Moving to Chicago, Help! (Arlington Heights, Schaumburg: apartment, hotel, house)

[gkornus]

I may be moving to the Chicago area to work in Huntley, IL. I'm a single straight 30 year old guy. Having interesting things to do on the weekends would be important to me. What would be some viable places to live? Keep in mind I do own a vehicle. Is Huntley even an option? Crystal Lake area? I grew up in Atlanta suburbs so I don't necessarily dislike the idea of suburban living.

Thanks in advance.

[US-Traveller]

Huntley is what I would describe as an exurb. Huntley is borderline rural. I would think long and hard about living somewhere like that as a single person.

[knitgirl]

I would focus my search along 90, as far east as Arlington Hts. If you lived in Arlington Hts, you'd be going against traffic during rush hour. Schaumburg would also be a possibility.

[tireddad]

Maybe check out West Dundee. Not really a whole lot to do there, but the area near their small downtown is pretty nice, offers a decent commute to Huntley and isn't too far from 90 so you can easily head east for more activity on weekends.

It all depends on how long of a commute you would consider tolerable. If you don't mind driving a bit then downtown Arlington Heights is probably a better choice for singles.

[gag]

Originally Posted by gkornus

I grew up in Atlanta suburbs so I don't necessarily dislike the idea of suburban living.

Thanks in advance.

Good luck with the long grey winters up there. Find a babe asap or you'll hate the burbs here. I would just get a hotel room downtown in the city on the weekends to go out without the drive home. Forget about Schamburg or Arlington H., just dead IMO for a young guy like you.

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by gag

Good luck with the long grey winters up there. Find a babe asap or you'll hate the burbs here. I would just get a hotel room downtown in the city on the weekends to go out without the drive home. Forget about Schamburg or Arlington H., just dead IMO for a young guy like you.

OP hasn't defined "interesting things to do" - doesn't sound like partying is all he's interested in.

[almost3am]

I think I would start in downtown Arlington Heights. I liked that area a lot when we were househunting. It is fairly lively and has great character. I also would pick a place in walking distance to nightlife, but that is me. That is close to the metra line to head to Chicago, too, although the last train back to AH, I think, is about 12:30AM...

Also, try to find a way to meet people quick, whether that is sports, clubs, meetups, bars, or something social.

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by gkornus

I may be moving to the Chicago area to work in Huntley, IL. I'm a single straight 30 year old guy. Having interesting things to do on the weekends would be important to me. What would be some viable places to live? Keep in mind I do own a vehicle. Is Huntley even an option? Crystal Lake area? I grew up in Atlanta suburbs so I don't necessarily dislike the idea of suburban living.

Thanks in advance.

If you think you can stand the commute from Arlington Heights, I also think it would be a good option. I'm the same age as you, for whatever that may be worth. I would definitely consider Arlington Heights for myself. I think the benefit of AH is that it has a downtown area and has enough restaurants, but it is also on the Metra line and not a horrible distance from Chicago. So if you live there, you could still get to the city on the weekends if you wanted to. The other thing I love about AH is the race track, which I go to several times a year with friends (something we started doing about 5 years ago, and we were never the only people our age there).

I also think Schaumburg would be a decent choice. There are tons of dining and shopping areas there.

I wouldn't let people scare you that you can't meet people in the suburbs. That's simply not true. I know a lot of people who live in the suburbs because that's where their jobs are and they all have good social lives. There are sites like meetup.org that will help you meet people with shared interests.

[ChiGuy2.5]

St. Charles has a good bar scene on the weekends, I would know, I grew up there. Its also only about a 45 minute drive to Huntley which isn't TOO bad. Maybe you can find a nice apartment or house downtown St. Charles to move into. Then you dont have to drive on weekends and you can have something fun to do.