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Old 12-30-2013, 07:33 PM
 
405 posts, read 573,467 times
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I am moving from Michigan and my plan was to move to downtown Chicago but I have a job offer in McHenry that I am considering but don't care for the area as I would like more of downtown city vibe. Is there a suburb that you would recommend that isn't to far of a commute that would give me something close to what I'm looking for? Everything that fits my description seems be at least an hour away.
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Old 12-30-2013, 08:41 PM
 
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McHenry is still a largely rural area that is on the fringe of suburbia. Even the handful of towns in Lake Co that have well developed rail centric cores are decidedly not the kind of place that even their biggest supporter could claim have a true "downtown vibe"...

Odds are you won't find anything suitable unless you drive far more than an hour ...

Arlington Heights is probably about as close to halfway between Chicago and McHenry as you could want .
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Old 12-31-2013, 01:14 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
McHenry is still a largely rural area that is on the fringe of suburbia. Even the handful of towns in Lake Co that have well developed rail centric cores are decidedly not the kind of place that even their biggest supporter could claim have a true "downtown vibe"...

Odds are you won't find anything suitable unless you drive far more than an hour ...

Arlington Heights is probably about as close to halfway between Chicago and McHenry as you could want .
What about a city that is close to shopping and restaurants?
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Old 12-31-2013, 01:20 PM
 
Location: Oak Park, IL
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sonyab523 View Post
What about a city that is close to shopping and restaurants?
Chicago?
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Old 12-31-2013, 01:25 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oakparkdude View Post
Chicago?
It would need to be as close as possible to McHenry. I haven't eliminated the idea of commuting but Chicago is to far of a commute.
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Old 12-31-2013, 04:06 PM
 
Location: Key West, FL
493 posts, read 980,967 times
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Crystal Lake isn't too far from McHenry and has a decent downtown, depending on what you are looking for. Nothing like Schaumburg/Naperville/Downers Grove but not too bad. Two metra stations for getting to the city, decent restaurants. Might be worth looking into, but in all honesty I don't think it's the downtown vibe you are looking for
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Old 12-31-2013, 08:57 PM
 
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Crystal Lake is a good option if you're going to be in McHenry County. Arlington Heights may be a bear of a commute, but it would be a very solid choice if it wasn't for the distance. Honestly either of those two towns might resemble some of the towns you'd find in the Metro Detroit suburbs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by awestover89 View Post
Crystal Lake isn't too far from McHenry and has a decent downtown, depending on what you are looking for. Nothing like Schaumburg/Naperville/Downers Grove but not too bad. Two metra stations for getting to the city, decent restaurants. Might be worth looking into, but in all honesty I don't think it's the downtown vibe you are looking for
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Old 12-31-2013, 10:55 PM
 
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although it's often overlooked on these forums, downtown Elgin might be a good choice, from what I've heard the city's traditional core has improved quite a bit in the last ten years.
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Old 01-03-2014, 10:33 AM
 
Location: Lake Arlington Heights, IL
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BUT, Elgin to Mc Henry might not be such a nice commute.
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Old 01-03-2014, 11:52 AM
 
Location: All Over
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im not too familiar with the area. mchenry is actually quite nice, especially if your into boating and using the lakes. for what your looking for however im afraid nothing will be even close to a city vibe out there. the best you can hope for is some decent shopping and maybe some nightlife, maybe be near a metra to head to the city but nothing out there is going to be what your looking for
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