North Aurora

An appealing blend of natural landscapes and familial suburban environments makes Nelson Lake a prime choice for living in the Fox Valley. Encompassing the southeast end of Batavia and the uppermost reaches of North Aurora, Nelson Lake is unified by the marshy body of water that lends the neighborhood its name. Refined residential areas and two distinctive school districts give the north and south ends their own flavors of life, while easy access to amenities like the Metra commuter rail and mainstream shopping options are available for every household nearby. Most homes in the Nelson Lake area are concentrated in subdivisions near the northeast and southwest ends of the neighborhood. Contemporary homes from the 2000s with craftsman influences and vinyl/brick exteriors are common to the southwest end, with prices from about $420,000 to $560,000. On the northeast end, buyers can find homes with grand entrances, brick exteriors, columns and other design touches meant to call back to the Colonial Revival and French Provincial styles of architecture. Prices generally range from $650,000 to $910,000, with a select few homes meeting or going over the $1.15 million mark. Kids in Nelson Lake are split between two nearby school districts. Households on the south side attend schools within West Aurora School District 129, while students on the north side attend schools within Batavia School District 101. Schools assigned to the north side include Grace McWayne Elementary School, which has a student-teacher ratio of 15:1 and earns an A-minus grade on Niche. Students at the A-minus-ranked Rotolo Middle School can participate in an optional ski trip each winter. Batavia High School offers 72 extracurricular programs, including 10 honor societies for various subjects and specialties. The school earns an A grade on Niche. Convenient shopping options are available to the immediate north and south of the neighborhood, along with some of North Aurora and Batavia’s most distinctive dining options. Target, Jewel-Osco, Aldi and other major retailers are available along Randall Road to the north. At Smarty Pants Café, visitors can find astronomy-themed décor, chess tables and regular roundtables with scientific minds from across Chicagoland. To the south, Woodman’s Food Market offers 24-hour shopping for groceries and everyday fare. Refined New American fare with precise plating fills the tables at the Turf Room. Sushi Pirate offers poke bowls, Chicago rolls and Japanese entrées in a contemporary space, while festive lanterns and local art accompany the traditional Mexican dishes at Los Girasoles Restaurant and Tequila Bar. Mixed-use trails wind through the Dick Young Forest Preserve, where residents can travel through woodlands, marshy terrain and open green space on hikes or horseback rides. For the traditional neighborhood park experience, Hawk’s Bluff Park offers a paved path and playground area near the residential areas on the northeast side, while Tanner Trails Park and Remington Landing Park each do the same for locals on the southeast end. Visitors might spot nesting sandhill cranes or other migratory birds across the protected wetlands at the Braeburn Marsh County Forest Preserve. For residents ready to hit the links, the members-only Black Sheep Golf Club has a 27-hole layout to the west of the neighborhood. Nelson Lake sits about 4 miles southwest of the heart of Batavia, 8 miles north of downtown Aurora and 43 miles west of the Chicago Loop. Key thoroughfares nearby include Randall Road on the west side, Nelson Lake Road/Deerpath Road in the center and Main Street Road on the north side. Commuters traveling into other cities can catch the Metra train in Geneva, 6 miles north of the neighborhood, with a 1 hour and 15 minute ride into Chicago. The nearest hospitals, Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital to the north and Ascension Mercy to the south, are both about 6 miles away. For travel beyond the Chicago area, Chicago O’Hare International Airport is 39 miles east of the neighborhood, while Chicago Midway International Airport is 46 miles east. Local musicians, daily drink specials and “doggie dining classes” are on the menu at Brother Chimp Brewing, a taproom near Orchard Road with a curated selection of craft beers. The Emagine multiplex on Randall Road offers new movies and special screenings. The theater also has a bar, bowling lanes and a full-service restaurant. Family-friendly outings in downtown Batavia include weekly farmers’ markets (available indoors from late fall to mid spring), the Windmill City Festival on the riverwalk and the BatFest Halloween festival. Houses of worship that have a presence in the community include the Highpoint Church of North Aurora, the Batavia Islamic Center, and the Holy Cross Catholic Church. Nelson Lake has a score of 1/10 in all categories on the CAP Index for crime, significantly lower than the 4/10 national average. Some areas near Nelson Lake score higher on the First Street Foundation’s Flood Factor index. Buyers will want to factor in a property’s insurance coverage and adherence to local code while making real estate decisions.