Champaing - Urbana Today (Chicago, Peoria: movie theaters, school, quality of life)

[LilMsSunshine]

Hello All! I am from Georgetown, IL. Not far from Champaign. To make a long story short I live in Salt Lake City and after my job ends I will have about a year of downtime before my next job starts. I was thinking of moving to the area for one year. I remember growing up in Georgetown, I was really excited to go to Champaign for the shopping. After being exposed to Salt Lake, Champaign is kind of 'meh' for me now lol. I haven't been to Champaign for close to three years. I was wondering what it is like there now. I am 27, single, no kids so school systems and things like that aren't of importance in my particular situation. The things I like about Salt Lake are: theatre opportunities (acting and viewing), the awesome megaplex movie theaters, silent movies, shopping, dance clubs that have theme parties (like masquerade night), cool little restaraunts, entertainment options (like a huge place where I can ride bumper boats, play arcade games and act like a litte kid) and the city parks are very nice. I know Champaign can't compare to Salt Lake but my family is nearby so it's worth the change for one year. So my question is this - with the given information is there anything in C-U that would suit my needs? Thanks so much for your thoughts!

[linicx]

I think if you value time with your family it really doesn't matter what Champaign can or cannot offer. Conversely if you are thinking of moving back permanently it may matter a great deal.

Imho, it is the highways that makes living in Illinois convenient. Driving time aside, it is very easy today to drive to St. Louis, Chicago, Springfield, B-N and Peoria from Champaign on Interstate routes. I remember when it was nothing but 2-lane roads that dotted the countryside.

[madpaddy]

What Champaign/Urbana was like last time you were here (less than 3 years ago you said) is pretty much the way it is now. There have been no recent major disruptive events that would significantly change the character or quality of life. Entertainment options will likely be less plentiful given that the Salt Lake metro area is about 4-5 times the size of the CU metro area. But if you're persistent, you'll find enough to keep you amused for a year.