Help smaller towns wanted! (Chicago, Champaign: appointed, for sale, apartments)

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by M TYPE X

Illinois has a lot of small towns ........................................... and they're all awful.

[FYI: I say the same thing about Indiana and Ohio.]

Well, how small are we talking? Any city in the country that has under 500 people is generally "awful" (IMO). But there are several small towns (ie Galena) that I would LOVE to live in.

[Paxtonian]

What you're looking for is readily available in Ford, Iroquois, Livingston and McLean counties. Contact any real estate agent in these areas and they can direct you to what you're looking for. As for the pollution issues, you'll find a lot less livestock being raised here than you think, most farms are entirely in corn/soybean production. Crop dusting does happen here and there, there has been a fungal problem with some fields. Most of the time, the fungicide is applied correctly and doesn't spread past the confines of the sprayed field. Drinking water here usually comes from wells, there are very few problems with contamination. Yes, you'll find a lot of pickup trucks in use. Unlike some places, these are work trucks, and are used to haul things around. You don't have to take my word for any of these assertions, just come and have a look around. BTW, my recommendation for you would be the Fairbury/Forrest area in Livingston County.

[ILmomof6]

with paxtionian, except for the iroquois county part we are here now and there are NO jobs here, and the gilman onarga area is staring to build up in crime (not bad crime but we do have gangs here and some minor damages being done) We are moving to the livingston county area and the school system (prarie central) seems to be better off that where we are now (unit 10) mclean and livingsotn county are where you'll want to look.

[shadow91]

all small towns in IL are NOT awful. I lived in Ottawa, IL and wish I were back there. It has low crime, river access for boating, good schools, great economic growth, right off interstate 80 for quick access to CHICAGO.

[CityKidWithAgDegree]

Illinois is a big state, from a north/south perspective! I suggest you get deep into the southern part of the state, south of I-70, down in whats called the driftless part of IL. You will find a very different world than you are used to. but it wont be flat like 90 percent of IL. Some counties I would suggest you look into for further exploration are: Pike, Calhoun, Jersey, Monroe, Randolph, Jackson, Gallatin, Hardin, Saline. The first four I mentioned are relatively close to St Louis.

Oh to give you some perspective on the depth of the state latitudinally, Rockford, IL is on the same latitude as Boston, MA; Cairo, IL is on the latitude as Richmond, VA!

[anr_black]

Just to throw out a suggestion: I grew up in Taylorville, in central IL. It's a small town with about 10,000 residents. It's 30 mins. from both Springfield and Decatur, so there are employment opportunities and large city amenities nearby. It's about 4 hours from Chicago and 1 1/2 hours from St. Louis, so you'd still have culture nearby to make a weekend trip of it. It's extremely safe, friendly, cheap, clean and is a great place to raise kids. If you're truly wanting a small town (not an interstate town), then I'd look at Central or southern IL.

[xxJoyfulxx]

You will have to be a little more specific on what size of community you are interested in.
I see most people here saying "small town of about 10,000" and it's somewhat funny. You really think that is a small town? When I think of "small town" I don't think of anything near that size. But I guess some do, and it will depend on what your notion of small town is. But here is my experience and opinion on small towns in IL.

I grew up in a very small town about 60 miles West (and a little South) of Chicago called Newark, IL. It is made up of mostly farm-land, and still isn't terribly far from the city. Newark is near the edge of the suburb growth, but it's kept it out fairly well in the past 10 years - not too much has changed growth-wise.
Now when I say small, I mean that Newark has a population of about 900 give or take. There is 1 gas station, a bank, a small pizza place and a fire house. Not much else. But the nearest grocery store (Jewel) and all the fast food and economy you could need is only 9 miles away in Yorkville. Aurora/Naperville is the nearest "large" city.

I went to school in Newark and it was probably the best education experience I could have had. I can't imagine some of the things that kids go through in school, because they simply don't happen in a town of that size. I graduated in a class of 26 kids - a total of about 180 in the ENTIRE high school. (The population is larger now - I'm 30). We still had plenty of activities, groups, etc; without the cliques, drugs, gangs, etc. The worst problem we had was some kids that would drink alcohol and, like someone else said, it was because "there's nothing else to do".

I wouldn't say that Newark is perfect, but it's small, everyone is very friendly, the school was great, and it's still close to everything. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to raise a family there.
I lived in Schaumburg for years after college and have finally moved away from there to Belvidere (Boone County - which others have mentioned) and it feels SO much like being home in Newark.

Good luck with your search. And the more details you can provide for what you need, the more appropriate people can help you out in your search.

[xxJoyfulxx]

Originally Posted by shadow91

all small towns in IL are NOT awful. I lived in Ottawa, IL and wish I were back there. It has low crime, river access for boating, good schools, great economic growth, right off interstate 80 for quick access to CHICAGO.

I agree with you. Growing up in Newark, I hung out in Ottawa all the time on weekends when I was a teenager. Great town. I'm glad there are others who appreciate the area.

[Sbearshoney]

Hi Lindsey I Moved From The Chicago Burbs...i Was A Bar Owner And Took 6 Of My Kids With Me To Hoopeston Il...its 20 Minutes From Danville And About 60 Minutes From Champaign Urbana...my Husband Still Works At Ohare...this Is A Very Friendly Town Of 6,000 Where The People Wave And Speak We Have A Theater A Pool A Skating Rink And Schools That Are Just Wonderful...the Homes Are Very Big And Cheap We Bought A Huge 4 Bedroom On A Xtra Large Lot For 55,000...there Are 2 Major Grocery Stores...a Few Pizza Joints And Cafes We Have Mcdonalds And Subway...its A Lil Town And We Have The Sweet Corn Festival Every Year That Brings People From All Over The Untied States For 5 Days Its Wonderful Quiet But Not Too Quiet...check Out Hoopeston On The Internet You Wont Be Sorry ...also I Work For The Local Veterans At The Vfw...my Children Are Happier And Healthier Than Ever Before...we Came From Blue Island And They All State They Will Never Move Back...my Oldest Daughter Even Moved Here With Her 2 Yr Old And She Loves It Its Country And Its Home...sue Rogers

[Windy City John]

Move just west of St. Charles out by Wasco, Lily Lake-- get you a horse, some free range chickens and be done with it-- Campton Township--look it up. IT's all there and only 90 minutes to the city.