I've lived in Wheeling for 25+ years and some of the points made are misleading, and deserve to be updated 7 years later. First, yes, you do need a car to get just about anywhere, but Wheeling is also on the PACE bus system and the METRA train line.
- Not sure why the poster thinks there are a lot of Bosnians. There are certainly plenty of East European countries represented but also Asian, Hispanic as mentioned and WASPs. Not many African Americans anymore.
- Target is directly across from Wal-Mart. Neither is walking distance for most of the town, but there is housing nearby in Wheeling and also Buffalo Grove
- Having lived for about 30 years in Elmhurst, I know about airplane noise. If you live near Chicago Executive Airport you'll hear airplane noise but the worst it would get is from corporate jets. They are not constant and they are NOTHING like passenger jets that scream every 52 seconds like ORD. Much of Wheeling is NOT near the airport.
- I find it interesting that the poster cited Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Vitamin Shoppe and Petco. It's true they're not found in the Wheeling city limits but all of those stores are found within a single shopping center in Arlington Heights, perhaps a 10 minute drive (not in another county as stated). Wheeling is building up their shopping/entertainment district but the recession and Covid have hit everyone pretty hard. It'll take another couple of years for that area to be fully operational but they're trying.
- Gang bangers is accurate ... there are pockets of Wheeling that have troublesome populations. So do Arlington Heights, Prospect Heights, Palatine ... plenty of other surrounding communities. Do your homework and choose wisely.
I'm not promoting Wheeling - it was what I could afford when I was ready to buy a place but it's not my dream location. It's not a destination for things to do, but again the village is working on that. The new Town Center will include a movie complex, sit-down and take-away dining, retail, residential and hopefully some commercial business. They were behind the 8 ball in getting the project off the ground and are experiencing a struggle due to the pandemic, but the village administrators have a vision and they're getting it done.
M.A. |
Wheeling, IL |