From Park Ridge, looking for safe suburbs nearby (renting)! (Chicago: 2014, apartments)

[mlx46]

I was pretty much born and raised here in the Park Ridge/Des Plaines area, and after moving out my girlfriend and I ended up getting an apartment here in Park Ridge.

Anyways, because of the ridiculous rent we decided to pay (for the size), and it only going up, we're looking to move. We're currently paying $900 for a dinky one-bed with a tiny kitchen. Our rent budget is $1200, but we want something a little more room, or at least a kitchen with actual counter space. I work in Glenview, my girlfriend in Mt Prospect. We're pretty much looking anywhere North (Morton Grove, Glenview, Northbrook furthest) or West/NW (Mt. Prospect, Arlington Heights, Palatine, Shaumburg would probably be the furthest). My GF isn't from this state and I've been sheltered within pretty much one suburb my whole life so I need some help here, lol.

How are some of those neighboring suburbs in terms of safety/renting apartments?

Also, I left out Des Plaines because apartment-wise I didn't find much.

Thanks to anyone that helps. Seriously it means a lot.

[Whitesox130]

My wife and I (22 and 24, respectively) live in Palatine currently and really love it. It's quiet without a lot of traffic but still has big-city access to offer. We have a great school system and library district as well. The whole village of Palatine is safe, to my knowledge, except for the stretch of US-12 (Rand Rd) between Dundee Rd and IL-53.

$1200 would definitely get you more than what you're in now. We pay $920/month for what I consider a large 1-bedroom apartment with lots of storage space and free parking in a complex with a fitness center, pool, and tennis court. For $1200, you could probably get yourselves into a good 2-bedroom unit or a condo. I know there are some nice-looking condo buildings in the area just north of the Metra tracks just west of Plum Grove Road, but I can't help you any more than that unfortunately. The further west or north you go, the more rural things start to look, so if you're looking for a condo or apartment, there's probably not as much out that direction, and I don't know much about the south or east areas.

The downside is that there isn't as much to do this far out. The city is an hour's Metra ride away, and I'm sure you know how bad the Kennedy gets during rush hour. I'm not sure where you have to go to find any night life. Arlington Park is close, but that's about it for local live entertainment.

[linicx]

Park Ridge is certainly nice enough, and a good place to be sheltered. However, Chicago is nearly 3 million residents strong and Cook Couty is a 1000 square miles in size. It may well be that all you will find for $900 is what you have now. If travel by train is important be careful where you move; transit may be the bus.

I've always liked Arlington Heights. I base it strictly on my frequent trips to the horse races and poking around the town afterward. Schaumburg is home to the 4th largest mall in America. It has an onsite hotel with transit, and heavy traffic. I like Oak Park a lot, too, but it is not on your list. Years ago I worked in Skokie and liked it just fine, too. .

[mlx46]

Originally Posted by Whitesox130

The downside is that there isn't as much to do this far out. The city is an hour's Metra ride away, and I'm sure you know how bad the Kennedy gets during rush hour. I'm not sure where you have to go to find any night life. Arlington Park is close, but that's about it for local live entertainment.

Not a problem for us, we're boring gamers, haha. Quiet is good for us!

Thanks for the replies so far, they're really helpful

[Lookout Kid]

Anything you can find in Glenview, Mt Prospect, Arlington Heights, Northbrook, Deerfield, Palatine, etc... should serve you fine. Almost any town in Chicagoland in 2014 has at least a handful of crappy apartment buildings to stay away from (for instance, the apartments across from Randhurst Mall in Mt. Prospect), but you should be able to sniff that out without trouble. But there are so many nice towns in that general area that you will have a plethora of options.

[mlx46]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Anything you can find in Glenview, Mt Prospect, Arlington Heights, Northbrook, Deerfield, Palatine, etc... should serve you fine. Almost any town in Chicagoland in 2014 has at least a handful of crappy apartment buildings to stay away from (for instance, the apartments across from Randhurst Mall in Mt. Prospect), but you should be able to sniff that out without trouble. But there are so many nice towns in that general area that you will have a plethora of options.

Yeah, true. It's definitely easy to avoid some of the crappier apartment areas.

I forgot about Deerfield, going to look around there as well!