I LOVE my Illinois town: 2 hours from Chicago (Rockford, Peoria: sex offender, homes)
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It's called The Prairie Arts Center, and is on the same circle as the courthouse and the park with the veteran memorial. I've been to several local art showings there recently, one of which featured my best friend's oil paintings.
Thanks Scribbler. My husband is an illustrator and we are constantly trekking into Chicago for his shows. He has been desperately seeking a local art community & will be glad to hear about this.
Thanks Scribbler. My husband is an illustrator and we are constantly trekking into Chicago for his shows. He has been desperately seeking a local art community & will be glad to hear about this.
I will PM you with contact info for my friend who has done showings in the area.
[quote=Scribbler;1400437]As soon as downtown LaSalle manages to look like anything other than a bombed out ghost town, I might agree with you./quote]
I had to laugh at this. You two are so polite, it's nice to see a connection being made vis a vie the illustrator-husband.
A long time ago, a friend's older brother got married to one of the prettiest girls in town, and they moved to Princeton to raise tulips. In the 70's. It sounds like a nice place to live today.
Mmmmkay, I'm also going to have to say that "modern day Mayberry" is quite a stretch.
*Barney style sniff*
Well all right, Mayberry is a stretch when thinking of a Princeton jail cell being filled with a repeat offender named Ottis.
However, it's far from a stretch with regard to being quaint, clean and friendly.
I'd certainly call an adorable main street lined with potted plants in the summer, tiny lit Christmas trees in the winter and an assortment of seasonal decorative flags, hanging from every post, "modern day Mayberry".
Add to that "Happy Birthday Jane Doe" on the Dairy Queen sign for a mere $5.00 to the owner.
What could be more Mayberry than that?
P.S. I'm quite happy with our police force and feel quite safe here as well.
Sheesh, sorry I've offended folks. And I guess I didn't mean to come across that the point was that drugs are only in the poorer areas--I just meant they are quite visible in some areas.
Friday night I watched as 10+ cars came down my block in a short span. You can literally watch deals take place. And you can hear the usual script from the dealers--"I got $30 sacks, how many?"
The local & county PD says they are "aware". The zone 3 task force was supposed to set up surveillance and suddenly won't return calls from myself or neighbors. During my last call, I was told "well we hate to prioritize but..." So again I am saying, folks need to be aware of what's around them and pick an area where at least it's not so obvious. I've never noticed such things when I've lived in "better" areas of town.
And I don't get why it matters that I haven't lived in a "truly bad" big city 'hood. Just because there are worse places to live, we are to lower our own standards?
princeton was a decent area at one point, about 4 yreas ago i lived in spring valley and found a used needle on my lawn moved out of there with my kids quick, and i used to love the LP area my grandma was born and raised there and we spent all our summers and vacations there, i am surprised that lasalle has become such a dump, it wasnt that way years ago
made me think of the quick chick fried chicken in lasalle that was there years ago!
MSDAFARM I'm dumbfounded by your reply. Had you not mentioned specific areas in Princeton, I sincerely would have thought you've never been here.
I am familiar with every place you mentioned and haven't had a problem with any of them. You make our town sound like a ghetto!
Yes, there are drugs in our town--where isn't there--but come on, you have to admit you are exaggerating the problem.
It would seem to me that you haven't traveled much. Have you? I attended college out of state, have vacationed in countless others, spent 6 months in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, and have traveled internationally. In all my travels, I stand by what I said about Princeton.
Have you ever visited Chicago and were greeted with a "Good Morning" from a complete stranger? I'm referring to an upscale area like Lincoln Park; not a poverty stricken, gang and drug infested slum area.
When my job required me to live in Lincoln Park for 6 months, I welcomed the opportunity to experience city living. Although I loved the area, opportunities, shopping, museums, health care, architecture, restaurants and countless other Chicago benefits, I marveled at how lonely I felt despite the masses.
Here's a great example: While in Lincoln Park, I walked 3 blocks to work. While passing someone, I'd smile and say "Good Morning" as this is something I've always done and do while living in Princeton--or at least a quick glance and and a warm smile. Although I was originally shocked by the response or shall I say lack of response from every person who walked past me, by the time I left, it was actually comical. You would have thought I yelled obscenities as some etched farther away from me as we passed, others completely ignored me, some grunted, and many were actually startled! During my entire time, not one person responded with eye contact let alone a courteous response.
I have no agenda in promoting Princeton. Actually after I posted the first time I felt like I had let a great secret out of the bag and feared the masses would invade my precious town and forever change it, all because of me!
In summary, a part of me feels defensive by what you wrote and another part is secretly glad you're driving people away.
So the people in Lincoln Park didn't say hello boy that must hv. been awful. As someone who lived in Chicago for close to 30 years you learn early on that people just don't hv. time to say hello. You want to venture a guess as to how many people the average person in the city meets on their morning commute? So we dispense with the niceties but I'll tell you what you hear in Chicago that I don't hear in other cities "Need A Hand?". Carl Sandburg said it best its a "City of big Shoulders" I've lived all over the world,including New York, Copenhagen, Taipei,etc and can say honestly that Chicago is one of the friendliest cities in the world and if your travels haven't shown you that then you need to start doing some more.
So the people in Lincoln Park didn't say hello boy that must hv. been awful. As someone who lived in Chicago for close to 30 years you learn early on that people just don't hv. time to say hello. You want to venture a guess as to how many people the average person in the city meets on their morning commute? So we dispense with the niceties but I'll tell you what you hear in Chicago that I don't hear in other cities "Need A Hand?". Carl Sandburg said it best its a "City of big Shoulders" I've lived all over the world,including New York, Copenhagen, Taipei,etc and can say honestly that Chicago is one of the friendliest cities in the world and if your travels haven't shown you that then you need to start doing some more.
Don't have time to say hello? Please. How is it possible these same people have the time to help me in my time of need?
Not only that but as a woman, I'd have more difficulty accepting help from a stranger than I would a simple "good morning".
I understand your point; I believe you missed mine. It's a sad day when someone is startled by a morning greeting.
One thing I'll give you is perhaps I've expected too much from people who pass the masses on a daily basis. That being said, the consistent kind of friendliness you speak of cannot be found in the travels you've mentioned nor in any city. It can only be found in a town; the smaller, the better. With all Chicago has to offer, and I agree it has much, its residents will never truly know the meaning of friendly.
Lets take a look at this city of yours. According to the latest
census the population grew by 54 in 6 years (2000/7,501-2006/7,555) a 0.07% growth rate.The average age of a residence was 41.8 vs.34.7 in Illinois as a whole. The Median home value was $98,600 vs.$183,900 for the state.The town is rather insular with a population that is 97.1% white, the next being a Hispanics population of 1.2%
15 registered sex offenders, and a crime index growing from168.6 in 2003 to 222.3 in 2005. The town is ahead of the Illinois median of property taxes to value with a rate of 1.9% vs. 1.7%. A below average % (21.4) of people with BA degrees or higher and voted for Bush by 55%
So one reason for the friendliness would be that most of the people in the town either went to school with or are related to the person they meet.Race relations certainly aren't a problem. Homes are a bargain but certainly aren't a investment and a older population can spell trouble for the school system and contribute to the flight of youth.
So yes you hv. your friendliness but don't think you aren't paying a price. The town is not where the county is today and it certainly isn't where it is heading. Insularity has ramifications especially on the young.And as to your claim for small towns does the the name Nauvoo,Ill. ring a bell. or Selma, Al., Jessup, Cty. Miss. and more recntly Jenna,La.
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