Need information on safe areas of Palatine, IL (Chicago, Arlington Heights: apartments, rent)

[InfoSeeker7]

Hello,

Can anyone give me information about the safety of the area south of Rand Ave off Hwy. 53 in Palatine? Some of the complexes over there are Amber Ridge, Meadow Lake, Clover Ridge East, William's Reserve, etc. Thanks very much!

[chet everett]

Safety is not too big a concern, but many of those complexes (or ones that adjacent to 'em) are massively packed with under supervised kids. I have seen upwards of a dozen little kids (kindergarten) with one "parent" to walk 'em to the bus. The potential for near non-stop disruptive behavior is quite high...

[InfoSeeker7]

Ok, thanks. I've also heard that there are some rough areas along Rand Ave. Do you think it's best to just stay away from that area of Palatine entirely? Or does it matter? I'm new to the area, just started a new job recently. I'd appreciate any help.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by InfoSeeker7

I've also heard that there are some rough areas along Rand Ave.

"Rough" is relative. People from Wyoming have a whole different definition of "rough" than someone from Chicago.

Where did you hear this, Info Seeker?

Originally Posted by InfoSeeker7

Do you think it's best to just stay away from that area of Palatine entirely?

Originally Posted by chet everett

Safety is not too big a concern, but

Chet kinda already gave his answer - Unless staying away from unsupervised kindergartners is important to you.

[chet everett]

Palatine police force has a pretty substantial presence of both uniformed officers and more integrated plain clothes details that work the corridor alongside the anti-crime units of Cook Co sheriff for unincorporated complexes. There are obviously more than just kindergartners in those complexes...

Again, it is not some hot bed of crime, but there are teens that probably do take unchained bicycles, and domestic calls when someone has too much to drink or just snaps from the stress, and probably a little bit more drug use / selling than in some suburbs, but these are really or relative -- there are stretches of similarly overly dense apartments in basically every town in northern Cook Co. The landlords do what they need in order maintain occupancy at a profitable level.

If you can't afford a luxury unit in a quieter part of town the compromise is something you have to decide for yourself...

[InfoSeeker7]

Thanks. There's a nice place there in Palatine that works well on several levels that I'm just not finding in other areas without the price going up quite a bit. I've also been looking in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Carol Stream, Roselle, Schaumburg (where my job is now but rent seems a bit higher there too). I'm going to check out St. Charles and Geneva today though I'm hoping not to go that far since I have a little one who has to commute to daycare/preschool with me. Wheaton seems like a safe area but pricey in several complexes (and again a little farther than I'm hoping to go). Likewise the price seems to rise in West Dundee and Lake Zurich . My biggest limit is that I also have a larger dog. He's not on the restricted breed list that some complexes have, but he's over the 55-60 pound limit that many places seem to have. I saw this site and was hoping to learn more about that area of Palatine. I really appreciate the input.

[InfoSeeker7]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Palatine police force has a pretty substantial presence of both uniformed officers and more integrated plain clothes details that work the corridor alongside the anti-crime units of Cook Co sheriff for unincorporated complexes. There are obviously more than just kindergartners in those complexes...

Again, it is not some hot bed of crime, but there are teens that probably do take unchained bicycles, and domestic calls when someone has too much to drink or just snaps from the stress, and probably a little bit more drug use / selling than in some suburbs, but these are really or relative -- there are stretches of similarly overly dense apartments in basically every town in northern Cook Co. The landlords do what they need in order maintain occupancy at a profitable level.

If you can't afford a luxury unit in a quieter part of town the compromise is something you have to decide for yourself...

Where would be the quieter parts of town to look for an apartment? Are there particular complexes that anyone would recommend? Thanks...

[dktheb]

What is your budget and what type of commute time would be your max? With a little more information, we might be able to give you some other suggestions.

[MSchemist80]

Compared to places like Maywood or Harvey I'm not sure any areas of Palatine could be considered really rough. Some areas are more desirable than others (the area by Rt12 & 53). But there are really no areas where there are bullets flying and people getting raped, robbed, and shot on a routine basis.

Like many Chicago suburbs, the professionals often live as close as possible to the Metra station for commuting convenience and you'll find the nice downtown area there too.

[InfoSeeker7]

My job is in Schaumburg. I'm trying to keep rent to $1100-$1200. Because my toddler will be commuting with me (the daycare/preschool we're using is also in Schaumburg), I'm hoping to keep the drive to 30 min or so...hopefully 40 min max.