Glen Ellyn reminiscent of a small New England town

Glen Ellyn, a charming town with a New England flavor and quaint downtown, features the picturesque Lake Ellyn as its centerpiece.

About 35 years ago, Pattie Murray, a Realtor with Koenig & Strey, wanted to see "Godspell," which was playing at the Glen Theater in Glen Ellyn. She had never heard of the theater and hadn't been to Glen Ellyn.

"We went out to Glen Ellyn and drove around, and I thought I had died and went to heaven," Murray said. "I said, 'I have to live here.' And when I saw Lake Ellyn, I thought there was nothing like it."

Glen Ellyn is wooded and hilly, and people who move here from New England fall in love with it, Murray said.

Although landlocked with no room to grow, Glen Ellyn offers a variety of housing, from about $300,000 for an entry level home to houses costing $2 million, $3 million and more around Lake Ellyn, said Haya Miller, Realtor with RE/MAX Suburban.

"People are attracted to the older sections of town, but we have some teardowns in the older areas, so you can have a new home in an older section. Some older Victorians are also teardowns where you can get a new home in an older section, but they are quite expensive," Miller said.

"Some areas in the south part of town have larger lots, and we're seeing some large homes being built over there. There's a house on the market now for $6 million," she said. "If you want more land, go south of Roosevelt Road where there's a larger selection of newer and more affordable homes still in the same school and park districts."

Murray said Glen Ellyn also has townhouses and a great choice of affordable condos that are just a few years old near the downtown train line, so you can walk to everything.

"I have a darling bungalow for sale not far from Lake Ellyn for $500,000," Murray said.

Glen Ellyn has a thriving arts community and an active historical society that restored and furnished Stacy's Tavern Museum, the only completely restored stagecoach inn in the state. The society's current undertaking is a new history park at Five Corners, or Stacy's Corners as it was called in the 1950s, comprised of a complex of museums, historic structures, research facilities, space for meetings and events, and lovely period gardens. When complete, the history park will be a major cultural institution for the community.

For recreation, residents who want to exercise while enjoying the outdoors can explore the Illinois Prairie Path, a 61-mile hiking and biking trail that travels through town. Nature-lovers have thousands of acres of forest preserves where they can bird, fish and camp. And facilities such as the Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center and the Willowbrook Wildlife Center offer several educational programs such as maple sugaring and tracking mammals.

Lake Ellyn offers a wealth of outdoor recreation including Lake Ellyn Park with fishing, clay tennis courts, walking and jogging paths, a playground and a host of year-round special events.

A popular place for golfers is The Village Links of Glen Ellyn, a 27-hole public golf course recognized as one of the elite layouts in the Midwest. The Glen Oak Country Club is best known for its small greens that are hard to read.

Glen Ellyn offers shopping in its quaint downtown area with boutiques, specialty shops and restaurants with a variety of cuisines including Thai, Italian and Mexican. Other shopping and services abound along Roosevelt Road.

Excellent schools with good sports teams attract families with children, Murray said, along with a Metra stop and easy access to I-355.