Working in Mettawa (office will move to Schaumburg in 2014) - Living Suggestions? (Chicago: apartments)

[jinnie]

I'll be starting a job in Mettawa this summer, and the company I will work for plans to move its office to Schaumburg sometime in 2014. I'll be visiting the area to find an apartment to rent, and I wanted to ask for suggestions on where I should start looking. I live in Texas, and I'm not at all familiar with the area.

I've been searching online for apartments in Buffalo Grove, Palatine and Arlington Heights (1 bed, 1 bath between $800 and $1,000). Knowing that the office is moving to Schaumburg in about a year, should I try to find an apartment in Schaumburg or find an apartment closer to Mettawa for now until the company moves its office? I would really rather not go with this option, but I want to do what makes the most sense. Seems like the commute from Schaumburg to Mettawa is about 45 minutes, and I wonder how well I would adjust to driving on icy roads in the winter. (That should be a concern, right?) What do you think about Buffalo Grove/Palatine/Arlington Heights, and would you recommend any other town? I'd like to live somewhere south of Mettawa and not any farther west than Schaumburg.

These are just kind of just particular details, but what I really love about the area I live in now is its late-night, eclectic eateries/food trucks and 24-hour coffee shops. I'm kind of ashamed to say I like its southern-yuppie vibe--I'm in my early-20s, myself--and I feel like I'm someone who actually does a lot of her work during the night--studying, grocery shopping, working out, etc. I was also hoping to find a place near a Korean grocery store/restaurants for when I miss home. Is there some kind of slight replication of that anywhere in the area? I feel like I may be asking for too much.

Also, I'm curious: how do locals pronounce "Mettawa"? It is Mettawa, like Metta World Peace--or is it Mettawa with an emphasis on the second syllable, like 'meh-TOW-ah'? ...or is it something entirely different. I've been hearing vastly different pronunciations, so I wanted to ask.

Thanks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[reppin_the_847]

I think you're making a wise choise by looking into the Buffalo Grove / Palatine / Arlington Heights areas. Definitely a good mid-way point, and probably a little bit closer to Schaumburg if anything. 24/7 coffee shops will be hard to find, however. It's tough to find those in Chicagoland unless you're within the Chicago city limits (with the exception of gas stations like Speedway, Dunkin Donuts, etc.). But as far as suburbs go, I'd say Arlington Heights in particular is one of the livelier ones with some bars right in town. It also has quick express trains into downtown via Metra for those times when you need your city fix. Mettawa is pronounced like Metta World Peace and it is a pretty quiet area surrounded by towns such as Lake Forest, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire & Libertyville. Matter of fact, a lot of people that live in Chicagoland to this day haven't heard of Mettawa or know where it is. But mention the old money North Shore town of Lake Forest & they will certainly recognize it. I think you'd be pretty bored in the towns that are right by Mettawa unfortunately. The other option besides Buffalo Grove / Palatine / Arlington Heights IMO would be Schaumburg itself & possibly Des Plaines near its downtown area. Des Plaines is the closest of all the mentioned towns to the city of Chicago. You can take 294 from Des Plaines to go up to Mettawa and 90 from Des Plaines to go up to Schaumburg. But in a battle of nightlife contests it goes something like this....Arlington Heights is best for bars, Schaumburg is best for suburban danceclubs, but Des Plaines will get you to the city the quickest in general.

Originally Posted by jinnie

I'll be starting a job in Mettawa this summer, and the company I will work for plans to move its office to Schaumburg sometime in 2014. I'll be visiting the area to find an apartment to rent, and I wanted to ask for suggestions on where I should start looking. I live in Texas, and I'm not at all familiar with the area.

I've been searching online for apartments in Buffalo Grove, Palatine and Arlington Heights (1 bed, 1 bath between $800 and $1,000). Knowing that the office is moving to Schaumburg in about a year, should I try to find an apartment in Schaumburg or find an apartment closer to Mettawa for now until the company moves its office? I would really rather not go with this option, but I want to do what makes the most sense. Seems like the commute from Schaumburg to Mettawa is about 45 minutes, and I wonder how well I would adjust to driving on icy roads in the winter. (That should be a concern, right?) What do you think about Buffalo Grove/Palatine/Arlington Heights, and would you recommend any other town? I'd like to live somewhere south of Mettawa and not any farther west than Schaumburg.

These are just kind of just particular details, but what I really love about the area I live in now is its late-night, eclectic eateries/food trucks and 24-hour coffee shops. I'm kind of ashamed to say I like its southern-yuppie vibe--I'm in my early-20s, myself--and I feel like I'm someone who actually does a lot of her work during the night--studying, grocery shopping, working out, etc. I was also hoping to find a place near a Korean grocery store/restaurants for when I miss home. Is there some kind of slight replication of that anywhere in the area? I feel like I may be asking for too much.

Also, I'm curious: how do locals pronounce "Mettawa"? It is Mettawa, like Metta World Peace--or is it Mettawa with an emphasis on the second syllable, like 'meh-TOW-ah'? ...or is it something entirely different. I've been hearing vastly different pronunciations, so I wanted to ask.

Thanks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Vlajos]

Live near the Mettawa office now and move closer to the Schaumburg office once the company moves.

[cubssoxfan]

Live in downtown Arlington Heights. About a 30-40 minute drive to Mettawa during rush hour. About a 15-25 minute drive to Schaumburg (depending where in Schaumburg) It may not equal what you currently have, but there is restaurants, bars, stores, groceries, coffee shops, movie and live theater, library and parks all within walking distance. Whenever I go to eat in the area I see many 20 & 30 somethings in the restaurants. You als are walking distance to Metra to get to and from downtown Chicago. You will also avoid the hassles of moving again to avoid the Mettawa-Schaumburg commute.

[pvande55]

Ma TAU Wah, I am pretty sure is the correct pronunciation. Not that you need to know that since you will be moving in a year. You probably want to be in northern Cook or southern Lake County. Most towns nearby Mettawa, except Vernon Hills, are rather sleepy.