Neighborhood profile: Canterbury Fields in Buffalo Grove
Until the 1950s, many dairy farms and cheese producers dotted the Buffalo Grove landscape. Then rising taxes and property values encouraged farmers to sell their land for residential and commercial development.
Dartmoor Homes started building homes in Canterbury Fields in 1993. The subdivision, situated on Buffalo Grove Road north of Route 22, features 96 homes priced from about $600,000 to $900,000 and ranging in size from 2,800 to 4,500 square feet.
This is not your typical subdivision, said Sharron Kelley, Realtor associate with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Buffalo Grove. “Homes are custom and semi-custom with some contemporary styles, and a lot of homes are brick. This is the upper end of Buffalo Grove,” she said.
Pam Clark and her husband moved to Canterbury Fields 20 years ago when they needed a larger family home but also wanted to stay in Buffalo Grove. “This is where there was new construction going on,” Clark said.
What does Clark like about her home? “Everything,” she said. “It’s a traditional home, and I find the flow of it works very well especially for entertaining and at holiday time. We have a big family room, separate office, exercise room, huge master bedroom retreat. So what’s not to like?”
When Clark moved to the new subdivision, she liked that there were sidewalks and a nice park at the end of the street. “It was a magnet for the younger kids, and they could even take their sleds there in the winter,” she said.
Buffalo Grove features 400 acres of parks, including the subdivision’s Canterbury Park with athletic fields, playgrounds and benches.
“This is a nice child-friendly neighborhood with a lot of things for children to do,” Kelley said.
Kelly believes the school districts in Buffalo Grove are also a big attraction for homebuyers.
Clark said it is nice to live so close to the schools without being on top of them. “When the kids were involved in school activities, it made it easy for them to get back and forth while some kids had to travel quite a distance,” Clark said. “When they were older, sometimes they came home for lunch or to get something they forgot.
“The area has built up quite a bit since we moved here, but it’s still less congested than other areas.”
Canterbury Fields sits just five minutes from the train station for an easy commute to the city, Kelley said.
“We have great shopping in the area, and we have a new Sunset Foods, which everyone loves.”
The park district offers many amenities including a state-of-the-art fitness center, skate park and the Happy Tails dog park, which gets rave reviews from residents, Kelly said. The park district also offers a variety of programs and classes for every member of the family such as a dog show, fishing derby and movies under the stars.
For golfers, the Arboretum Club, which is owned and operated by the village, opened in 1990 and features a clubhouse, pro shop, snack shop and bar and restaurant along with a professional staff.
Residents who want to get involved in the community have several groups from which to choose, including the Buffalo Grove Garden Club that is dedicated to gardening, flower arranging and community beautification. The group has planted and maintained five gardens throughout the village.
Many community events bring people together such as Buffalo Grove Days, a five-day community celebration that 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.
Canterbury Fields
Price range: $600,000 to $900,000
Age of homes: 15 years old
Schools: Ivy Hall Elementary and Twin Groves Middle schools in Kildeer Countryside Elementary District 96 and Stevenson High School in Stevenson High School District 125
Parks: Buffalo Grove Park District