Woodstock blends rural, suburban

Though 60 miles from Chicago, Woodstock's reverence for history, architecture and culture provides residents with a rich lifestyle that many suburbs might envy

By Mary Lu Laffey | Special to the Tribune

February 27, 2009

Built in 1889, the Woodstock Opera House has been the entertainment hub of McHenry County for more than a century. (Shaun Sartin/for the Tribune)

You can't get a bad cup of coffee in Woodstock. Chicago Coffee Roastery is served at Trax. Wild Horse Creek at Jenapea's. Starbucks at Starbucks. Pick your bean, then pick your cafe. Downtown Woodstock has one for just about every taste and on nearly every corner.

The grandfather of them all is Angelo's Restaurant, which has been in business more than 30 years. A group of local businessmen start each workday at Angelo's, which is on a corner off the historic downtown square. They aren't there to reminisce about the Hollywood days when Bill Murray was in town to film "Groundhog Day," but to kibitz about what's going on in the world of Woodstock — from family life to the Illinois Route 47 improvement plan.

There are seven that meet each morning — a member of the school board, a director for a non-profit, township supervisor, a pilot, retired insurance agent, a local historian, and Quinn Keefe. Keefe is executive director of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He says he was invited to sit down back in 1991 and, unless called away, hasn't missed a morning. It's tough to beat the camaraderie and the information sharing.

What these guys have in common is more than an appreciation of a good cup of joe; it is a love for the city of Woodstock.

For some residents like Maggie Crane, the question would be "What's not to love about Woodstock?" Crane, director of the Woodstock Public Library, relocated from Crystal Lake in 1977. She came for her job, but stayed for the community spirit.

"Seeing the square is jaw-dropping," Crane says of the 19th Century architecture in Woodstock Square that has been preserved and put to reuse in the downtown. The square is on the National Register of Historic Places. The city walks the talk about preservation, according to Crane, and she does too as a volunteer docent for tours of the historic buildings, including the 1890 Woodstock Opera House and the Italianate-style Old Court House built in 1857.

Woodstock made a solid impression with Doug Fenstermaker, who—with his wife Peg—traveled to the area to visit friends. Before they knew it, "We had warmed up to Woodstock and decided to buy a second home," he said.

Empty-nesters, the Fenstermakers have a condo in River North and in early 2008 leased a home in Woodstock until they found the one they wanted. "We have a country mouse, city mouse thing going on," he says about their decision to buy in nearby Bull Valley where properties are large. "This is a beautiful part of Illinois," he said.

Peg has since opened a business on the square, Season's by Peg, an elegant gift shop that specializes in unusual home accessories with seasonal or holiday themes. Doug, a health-care consultant, joined the Woodstock Downtown Business Association and now serves as president. "In the city, it is hard to meet other people. One of the big attributes about Woodstock is how very easy it is to meet and make new friends. It is a welcoming place."

Special events created for residents now draw tourism to the area via Metra or Interstate Highways 90, 94, 88 and 39. Groundhog Day activities extend for a week and the citywide Victorian Christmas celebration rivals those in England. (Woodstock was named after an English village.)

Woodstock has the feel and the look of a small town but is it also a safe community?

"Absolutely," says police chief Robert Lowen. "We have property damage [calls] and vandalism but nothing off the map."

Lowen makes himself available to residents the second Monday of every month. Designed to build communication by responding directly to the public, the meeting usually draws about 30 people. The March meeting topic will explain his beat cop initiative. Lowen plans to assign the same officers to the same shifts in the same neighborhoods for one year. The beat cop who takes a complaint can stay with it from start to finish, he says.

The monthly meeting with Lowen is called "Coffee with the Chief."

People who move to Woodstock may be drawn here by accident, Casey Meyers says, but the quieter, less frenetic lifestyle is picked up right away. Meyers, a 10-year real estate veteran, is managing broker at First Prudential Realty on the square. She also sits on the city's planning commission.

One reason families stay is School District 200. The district recently completed $105 million in school construction projects, which included new elementary, middle and high school buildings. In addition to public schools, there is a parochial high school and three private elementary schools.

Woodstock offers a wide variety of homes for a wide variety of people, Meyers says. "Old Victorians, bungalows, a golf community, estate properties and recently some tract housing opened up some flexibility in what is available in the area."

She says young couples move to Woodstock because property is affordable, be it Victorian rehab, townhouses or ranch-style homes.

According to city-data.com, the mean price for a detached single-family home in Woodstock in 2007 was $280,292. Townhouses were listed from $170,473 to $239,295.

Meyers views ranch-style homes as a growth area. "Some are [desired by] families and others by retired couples who have lived away and are returning home. We have some ranch homes in town but they aren't new construction. Close to town, the Sonatas offer ranch homes that start in the low-$200s."

Jamie Wilcox, president of Wilcox Development, developers of Villas at the Sonatas, says the new country-style villas and ranch homes are low-maintenance yet offer luxurious living in a 24-acre subdivision.

On the south side of Woodstock, Apple Creek Estates offers two-story townhouses and single-family homes base-priced from $238,000 to $334,000.

While the call of the country is strong, some buyers find it answered closer to the downtown area where three condominium developments are changing the neighborhood. Emerson Lofts is in the former Emerson Typewriter building. The old Federal Armory is now town homes and Woodstock Station features town homes and ranch-style homes.

Felecia Englert, another broker at First Prudential, says these are times when dollars drive decisions. "For buyers looking for a good deal, there are nice houses for very nice prices," she says.

"For sellers who are serious, those who get it— by that I mean realize they are competing to sell their homes—there are buyers," Englert says, and adds that Woodstock offers value in a wide price range. "There are million dollar homes and those that sell for $150,000."

Englert grew up in the Woodstock area and returned after college to teach in the school system for 19 years. "Woodstock is a good, clean place to live," she says. "People who live here feel connected . . like a community should."