Mirielle subdivision in Buffalo Grove boasts great schools

The desirable Mirielle subdivision in Buffalo Grove features unusual home designs, award-winning schools and a good location near transportation.

“These homes have unique, contemporary, open floor plans rather than the traditional Colonials,” said Anne Kaplan, broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. “They’re different from anything else in the Buffalo Grove area.

“They have beautiful kitchens open to the family room and angled walls that appeal to people immediately because there’s nothing else like it. Every house has a two-story entry. They’re light and bright and very appealing.”

The subdivision was built by Town and Country Homes in the late 1990s. Designs include two-story houses and a beautiful, large ranch-style home with high ceilings that appeal to people who want stair-free living, Kaplan said.

That ranch design appealed to Deborah and Paul Kittelson, who previously lived in Gurnee and sought a larger home in a good school district closer to Paul’s work in Deerfield.

“We looked at the model homes in Mirielle and just fell in love with the ranch model. It has more than 3,000 square feet with high ceilings and was very attractive,” Deborah Kittelson said. “We bought a home before they even broke ground.”

Deborah’s favorite space in the home is the huge, open great room. “We enjoy entertaining. And here we can put 25 family members at tables for Thanksgiving, which is really nice,” Kittelson said.

Homes range from 2,235 to 3,785 square feet with three or four bedrooms, two to 3½ baths and two- or three-car garage. The streets aren’t in a grid, but very attractively laid out with winding streets and cul-de-sacs, Kaplan said.

Situated off Prairie Road just south of Route 22 (Half Day Road) and north of Aptakisic Road, Mirielle’s location, with its easy access to I-294, is a big draw to the community.

“A lot of people buy a home there because they’re just five minutes from the train for an easy commute to the city, and they can walk to the train station,” Kaplan said.

This is a great feature for the Kittelsons because their daughter attends DePaul in the city, and she hops on the train right there, Kittelson said. “The location has been perfect for us.”

The award-winning schools, including Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, are also a huge attraction for the neighborhood. “Of course we love the school district,” Kittelson said. “When our kids were younger, I was involved in a lot of activities at the high school because we’re so close to Stevenson.”

The Buffalo Grove Park District offers many amenities for residents such as a state-of-the-art fitness center, skate park and the Happy Tails Dog Park, which gets rave reviews. It also offers a variety of programs and classes for every member of the family, including a dog show, fishing derby and movies under the stars.

Many community events bring people together. Buffalo Grove Days, a five-day community picnic, draws people from all around. The Buffalo Grove Symphonic Band performs classical, Broadway, jazz and pop for audiences, and the Buffalo Grove Fine Art Festival features 150 artists at the Town Center.

Dotted with forest preserves and natural areas, Buffalo Grove offers a bit of a country atmosphere along with convenient shopping, dining, culture and entertainment.

Listing sheet

Price range: $460,000 to $630,000

Age of homes: 16 to 20 years old

Schools: Tripp Elementary and Aptakisic Junior High schools in Aptakisic-Tripp Elementary District 102 and Stevenson High School in Stevenson High School District 125

Parks: Buffalo Grove Park District