I am sorry to report Hinsdale once again has fallen short of the North Shore.
One of those fancy "W" towns - Winnetka - beat out Hinsdale for the No. 1 spot on the latest list published by HomeSnacks.
What is HomeSnacks, you ask?
We're not entirely sure, but it produces lots of lists - safest states, most dangerous states, even dumbest states. You can read all of these lists on its Facebook page (which contains no information about who is preparing them or why).
And what does this latest list proclaim, you wonder?
The 10 snobbiest places in Illinois for 2023.
Yes, that's right, Hinsdale is less snobby than Winnetka. It's also less snobby than Glencoe, based on home prices, incomes and education levels.
Ridiculous, isn't it?
They list claims only 81 percent of Hinsdale's population is highly educated, that residents' median income is $224,185 and that the median home price is $880,000. That simply can't be right, can it?
Winnetka allegedly tallied 91 percent highly educated, a $250,000 median income and a $1.1 million median home price.
Glencoe supposedly had 86 percent highly educated, a $212,000 median income and a median home price also north of $1 million.
This so-called data is from something called Saturday Night Science, which sounds like it's based on a Saturday Night Live skit.
"Because place-based rankings aren't peer reviewed, we are trying to achieve a level of accuracy you'd have with friends arguing at a bar," the website states.
I am not reassured.
The site goes on to tout its launch way back in 2015, that it has a "Real Estate Review Roundtable" and that some dude named Nick has been to every state in the country and catalogs his adventures on their YouTube channel. Is that supposed to make me feel better?
What does make me feel better is that Hinsdale ranked above another "W" town, Wilmette, along with Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Northfield, Hawthorne Woods, Deerfield and our neighboring "W" town, Western Springs.
In case you're wondering, Illinois is the 14th snobbiest state in the country. (The snobbiest is Massachusetts, which surprised me. I would have guessed Connecticut, but it came in third.)
Clearly Hinsdale could have performed better.
I doubt Nick has even been to Hinsdale. Has he seen the $10 million house for sale on County Line Road? The number of Teslas parked downtown on a Friday afternoon? Hinsdale Junior Woman's Club members dressed for a night on the town?
Of course I jest. The first column I ever wrote was in response to a piece in SmartMoney magazine titled "Deconstructing Hinsdale," in which the author said Hinsdale was filled with "IGMs" (I've Got Mine) - people who have to have the biggest house, the best car, etc. I created quite a lengthy list of people whose generosity proved that accumulating wealth and showing it off was not the goal of every Hinsdalean. (I also created some truly horrible acronyms in the process!).
Like other towns, Hinsdale is filled with all types.
Are some people in Hinsdale snobs? Sure.
Are some people in other towns snobs? Certainly.
Is Hinsdale a great place to live? Better than the North Shore's "W" towns? Absolutely.
Just check out HomeSnacks' list of the 10 best places to live in Illinois. Hinsdale is right there at No. 2 - just after that darned Western Springs!
- Pamela Lannom, editor of The Hinsdalean, is on vacation this week. This column was first published Nov. 16, 2023.
