College Grad - need advice on where to stay (Schaumburg: apartments, home) - Chicago - Illinois (IL) - City-Data Forum

aumasha2 · 05-30-2010, 01:42 PM

Hey Guys,

I just graduated from college (go Illini!) last month, and will begin full-time work in August. I will be working in Hoffman Estates (a mile off Higgins), and am debating where I should live. Having visited LAkeview/Wrigleville, I would love to stay in either of those neighborhoods. I loved the bar-scene and nightlife there, and those are two things that are pretty important for me, especially in the weekends. The drawback is that driving to work could take more than an hour each way, something that I dont wish to do. I had a couple of questions that I could use help with:

1) Are there any other good neighborhoods/suburbs that would be fun for a sinlge 22 year old? I looked into living in Jefferson Park, and even Schaumburg or Skokie.

2) Is there anyone else on this forum who;s single and works in the Hoiffman Estates area? If so, where do you live and how bad's the commute from the Lakeview area to Hoffman Estates?

Thanks and all opinions would be valuable!

chitown85 · 05-30-2010, 03:54 PM

This is a situation that many young college grads find themselves in. Lakeview/Wrigleyville are awesome for people in that age group, but unfortunately the commute can get in the way. It is about 20 minutes to the Kennedy from Wrigleyville and the Kennedy (I-90 expressway) is a nightmare out to the suburbs and back into the city at night. Unfortunately, it's the only way to get to the NW burbs. If you move to Roscoe Village, you are right next to the Kennedy and can cut 20 minutes out of the trip. This also allows you great access to all the nightlife in the city.

Jefferson Park is very family oriented, but is still closer than any of the suburbs to the city. Schaumburg has some nightlife, but you must drive and there aren't many things to do. Big difference between Schaumburg and the city. Skokie is pretty boring for the most part and in my opinion is on the decline. It is also far from any city neighborhood that has a nightlife.

If you live in Lakeview, your commute to Hoffman Estates will probably be in the 60-90 minute ratio each way. Roscoe Village cuts 15-20 minutes out of that, making it more doable.

Avengerfire · 05-30-2010, 06:56 PM

Roscoe Village is not "right next to" the Kennedy. Roscoe Village is right next to Lake View. I do not think living in Roscoe Village will cut 15-20 minutes off of the commute most of the time. And even if it does-you are not going to get a 45 minute commute that often unless travel is during off-peak hours.

smallvillejane · 05-30-2010, 09:09 PM

I think your commuting estimate is about right. However, if OP comes home in rush hour (4 pm to 7 pm) it could take more than 2 hrs to get home. I would live in places like park ridge, easier to get home, and not too far from the city either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chitown85

This is a situation that many young college grads find themselves in. Lakeview/Wrigleyville are awesome for people in that age group, but unfortunately the commute can get in the way. It is about 20 minutes to the Kennedy from Wrigleyville and the Kennedy (I-90 expressway) is a nightmare out to the suburbs and back into the city at night. Unfortunately, it's the only way to get to the NW burbs. If you move to Roscoe Village, you are right next to the Kennedy and can cut 20 minutes out of the trip. This also allows you great access to all the nightlife in the city.

Jefferson Park is very family oriented, but is still closer than any of the suburbs to the city. Schaumburg has some nightlife, but you must drive and there aren't many things to do. Big difference between Schaumburg and the city. Skokie is pretty boring for the most part and in my opinion is on the decline. It is also far from any city neighborhood that has a nightlife.

If you live in Lakeview, your commute to Hoffman Estates will probably be in the 60-90 minute ratio each way. Roscoe Village cuts 15-20 minutes out of that, making it more doable.

OrangeAndBlue · 05-30-2010, 10:43 PM

Unfortunately getting to Hoffman Estates from anywhere in the city during rush hour is going to be a really crappy commute. From Lakeview/Wrigleyville you'll probably want to kill yourself.

You could look for something in a far northwest neighborhood like Jefferson Park or Park Ridge. It really won't be much different than living in a suburb because those areas are pretty quiet and family oriented and nothing like Lakeview, but at least you could have easy access into the city on the Blue line on weekends. You'd still have at least a 45 minute commute though I'd guess.

Is there any chance to get to work with Metra? There isn't a metra station in Hoffman Estates on Higgins Road, but maybe your company offers a shuttle or there is a Pace bus that will wait for the train. In that case, I'd look at living as close as possible to Union Station so that you can walk there in just a couple of minutes. You'd still have at least an hour commute because you probably couldn't get an express train in the reverse commute direction, but at least you wouldn't be stuck in traffic but could read / work on the train.

If those don't sound like feasible options, I'd honestly just forget it and live close to your office rather than waste 2-3 hours a day stuck in traffic. Hopefully you can stay on a buddy's couch in the city on weekends and still enjoy it. Hell....I would probably even consider getting 2 studio apartments in that situation - one for the weekdays in the suburbs and another in the city for the weekends.

chitown85 · 05-31-2010, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Roscoe Village is not "right next to" the Kennedy. Roscoe Village is right next to Lake View. I do not think living in Roscoe Village will cut 15-20 minutes off of the commute most of the time. And even if it does-you are not going to get a 45 minute commute that often unless travel is during off-peak hours.

Western and Diversey. Western and Belmont. All in Roscoe Village and close to the Kennedy. It will cut that much time off the commute. Regardless, the commute stilll sucks.

outofmyelement · 05-31-2010, 11:14 AM

Well, I'll go ahead and encourage the OP to live in the city. My friend lived in Ravenswood for three years and now lives in Ukrainian Village and has commuted to Hoffman Estates the entire time. It takes him 1 hour to get there (leaving at 6:30 am) and ~1.25 hours to get home (leaving at 4 pm.) It may take you more or less time depending on the hours you work. However the benefits of living in the city in my opinion are worth it for a young person. Instead of thinking of this time as wasted in traffic, find a good informative radio station to listen to. Next time you get in a sexy political debate with someone at the bar, you'll impress. (I'm not the only one who does this right?)

soulful · 05-31-2010, 11:33 AM

I would strongly suggest that you live in Lakeview/city and commute. I've done that commute and although the idea seemed intimidating, I got used to it with a couple of weeks. Being in a cool, fun neighborhood on the weekend (and weeknights during the 6 mos. of good weather) will make all the difference in the world. Good luck with your move.

jlawrence01 · 05-31-2010, 12:53 PM

Live close to work and commute to fun. It is a LOT easier to head into the city durign the evening hours and weekends than to commit to doing five round trips a week. And the cost of operating a vehicle is not insubstantial.

jdiddy · 05-31-2010, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chitown85

Western and Diversey. Western and Belmont. All in Roscoe Village and close to the Kennedy. It will cut that much time off the commute. Regardless, the commute stilll sucks.

Western and Diversey is not Roscoe Village. There's also not a whole lot of housing in the immediate area. Western and Belmont is a mile from the Kennedy.

It will be an hour and a half commute, on average, to get home at night. Its up to you whether you can do that.