Most likely moving to Decatur, IL. Need city reviews. PLEASE!

[Stankonia]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

3) Yes there is an odd oder around the Staley (or whatever it's called now) complex. Many locals call it the smell of money or smell of jobs. Not as bad as the odors from steel mills or paper mills though.

Having lived in Decatur from 1993-2006, it is weird how I actually miss that smell. Probably because I lived a few blocks away from Staley during my teen years, so it reminds me of growing up

It's funny to visit Decatur with friends and watch them gag when we pass over the Staley Viaduct since they aren't expecting it.

[linicx]

I would not entertain the argument that one area is better to live than another. I can make the case that there is different learning opportunities in Peoria that are not available in the other communities. I can make a case that Chicago has learning opportunities not available in other Illinois communities, most notably Eli Cheesecake Factory Tour, Chinatown, Frank LLoyd Wright Collection, Newberry Research Library, Picasso. Chicago water taxi, and three skyscrapers.

It is a culture shock to move from the Pacific Ocean and a city as busy as Chicago to the Midwest especially central Illinois as it is a highly concentrated farming area. There is a lot of interesting things to discover in the general area such as Funk's Grove that produces fresh maple syrup every Spring, however corn, beans and cows ain't it. .

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by linicx

I would not entertain the argument that one area is better to live than another. I can make the case that there is different learning opportunities in Peoria that are not available in the other communities. I can make a case that Chicago has learning opportunities not available in other Illinois communities, most notably Eli Cheesecake Factory Tour, Chinatown, Frank LLoyd Wright Collection, Newberry Research Library, Picasso. Chicago water taxi, and three skyscrapers.

It is a culture shock to move from the Pacific Ocean and a city as busy as Chicago to the Midwest especially central Illinois as it is a highly concentrated farming area. There is a lot of interesting things to discover in the general area such as Funk's Grove that produces fresh maple syrup every Spring, however corn, beans and cows ain't it. .

No doubt. I like the Peoria area (and Bloomington/Normal too) and it sometimes gets dissed by people-often unfairly. I just don't see the practicality of commuting from Peoria to Decatur.

[linicx]

I never suggested a commute from Peoria to Decatur or at least I hope I didn't because it was never my intent. I believe I pointed out the driving distance from Decatur to U-C, Springfield and B-N - which is about the same and pointed out Peoria was a few miles farther from B-N. Is it doable? Yes, but its crazy to do it in the winter on icy and snowy roads. Peoria is similar to SoCal with its rolling hills, heavy vegetation and parks. There is no cruise to Catalina Island, but there is short day cruise or a even a week cruise in Peoria. I much prefer the Pacific Ocean or a Great Lake, but I don't have that I'm content with the largest, longest river in the state - which beats the heck out of a mud puddle filled with rain. Illinois has some of the most beautiful parks in America, but you never see it from the Interstate.

[yocelita]

Originally Posted by linicx

I never suggested a commute from Peoria to Decatur or at least I hope I didn't because it was never my intent. I believe I pointed out the driving distance from Decatur to U-C, Springfield and B-N - which is about the same and pointed out Peoria was a few miles farther from B-N. Is it doable? Yes, but its crazy to do it in the winter on icy and snowy roads. Peoria is similar to SoCal with its rolling hills, heavy vegetation and parks. There is no cruise to Catalina Island, but there is short day cruise or a even a week cruise in Peoria. I much prefer the Pacific Ocean or a Great Lake, but I don't have that I'm content with the largest, longest river in the state - which beats the heck out of a mud puddle filled with rain. Illinois has some of the most beautiful parks in America, but you never see it from the Interstate.

Don't worry I understood that you were saying that Peoria was a place to visit from Decatur that had many of the things a homeschooling mom would like to take her kids to as well as a city with a lot of the same stores I could find in Orange County

So how is the neiborhood by lake Decatur? And what other neiborhoods are nice within Decatur?
My husband will be flying down tomorrow really early and spending most of Wednesday looking at rentals since we want to rent for a few months before buying. That way we can get to know the neiborhoods.

Can anyone recommend a good property management or suggest a good apartment complex with 3 rooms? Since I have 4 kids a house would be ideal but since we only want to rent for 2-4 months an apartment would be ok for that short period of time..... So much to do!! I'm going crazy here I think in part I'm more stressed about being left alone for 3 days with 4 kids more than moving to a State and area I've never been to before.

I've moved from Santiago, Chile to Sacramento, CA and then to Anaheim, CA so I can do it again!!

Thanks for all the tips, I've enjoy reading the pros and cons about Decatur.

[linicx]

Have your hubby look at Mt. Zion, Forsyth plus Baker Woods, South Shores, Far East side and far North side. I will send you a private message. Under your login name in the upper right corner see Your Notification. Click on it and select Unread Messages. The majority of the towns outside of Decatur are small Villages with a population under 2,000.

[illstate89]

To clarify, there is Target, 2 Walmart supercenters, Kohls, Von Maur, Bergners and all of that in Decatur.


ANYWAY,

Baker Woods is on the far east side.. It is between Airport road and the lake. South Shores is basically anything south of the lake. It is a super nice area that you can find plenty of middle class and upper middle class homes. The far north side(north of Mound Road) is also very nice, it might be slightly pricier but I'm not exactly sure.

[linicx]

I believe the OP already established she was far more interested in educational opportunities for her children that she home schools than she is in shopping.