Neighborhood profile: Indian Knoll, West Chicago

Moving from a homogeneous community where everyone looked like them, Mary and Russ Roschman like the diversity in the Indian Knoll subdivision in West Chicago.

“People here are from all different walks of life and social strata, and I really enjoy our neighbors,” said Russ Roschman, a 10-year resident of the subdivision.

Diversity reigns throughout Indian Knoll, where a few small farms exist among custom homes, many built in the 1960s, and lots are as small as one-eighth of an acre up to 15 acres, Roschman said.

“Some people own horses, and some have livestock,” he said. “I hear roosters crowing in the morning.”

The Roschmans bought a 2,800-square-foot traditional home built in the 1990s on about an acre with plenty of room for their dogs to play. And the lot is perfect for gardening, which Mary Roschman loves.

“The subdivision is very pretty, very wooded. It’s a hidden jewel in West Chicago,” Russ Roschman said.

Paula Schatz, also a resident of the subdivision, was attracted by its rural, clean crispness and lack of sidewalks.

“It has a country feeling without being out in the country,” said Schatz, broker associate with Realty Executives Premier in Wheaton.

“What I love about it is the school district where there’s no major transition when kids move on to middle school. They go to middle school with the same kids from elementary school.

“Also, in middle school they segregate fifth-graders from the other grades. The teachers and administration are very cognizant of the age difference. It’s almost like a private school. They really care,” she said.

Another plus for the community is the choice of three high schools — Wheaton Academy, St. Francis High School and West Chicago Community High School.

Although the wooded Indian Knoll offers a serene environment, people know their neighbors and enjoy a nice friendliness.

“We have a neighborhood association that gets together for political reasons, such as fighting development on what is now the Timber Ridge Forest Preserve. We also get together socially and some have block parties, depending on where you live,” Roschman said.

Schatz also appreciates her neighbors but likes that they aren’t close enough to reach out and shake their hand. her neighborhood also has a block party.

“We have a fire pit at the end of our cul-de-sac and we get together once a year,” she said

Indian Knoll is well located between North Avenue and Geneva Road, which are main arteries, yet there’s not much traffic on Prince Crossing Road, so the neighborhood is a little off the beaten path.

“Being contiguous to the Timber Ridge Forest Preserve, we get a lot of wildlife — coyote, deer and fox,” Roschman said.

Schatz said there’s not a day that she doesn’t see a cardinal or blue jay and some times a red fox.

The nearby Timber Ridge Forest Preserve includes Kline Creek Farm, a living-history farm, with original farm buildings, authentic re-creations, livestock and historically accurate activities.

Whether walking, biking or horseback riding, the crushed limestone trails of the Illinois Prairie Path and the Great Western Trail are also nearby, offering a variety of year-round scenery for outdoor enthusiasts

The location also offers easy access to I-88 and I-355 and shopping at Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles.

The park district offers many amenities including The Fitness Station, a new facility in West Chicago that’s just five years old and in a beautiful building.

Popular spots include Wiggly Field, a beautiful permit-only dog park located in Reed Keppler Park near the Dyer Nature Sanctuary and Turtle Splash, a five-acre enclosed water park.

If golf is your game, West Chicago offers two of the area’s finest public golf courses. Prairie Landing is an 18-hole links style course while St. Andrews Golf and Country Club is a premier 36-hole course and training facility.

Indian Knoll

<B>Price range:</B> $300,000 to $1 million

<B>Age of homes:</B> 100 years old and newer

Schools: Evergreen Elementary and Benjamin Middle schools in Benjamin Elementary District 25 and West Chicago Community High School in Community High School District 94

Parks: West Chicago Park District