Where to live/rent between Hoffman Estates and a good Children's hospital (Chicago: apartment)

[AnyMeans]

I posed this question to the Chicago thread. I thought I would get the suburban perspective too.

My wife and I are looking to make the move to the Chicago area from St. Louis in January. We are 23. We are willing to rent for a while, but need to know of some good areas to look at. We would also be willing to buy if we found something that wowed us in the next 2 months. I still have student loans to pay off, so renting would be our best option for the next 5 or so years. I don't know much about the commute times, but we would be comfortable in the city or in the suburbs. We aren't planning on having kids in the next few years but school districts are still in the back of my mind. I would really appreciate it if I could get some ideas of good neighborhoods. Here's some of what we have currently and what we are looking for. Thanks!!!

1- To be semi-close to the Hoffman Estates where I will be working.

2- To be closer to a good pediatric hospital. My wife works at the 5th ranked Children's hospital in the country currently. She works in the pediatric intensive care unit to be specific. What are the recommended hospitals that would be managable with my work location? We would probably prefer to be closer to her work to make her commute easier after a 12 hour night shift.

3- Our current rent for a nice 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment with a garage in St. Louis is $750. I know that won't come close to cutting it in Chicago, so what should I expect for something decent with 1 or 2 bedrooms, and where? We could easily afford about $1200 a month, but we would prefer to pay as much down on my student loans as possible. Are there recommended rental companies?

4- Moderately safe

-Currently we live in an somewhat eclectic neighborhood (Lafayette Square) with about 15 restaurants within walking distance and a few shops.

-We would love to be close to a park or atleast have some green space of our own to someday have a dog.

-Amenities like a pool, fitness center, etc would be nice but not required.

Any help or direction that you can give would be greatly appreciated as we really don't know where to start. Thanks again!

[purplesky]

St Alexius in Hoffman Estates on Barrington Road has a pediatric intensive care unit, as well as its "sister" hospital Alexian Brothers in Elk Grove Village. Lutheran General in Park Ridge also has an excellent neonatal/peds unit--my son was there for 2 weeks after he was born.

I don't know what your price range is, but Arlington Heights would be a great place between Lutheran General and Hoffman Estates. It's probably about 15 minute ride. There is a great walkable downtown area with restaurants, bars, and a great live theatre (Metropolis). Hersey High School also is an excellent high school.

[gramirez2012]

Originally Posted by purplesky

St Alexius in Hoffman Estates on Barrington Road has a pediatric intensive care unit,

I believe they are building a brand new children's hospital at the Hoffman site, correct?

[purplesky]

I don't know, haven't heard about it--Lutheran built a new children's hospital a few years back