Mattoon info please (Chicago, Champaign, Urbana: rentals, theater, YMCA)

[tesst]

We are thinking about relocating from northern Illinois to Mattoon, to be closer to a V.A. Hospital and Clinics. Can anyone give us any info on this area, the hospital in Danville, the clinic in Effingham, rentals, health/fitness clubs, theatre/arts, what's to do there? We have chosen Mattoon because it is eqi-distance between Danville and Effingham. My husband is a disabled retired Vet, and we will make frequent trips to these.
Thanks so much,
Tess

[cubssoxfan]

Have you tried posting in Illinois Forum instead of Chicago Suburb forum? You may get more responses. Based on traveling "Downstate" Illinois for work, I would pick Champaign/Urbana over Mattoon or Effingham. If you are looking at Mattoon, also check out Charleston.

[tesst]

I'm sorry, being new here, I am not aware as to how this works. I will try to figure this out and do it correctly next time.

[coneflower]

I'll answer this here since I don't see a post in the general ILL thread about it.
I lived in Mattoon for a few years, so I don't know what a really long-term resident might be looking for. It's nice that it's near 57 so you can go north or south from there. I didn't mind living there. There is a very active YMCA with activities for all ages. The Library is decent for a small town and there's a couple of coffee shops within walking distance. The mall is smaller than others I've been in and somewhat empty. There's an outlet mall in Tuscola and a larger mall in Champaign/Urbana area within about an hour drive.

EIU is there and has a lot of activities the general public can attend, like theater things, concerts, and speakers. The little community college has a lot of programs going on too, and that is also right off of 57.

If you like hiking or fishing, there's places for it not to far away. There used to be a living history Lincoln Log Cabin, but last I heard it'd been shut down when they stopped a lot of state park support. Maybe that's changed. I found religion to be big there, if that's something you're interested in.

I hope that helps. Those are obviously only the things I thought of as positives. Every place is going to have some negatives. You have your trashy people and pockets of idiots and stuff like that. For the most part, we were satisfied with living there, though we needed to go to Champ/urbana, Effingham, and Terre Haute to break the monotony on occasion.

[Drover]

My ex-wife and I moved to Mattoon during my last year of school at EIU to get some peace and quiet away from the college scene in Charleston. That was over 10 years ago and to this day I regret having ever lived in Mattoon. The culture clash was just unreal. And it was more than just "city-kid-in-a-small-town" type of clash. It wasn't just that it was a small town; it was a scummy small town with small-minded people. The old-timers were fine and friendly, but the younger people were just... creepy and unbelievably provincial as if Mattoon were something incredibly special. There was a dismaying lack of curiosity about the world beyond Mattoon and its nearby surroundings. The place makes Champaign-Urbana look like Rome.

Everyone has their own experiences I suppose. That was mine. The Federal Reserve couldn't print enough money to pay me to live in Mattoon ever again.

[tesst]

Well, this does make me rethink things. Thanks for your comments. i will try to figure how to post to the general thread and see what I can find out.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by tesst

Well, this does make me rethink things. Thanks for your comments. i will try to figure how to post to the general thread and see what I can find out.

I've asked the moderators to move this thread to the Illinois forum.

[tesst]

Thank you!