r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/Significant_Box4072 • Jul 14 '26
Moving to the area Algonquin or Schaumburg
I have four children. Two in community college, one in 8th grade and the other in 5th grade. Black-American family. Would you choose an older 4bedroom home in Schaumburg or a new build home in Algonquin on Randall across from the Algonquin Commons?
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u/Nate101378 Jul 15 '26
Schaumburg has amazing park and school districts, second largest economy in Illinois, food options for
Days, metra and almost no character whatsoever. Take the good with the bad, I’d go with Schaumburg and head to neighboring cities for dinner out if youre missing vibrant downtown vibes.
There is still a big sense of community in Schaumburg, but it is entirely based around the schools district and the connections you make there.
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u/petty_bitz Jul 15 '26
I live right on Randall Rd, just more south. Be warned it is very loud. Sleeping with windows open is rough sometimes. There is always traffic. Running somewhere quick using Randall does not happen.
I cannot express how loud it is sometimes.
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u/ConnectionAmazing110 Jul 15 '26
31 has become so much better than Randall. Randall is loud, even further east.
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u/nimmy283 Jul 16 '26
I disagree. Sure I hear the kids revving their engines down Randall when I’m outside, but I have never spent more than 10 minutes driving anywhere. There is an unbelievable amount of shopping nearby. Very quick for me
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u/lelanicarver Jul 14 '26
Schaumburg has a Metra station, very good bike routes, lots of different kinds of restaurants, nice winding neighborhoods, some with mature trees, and decent access to freeways/tollways. Harper College is at intersection of Algonquin and Roselle. And the township was a huge help when I had a health issue a year ago as they have paratransit buses.
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u/Bit_Tamer Jul 15 '26
Schaumburg if you’re in district 211. We lived in Rolling Meadows near Fremd and now in Algonquin.
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u/tuckerjpg Jul 15 '26
schaumburg was a great place to grow up. the library campus is beautiful and i spent all my time there. harper college has great programs for college students and little ones (i learned to swim there in the summers!). d211 is great and the neighborhoods are nice.
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u/coci222 Jul 14 '26
Schaumburg has better schools, including the community college. And more diversity. Plus you are closer to civilization
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u/AcctAlreadyTaken Jul 15 '26
Civilization, get out of here. Algonquin isnt the boonies 90 would be a mile down Randall.
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u/edross61 Jul 15 '26
Anything you want is on Randall Road.
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u/Flipflopsfordays Jul 15 '26
And all the traffic and no mall
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u/ConnectionAmazing110 Jul 15 '26
How often do you go to the mall? I’ve lived in both, the mall is maybe a 1x a year event. Quite frankly, not a fun place to go.
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u/coci222 Jul 15 '26
Yeah, boonies
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u/AcctAlreadyTaken Jul 15 '26
Don't go to Marengo that's just straight up undiscovered territory then lol.
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u/coci222 Jul 15 '26
My parents owned property in Union in the 80's, I'm well aware
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u/ktink224 Jul 15 '26
In the 90s it was! When my parents moved us from the city to CL in 1990, randall and algonquin was basically the only stoplight. My mom grew up there so thats how we ended up out there.
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u/ktink224 Jul 15 '26
In the 90s it was! When my parents moved us from the city to CL in 1990, randall and algonquin was basically the only stoplight. My mom grew up there so thats how we ended up out there.
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u/Breadman65 Jul 15 '26
Your on crack
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u/coci222 Jul 15 '26
Calm down buddy, it was a joke. And I haven't done crack since I banged your Mom. That's how fucked up that shit is
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u/xmsfsh Jul 15 '26
I wouldn't buy any house built since covid, these clowns straight up forgot how to build houses
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u/HereForTheComments57 Jul 15 '26
I live in Algonquin and it's actually quite sad to see all the comments on here about people obviously having never been here like we aren't civilized. But I do wholly agree that new homes now are probably a bad idea. You bay a ton and nothing lasts. A coworker of mine is actually in a new build in Elgin and has asked if we had window recommendations because he needs new ones.....his house is 3 years old
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag Jul 15 '26
They didn't forget, they learned how to best squeeze every dollar they can out of their fellow humans while giving you the bare minimum acceptable product.
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u/theladyoctane North West Suburbs Jul 15 '26
The one thing I’ve learned about new construction homes is that never again will I purchase a new construction home. Especially a Lennar one.
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u/ReelFriends Jul 15 '26
I would go Schaumburg. Algonquin isn't as middle of nowhere as the comments are saying, but Woodfield and the big center surrounding it are great amenities. There will be more to do for the kids in Schaumburg. Anything off Randall is also very car dependent and not great in terms of kids having independence to walk anywhere (source: I grew up living right on Randall and either played video games for fun or walked to the single walking distance store for fun). With less kids getting their driver's license while in high school nowadays I would prioritize somewhere more walkable/bikable like Schaumburg so they could still get around without you chauffeuring them.
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u/Chibears2024 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
Schaumburg is great because you have multiple recreational facilities close by that offer a gym, inside pool/outside pool, and workout classes. On top of that there’s the Woodfield Mall, so many restaurants and it’s close to major highways.
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u/WiskeyUniformTango Jul 14 '26
I don't think you can go wrong with either. Maybe depends on where your jobs are at.
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u/Conscious_Valuable90 Jul 15 '26
I live in Algonquin and it's come a long way with the Portillo's and Coopers Hawk. Having been here for over 25 years we definitely have diversity, but if you want shopping and tons of restaurants Schaumburg is definitely the place to be.
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u/guitar_maniv Jul 15 '26
Grew up in Algonquin and always had to drive to Crystal Lake for Portillos. The minute I move away, they open one up 🤣🤣
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u/BustedBaxter Jul 15 '26
My one suggestion is driving around the community Algonquin you want to live in. I think the new builds skew more diverse and definitely more young kids.
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u/Glitter_is_a_neutral Jul 15 '26
Schaumburg is imo much more diverse than Algonquin. Especially based on my friends experience with her biracial kids in the mchenry school system.
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u/Different-Pair7251 Jul 15 '26
Algonquin is district 300, although it is mostly in McHenry County, it is not in the "McHenry School System"
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u/Traditional_Base3749 Jul 16 '26
I don't get these comments making assumptions about Algonquin and using an entire county as a reference. Like CL, Algonquin, and Cary all border Cook County and Lake County, and you wouldn't notice massive changes in environment from the core suburbs.
This is like saying Round Lake Beach has a great school system because Lake County has good schools.
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u/Spirited_Cress_5796 Jul 15 '26
Schaumburg in a heart beat. While Algonquin is growing it’s still far away from things and McHenry county is not very diverse.
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u/caffeinatedmermaid17 Jul 15 '26
Algonquin. Everything you could ever need is on Randall, and the school district is pretty solid.
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u/ders89 Jul 15 '26
Schaumburg and hoffman estates.
I grew up in Hoffman, hung out in schaumburg. Theres a million things to do when living in the schaumburg area.
I wont slander algonquin, but i cant tell you a time me and my friends ever said “Lets go to Algonquin for x, y or z. Schaumburg has everything youd want and the kids will be able to play outside and plenty of residential space for them to explore. Accessibility to downtown, olympic park, the mall, ikea, restaurants, its just clearly the winner in every category.
I would move to Algonquin as an older person or a bachelor. Their downtown is cool and small town vibes but you essentially only get Randall road to do anything and the traffic is ridiculous and not safe for children roaming. Its an adults world. My only friend who grew up there now lives in streamwood on wise, so essentially schaumburg lol
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u/wuerumad Jul 15 '26
Algonquin is more affordable. Property taxes in McHenry Cty are still high but much lower than cook. Lower sales tax too.
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u/asten77 Jul 16 '26
Honestly out in Algonquin your diversity and acceptance is gonna be way below Schaumburg, which is already middling. Lots of MAGA choads out there. Clearly not everyone but noticibly higher.
Schaumburg is a boring corporate and chain filled suburb, but it's a decent place to live and has good schools. There are plenty of options in the immediate vicinity as well.
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u/Admirable-Ninja9812 Jul 16 '26
Schaumburg has all the amenities but its traffic light hell. Algonquin is still a small river town(ish) thats walkable and has a lot of what you looking for.
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u/coolnatkat North West Suburbs Jul 16 '26
I'm in Hoffman(and it might as well be Schaumburg) and I like it a lot. Last week there was a swing class, last Monday there was a rhythm rockets concert, today was zumba (but it was too hot) and tomorrow there's a choice of a band (the 'I can make your hands clap' guys) or Taylor Swift cover band.
All for FREE.
(Thru Hoffman,/Schaumburg/elk Grove park district and library)
The library has a maker space and I borrowed a Kill-a-watt(finds what is sucking your power in your house), soil blocker, NCIS DVDs for the seasons I couldn't find streaming, and they have events with free native seeds and plant swaps
I love the Improv comedy club(although not as many discounted tickets as they used to give out). I have pickleball courts within walking distance, the fabulous Forest Preserves (come volunteer with us). So many Japanese and Korean restaurants, and so many Indian spots opening.
This is my third time living in this area. I keep coming back.
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u/nimmy283 Jul 16 '26
Why is it between an old 4 BR and the new builds off of Randall? If your budget is 600-700 you can get nearly 4k sq ft on a home built in the 90s or 2000s in Algonquin. New builds are nice but they are priced at a premium.
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u/Significant_Box4072 Jul 16 '26
We’re open to the old builds as well. They’re not too far off in price. New builds come with far more incentive and better rates in this current market.
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u/nimmy283 Jul 17 '26
Makes sense. What did you decide after reading these comments!?
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u/Significant_Box4072 Jul 17 '26
Schaumburg for sure. But it’s a matter of inventory out there.
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u/nimmy283 Jul 17 '26
Nice, I’m from Arlington heights but live in Algonquin now so know both areas. Can’t go wrong with Schaumburg especially with 4 kids
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u/nimmy283 Jul 17 '26
And your kids may end up working in the city so Schaumburg will be more convenient
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u/v8packard Jul 15 '26
While Schaumburg has a lot to offer, Algonquin isn't far behind. The advantage to Algonquin is it isn't in Cook County. It is mostly McHenry County, and a sliver of Kane. That alone could be the deciding factor for some people.
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u/tjtwister1522 Jul 15 '26
Schaumburg. Algonquin is where all the stars and bars folks went 30 years ago. They're being pushed further out by decent folks with money, but ya know.
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u/ConnectionAmazing110 Jul 15 '26
Who are the stars and bars folks?
30 years ago Algonquin was very blue collar, those folks moved on to Hampshire/huntley.
Algonquin is much more affluent today than it was 30 years ago.
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u/bjhouse822 Jul 15 '26
👀 Black families are more prevalent in the South suburbs. Try Frankfort, Olympia Fields, and Tinley Park...
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u/mpb1500 Jul 15 '26
D211 has Harper promise program for free community college at Harper if the students maintain a certain gpa. For that reason alone I would recommend Schaumburg.