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Located west of Schaumburg in Northern Illinois, Elgin is an outlying suburb about 35 miles northwest of Chicago near the edge of what’s considered the Chicagoland area. Elgin is the eighth-largest city in Illinois and is split between Kane County and Cook County. The Fox River runs through the center of the city, which is also bordered by several lovely nature preserves.

Known as the “City in the Suburbs” and the “Jewel of the Midwest,” Elgin prides itself on being a place people love to live in! In the last decade, the city has ranked number one in the Chicago metropolitan area in new home starts and has seen tremendous growth in population, household incomes, home values and many other metrics, signaling a great place to lay down roots in the Midwest!

Living in Elgin, you’ll get used to very cold and snowy winters and very pleasant summers. During winter months, temperatures can get well below freezing. In the summer, temperatures can soar into the 100s, but those days of high heat are rare. Most summers make up for the area’s brutal winters with warm, sunny days that aren’t too hot.

Get ready for snowy, windy winters in Elgin. You’ll want to stow a few shovels and a snowblower in your storage pod and get ready to use them liberally when the winter season rolls around. Lake effect snow is guaranteed to dump a few extra inches of precipitation on you each year, but there are always neighborhood kids around who will shovel your driveway for a few bucks!

Elgin is big enough to support a substantial dining scene. Along with a burgeoning selection of international cuisines, Elgin has some excellent, locally-owned American favorites from barbecue to pub-style bar and grills and more, representing Chicago favorites like Italian beef sandwiches and, of course, hot dogs “run through the garden.”

If you’re looking for a fun time, we suggest visiting Elgin’s wildly popular Grand Victoria Casino—a riverboat casino that draws more than four million people annually! It’s ranked as the fifth must-visit attraction in Illinois, which is saying something in a state that hosts Chicago! Looking for something more sophisticated? Catch the Elgin Symphony Orchestra or get tickets to a performance at either the Hemmens Cultural Center or Elgin Community College’s Visual & Performing Arts Center.

Elgin is also just a car or train ride away from all that Chicago has to offer. Along with hot dogs, Chicago is home to some of the best restaurants in the country, run by world-renowned chefs with the Michelin stars to prove it.

Living in Elgin gives you access to the best cultural experiences in the Midwest. Everything from concerts at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to performances at the Civic Opera House are just a car ride away in Elgin. Plan a day to museum hop at the incredible Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Field Museum. Make the rounds at Brookfield Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo and the Shedd Aquarium. Spend a day at the beach on Lake Michigan.

But before you head southeast to enjoy a comedy show at Second City or enjoy some music at the famous Green Mill jazz club, make sure to get to know your new city by visiting the Elgin History Museum and Elgin’s many public parks.

It’s hard to live in Elgin and not be a fan of local-area Chicago sports teams. For NFL fans, the Bears are a storied club with several titles to their name. NBA fans will love rooting for the Bulls, and can take stock in having the greatest player of all time in their 1990s lineups: Michael Jordan. Hockey fans will love attending Blackhawks games in nearby Chicago. The only real choice to make with Chicago sports teams is whether you want to root for the White Sox or the Cubs when baseball season rolls around.

The estimated population of Elgin in northwest Chicagoland is a little over 113,000. The median age of Elgin residents is around 35 years old, and the estimated median annual household income is just under $178,000. Elgin is a much more affordable place to live compared to some places in the Chicagoland area. If you’re looking to buy a home when you move to Elgin, the estimated median property value is $177,500.

There’s an ethnically diverse population in Elgin, which has paved the way for a breadth of cultural foods, attractions and events. The city is sister cities with Vientiane, the capital of Laos, paying homage to the strong Laotian presence in the area. There’s also a large contingent of Mexican Americans who call Elgin home.

Most kindergarten through high school students living in Elgin will attend schools in the Elgin Area School District U-46, which is the second-largest school district in Illinois. Elgin has two public high schools in this district: Elgin High School, which houses the Gifted and Talented Academy, and Larkin High School, which is home to the Visual and Performing Arts Academy. The kindergarten through third grade charter school Elgin Math & Science Academy is also a part of U-46 Academy. Elgin is also home to Elgin Community College, Judson University and National Louis University, which is well known for its education program. 

If you crave the big city feel without paying out the nose for Chicago’s real estate prices, there’s no better place to lay down roots and start a family than Elgin. From the moment you drop a moving container in front of your new home here, you’ll be able to feel how special the area is.

From the rich cultural diversity, to the many local attractions and destinations, to the food, nightlife and entertainment Elgin offers, everything you could ever want is right hear—or nearby in Chicago! Hop on the riverboat casino, stop by a local Mexican food restaurant for some authentic tastes and brace yourself for unforgiving Midwest winters. Elgin welcomes you home!