anyone from Cobden? (Chicago, Carbondale, Marion: how much, big home, employment)

[Jack Straw]

Travelling through southern Illinois I came upon the town of Cobden. It is such a laid-back,quaint little place! Can anyone tell me about the town. Nice place to live? Any work down there? Would love to flee Chicago and all the insanity.

[tlw]

Originally Posted by Jack Straw

Travelling through southern Illinois I came upon the town of Cobden. It is such a laid-back,quaint little place! Can anyone tell me about the town. Nice place to live? Any work down there? Would love to flee Chicago and all the insanity.

Never actually lived in Cobden but was in it a number of times. Laid back is definately the atmosphere. It's really quite a lovely area though. That's the beginning of the foothills of the mountains around there. Paul Simon, the senator and presidential candidate lived in Makanda which is close to there.

I guess it would be a nice place to work but not sure how much employment you would find. There are some small mom and pop businesses sprinkled around that whole area, antique stores, and other odds and ends. That area is a big growing area, in particular apples and peaches. There are also some wineries. Alot of farming, old hippies, and folks living that yesteryear lifestyle. You might have to work north in Carbondale, Marion, Herrin, or one of other small towns. South of there you would be about 45 minutes from Cape Girardeau, Missouri which actually has some business and bustle to it for a small town. Probably about an hour from Paducah, Kentucky.

[Jack Straw]

Thanks TLW
Agree that it is so nice down there. Being a landscaper I could probably make the transition to working in the fields around there. After living up here in Chicago all my life, I could see myself adjusting to the slower pace of life down there.

[tlw]

Originally Posted by Jack Straw

Thanks TLW
Agree that it is so nice down there. Being a landscaper I could probably make the transition to working in the fields around there. After living up here in Chicago all my life, I could see myself adjusting to the slower pace of life down there.

If you had time to build your business you could probably make a living in landscaping. There is some money all through that area. Quite a few golf courses spread around. Also winters are MUCH shorter than Chicago or even the central part of Illinois...........I've lived in both. Southern Illinois overall is about 7 degrees warmer that anything north of Mt. Vernon Illinois. I saw more than one winter there without any snow at all.

That area does have some allure to it. There are some high dollar houses tucked away in those hills too and some loot though it might not appear that way initially. From Cobden you are only a little over 2 hours to St. Louis if you need a city fix. About 3 hours to Nashville.

[sunshine girl]

Lived most of my adult life in So. Ill just below Cobden in the Anna/Jonesboro region. Cobden has nothing in the way of jobs, landscaping or otherwise. There are a few specialty shops downtown, and several migrant labor camps for the orchards. For work you need Carbondale or Marion. The other surrounding towns are quite small and have little but Walmart type jobs. The two biggest employers in Carbondale are the university and the hospital...it's beautiful countryside for retiring or huntin' and fishin' though.....

[mikea54]

That is the best part

[joee]

If you do landscape, lawn maintenance there is money to be made down there, rt 51 from cobden north has been expanding for years with home sites with acres of ground with them, it takes no time to run north to carbondale on 51, lots of big homes there too, not much to the towns down there but off of the main roads they are building big homes so don’t let anyone fool you there are people with big money down there.

[jmw1994]

Cobden is very laid back. Many of its residents are employed by the university in Carbondale. Has its own small school system. In the summer / fall there are a lot on migrant workers in Cobden because of all of its nearby orchards. Basically though the only business it has are 2 bars, a pizza parlor and a cafe. For anything you have to drive to Carbondale or Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

[mangoodt]

Would like information on the Dr. TB Goodman family of Cobden, Illinois. Email mangoodt@yahoo.com

[catsupbottle]

Is the nickname of the HS teams still the Appleknockers? I remember back in the early 1960's they finished 2nd in the state baskeball tourney. That was before they have divsions, so the small schools played the big schools. If my memory serves me well the starting 5 were all related.