Please tell me about McHenry, IL

[mrp122358]

Originally Posted by storey13

I am looking for rent under $1100 for a 2 or 3 bedroom single family home and I have a 7 year old son so the schools need to be decent. I know Mchenry has a metra stop but I don't know how much housing around that stop would be. Any opinions would be grateful.

There is a metra stop, however the runs are limited. It is much better to pick it up in Crystal Lake (which is South of McHenry) The schools are much better and there are more housing options. I'm not clear on weather it would be in your price range or not, but there is plenty of SFR within walking distance of the train. I take the train out of Fox Lake because there are more trains going out of that are, however, I would not consider living there.

[KG00713]

Wow, I just read someone posted McHenry is expensive and snobby. That's a joke! I grew up in Mchenry. When my family moved, it was a retirement community. Now, it's pretty middle class. It's not near as "snobby" as some other suburbs, but I think that's mostly because a lot of people have lived in McHenry their whole lives (and many of those people are blue collar).

It's a nice little place, but it doesn't have as much to do as Crystal Lake. If you have teens, they'll mostly go out of town to do anything. For new young families, there are a lot of subdivisions going up for "starter houses."

The schools are okay. I went to McHenry West and it's pretty average (not bad by any means, but doesn't get the funding like some other suburbs).

Not many people use the Metra in McHenry (because it only runs 2x daily). From my house, the Crystal Lake Metra was about 15 minutes away and runs all day and evening. It's not a bad commute.

McHenry is a nice small town and I know my mom (and many of my friends from high school), still live in the area. I moved away but still enjoy visiting the area.

[pw72]

Originally Posted by cavewoman

Expensive....classy and very up and coming. I know alot about McHenry, but have friends who know it better. Lots of cute small communities, lots of opportunities for entertaining, I personally like it alot. Trying to get a job there but a few to many snobs.
Good luck and I can getcha help if you need, a friend in fact a few of mine live there and have for many years.

I think this old post was referring to McHenry County, not McHenry the town. Yes, the county is classy with lots of million dollar homes on large lots. McHenry the town is just another smallish midwestern town that is slowly being surrounded by Chicagland.

[azsk8fan]

Back when I was 16 (born in '49-you do the math) my aunt and uncle owned a home in McHenry - it was pretty rurul at that time. My aunt committed suicide in Cullom Lake - left behind 4 kids - some who have lived there forever may remember the last name of "Florek, Joan".

I loved McHenry because it was like living in the country compared to living in the heart of Chicago (big city girl w/country girl dreams)

[ThatBearsGuy45]

I lived in McHenry since I was born till 17 years of age. It started as a small community like that of Richmond so to speak. Within just that 17 year span it has blown up from a 3 thousand community into a 20 thousand plus community. Its to compact of a little town for such a growth spurt. It has had trouble keeping up with the times as in road construction. It is getting better in that part. Other than that it was a fun town to grow up in. It used to be a big football community for our High School Warriors but since Coach Knoll left its died down. Those were the good old days. I would compare it to a modern day inner city suburb now that its gotten so large. Just over the border in WI in Genoa City, Pell Lake, or even a little farther to Racine- those towns mostly resemble the Old McHenry I grew up in. I recommend any of those towns to start a life in or retire in.

[Ophidian14]

And hey, they just put in an Olive Garden... latinadivabrownpride, I don't believe I've seen you and your extended family there yet...