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You are rignt. My bad, I should have said it is the largest MSA in Central Illinois and the third largest outisde of Chicago and St. Louis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by linicx
Peoria is an old river town that is also the county seat. It is the the largest MSA in Illinois. As such it offers more in the way of things to do that are inexpensive or free.
Don't forget to proofread! Peoria is the third largest MSA in Illinois, with Chicago being the first and the Metro east being the second!
Hmm, having lived in Springfield for 18 years and having family in Decatur, I always got a very different feeling between Springfield and Decatur. I agree, neither are bastions of high-end sophistication, but then again, nowhere in central Illinois is. I haven't ever gotten that "gritty, blue-collar" vibe from Springfield, though. What industries dominate in Springfield? Government, lawyers, medicine, insurance and tourism. These are effectively white-collar jobs through and through. Unlike Decatur, Springfield doesn't really have much in the realm of industry. I always thought the difference between Springfield and Decatur was that Springfield is mostly white-collar and Decatur is (or at least was) mostly blue-collar. Besides, I think that Springfield's economy (due to government and medicine, mostly) is in much better shape than Decatur's, so I don't see a large similarity between the two areas.
I don't disagree that there's more prosperity in Springfield proper than in Decatur proper. The west side of Springfield is effectively the equivalent of Decatur's Forsyth, albeit larger. But there's certainly a blue-collar feel to most of the neighborhoods in the area bordered by First street on the West, Dirksen on the East, Setevenson on the South, and Sangamon on the North. That's roughly half the city. Not that all of these are are "bad" neighborhoods. In fact I lived in a couple different homes on the east half of Springfield and found it comfortable. I certainly didn't consider my surroundings "white collar," however. Back in the day, Fiat/Allis on the south side of Springfield used to employee 5000 people. That's been gone a while and there's only a bit of heavy industry left down there, (Bunn?) but the character of those south side neighborhoods still feels blue collar, or at least did up until we left the area in the early 2000's. The North side up near the fairgrounds has its own sort of blue-collar feel. And the neighborhoods in between include some pretty rough stuff.
Yes, there are more white collar jobs in Springfield than Decatur (although I think a lot of people underestimate how much white collar there really is in Decatur). But it's also true that many of the "white collar" jobs in Springfield are held by people who commute from Rochester, Chatham, Petersburg, Sherman, and other areas, incorporated and unincorporated, in the surrounding countryside.
Alas, I only said Springfield and Decatur felt a "bit" gritty and blue collar. I'd say Decatur a bit more than Springfield. But culturally, there's truly very little difference between the two when viewed on the grand scale of things.
Alas, I only said Springfield and Decatur felt a "bit" gritty and blue collar. I'd say Decatur a bit more than Springfield. But culturally, there's truly very little difference between the two when viewed on the grand scale of things.
Yeah, culturally I definitely agree. Sorry I didn't mean to make it seem like I thought the areas were culturally divergent.
I think all political cities feel a bit gritty, tired and beat up. Conversely I think river cities have a different vibe even if they are a bit gritty, which most are. Maybe it is the constant fight for survival of the fittest that causes the gritty feeling.
Hi. My husband works in Decatur, and we live in Normal, IL. The schools here are great, and it is a nice community for families. It is an easy drive to Decatur if you live near 51. We lived in Peoria, but the schools are pretty bad unless you plan to pay for private, and it is just too far a commute for working in Decatur. There are plenty of houses for rent here, too. post any questions about the community, and I'll try to answer them.
It is not fair to paint all schools in Peoria as bad, nor is it necessary to send all school age children in Peoria to private schools for a good education. If you want your child to have a very education then get involved with the teachers, the school principle, the school activities, the school board and the school work at home from K-12..
The only thing that sets Normal apart from any other college town of the same size anywhere in Illinois is ISU's University High. This is not the state supported public High School that most Normal, Illinois students attend. .
I lived in Decatur when my dad worked for Caterpillar. We lived in Forsyth, I don't think it is expensive at all, in fact my dad was rather disappointed at how little we sold the old house for in 2004 but then again we are from Chicago (our real estate broker, a native of Decatur, said people there are notoriously cheap, so Forsyth may be expensive by their standards but in reality it is dirt cheap). The best part of Forsyth is that it is located directly on Interstate 72 so you can take trips to other nearby cities easily and if you want relatively easy access to Chicago you can take US 51 and connect to Interstate 55 in Bloomington/Normal. Honestly the reason we lived in Forsyth was because it gave us an easy route to visit relatives in Chicago. Also there are good school districts in Forsyth, most of it will be in the Maroa/Forsyth school district but we were in the Warrensburg/Latham school district on the west side of Forsyth, both of these school districts include parts of Decatur itself as well, the outer parts of Decatur are very suburban in nature and don't have the problems you may have heard about.
I advocate living as close to work as possible and even though Decatur is not the best place to live in my view due to it's isolation and lackluster cultural offerings you shouldn't feel the entire area is unsafe to raise children or anything like that. I say it in the Chicago forum and I will say the same for Decatur, there are good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods and schools, parents these days I think are too paranoid and paint things with too broad of a brush. As I said in the other thread about Decatur it is just fine for the basics of life, safety and child raising, shopping for necessities of life, and a comfortable middle american lifestyle, just don't expect anything great as far as things to see and do if you are used to living in larger metropolitan areas. Also you don't want to be commuting across the sticks in winter to get to a job in Decatur, I would recommend living in Macon County somewhere in your situation.
Last edited by chicago103; 11-17-2011 at 04:11 AM..
Anyone who moves to an argricultiral area need not be remineded it is NOT St. Louis. it is blue collar because that is what farmers and ranchers are. It is also the types of most jobs that industries such as ADM and CAT provide. It is honest work for a days pay and it is ofter dirty work. These towns are gritty but most of the people are generous of heart, hard working and honest. They won't let a crop lie fallow because the farmer is sick and can't harvest his 1000 acres. Instead you'll find a dozen green giants at midnight harvesting all night to save one farm family. A farmer will plow out this neighbor's driveway so he can check on them: What do they need? This is the foundation of our great county. It is not the megacity.
You don't have to go to NYC for a $300 steak when you can reach in your freezer and find corn fed Angus. What do you think the best restaurants in NYC and LA serve? It is not F4 or dairy cattle. Anyone who wants Broadway and Fulton Street will not be happy in Decatur.
Years ago a friend of mine said, "When the boys were young my wife nearly had heart attack every time she opened a drawer in the kichen because it usually had a snake, a frog or a turtle in it." This is exactly what country is.
Anyone who moves to an argricultiral area need not be remineded it is NOT St. Louis. it is blue collar because that is what farmers and ranchers are. It is also the types of most jobs that industries such as ADM and CAT provide. It is honest work for a days pay and it is ofter dirty work. These towns are gritty but most of the people are generous of heart, hard working and honest. They won't let a crop lie fallow because the farmer is sick and can't harvest his 1000 acres. Instead you'll find a dozen green giants at midnight harvesting all night to save one farm family. A farmer will plow out this neighbor's driveway so he can check on them: What do they need? This is the foundation of our great county. It is not the megacity.
You don't have to go to NYC for a $300 steak when you can reach in your freezer and find corn fed Angus. What do you think the best restaurants in NYC and LA serve? It is not F4 or dairy cattle. Anyone who wants Broadway and Fulton Street will not be happy in Decatur.
Years ago a friend of mine said, "When the boys were young my wife nearly had heart attack every time she opened a drawer in the kichen because it usually had a snake, a frog or a turtle in it." This is exactly what country is.
Does your family come from an agricultural background? It seems you know a lot about the topic and given what I was exposed to it living in Decatur your observations remind me of some people I knew in school who were farmers.
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Hmm, having lived in Springfield for 18 years and having family in Decatur, I always got a very different feeling between Springfield and Decatur. I agree, neither are bastions of high-end sophistication, but then again, nowhere in central Illinois is. I haven't ever gotten that "gritty, blue-collar" vibe from Springfield, though. What industries dominate in Springfield? Government, lawyers, medicine, insurance and tourism. These are effectively white-collar jobs through and through. Unlike Decatur, Springfield doesn't really have much in the realm of industry. I always thought the difference between Springfield and Decatur was that Springfield is mostly white-collar and Decatur is (or at least was) mostly blue-collar. Besides, I think that Springfield's economy (due to government and medicine, mostly) is in much better shape than Decatur's, so I don't see a large similarity between the two areas.
