners themselves. Rentals are quite popular, because tenants get an opportunity to experience living in Edgebrook or Sauganash for a while without the commitment of a mortgage. Needless to say, many renters can’t imagine living anywhere else after a while.
2. Edgebrook and Sauganash residents primarily run their shopping errands in the nearby suburbs of Skokie and Niles, as I outlined here, a while ago. Wherever you end up residing in Edgebrook or Sauganash, you are never more than 3 miles away from the main shopping centers along Touhy Ave. in Skokie and Niles.
3. Car insurance is more expensive in zip code 60646 than in many other zip codes in Chicago. Our Allstate agent told us so, but he didn’t say why. And we used to live in Lake View where our car insurance bills were lower. Go figure.
4. If you’re moving to Edgebrook or Sauganash from a congested inner-city neighborhood, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that you can actually park in front of your own residence. Worst-case scenario, you park in your own driveway. “Dibs” is somewhat of a foreign concept in Sauganash and Edgebrook.
5. No other neighborhood in the City of Chicago offers the close proximity to nearby forest preserves like Edgebrook and Sauganash do. Check out the Forest Preserve District of Cook County FPDCC website for information about Region 4 resources (pdf-file). With the North Branch Trail System (pdf-file), for example, we’re talking about a paradise for jogging enthusiasts, walking fans, bicycle riders, and generally speaking, outdoor lovers.
6. Golf enthusiasts will be elated to know that in Central Edgebrook and Old Edgebrook, players have a choice of two golf courses. Inside city limits.
7. Close proximity to I-94 (Edens) and I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) is especially good news for those who commute to and from their workplaces in the suburbs, or downtown Chicago. The Edens Expressway is literally enveloped by Sauganash to the east, and Edgebrook to the west. The commute to the Tri-State tollway is about 5-6 miles from Sauganash or Edgebrook. O’Hare airport is located approximately 6-7 miles west. If you work in downtown Chicago, and prefer to commute by train, the Metra Milwaukee District/North Line stops in Edgebrook at the intersection of Devon Ave. and Kinzua Ave., and offers ample parking spaces for cars.
8. There is a vast supply of outstanding public and private schools, not just in Edgebrook and Sauganash, but in zip code 60646 in general. Performance results for public (CPS) schools are annually published by the Chicago Tribune, and I then compile the relevant results for zip code 60646 public schools here on this blog. The latest results can be found here. For further school information, please see this page.
9. Median home prices in Sauganash and Edgebrook are relatively high compared to most other Chicago neighborhoods, but it’s not impossible to find reasonably priced starter homes in these two neighborhoods. There are also distressed properties that are being offered in Edgebrook and Sauganash frequently, at very affordable prices.
10. Contact me! So we can get the ball rolling on finding you your dream home in Edgebrook or Sauganash.

It seems like we can’t dodge the bullets, these days. They’re coming at us from every direction: On top of depressing unemployment stats, if it’s not City Hall, trying to raise our property taxes, it’s the new governor, attempting to increase income taxes. And then there was Cook County last year, jacking up the sales tax. Public services? Out the door. Touhy Avenue (a major artery), stretching between Central Ave. in Niles and Park Ridge has potholes the size of craters. Oh, it’ll be fixed (temporarily), next fall. And, we all will pay for it. Like we’re asked to pay for so many things.

But when was the last time you read that the public school you’re sending your child(ren) to on the northwest side of Chicago, received a significant amount of money from (a) the City of Chicago, (b) Cook County, or (c) the State of Illinois for really necessary building repairs, modernization, or even structural additions, so you’re children don’t come back home from school thinking they’re sardines. Despite this lack of investment by government, our public elementary schools are still some of the best ones in Chicago (and in Illinois). Why? Because as parents, we’re involved. Mainly, in our schools’ PTA’s. We raise money, we donate our free time, we organize events, and we get involved in our childrens’ academic lives. Donating your free time to help your school’s PTA is very admirable. Helping your school’s PTA raise money in these trying times is extremely noble.

Case in point: Wildwood IB World Magnet School needed new flooring (so students can move around safely), and new lockers. The only way this could get financed was with the help of the PTA. And they came through. Wildwood students were greeted with brandnew hallway floors and lockers, on the first day of school, in the last school year. For this school year, Wildwood School was able to add 15 new Apple iMac computers to their library (sweet, I wish I had one of those) courtesy of the PTA’s efforts and a voluntary technology school fund that many parents contributed to. This does not even touch on all the after-school programs at subsidized rates that are offered to further our childrens’ minds and talents. All these advances have been made for the benefit of our children. Paid for, not by the City, not by the County, not by the State, but by us parents.

What is the point that I’m trying to make with this story? The point is that your (financial) help is needed again. Economic times are tough, but our childrens’ education is more important – at least, that’s what I believe in with regard to our kid. I don’t know about the PTA’s revenue sources in other 60646 elementary schools, but to the Wildwood School PTA, the most important fundraiser of the year is the annual spring fundraising event. It costs $65 per person at the door, but for that you’ll get a nice dinner, the opportunity to get acquainted with and to network with other parents, and have a good time. Should you feel generous, there is an all-evening auction of fantastic items. My wife and I look forward to seeing you there, next weekend.

Wildwood IB Magnet School Spring Fundraiser Event Info

Edgebrook Elementary School Spring Fundraiser Event Info (under PTA News and Events tab)

Sauganash Elementary School Spring Benefit Event Info

The clouds on the horizon are darkening.

Cook County is on pace to record at least 30,000 and as many as 36,000 foreclosure filings this year.
Dorothy Kinnaird – Cook County Circuit Court Judge

Judge Kinnaird presides over the Chancery Division, which handles foreclosures. More on this story from Crain’s Chicago Business.