Neighborhood profile: Heritage Trails
Donna and Pat Donovan often walked through the Heritage Trails subdivision in Lindenhurst, where they would pass a house they especially liked. If the house ever came on the market, they determined they'd check it out.
Twelve years ago, the house did come up for sale, and the couple was able to purchase a home they had long admired. There were many aspects of the house that met their needs.
"We always liked this neighborhood. It's nice and quiet; people are friendly. We also liked the specific location of our house because the kids could walk to the middle school," Donna Donovan said.
"At the time, my mom was going to move in with us, and we needed another bedroom," she said. "This house is bigger and works well for our family. And we didn't want to leave the area."
Donovan shares several things she most likes about the house.
"We love the layout of our home. We spend a lot of time sitting in our sunroom with windows on three sides, and we have four nice-sized bedrooms, office space and a full basement.
"Also, we have a huge backyard that backs up to part of the farm field next to the school," Donovan said. "There's a line of trees behind us and a path to the field where kids play soccer. It's very cool, and that was a big draw for us because when we moved here, our kids were younger and they spent a lot of time playing there."
Heritage Trails, situated north of Grass Lake Road west of Route 45, features 252 single-family homes built by Westfield Homes. Typically homes offer three to four bedrooms, two to 3½ baths, a basement and two-car garage, said Ilene Perdue, broker with Century 21 Affiliated in Lindenhurst.
"The subdivision features mostly two-story homes and a few ranches on quarter- to third-acre lots. People take a lot of pride in their properties, and the well-kept homes present an attractive curb appeal," Perdue said. "It's a friendly neighborhood with a nice sense of community.
"Draws to the subdivision include an excellent school district, two nearby parks and a walk-to-middle school location. A lot of younger families with kids live in the subdivision."
Heritage Trails is close to McDonald Woods, a forest preserve residents can get to using an underpass that goes under Grass Lake Road. It's nice to have access to it from the neighborhood without having to cross any busy roads.
For shopping, the neighborhood is 15 minutes in one direction to Antioch and 15 minutes in the other direction to Gurnee Mills, which also has a movie theater. "We don't need to drive far. There's a lot of stuff around and a lot of choices for shopping. Anything you need is in one of those areas," Donovan said.
The subdivision is close to Great America, yet far enough away from the hustle and bustle of all that traffic, Perdue said.
The Lindenhurst Park District is one of the fastest growing park districts in the suburbs and is in growth mode with expanding programs, parks and facilities. The district community center features a full-size gym, jogging track, dance studio and more. The annual Lindenfest is a popular four-day community event in August held at Village Hall Center.
The village sits near several forest preserves that offer a lot of recreation such as hiking and biking paths, cross-country skiing, picnic tables, dog recreation and fishing.
Residents have easy access to nearby I-94 and Route 45.
Listing sheet
<span class="fact box text bold">Price range:</span> $250,000 to $325,000
<span class="fact box text bold">Age of homes:</span> 17 to 22 years
<span class="fact box text bold">Schools:</span> Milburn Elementary and Milburn Middle schools in Millburn Elementary District 24 and Lakes Community High School in Antioch High School District 117.
<span class="fact box text bold">Parks:</span> Lindenhurst Park District