Julie's Blog

I just launched my Century 21 Hometown website featuring news and information all about real estate in Plainfield and Naperville!  You can now search for Plainfield homes for sale from my site and get specific information regarding your favorite Plainfield and Naperville neighborhoods. 

Naperville, IL is located just 30 miles west of Chicago.  Naperville has been recognized by Money Magazine as a best place to live, in 2006, 2005 and 2003.  It also ranked as one of the best places to raise a family in 1997 and 2001. 

The popular Naperville Riverwalk was built by Naperville residents in 1981 to commemorate the cities 150th birthday. It is a huge attraction for many Naperville residents as well as many residents of neighboring cities like Aurora, Plainfield, Wheaton and Lisle.  The Riverwalk is located in downtown Naperville, just west of Washington Blvd.  Currently parts of the Riverwalk are undergoing renovations.  

Naperville is home to a very large number of neighborhoods which border towns such as Plainfield, Lisle, Wheaton, Bolingbrook, Downers Grove and Aurora.  Naperville is accessible from both I-355 which runs north and south, as well as I-88 which runs east and west directly into Downtown Chicago, which is why Naperville is often favored by commuters.

Real estate in Naperville right now ranges between $200,000 all the way up to $5.2 million.  The average sold price of a single family home in Naperville for the month of May 2008 was $489,285.  Dont be deterred from looking here though, even if thats out of your price range.  The foreclosure fallout has affected nearly every community in the Chicago suburban market which creates great opportunities to pick-up a under priced home in almost any city.

Naperville is freckled with a mix of both newer and older neighborhoods. Many of the older neighborhoods tend to be located near the north end of town, clustered together near downtown Naperville near the Naper Settlement and on the east side of Washington Ave near the campus of North Central College.  This is where the restored Victorian homes are located. Some of the neighborhoods in this area are:

Springhill             Wildflower          
Wiloway              Farmstead
Longwood           Pepperplace
Maplebrook        Old Farm
Willowgate         Bay Colony
Old Sawmill        Eagle Point
Brookdale
Chicory Place
Willowgate

Most of the newer construction and luxury homes are found on the south and west side of Naperville located south of 75th street and West of Rt 59 near neighboring Plainfield. Some of the neighborhoods in this area are:

South Pointe        Creekside
Tall Grass              Winding Creek
White Eagle          Edgewood
Tamarack             Knoch Knolls
Stillwater              Aero Estates
Clow Creek           Breckenridge Estates
High Meadow       Heritage Knolls
Heatherstone      Mission Oaks
Saddle Creek
Ashbury
Harmony Grove
Westwind

The Naperville Community School District #203 is home to 14 elementary schools (grades K-5), 5 Junior High Schools (grades 6-8) and 2 high schools (grades 9-12). The Indian Prairie School District #204 is home to 21 Elementary Schools (grades K-5), 6 Middle Schools (grades 6-8) and 2 High Schools (grades 9-12) and 1 Alternative High School.  For the most part District #203 serves the large part of the northern side of town and District #204 serves most of the south part of town.  Schools play a big part in the home buying process for families with school aged children.

Naperville Property Tax bills are due June 1st and September 1st and are based on 1/3 of the fair market assessed value of the property. Tax revenue in Naperville goes to support the cities infrastructure like schools, park district and the library.  There are 3 public libraries in Naperville and they are consistently ranked the #1 public library for its population in the nation!

Naperville knows how to entertain too!  Several yearly events take place here that draw big crowds from all around.  The Naperville Ribfest takes place over the 4th of July holiday and is filled with rib vendors from all over the country and top notch entertainment.  The Last Fling happens over the Labor Day weekend in Downtown Naperville.  Theres an event for nearly every celebration and almost every occasion.

Naperville really is a great place to live and raise a family.  If you are considering a move to Naperville or any of its neighboring communities Id love to show you around.  As a longtime resident of Plainfield, I can tell you first hand how great Naperville really is because  Ive spent lots of time there and have family who raised their own children there.  Call me at 630-673-6233 for all of your Naperville home needs! You have no idea how much I love helping families shop for new homes!