A lot of family history lives in Itasca’s Old Country Club subdivision

Laurie Seames grew up in the house where she now lives with her husband, Mark, and two of their four children in the Old Country Club subdivision in Itasca.

“I’m 58 years old. I moved here when I was 5, and my children grew up here,” Seames said.

Seames and her husband bought the ranch house from her parents, who moved to a condo in Chicago to be closer to her dad’s employment.

“My parents always said, ‘The kids are not going to leave us, so we’re going to leave them,’” Seames said. “So this became like the family house. My parents would come out and watch the kids; and we’d go down to stay with them for a weekend.”

And a great family house it is. Although the combined kitchen-family room concept is popular now, it was a little ahead of its time in 1956 when Laurie’s dad had the house built.

It’s a cozy house with a see-through fireplace between the dining and living rooms with a nice basement. The basement has a home office and a bedroom and bathroom living area, Seames said.

“It’s very nice. You could say it’s a 1950s house that has been modernized a bit. I love this house.

“And all my roots are here — deep roots. My mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother and I were all baptized at First Presbyterian Church. And my kids and grandkids and I went to the same schools,” Seames said.

“It’s still a nice friendly neighborhood, although of course a lot of the neighbors are different now from the ones I grew up with.”

Wooded half-acre lots, winding streets and a variety of custom homes close to town and the train attracted Anne Jones, a Realtor with Prudential American Heritage in Elk Grove Village, and her husband to the neighborhood 17 years ago.

Jones was surprised at how many people in the neighborhood lived in homes where they grew up and how welcoming they were to new people moving there. People tend to not move away, and, if they do, they try to get back because it’s where they grew up, Jones said.

“People say, ‘That’s the Smith house or that’s Ann’s house. I bought Ann’s house, and I am Anne, so I’m OK,” Jones said. Jones and her husband are only the third owners of their home, which was built in 1957.

When the Jones family moved to the neighborhood, they didn’t have cell phones. So when out looking for their kids, neighbors would join them. “People look out for each other,” Jones said. “It’s a real feeling that it takes a village to raise a child — and we have that village.”

The Joneses moved to the neighborhood when they were transferred back to the Chicago area from California. “We really liked the town, the mature trees and the country feel and that we could walk to the village and the train,” Jones said.

“As small as our village is, we have a riverwalk. Well, riverwalk might be a bit of a misnomer because it’s Salt Creek, but it is a riverwalk and all funded by grant money, which is nice.

“The riverwalk brings people to the nature center where a federal agency rehabs birds of prey. Kids can see falcons, owls and hawks being rehabbed. My grandson loves to go there. He loves to walk on the paths in the nature center and over the bridge and stream.”

The Springbrook Nature Center, part of the park district, is open year round with attractions for the whole family including hiking, bird watching, viewing a large indoor aquarium, and butterfly and hummingbird gardens. They host a lot of programs for schools and other groups.

The park district maintains nine parks with more than 43 acres of land, rec and fitness center, water park and a historical depot museum.

The town’s location is also a big plus for homebuyers. “I like to shop, so being between Oak Brook and Woodfield — that works for me,” Jones said. “Also, we have a choice of taking the Kennedy or Eisenhower, and we’re close to the airport.

“This is really a unique place because so many people who live in Itasca have grown up here. But they don’t shut out newcomers; it’s very welcoming.”

At a glance

Price range: $350,000 to $750,000

Age of homes: Up to 54 years old

Schools: Benson Primary, Franzen Intermediate and Peacock Middle schools in Itasca Elementary District 10 and Lake Park High School in Lake Park High School District 108

Parks: Itasca Park District