Do you like shopping? Then you'll love Schaumburg. This suburb of Chicago is home to the largest mall in Illinois, and in fact, one of the largest malls in the entire country. The Woodfield Mall attracts more than 27 million visitors every year.
Schaumburg is a village in Cook County, which is located about 28 miles northwest of the city of Chicago. Until the first subdivision and then Woodfield Mall were built, Schaumburg was just a rural town outside Chicago. But the first rule of the 'burbs seems to be that if you build it, they will come. People started flocking to the easy life in the suburbs, and the influx hasn't since slowed down. Today, Schaumburg isn't just known for its mall; now it’s a town with a world-class library and easy access to the city.
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Moving to Schaumburg
Like most of the Chicagoland area, it’s not going to be inexpensive if you want a good neighborhood. Schaumburg is no exception. It is more expensive than some other suburbs in the area because it’s in Cook County, which pays higher taxes and has higher gas costs than some of the more distant suburbs.
If you want to live in Schaumburg, make sure all your ducks are in a row first. Some suburbs of Chicago are friendlier to people with bad credit or a blemished job record, but you're expected to have a pretty solid background in Schaumburg. To get approved for an apartment, your income should be two to three times greater than the rent. Fortunately, the average income in Schaumburg is well above the national average, so it should be enough to cover the average rent here.
If you're a newbie in the area, you might want to try renting an apartment before renting a house. Even if you want to buy, you may have to rent temporarily while you search (and compete) for your dream home.
If you're looking for a house for rent in Schaumburg and you have special circumstances, like you need to bring Fluffy and Fido or you want to find an all bills paid apartment, you might need help. Let the professionals do the leg work! Apartment locators get paid to do this work, so don't waste your precious time and gas money driving around to check out different places when someone else can do it for you. If you do have these special circumstances, especially pets, you may have to pay a little more in monthly rent or security deposits, but it’s worth it!
Neighborhoods
This village has 17 well-defined neighborhoods, featuring a range of housing options. However, 3 bedroom apartments for rent in Schaumburg can prove hard to come by because there are not many of them. Don't wait until the week before your move to start looking for an apartment because you might face a waiting list. The more bedrooms you need, the longer you may have to wait. Of course, if you're having trouble finding just the right community within Schaumburg, you can also look in nearby towns like Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Hoffman Estates or Roselle. Here are a few neighborhoods to consider:
E Nerge Rd/S Roselle Rd: The rents here will make you shout with joy, but don't get too excited. The vacancy rate here is less than 4%.
S Roselle Rd/W Weathersfield Way: This neighborhood has a lot of owner-occupied homes and town homes. You can find some apartments to rent, but vacancy rates are pretty low. Start your search yonder if you're looking to rent quickly.
S Springinsguth Rd/W Wise Rd: In this part of town, the primary housing options are single-family homes and townhouses, though you can find some apartment rentals.
Life in Schaumburg
More than 7,000 people work at the Motorola headquarters in Schaumburg, and many of them choose to live right in Schaumburg to cut down on their commute times. Other major employers include the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Woodfield Mall, Zurich Insurance Group and IBM.
Almost every big city has terrible traffic, but Chicago's traffic is pretty legendary--and not in a good way! Fortunately the whole area has fabulous public transportation, so at least you can choose to spend your commute time on a train--and able to read or just rest your eyes after a long day, instead of stuck in a car. Schaumburg has a stop on the METRA Milwaukee District/West Line, between Chicago's Union Station and Elgin. In the future, the Suburban Transit Access Route, or STAR Line, plans to have stops at the IKEA store and on Roselle Road.
Woodfield Mall is the biggest attraction in Schaumburg, and visitors come from the greater Chicagoland area and across the country. Woodfield Mall is located right next to I-290, so it's easy and convenient to get there. There are 285 stores and restaurants in the Woodfield Mall, many of which are upscale shops.
If you're tired of the mall or just want something else to do, you won’t have to go all the way into the city to find it. Schaumburg has other fun ways to spend your time, such as making a day of it at Medieval Times or the Legoland Discovery Center. See a live comedy show at Chicago Improv, browse art at the Chicago Athanaeum or take in a show at the PIX 5D Cinema. You can also spend the day enjoying nature at Spring Valley.
Enjoy some favorite Chicago meals, even in Schaumburg, at Portillo's Hot Dogs or Lou Malnati's Pizza. In addition, there are also some amazing local Schaumburg favorites you should check out, such as Wildberry Pancakes and Caf or the fresh fare at Seasons 52.
Of course, one of the best things about living in Schaumburg is how close you are to taking advantage of all that Chicago has to offer. Chicago has an amazing group of local sports teams with very devoted fans. (Go Blackhawks!) Hockey is big here, as is rooting for the Chicago Bears during football season. But the real rivalry here is baseball. Are you a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan? This is no small issue here in Chicagoland! You need to pick which team to root for, and be prepared to stand your ground in some fun--but heated--debates about it.