Bloomington Vs Chicagoland (Geneva area) (Rockford, Aurora: housing, rent, hotel)

[nather]

Please let me know opinions on this.
My husband and I are moving from the suburbs of NY this summer.
The cost of living here is such that we cannot even enjoy the access we have to NYC.

We want to be somewhere where we can live comfortably, own a home, go on vacations and take a trip into the big city once in awhile. All things we cannot do living here in NY, as we have average income levels.

I like a small town feel without being incredibly boring, we do not want to deal with heavy traffic either, sick of it. Yet, we do need to be in or near a place with plenty of job opportunities. Does Bloomington provide this?

Is Bloomington so far away from Chicago that people don't really travel in to spend a day or weekend? Also, is Bloomington too far away from a decent airport ? We would like access to an airport that is inexpensive to fly in and out of, I know Chicago provides that.

Thank you for any help you can provide.

[llama214]

Bloomginton is by far the better choice, IMO!! I t was just ranked as one of the best places to live in the country. We moved back ot the area about 7-8 years ago and have never looked back on the decision as being a negative. We moved from Fishers Indiana, which we loved and thought was suburban perfection! Sadly, I found a better job and we moved back into the area. We looked into Chicagoland first, and then came down the Peoria suburbs, Bloomington-Normal, Springfield, and Champaign-Urbana. The main reason we picked B-N was that the houses in Fishers and Carmel are very pricey, and houses in Bloomington are about half that, and you get more space. If we had moved to Chicagoland we would have spent the same, but instead we felt rich for a sort time with all the money that we had for extras. We bought all new appliances and furniture to go with the house. It was great!! I don't know NY house prices, but I'm sure they are high. The Twin Cities are places that are easily taken advantage of. I can't tell you how many people from here say that it is boring and little to do, move to some big city suburb, and within a month wish they were right back here, because the suburbs can't offer anything better. In fact it is worse. While I won't say that B-N has a small town feel like Fishers did, for the size of the city there is GREAT sense of community and neighborhood interaction.
Owning a home and living comfortably are the basis for the city. Just like any city there is a bad area, but don't worry, it really isn't that bad. I mean, would you won't Chicago slums in your backyard?! As long as you in on the East side of Bloomington, and away from the college in Normal you will never even know they exist. If anything, make sure it is in Unit 5 school district. This is a must when picking a home!! These schools are amazing!! The other is ok, but it reminds me alot of what you find in a typical suburban sprawl up north. Normal is home to Ilinois State University, which is an OUTSTANDING school for teachers! The students either begin teaching in our district, or they stay for good because they love the town so much. This means that we have the best, but we don't pay hardly anything for it. When we moved here my kids were actually about a year behind, and we thought we were giving them the best public education!! While my Bloomington taxes are a bit higher then the west side, B-N are incorporated towns that share about everything, so it just depends on where you live. I don't think Normal has a 'run-down' area. It is smaller then Bloomington, but is growing faster. Housing prices range from 100K to million dollare mansions!! For a good 250K-350K you can get a lot.
There is plenty to do in town. I at least have never been bored. For shopping there are three malls. One is more typical mall stuff and the other is a newly renovated outdoor mall. We also have an outlet that is good. There is a really cool Children's Museum that is just a few years old. Like I said, there is too much to mention to put in this forum. And on the off chance you can't find it here, Peoria is about an hour away, and C-U is about and hour and a half. Plus we are right between Chicago, Indianapolis, and St. Louis. I know NYC is big, but if you can't get your big city fix with these then I don't think you can. They can all be visited in a day, but better off as weekend trips. When you visit the suburbs and then come down here, the first thing you will notice is the difference in traffic. It is non-exsistant here. I get out of work at 4:00, pick the kids up at different after school activities, pick up something to add to dinner, and my wife still asks if I got out of the offfice late, if I arrive home at 4:30!! lol! It is great!!
You will have no problem with jobs. The best part about our job market is that they are recession proof. A couple of years ago when the country was complaining about going through a recession, we hardly noticed. Biggest employers: State Farm(insurance), Mitsubishi(and all of it's branches), numerous other insurace companies, and of course ISU, IWU, and Heartland Community College, the hospitals(Bromenn was just ranked as the #1 hospital in some magazine), and of course Peoria is just down the road. Plus central Illnois is a big test market, so we get lots of things(Mini Coopers, iPods, fashions, etc.) before the big city does.
No need to go to Chicago to find an airport. We have one of the fastest growing airports in the country!! That is not a problem. Don't travel much, but I don't hink it is to expensive. While Bloomington is not as pretty as Geneva is, I trust that you will never find a place that has a more safe, educated, suburban feel without being one. After an trip to both areas, I'm sure you will see what I mean. Hope you like this area as much as I have. No matter where you pick in Illinois, you will have to come to some peace with corn, because it is everywhere!!

[llama214]

Oh!....and both towns just posted public smoking bans so this may be something to consider. I don't smoke, but I have heard that they are trying to make it even more strict. This might be a real problem for you if you do. Other areas close by, that you might want to look into would be Dunlap, Morton, Germantown Hills, Alta, and overall North Peoria.

[Steve-o]

Llama, just curious as to where you got info that B-N is "one of the country's best places to live" with one of the "fastest growing airports"? Just curious, thats all.

Nather, B-N can provide alot what youre looking for, but there are better towns out here with far more amentites, better schools, closer to Chicago, better access to airports, etc. B-N is by all means a decent town that is growing, but a quick trip to B-N and Chicagoland will really be what you need to experience both. Out in the burbs you have more traffic, true, but not always the case depending on the town you live in. Steer clear of the major burbs (like Aurora, Naperville, etc) if you cant handle traffic, but Naperville consistently ranks in CNN/Money Magazine's Top 10 citiest to live in the USA, I can back that up with a link if youd like. There is just MUCH more to do out here than in B-N which Im sure youd appreciate being from the NYC area. Its really your call. Id suggest coming to the area and looking around a bit. I can point you guys in some directions if you decide to visit the area, just let me know.

Also, how much are you looking to spend for a place to stay? That would be helpful to know. As for a small town feel, yet close to everything suburb? Id recommend Wayne, Elburn, Winfield. There are LOTS of other suburbs, but those 3 towns are small, yet growing, and have good schools and are within 10 minute drives of everything.

[llama214]

Nather, I'm afraid that you opened up a thread that is quickly going to turn into a 'bash.' Many of the people here are from Chicago,(as are most people from Illinois), lol and they tend to be very harsh to others that don't like their town or way of life. I have no problem with Chicago just for the record. My info comes straight from CNN/Money magazine, Golf Digest, etc. I could give a full list if you like. I'm the family nerd because I have always had a fascination with demographics, and just keep all this info close by in case I might need it. Steve-O should know, Naperville, Aurora, and Orland Park made that list too. But since Aurora made that list I question the overall authenticity. But when it comes to B-N and Orland Park I know they made a good decision. Visit Aurora and you will see what I mean. As for the airport, it is just general central Illinois info. I really can't tell you were it came from, but I'm sure if you 'Googled" it or something you will find it. I know several people that work at the Central Illinois Regional Airport, and they are very proud of that fact. B-N, McClean County make up the fastest growing area in Ilinois(Illinois Census Report 2006) so it makes perfect sense that the airport would be boooming.
I'm sure the suburbs offer more as a whole, but who wants that. You mentioned you hate traffic, and anyone who thinks that Chicagoland traffic is less then suburban NYC must be blind, or has lived in downtown Chicago their whole life and are just used to it. Why have everything, when you can't get to it. We have everything too(shopping, dining, tons of new schools, a new Collesium(sp?), parks, zoo, part of the best library system in Illinois) but it takes no time to get to it.
I'm going to have to disagree with the schools though. I'm not attacking Chicago schools, but Normals are just better. That has been a fact since the mid 60s. How can highschools with 3000 students(Illinois Census report 2005) be very good. When you visit the area, find a family that used to live in Chicago(believe me, that won't be hard) and ask them what they think. I'm sure you know what they will say. And it isn't the fact that I'm saying B-N has more money for the schools. I'm only saying that we lucked out with getting such a great secoundary institution right in our backyards. And although Chicago is nice, it is notorious for beig crime filled and high murder ratios. Would you want to be a suburb that was just an extension of that? Not me! Not to mention that the closest big cities near Chicago are Milwaukee and Rockford. Both places that don't really offer much. Like Steve-O said you will just have to visit and see for yourself. Visit with the locals, and take a tour. Central Illinois has great pride in the fact that although we have lived in the shadow of Chicago and St. Louis, our success is ours and we don't need those cities to survive. To me that is the real small town sucess story. Maybe you will have to settle with not having a few things that Chicago could offer, but with less traffic I'm sure you won't mind. Plus, I-55 is a straight shot north so getting something from Chicago won't be hard.

[llama214]

BTW...I just posted in the thread titled, "Hawthorn Woods/Naperville/Bolingbrook/North Aurora." There is some more info on the area from an outsiders view. Also, just because it says small town suburb, that really means that the other towns around it have taken the land and used it for themselves. It may be a small town overall, but right in your backyard is the neighboring community, so a sense of small town is lost completely. While B-N has small towns outside of it, pretty much wide open spaces that let you know that people aren't living on top of each other. Just another way it is small town, with BIG town everything.

[Paxtonian]

There is rail service between Normal and Chicago. It's an easy thing to run up there for the weekend, stay at a nice hotel, see a couple of shows, and visit the museums and stores. I lived in Bloomington-Normal for thirteen years, I'd pick it anyday over suburban Chicago. I happen to be from suburban Chicago myself, so it isn't like I'm a local booster or anything. Pay a visit and you'll see what the deal is- less pressure and worry, and a better quality of life overall. BTW, the name of the county B-N is in is McLean. As in McLean Stevenson (from Bloomington). You might remember him in M*A*S*H. He was fairly typical of the natives here. My mother-in-law from my first marriage used to date him. Anyway, just come and see for yourself.

[Steve-o]

Well Llama, I certainly agree with you on somethings, but I didnt "bash" B-N or anything that youre saying. As far as doing things, the suburbs offer more and in vastly higher quantities. What I was getting at is Nather wanted to be close to things so they wouldnt be so bored. Living in B-N, you basically only have the two towns to hang around in, and Im sure that would get boring after awhile. UP here you can go town to town to town to town until youre blue in the face, and every town is completely different and all offer something unique. Down there the options arent nearly as high, so thats what I was getting at, nothing more.

As for libraries, I think youre wrong though.... Naperville's libraries are rated #1 in the nation, and Chicago has the largest library in the USA, right downtown. Yes, traffic is bad, but like I stated, only in certain towns and at certain times and on certain roads. I can get from here to Chicago somedays in 40 minutes, other days it takes 1.5 hours, it all depends.

Up here there is TONS more to do, something Im sure Nather would appreciate. And living in the far west burbs offer cheaper prices, alot less traffic, all the while maintaining good schools and virtually no crime while still being 10 minutes from everything to do and within reasonable distance to Chicago.

[llama214]

I didn't mean to make you feel like I singled you out in anyway, but I have seen some of the remarks you have made to others, and I think they are very crude and not helpful. You didn't bash B-N at all. You described Chicago, and then described Bloomington. I'm not only posting here to say that nather wouldn't like Chicago, I'm just saying they hate traffic, want a small town feel, without giving up the things they are used to, and a great town to live in. That pretty much decribes B-N perfectly. And as for not having anything to do, again I'm going to have to disagree. You said it could take you more then 1.5 hours to get into the city. It takes min. to get the all the great stuff in this city, and hour at the most to get ot everything in Peoria and Decatur, and 1.5 hours at the most to get to Champaign or Springfield. Not to mention everything that all the small towns have. I'm sure that Chicago offers even more then all these cities combined, but it takes no time to get to Chicago, Indy, or SL, so I really don't see your point at all. Naperville does have the fifth most innovative library in the country(again my nerdy demographics are shining through) but the Allinace Library System in East Peoria has numerous awards that far out way what a single library can do. if I had to choose between the library, or the support system behind it, I would be choosing the latter. I'm only posting because what nather is looking for is what B-N is. Nather, when you come into Illinois turn to 720 am and listen to the traffic reports. Then tune it into a B-N station for the traffic, oh wait, in order to have a traffic report you need traffic, which would single us out. Whenever I have a rough day or something, I can always tune into a Chicago station and feel entirely better knowing that I don't have that headache, but the same lifestyle.

[Paxtonian]

As far as libraries go, the one at Illinois State in Normal is tops- and locals can request a courtesy card to check out materials. Speaking of radio, look up WJBC AM 1230 on the web, you can hear their webcast. Local news is on at 5 P.M. Central. Try it, you'll find it interesting.