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Schaumburg ranked best for families, Millennials

Schaumburg has topped Niche.com's 2015 rankings for best Illinois town to buy a home, raise a family and be a Millennial.

Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson considers the rankings a testament to the hard work of village staff, as well as other local governments. He thought it no surprise that Schaumburg's combination of schools and parks would appeal to families and homebuyers, and that its high-tech companies and entertainment venues attract Millennials — those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s.

In the family and home-buying categories, Schaumburg received grades of B- for crime and safety, A+ for community and access to grocery stores, and A for housing, education and access to day care.

Perhaps the one score that might make those familiar with Schaumburg scratch their heads was the C- ranking for access to libraries.

“They're a joy to work with, they really are,” Larson said of the Schaumburg Township District Library. “They have a tremendous teen center. I don't have a clue as to why someone wouldn't realize that.”

Niche considers a “town” to be a municipality with a population less than 100,000 people. Those above are classified as either cities or suburbs.

Ryan Bell, data analyst for Niche.com, said all the “access to ...” categories are not a measure of quality but rather proximity per square mile and availability per capita. Though the Schaumburg Township District Library has branches in Hoffman Estates and Hanover Park, its central library is its only location in Schaumburg.

In the Millennial category, Schaumburg received an A for easiest commute, access to restaurants and access to coffee shops, and an A- for access to bars.

Niche also reported the median rent to be $1,209, the rent to income ratio of 0.4 to 1, a higher education rate of 42.7 percent, and the change in the number of employees from the end of the recession in 2009 until 2012 to have been 0.2 percent. As far as resident diversity, the most represented ethnicity makes up 69 percent of the population.

Other Northwest suburbs on the list of best places to raise a family are Arlington Heights at 4, Hoffman Estates at 7 and Des Plaines at 8.

On the list of best places for Millennials, Hoffman Estates was 5, Arlington Heights at 12 and Des Plaines at 14.

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