best Chicago suburb location for a young professional (Naperville, Elgin: to rent, living in)

[ghoorchi]

Hello guys,

I have received a job offer from a company in Elgin and I am considering moving to Chicago. I currently live in Toronto and I do not know anything about Chicago.

As I am a 26 year old single male I want to live in an area with the following characteristics:
-close proximity to downtown Chicago, close to subway (30 min commute should be OK)
-An area were there is a lot of young people
-Drive to work (i.e. Elgin) should be around 40 min - 60 min
-Area with lots of things to do, I like to stay active so I play a lot of sports and at the same time go out to pubs, bars, and resturants.

I was looking into Arlington Heights as it was close to the subway and also not a far commute to work. However, after doing some research I realized that this area is more of a family oriented environment with not too many young people.

Can anyone give me some advise to where in the Greater Chicago Area I should be looking for a place to rent.

[Lookout Kid]

Unfortunately the lifestyle you are looking for is really centered within the City of Chicago itself. It might not be terribly miserable for a young single guy to live in Evanston or Naperville due to some nightlife options there, but neither one is particularly convenient to Elgin. I'm not sure you'll do much better than Arlington Heights, to be frank.

[aga412]

Batavia/Geneva/St. Charles? Schaumburg?

Both of those are still family friendly, but at least the Tri-Cities do have some nice downtown cores with decent nightlife, St. Charles especially. Bonus for St. Charles in that it's super close to Elgin.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by aga412

Batavia/Geneva/St. Charles? Schaumburg?

Both of those are still family friendly, but at least the Tri-Cities do have some nice downtown cores with decent nightlife, St. Charles especially. Bonus for St. Charles in that it's super close to Elgin.

Yeah, not sure why I blanked on these considering I was in Geneva this morning. I think they should be considered, though the distance from the city would be more than you would want. Definitely a lot of bars and restaurants. And while they are "family friendly" and the nightlife skews older, I think you could probably find some other younger people there too. It would definitely beat living in Bartlett or some other bland suburb.

[aga412]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Yeah, not sure why I blanked on these considering I was in Geneva this morning. I think they should be considered, though the distance from the city would be more than you would want. Definitely a lot of bars and restaurants. And while they are "family friendly" and the nightlife skews older, I think you could probably find some other younger people there too. It would definitely beat living in Bartlett or some other bland suburb.

Working in Elgin does kind of pigeonhole you though into either suffering a horrible commute or living closer to the city. A Batavia location puts you inbetween the BN and UPW lines, while Geneva puts you on UPW, and St. Charles puts you in between MDW and UPW for train commuting into Chicago. Living in Batavia puts you decently close enough to the Naperville nightlife as well.

[Fighting Fungus]

Park Ridge

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Fighting Fungus

Park Ridge

Park Ridge to ELGIN every day? I'd put a bullet in my head.

[twodoor2]

Going from Toronto to Elgin? You poor guy.

[pvande55]

The subway only runs as far out as OHare. There are Metra commuter lines (similar to GO transit) that can get you to Chicago. To avoid driving in rush hour traffic you want to be somewhere along the MN line. Next best is to be along I90 which goes to Elgin. But since you also want some excitement the best choice is Schaumburg, which gives you all three.

[knitgirl]

I lived in Elgin for many years and honestly, Arlington Heights is the best you will get. Until I moved back to Chicago this summer, I commuted for several months from Elgin to the north side. It's not fun, and the reverse commute isn't any better.