Good and Bad things about Arlington Heights
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7/29/2010
Arlington Heights, IL. is a clean, low crime area. Good roads, plenty of shopping (very close to Woodfield and Randhurst Malls) and easy access to the Expressway (90) to Downtown Chicago. There were some crime incidents that did happen here, such as a few years ago some rapes were reported, graffiti on local garages occurred and a neighborhood Blockbuster was robbed several times (store is now gone). Unfortunately, having a clean, low crime area comes with a price, such as very high property taxes and unfriendly people.
Having lived here for decades, I find that people in Arlington Heights are generally rude, disinterested, apathetic and indifferent. For example, Neighbors will stare at you as you walk by, but never say "Hello". I make the effort to be friendly (in case you were wondering) and I get a half-hearted wave or no response. A favored pastime here seems to be taking the whole family for a bicycle ride on the sidewalks and nearly running pedestrians over. These rude families don't want to bother to let someone know their whole clan is riding up behind them and if you don't jump out of the way in time, they don't care if they hit you (great thing to teach the children!).
The other day I finally got to meet a neighbor working on her front lawn who told me she's lived in Arlington Heights all her life (she's in her 80's) and doesn't know any of her neighbors! I realized she's probably not alone in this situation, as people here really do just stick to themselves, unless they want to complain to you about something they feel you're doing wrong with your property.
Traffic is another aggravation here, as the main roads like Arlington Heights, Golf and Rand Roads are always congested, except for very late at night.
I want to point out that I don't think the statistics here are correct for the number of Asians and Blacks that live in Arlington Heights as it seems it should be a much higher percentage than shown. I base this solely on what I see when shopping in the stores, living in the area, who lives around me and whom I'm friends with. Not only that, but there's the famous Mitsuwa Corp. in Arlington Heights on the South end (a huge Japanese grocery store and Mini-Mall market) as well as several other popular Asian stores in the immediate area. And having these Asian markets is a good thing as there's always a healthy and fresh variety that's better than the standard junk food offered at the local Jewel or Meier's.
So, move here for the good schools, endless shopping possibilities and safe neighborhood if that's what is important to you, but expect to pay a high price for it with your loneliness and your wallet.
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