Moving from San Francisco, CA to Springfield, IL...is Springfield a nice city to live in? (Chicago: appointed, fit in)

[OGALO]

Hi there,

I am in the process of reviewing a job proposal from a company located in Springfield, IL. I believe the offer is not so bad ($$$), but I am concerned about the quality of life in Springfield. This is the deal: I come from a mix-marriage (my wife is French and I am Latino). We have two kids and we are multilingual, multicultural and like to have guest at home. My older kid goes to the French-America school in San Francisco and the little one is just a few moths old. They are really sweet and friendly. This is what I need to know:

1. Is there any primary and elementary school that teach French or/and Spanish?
2. Which one is the best school in the area?
3. In good is the school system in comparison with Chicago? or even better...NY or San Francisco?
4. How tolerant are the people who live in the area with people from minority background?
5. How safe is the area?
6. Would you live a big city to live in a small city?

I know I am posting too many questions, but I thought that the best answers are those from people who don't have any interest in having me or keeping me away. I'd truly appreciate any help you may provide.

This post has been uploaded on August 18, 2010. Thank you and have a nice day!

[Maintainschaos]

Hi and good luck with your move! First, I think you need to be aware that moving from SF to Springfield will be a bit of a culture shock. Springfield is a nice enough medium-sized midwestern city, but it's nothing at all like SF (which can be good or bad, depending on what you're looking for...)

As for your specific questions:

1) Most of the elementary schools now have some sort of Spanish taught in them; however, if your two children are multilingual, they'll likely be far ahead of the other students in the class. French is likely not offered in most elementary schools, but in the high schools in Springfield, just about every major language is offered.

2) There's really no "best" school in the area. There are a number of advanced and magnet schools to choose from. Most people tend to say that private school is the way to go for Springfield schools. Whether or not this idea is true, I cannot say...but all of the friends I knew that went to Springfield public schools were quite well educated (but this was the early 90s...). Areas around Springfield that have good schools are Rochester and Chatham.

3) There's likely no school system in any medium-sized city that can rival some of the top magnet and prep schools in the major cities in the country, Springfield notwithstanding.

4) I believe that, in general, tolerance of other races and cultures in Springfield is decent. However, the more rural areas around Springfield are less tolerant (but no different than rural areas in other parts of the country which can certainly be a bit xenophobic).

5) In general, Springfield is a very safe city. That isn't to say that it doesn't have its more "dicey" areas (i.e. southeast of ~ 11th St. to ~ Dirksen Parkway), but the crime there tends to pale in comparison to large cities or the more crime-ridden areas of the midwest such as East St. Louis, Gary, Detroit, etc.

6) I would never leave a big city to live in a small city; however, Springfield offers just about every amenity you could want from a big city.

In general, Springfield is much different than SF. Now, different isn't bad ... it just is what it is: different. Life will be slower-paced with fewer cultural, shopping, dining, and transportation opportunities compared to SF, but Springfield has more than its share of those compared to cities of its size. One thing I would really miss going from SF to Springfield would be the large amount of public transportation that SF has; Springfield only has a bus system with rail service between St. Louis and Chicago, and beyond. Also, be aware that the climate in Springfield is much different from SF and it generally has hot, humid summers, cold and windy winters, but the autumn and spring are both very nice.

Good luck with the decision.

[chet everett]

The odds of anyone in Springfield not being employed by or dependant on employees of the State of Illinois is pretty remote. This introduces some challenges, as the budget of the State is under very tight pressure. Even well paid employees are fearful that the future will seriously change for the worse.

I know there are also other states with similar budget issues, but in many of their state Capitals there are also other major employers -- there are no major banks, no major Universities, no major anything that are dependent on Springfield. If/when the state cuts payrolls things will have no "backstop" to make for a softer landing...

The issues that plague most older cities have been magnified in Springfield for some time. Parts are quite run down. Rankings of their high schools is quite poor. Older folks and the poor suck up a large amount of tax funded services, as does policing and that does not leave much for improving the town. Things that the get funded by the legislature (like the Lincoln sites/ museum) do not through off enough revenue to support themselves, and thie whole theory of them being a magnate for other development...

Pluses? It is far less expensive to buy a home there than in other spots. If you like medium large lots in semi- rural settings that is a quick commute from the more urban parts of Springfield. There is pretty good access to healthcare, teaching hospital for University of Illinois... State Fair is fun, if you like the kind of ruralish stuff that the emphasize.

[cubssoxfan]

How would you feel about moving from San Fran to Fresno? BIG CHANGE! Springfield is a decent midwestern town but is a HUGE step backwards from the culture of San Francisco. On the plus side you can drive to St. Louis in 90 minutes for some bigger city amenities. What else motivates such a big change? Seems like staying in San Fran is better choice.

[JasmineFlower]

Originally Posted by OGALO

1. Is there any primary and elementary school that teach French or/and Spanish?
2. Which one is the best school in the area?
3. In good is the school system in comparison with Chicago? or even better...NY or San Francisco?
4. How tolerant are the people who live in the area with people from minority background?
5. How safe is the area?
6. Would you live a big city to live in a small city?

I know I am posting too many questions, but I thought that the best answers are those from people who don't have any interest in having me or keeping me away. I'd truly appreciate any help you may provide.

I wouldn't make the move. I'd be more apt to tell you I'd roll the dice if you were moving to C-U to teach or to go to school and bringing your family with you, but since you are talking about moving with the intention of staying in Spingfield,no I wouldn't do it.

Tolerant is a good word. Would they be tolerant? Yes, I think so. Friendly and engaging? Not necessarily. To me, living in a tolerant community wouldn't be the ideal.

I'm from San Francisco originally, I went to grad school in C-U, and I couldn't suggest that someone from a West Coast or East Coast city would necessarily like living in Central Illinois for the long term, let alone someone from SF. I was happy to leave though I enjoyed my time there, but it was hardly a liberal thought, diversity friendly area. The university was, the city by and large was not.

If you are talking about choosing Springfield over SF, then its no contest, SF wins, high cost of living and all. If you have to take a position in Springfield, that's different. You can make it work, but it will be drastically different than SF. If you have the option of looking at other cities, I'd do that.

[OGALO]

I truly appreciate your comments and suggestions. I do understand SF is nicer and more cosmopolitan than most cities in the USA…I believe only Chicago and NY can match that level of racial mix and integration…however, the idea of moving to Springfield is because I may have a job promotion that can lead to better opportunities outside Springfield. The idea is to move there for a few years and “hope” I can find an even better opportunity in Chicago or else. Regretfully, the opportunities are not always in the same geographical region that we live currently we have to move around if we want to go up in the corporate life. This is one of the consequences of the current globalization of our economics. With that in mind…would you move to Springfield is you are coming from SF? BTW…I am a U of California graduated and my wife is a London School of Economics graduate? Can we fit in there? Thank you so much for your kind and honest responses…God bless you!

[chet everett]

...seems to me that most any opportunity that would open in Springfield would eventually be available in Chicago, and the "mover factor" is easier.

Sure, if the firm has an office in Springfield and moving to might allow you to move uo internally, then hop outside for a competing firm in Chicago or somewhere could be a strategy, but it could leave you stuck in Springfield.

It would have to be a very solid promotion, with the kind of resume building stuff that was kind of a slam dunk before I would consider this. The kind of situation I woukd dread would be spending 3-5 years in Springfield polishing my skills and have the company close the Springfield office. Then I would have to scramble to get something anywhere. The recruiters in Chicago might look more at my Springfield experience and thing less of time in SF when factoring salary / housing expectation... Might result in lowball offers.

Would spouse be working too? Acadmic stuff? The consulting world in Springfield is very limited, makes other capital cities like Little Rock seem positively progressive by comparison...

[JasmineFlower]

If you feel like moving to Springfield is the only option for your family in terms of planning for your financial future, then take the plunge. I think its wise to visit the area prior to accepting it so you really know what you're getting yourself into. Your promotion won't mean much if you and your family are miserable. The reduction of and access to services and stores can be quite an adjustment, as is not having developed towns in between the larger towns and cities. An example. Access to cultural activities are nice, but something more basic that those of us in large cities take for granted, being close to first class healthcare. Its different in Central IL. And that's not just if you need double bypass surgery. There's not as many doctors and dentists in the area. So, there's an example of reduction in access to services.

While I definitely think there's no place like SF, I'm not saying there's no way you can be happy living anywhere else. But do I think Springfield is a good move taking the job out given what you are looking for in a place? No. I think there are many other cities where the differences wouldn't nearly as startling. Chicago and NYC are obvious, but I'm not talking about that. You could move to DC, Boston, Philly, Hartford, Charlotte, Atlanta, Chapel Hill, Austin, Houston, Baltimore, Portland, Seattle, Columbus, Indianapolis, or even St. Louis (which is nearby, but not close enough to make a difference day to day), and I don't think the change from SF would be as startling. I'd think you'd be able to find something much closer to what you are looking for in these cities and a few other places more so than you would in Springfield.

The other poster is correct when asking about Fresno. But I'll use Bakersfield. If this job were in Bakersfield (but with 1/3 or so of the population, and much, much less diversity), and the area was surrounded by rural land for an hour's drive, would you take it? Or would you be inclined to turn it down because you know Bakersfield enough to know that's not an appealing area for you to live in and be content, if not happy?

I understand sometimes sacrifices must be made, if you think this position is worth it and your wife is on board, then go for it. As long as you understand you will not be able to even closely replicate your SF life, then I think you can make the move to Springfield and be okay. If you look for SF and what you have in SF in Springfield, I don't see how you won't wind up disappointed with Springfield.

[susu46]

Admittedly I have not lived and worked in Springfield since the early 1990s. However, I would warn anyone coming from a major cosmopolitan city to think twice (or possibly 3 times) before moving to Springfield. I grew up in a town of slightly more than 800 population in Western KY and then lived in Peoria, IL for 20+ years before being exposed to Springfield. To illustrate the difference let me say that when I was in Springfield there was a local weekly newspaper that had a section called "Springpatch USA". It was satire, but contained too much truth to be fun. If you are familiar with the comic strip "Lil Abner" by Al Capp written in the 1950s & 1960s you will have a good idea what Springpatch was all about. It was based on Al Capp's creation "Dogpatch USA". The last time I worked in Springfield I was a consultant. My consulting firm also employed a number of people of the UK. One night I took myself out to dinner at a local pub with good food and found a fellow consultant from the UK behind the bar. Working a 2nd part time job was not allowed by the consulting firm, but I promised to keep his secret. He was so BORED in Springfield he took the bartending job to avoid going absolutely crazy. He was single and there was else nothing for him to do with his free time after work. Springfield is the most backward state capitol in the USA. As a consultant for the past 20 years, I have worked all over the USA -- Louisville, KY, Nashville, TN, Fairfax, VA, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Ft. Worth, TX, Topeka, KS, Omaha, NE, Springfield, IL, Bloomington, IL, Peoria, IL. I have to say that Springfield is the most no-where town I have ever been in. I cannot speak to the quality of schools as my children were grown before I took the consulting route and I was traveling alone.

[susu46]

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