Elgin vs Bloomingdale vs Wood Dale vs Palatine (Schaumburg, Streamwood: renting, condos)

[zzz69]

Hi all.

I finished school last spring and took a job in Schaumburg. I live in Elgin right now and plan on buying a home in the 175-250 k range after one more year of renting. My desires in an area are relatively straight forward:

-Open spaces for running (Forest Preserves)
-Short commute
-should be accessible to the Metra as I go downtown for work about once or twice a month.
-I am not the type of person that requires a SFH and am perfectly fine living in a TH/Condo
-averse to high taxes

My wife is finishing up school and has a f/t job but will not be staying at the position once she graduates so her work location is relatively moot to our decision and she is looking for a community more so than a work location - as long as where we live is reasonably close to a Metra stop in case she takes a job downtown.

Most of my co-workers choose to live in Dupage County which gives me positive vibes about the area and I like the forest preserves of Wood Dale and the small town feel. Everyone I have talked too has said great things about Bloomingdale and I can get to it quickly from my job. Palatine has a couple nice forest preserves and 53 N-Bound seems pretty light in the evenings from my observations a couple times driving north to visit friends after work.


Right now my commute from Elgin is pretty hit or miss - it can be as little as 20 minutes and it has also taken up to an hour. There are two pretty decent Forest preserves in communities surrounding Elgin but not in Elgin itself. I know that one of those FP's are in Streamwood but I have heard bad things about it from friends and co-workers. Are the things about Streamwood that I have heard exaggeration?

Assuming that Streamwood is not that nice (from my own observations it doesn't seem too bad but you never know unless you have lived there and I have only lived in Elgin for 8 months) which of those 4 places would you reccomend, and why?

Thanks in advance!

[Prairie]

WoodDale is a lovely area, Bloomingdale is quite different in small town living. It is more a metropolis than small town. If you like small town feel and forest preserves look at Warrenville. The home price point you are in would be a good fit. Good luck with your quest!

[zzz69]

Warrenville looks a bit far from Schaumburg - is there a specific reason why you suggest it?

[nanannie]

You are right, it would be a hassle of a commute to S'burg from Warrenville.
Palatine has some wonderful forest preserves and a nice village area.Your idea about Woodale seems to fit your criteria as well. B'dale, meh. You might take a peek at Arlington Hts as well. Good luck to you.

[mendelman]

I would go with Elgin or Palatine.

In Elgin, you have a larger supply of nice houses (or condos and townhouses) in your price range especially in the older part of the city, but Elgin still has somewhat of a stigma (a bit of hyperbole in my opinion). And Elgin has several Metra stops, great parks and near some Forest Preserves, if I remember correctly. Also, the bluffs on the westside of the Fox River offers wonderful views, and although the downtown is a bit sleepy, it is sizeable and fairly intact.

Palatine is nice also, but the supply of decent housing in your price range is much smaller than Elgin, but the schools are more highly rated. Its downtown is small and a bit spotty, but they are working on that.

[zzz69]

I've been living in Elgin for about 8 months. The supply of quality affordable homes is pretty substantial. However, my commute can get pretty long and to get anywhere you have to take the tollway which just feels wrong.