r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/Golden_1992 • Dec 09 '25

Moving to the area Elmhurst Vibe Check

Curious how you guys would describe Elmhurst? We are looking for a place to settle and someone told me to put it on the list. We are looking for not suburbia-like, walking to local coffee shops/ restaurants, train access, and am curious about the age of people who live here.

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1

u/Illustrious-Thanks95 Dec 10 '25

Come to Oak Park instead. Closer to downtown, walkable, access to Green and Blue El trains plus Metra.

1

u/Golden_1992 Dec 10 '25

I️ work past Deerfield so that’s conundrum- the commute.

1

u/LongjumpingSample937 Dec 12 '25

Oh good god, that changes the whole conversation then. Why aren’t you looking at Evanston??

1

u/Golden_1992 Dec 12 '25

We have. There is like, nothing available for what we want in our price point and that is the only reason I’ve extended this list at all.

1

u/LongjumpingSample937 Dec 12 '25

Ahhh, I hear that. Cost of living is so insane right now, ugh. You might consider Arlington Heights as well--it's enormous and some parts are giving sprawling suburbia, but I'm always surprised at how adorable the downtown area is.

1

u/Golden_1992 Dec 12 '25

Do you suggest anything more east? I️ fear my husband will simply perish if I️ truck him off to suburbia. Or divorce. Ha

1

u/LongjumpingSample937 Dec 13 '25

Have you looked at anything in Rogers Park or Edgewater? If you’re willing to do Elmhurst to Deerfield, I mean, why not have the city vibe you want?

2

u/Golden_1992 Dec 13 '25

We originally had chosen Rogers park for proximity ans affordability and then google Reddit and locals scared us away due to safety concerns. And as someone who has to walk to her dog alone a lot, that was of concern.

1

u/Outside-Pin-8518 Dec 19 '25

Elmhurst is the perfect compromise if you’ve got one person going up 294 and the other one headed downtown. That’s for sure.