moving to southern illinois or northern kentucky...help (Carbondale, Marion: fit in, hotels)

[amartinznyc]

hello, my family and I are looking to move to either southern illinois or northern kentucky. We are from michigan so it will be a big change. My husband has been working in alto pass illinois for 1 year so we are looking for somewhere within an hour drive. Some of my concerns are how rural it is there and im afraid my children might not have things to do or difficult to find friends. We are also use to a very diverse community and it seems like it is overwhelmingly white in that area which is not a bad thing but i just want our famiy to fit in. We are devote catholics so a church nearby is a must. Are there any hispanic communities in the area? Are there any Mexican food markets around where I would be able to buy groceries(not walmart, but authentic)? I realize i am asking alot but any help is appreciated. I cannot wait to get away from these winters. thank you

[linicx]

The Village of Alta Pass is 2.2 square miles and it is about 1.5-2 hours SSE of St, Louis. The 2000 census was 388 residents; of these white was the predominant race with 87% and Hispanic 15% f the total population. The average family income is under $40,000.

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ss%2C_Illinois .

Carbondale is 15 miles away and it has an excellent university. It will fit your lifestyle much better.
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...dale,_Illinois

I am going to DM you privately





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[amartinznyc]

thanks i read about carbondale but i was thinking it might be to big city feeling because I'm trying to get my family away from the fast pace where we are now. Do you know if marion differs from carbondale?

[JerichoHW]

Originally Posted by amartinznyc

thanks i read about carbondale but i was thinking it might be to big city feeling because I'm trying to get my family away from the fast pace where we are now. Do you know if marion differs from carbondale?

Overnighted there one before, nothing super exciting. There is some chain restaurants, stores and hotels by the Interstate and then there is a big downtown, but from what I can tell it is not supper bustling. Honestly, I would choose Carbondale over Marion.

[amartinznyc]

Thanks for the advice its appreciated. The only reason why i feel it might be to big or crowded is because the university is there and looking at "google street view" it sure seems like theres alot of traffic. Any more suggestions please help

[JerichoHW]

Well it takes 50 minutes to get to Marion from Alto Pass, and 25 minutes from Carbondale to Alto Pass. If your looking for diversity, then Carbondale is your best chance.

[amartinznyc]

Thanks Jericho for the advice. Any other input please??

[Newtgirl]

I'm from Michigan too! I work with the Forest Service out of Murphysboro.

If you're looking for small-town feel, try Murphysboro. It's about 20 mins from Alto. I live in Carbondale now. It's not bad; there isn't that much trouble here. A variety of markets: organic, ethnic, etc. It's definitely a college town though. It caters to the faster pace of college kids. Murphysboro has a good 'small town' feel, much like where I grew up (Barry County, MI). I really like it there.

You could also consider Anna/Jonesboro. That's ~20 mins from Alto too. Again, they have that 'small town' feel. Lots of historic appeal.

[amartinznyc]

Thanks newtgirl for your advice. My family lives in grand rapids, michigan. You said that carbondale caters to the faster pace for the college kids, does that mean it feels crowded and rushed kind of like a big city or is it still a slower pace of living? From further research i would like to live in carbondale if possible because it seems like my family would be able to fit in being hispanic there which is something i worry about with the smaller towns. Im just getting tired of this traffic and everybody "trying to get ahead" so that is why im kind of concerned with the feeling of carbondale/marion. thank you so much for the input.

[Newtgirl]

I wouldn't say it feels crowded or rushed. I do live just outside of town, not right in the center. But it's rarely 'busy'; there's no traffic jams, the post office isn't always backed up, it's reasonably easy to get around.

It's not as big or busy as Grand Rapids, for sure. I'd say more like Allendale with the smaller town feel with a university in the midst.

The biggest thing is that there's a lot of new faces, being a college town. There's a lot of 'turnover' in the population.