Need advice on Crystal Lake!!! (Chicago, Arlington Heights: apartment, rent, condos)

[jmedelman]

Hey everyone,
I am a 21 year old male college student. I have a job offer for Crystal Lake and would like to live no more than 30 minutes from work, but I want to be in the direction of Chicago. The city I've eyed as a possible answer is Palatine.
However, I do not know anything about the atmosphere for young professionals in these suburbs. I am familiar with the NW Subs but they are too far from Crystal Lake....
I go to school in Madison, WI so you can imagine the type of nightlife I'm looking for. I also would like to be with people my age (relatively close at least) and would not want to pay more than $800 a month for an apartment.
Anything you guys have would be wonderful.
-Jake

[nerfer]

Palatine's a good place. You'd have a reverse commute, which is good - going over the Fox R. is a bottleneck for people going the other direction. There's no typical "college town" in the area, even Harper College, which is just south of Palatine, doesn't have the dorms and nightlife that you would expect. But quite a few younger professionals are at Motorola HQ (or were), not far from Harper College, and from that area to Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg and points west is a ton of eating, drinking and shopping places. Palatine has the metro going to downtown Chicago. Not sure what the price of rent is now, I think I was paying about $750 in Palatine about 12 years ago, IIRC, for a nice but not at all extravagant apartment. Lots of new condos in the downtown area near the train station, has a more urban feel to it there.

Crystal Lake itself is mostly populated by younger families, from what I've seen. Think soccer fields and single family homes on 1/4 acre lots, although it has an older downtown. Not much in between that would meet your criteria.

[middle-aged mom]

Go one train stop south of Palatine to downtown, Arlington Heights. There are plenty of young professionals and plenty of bars, restaurants, and shops, all within an easy walk.

Having said this, it's not Madison.