Neighborhood profile: Thornwood, South Elgin

Last year when Jay and Jennifer Allard were house hunting before their move to the Chicago area, they looked at the Thornwood area in South Elgin and saw basketball hoops and play sets all over the place.

“We knew then it was a kid-friendly neighborhood, which was just what we wanted,” Jennifer Allard said.

The couple’s children, now 8 and 5 years old, have lots of playmates and, even though they’re on summer break, they see their school friends in the neighborhood and at the pool.

“My kids are in heaven; they’re very happy,” Allard said. “They have lots of friends, and just two doors down they’re among many kids. I’m a stay-at-home mom, so I’m happy when they’re happy.”

The couple moved to Thornwood from South Florida for a career opportunity. They love having the elementary school within the neighborhood. They also love their house.

“Where we came from, we didn’t have a basement,” Allard said. “So having a finished basement is nice, and we have a nice yard and big patio.”

Thornwood residents enjoy a multiuse clubhouse and water park; basketball, volleyball and tennis courts; large sand play area for children and five miles of paved bike trails, along with organized activities throughout the year.

“I love bringing out-of-state transferees to Thornwood because they almost immediately fall in love with it,” said Cindy Strahota, real estate sales consultant with Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty. “It’s a great neighborhood with lots of amenities and things for families to do with their kids. Kids love it. They acclimate well because there’s so much to do that it’s easy to make new friends.”

The spacious prairie-style clubhouse is available for social events within the community and for rental by association members. Also, the neighborhood, developed by Crown Community Development, includes more than 164 acres of open space, parks, restored prairies and wooded wetland areas along Otter Creek.

Thornwood is also a very attractive neighborhood.

“It looks like a semi-custom home community because of the 20 or so builders that bought lots there. So you don’t have that tract subdivision look where you get repetition of the same model over and over. I think the semi-custom feel is a big attraction,” Strahota said.

“It offers a nice range of price points with starter townhouses at about $140,000 or even less, to high-end single-family homes that go up to $700,000 with most offering 2,400 to 3,200 square feet.”

With so many people doing research online, Stahota’s Thornwood blog provides potential buyers with information on the development with pictures of parks and homes. It also includes stats on home sales so people can see what kind of home fits their budget.

Located at Silver Glen and Randall roads, Thornwood sits off Randall Road with easy access to shopping, the expressway and train.

Although Route 31 houses many businesses and Randall Road buzzes with retail activity, newer subdivisions comprise most of South Elgin. The community also has a few older homes and buildings in the downtown area.

For residents who want to be involved in the community, village officials encourage participation. The village hosts “Coffee with the Mayor,” an informal dialogue with residents held quarterly in the village hall conference room. Also, many civic clubs and organizations participate in service programs that benefit residents and the community.

South Elgin attractions include fairs and festivals, the Fox River and surrounding forest preserves with recreation opportunities including fishing, canoeing and kayaking. Hikers, cyclists, in-line skaters and joggers enjoy the Fox River Trail, a paved path running adjacent to the Fox River through South Elgin. The Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve is home to a natural waterfall and woodlands.

The Fox River Trolley Museum on Route 31 takes visitors on a four-mile trip along the banks of the Fox River. In addition, South Elgin’s Peaslee House, a cobblestone house built in 1836, is in one of the oldest houses in Kane County.

Listing sheet

Price range: $140,000 to $700,000 (townhouses and single-family homes)

Age of homes: 9 to 12 years old

Schools: Corron Elementary or Ferson Creek Elementary, Haines Middle and St. Charles North High schools in St. Charles Unit District 303

Parks: South Elgin Parks and Recreation Department or St. Charles Park District