Reverse-commuting to Elgin (Chicago, Naperville, Schaumburg: rental, job market, neighborhoods)

[kasito]

I am interviewing for a lucrative position in Elgin. The job market for my profession is terrible, so I can't be to choosy about location.

I'm from the eastern U.S., and I have never been to Elgin, but I've spent significant time in Naperville and Barrington. I found both of them to be exurban hells, and so I assume Elgin is similar or worse. I am 25, single, and willing to endure a substantial commute to stay clear of suburbia.

The company in Elgin claims to be very near a Metra station, which would be a godsend (considering the area's highways). This presents me with several questions:

1) Metra looks slow, infrequent, and expensive on paper. How usable is it in reality? Do you have experience reverse commuting on the Milwaukee District West line?

2) What neighborhoods along the Milwaukee District West line are worth looking at? A perfect area for me would be less than 1/2 mile from a station, have lots of retail and entertainment, and have reasonably affordable rental units. I have been to the north side of Chicago several times and found it to be an amazing place, but the commute from there would be a killer.

3) When visiting the area, what would be the best way to get a "feel" for both Elgin and western Chicago? How "midwestern" is the culture?

I would appreciate any suggestions or tips you folks may have. Thanks.
Kasito

[oakparkdude]

I've never been on the MD-W line, but Metra schedules are quite reliable. I reverse commute on the Union Pacific West, and although its 50 minutes one way on the train for me, its quite tolerable and beats driving by far. Rarely trains are delayed due to freight train interference or accidents, but overall the experience is pretty good. Unfortunately, none of the towns along the MD-W are anything comparable to the North side of Chicago. The closest in feel would (maybe) be Oak Park, which would be at least a mile south of the Montclare/Elmwood Park stations. There is a CTA bus (Harlem Ave) which could get you from downtown Oak Park to the metra, but it'd add another 20 minutes or so to your commute. You'd probably be better off living in Schaumburg or somewhere near there and driving.

[kasito]

Thank you sukwoo for your advice. Commuting via transit certainly would be preferable to battling Chicagoland traffic and weather. I'm not too keen on Shaumburg, though, since If I decide to choke down my pride and live in exurbia, I would just live in Elgin itself and walk to work.

Neighborhoods near the Western Ave MD-W station, such as the Ukrainian Village, seem decent (at least on Google StreetView). Does anyone have experience with this area?

Thanks again,
kasito

[oakparkdude]

I didn't realize there was a Western Ave stop. Ukie village would probably be pretty good for you. I'll let others more knowledgeable about this neighborhood to fill in the details. My suggestion for the commute is to get a laptop with a broadband internet card (Verizon, etc). It'll make the commute a breeze. I'm typing this on the Metra right now.

[aragx6]

Ukrainian Village is a nice neighborhood. It's getting better all the time, is very near Wicker Park, which is full of nightlife and shopping.

But - that area near the metra station isn't so hot - you want to live closer to Damen and Chicago. Realtors like to call anything north of Grand Ukrainian Village, but it's not.

[tsd053008]

I lived in Uke Village for 2+ years and loved it, loved it, loved it. And we were west of Western, just north of Chicago Ave., which is an area some might still think is sorta dicey. But it was just fine (I always felt perfectly safe), and we were a short walk from lots of good places to eat and several great bars. Additionally, A not-so-long walk would get you to the thriving, rapidly yuppiefied/boutiqued-out Division Street (aka Wicker Park's southern edge), and a longish walk would get you to Wicker Park central. We moved for a job, and I've missed Chicago -- and our neighborhood -- ever since. I know it's only gotten better (more cafes and such) since we left. So, I vote thumbs wayyyy up on Uke Village if you decide to live in the city and reverse-commute. Good luck!

[Drover]

The first thing I would do is find out exactly what your company means by 'very near' the Metra station. I've seen that claim before only to find out that it's over a mile away.

If you want a tolerable urban experience, the only station I'd consider living near is the Western station -- and definitely only north and east of it. The area gets dicey in a quick hurry going west and/or south of it. All the rest of the stations are either in iffy neighborhoods, snoozy suburbia, or city neighborhoods that might as well be snoozy suburbia (e.g. Montclare).

[Drover]

Or alternately I suppose you could live on the southeast corner of the West Loop and/or Greektown where it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to get to Union Station.

[loonybat]

Hello,
I live in Elgin and work for a company with one office in Elgin, so I'm there quite a bit.

One of my co-workers at the Elgin office reverse commutes from Schaumburg using public trans. She takes the Metra to the downtown Elgin station, which is less than a block from the Pace bus hub - all of the Elgin buses stop here, so she hops on a bus here to get to the office.

I'm not sure how long the commute takes her overall, but she doesn't seem to mind (considering she also has a car).

Best,
W

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by kasito

I'm from the eastern U.S., and I have never been to Elgin, but I've spent significant time in Naperville and Barrington. I found both of them to be exurban hells, and so I assume Elgin is similar or worse.

Elgin is decidedly more urban than Naperville and Barrington. You have higher crime, decaying infrastructure, a downtown with casino/riverboat, public transportation and its multi-cultural, a far cry from Naperville and Barrington.