Glendale Heights grows up

Glendale Heights was a prosperous agricultural area until the late 1950s when new home subdivisions began replacing farmland. Cornfields, cattle, big barns and silos disappeared as the town grew and developed into a thriving suburb.

Situated between Glen Ellyn and Bloomingdale, developers first selected Glendale as the name for this new community. However, Heights was soon added when it was learned an area in southern Illinois was known as Glendale.

Today the community offers affordable housing, lots of community parks and top-notch recreational facilities — all big attractions for homebuyers.

Glendale Heights is a great town for first-time homebuyers because homes are a little smaller and more affordable than those in the surrounding areas, said Jim Constertina, real estate broker with Prudential Starck Realtors. “When we had our own office there, the majority of our clients were first-time homebuyers.”

Realtor Pat Lindemann echoes Constertina. “People can get into a nice condo in Glendale Heights for $70,000 to $80,000. There are some nice condos in the Evergreen subdivision off Bloomingdale Road and North Avenue. My aunt lived in a condo I had owned there for a while, and I felt very secure with her living there alone.”

Lindemann has been selling in Glendale Heights for 17 years.

“We sold quite a few condos there. Buyers came back to us when they were ready to sell, and we listed it again so they could move up to a single-family home. We've never had a problem selling homes in Glendale Heights,” she said.

“People living in that area are close to shopping at North Avenue and Bloomingdale Road. There's a McDonald's, grocery store and drugstore there. It's someplace you can walk to if you need anything in a pinch.”

With condos generally priced from $70,000 to $80,000, single-family homes — ranches, split-levels, raised ranches and a few two-stories — go for $300,000 to $400,000, Constertina said.

The Glendale Heights Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department offers residents many opportunities to exercise, swim and get involved in sports activities. The Sports Hub adjacent to the Civic Center is a complete recreational facility comprised of a licensed preschool, Olympic-size swimming pool, saunas, whirlpools, and an outdoor aquatic park. There are three gymnasiums for activities such as basketball, volleyball and gymnastics, an indoor soccer arena, tennis and racquetball courts. The Hub also includes a fitness center, two studios for dance classes and martial arts, teen room and meeting room that accommodates 50 people.

Camera Park offers a skate park while several neighborhood parks have playground equipment and sports fields. Forest preserves border the village on the east.

Seniors can meet people and have fun at the brand new Center for Senior Services that has a library with cozy fireplace, game room, arts and crafts room and multipurpose room. The center offers many resources and programs for seniors, information sessions, social events and trips.

Also of note, the village is working with NEDSRA, the Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association, to offer equal access to all recreation programs for persons with disabilities.

Known as a scenic and challenging course, Glendale Lakes Golf Club is a popular place for area golfers.

While only a few remaining farmhouses reflect the village's past, the village established a Historical Committee to oversee the restoration of the Glendale Heights Historic House. Plans include restoring and furnishing the house to the early 1900s to show the way things were 100 years ago and to preserve an important piece of area history.

The Glendale Heights Historic House was donated to the village in memory of Harold A. Reskin, the founding father and first developer of the village. Space in the Historic House will be devoted to exhibit artifacts and pictures of the rich history of the village, its growth and development. The village hosts periodic fundraisers for the restoration of the Historic House. The Glendale Heights Historical Committee meets on the first Monday of the month at the Historic House, 311 Windy Point Drive.

For shopping, Glendale Heights offers many strip malls, small boutiques and convenience stores as well as big box stores. Stratford Square Mall sits in nearby Bloomingdale for major shopping.

Most of Glendale Heights is sandwiched between Army Trail Road and North Avenue with quick access to Route 355.