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Old 05-22-2011, 05:20 PM
 
2 posts, read 11,014 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi Everyone,

I have been reading the site and have gotten some great information from here. My husband and I may be moving from Orange County, CA to the Glen Carbon/Edwardsville area in the very near future and have some questions about what it is like to live there today in comparison to where we are coming from.

We currently live in Irvine, which is one of the top safest cities in the world with top tier schools. I am reading that Glen Carbon is very similar. What I am looking for are feedback on the community feel and culture.

I would also like to know how the weather there is year round? For example, when does it start to get cold and snow during the winter and what summers are like?

It is going to be a big change, but I am focusing on the positives such as being able to own a nice house and the lower cost of living. I appreciate all the feedback.

Lastly, how bad are the thunderstorms/tornados?

Thank you!
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Old 05-22-2011, 07:12 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 85,033,597 times
Reputation: 18725
Housing is certainly more affordable. You are right to ask about the climate. Tornadoes are probably only slightly more predictable than earthquakes, though honestly well built housing and better radar minimizes risk to life. Thunderstorms might knock down a tree every once in while but otherwise no big deal.

Weather is basically the same as St. Louis. Some years fall weather stays pleasant ( 50 to 70 degrees) until late December, other years temps under 32 and snow can hit as early as October, but rarely is the weather consistently miserably except for maybe late January through mid-March when you get two or even three weeks on temps under 32...

Safety is mostly a non-issue, schools are a bit of mixed bag -- certainly not the worst in the state, and the kids of professors tend to do quite well, but this is not an area as affluent as even some of the suburbs of St. Louis let alone the burbs around Chicago -- because of the heavy reliance on property taxes AND the clustering of success driven folks in affluent area there is a very high correlation of income and school success in Illinois...
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Old 05-22-2011, 07:29 PM
 
2 posts, read 11,014 times
Reputation: 10
Thank you! I'm more interested in how the winter months are. I've never lived where it snows before.

Yes, the housing here is fantastic! We are looking at homes ranging up to $275k and we have found some large, beautiful houses on a great piece of land. Here in SoCal, $275k buys you a 1 or 2 bedroom condo/townhome with less than 1500 square feet, nevermind having a yard! I just took my dog for a walk and was thinking about how much she would love to have a yard to run in and smell the flowers.

My husband grew up in the mid-west, so he is pretty excited about the possibility of moving back. I'm sure I'll get homesick at first if we do decide to move, but I hope that the more I know what to expect, the less nervous I will be about moving.

Have any of you here moved from Southern California to Illinois?
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Old 05-24-2011, 03:03 PM
 
202 posts, read 309,841 times
Reputation: 453
Hi Ms_Kady ~ We are getting ready to move to central IL, from Malibu.

We are both from the town we're moving to, and yes, the winters will take some getting used to again! It's cold, and can be bitter cold (from what I remember...it's been close to 30 years since we've lived there) I have to say that I do miss the change in seasons and look forward to them.

All in all, we think it's going to be a good trade, SoCal IS nice, it's been wonderful here. But the cost of living is cheaper in IL, and we just miss it. You are absolutely right about the home you'll be able to afford there, with $275k it will be a very nice one!

Best of luck and let us know if you make the move!

Last edited by illini1959; 05-24-2011 at 04:06 PM.. Reason: Didn't think it through :)
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Old 05-28-2011, 12:44 PM
 
201 posts, read 827,185 times
Reputation: 57
in a rush now but I'm an Irvine native, living in Chicago now and moving to Ohio soon. shoot me a PM and I'm happy to share my experience with you!
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Old 05-28-2011, 05:34 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,139,712 times
Reputation: 6423
If you have not lived in central Illinois for 30*years you are in for a plesant surprise. If you don't live on or near a major 4-lane highway or among cornfields tornardoes should not be too much of a worry. :-)

Welcome home.



Quote:
Originally Posted by illini1959 View Post
Hi Ms_Kady ~ We are getting ready to move to central IL, from Malibu.

We are both from the town we're moving to, and yes, the winters will take some getting used to again! It's cold, and can be bitter cold (from what I remember...it's been close to 30 years since we've lived there) I have to say that I do miss the change in seasons and look forward to them.

All in all, we think it's going to be a good trade, SoCal IS nice, it's been wonderful here. But the cost of living is cheaper in IL, and we just miss it. You are absolutely right about the home you'll be able to afford there, with $275k it will be a very nice one!

Best of luck and let us know if you make the move!
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Old 05-31-2011, 04:17 PM
 
202 posts, read 309,841 times
Reputation: 453
Quote:
Originally Posted by linicx View Post
If you have not lived in central Illinois for 30*years you are in for a plesant surprise. If you don't live on or near a major 4-lane highway or among cornfields tornardoes should not be too much of a worry. :-)

Welcome home.
If this quote doesn't come out right, please chalk it up to me not knowing how to do it properly

We've been back/visited. Every.single.time it was hard to leave again. We are so ready to come home.

Thank you for the welcome!
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Old 06-17-2011, 01:34 PM
 
Location: Illinois
275 posts, read 1,121,921 times
Reputation: 214
I've been in Edwardsville for 8 1/2 years now. We have a soon-to-be 8th grader and 6th grader. We love the school system here and the community as a whole. Our proximity to St. Louis affords us great opportunities for professional sporting events, shopping, dining and entertainment - of which we fully exploit!

Edwardsville itself has a fun downtown area. We enjoy the local wine bar and restaurants. The new Wildey Theater just opened and they have been hosting local bands, movies and entertainers. They have a wine bar in their lobby called Encore - great place!

There are bike trails all over Edwardsville and Glen Carbon. There are two YMCA facilities in Edwardsville. The newer facility has a skating rink, gymnastics facility, indoor tennis courts, rock climbing walls and indoor track. It is a state-of-the art facility!

SIUE is located in Edwardsville. It is a great source of educational opportunities for those of us in the community. My daughter takes piano lessons there, and they have a wonderful Suzuki program. During the summer they offer camps for the kids ranging from sports to the arts. It is the largest campus in the United States land-wise. The bike trails run all around and through the campus. They have a beautiful garden and the Student Center is open to the public. My kids enjoy going there on hot or rainy days to bowl and have lunch.

Overall, Edwardsville is a safe community. My kids ride their bikes to the store, swim club and other neighborhoods. We have not experienced any problems with crime while living here.

Let me know if you have any other questions. If you check my other posts on this site, you can see my cheerleading for this community! We love it here, and feel very fortunate to be able to live and work here!
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Old 09-07-2011, 11:24 PM
 
1 posts, read 5,016 times
Reputation: 10
Ms. Kady, I'm from the Orange County area too. I moved from Costa Mesa to Phoenix and now am about to move to the Madison County area. My wife and I are looking for the same information you are. We've looked from the St. Charles, MO area to the Edwardsville area and landed in the Edwardsville area due to the proximity to work. I'm interested in what you found out...
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