Charleston, Il

[supernova9]

Charleston aka "Chucktown" is a lot like the other towns with small colleges or directional universities in IL... pretty dull. It's better than Decatur, Danville, and Kankakee, at least, and is smaller than those. You'll be hard pressd for "culture" beyond the small-town IL vibe, which is okay if that's all you need. The pizza joint near the Eastern campus is pretty decent, though, for a local joint, with a cozy pub downstairs. The high school has gotten new administration rather recently from what I hear, and things are pretty good there. You could definitely do worse! :-)

[oh2tabber2]

Someone mentioned the peoria area above. As a family who recently moved to charleston from the peoria area with a one-year-old, we are very frustrated with the lack of family entertainment here. We are pleased with the charm of Charleston, and it's certainly the cutest town in the area, but for the life of me i cannot find anything to do within 30 miles of here! As others have said there is not a lot of shopping (we've not been able to find a lamp shade at any of the three stores we have to choose from here). Also, there are only 2 really good parks, with which we've gotten bored, and lake charleston was quite disappointing. There is a put-put and a cute little public pool. With the college here (my husband and i are both students), there are some cultural options which don't really entertain small children. On the other hand, it does seem like a safe place to raise children. I agree that the peoria area is a great place to look into. I am from "Tree City" Marquette Heights (you might not find it on the map - it is between Pekin and East Peoria on Route 29). The houses there are very affordable and it is a really great small town especially in which to grow up. It's on a hill and difficult to get to neighboring towns without a car, which gives it a real small-town feel. The town itself has nothing other than a Dollar General and a full-service gas station, but your kids will certainly make a lot of friends (and you too most likely!). The schools are great and most children walk to school within a mile radius. Plus it is a meer 20 min from all the ammenities of Peoria which has 3 major hospitals and 2 great malls ~ plenty of career opportunities. I would also suggest looking into Morton, Treemont, Pekin, and Dunlap. All fantastic school districts and great housing potential ~ Dunlap is a great up-and-coming area. There are is an abundance of family entertainment including plenty of really great parks to explore (namely Glen Oak and the Pekin Lagoon), tons of really fun festivals (Morton is home of Libby's pumpkins and the pumkin festival as featured on the Food Network), and great organizations such as the Peoria Art Guild. All this talk about all the fun things to do is making me home-sick! I'm sorry to say there is a meth problem there as well. Sadly i think you'll find that all over corn-fed central Illinois. It obviously does not affect everyone, and where can you live these days that drugs do not pose a threat? ...Amish country is right around the corner if that's your bag. Good Luck!

[histo320]

About schools.... Charleston schools used to be among the highest in the state but not anymore. CHS has not made NCLB in 3 years and from my experience working in the school, thats not going to change. Teachers are content with going to work and going home, there is very little ambition for improvement.

The elementary schools are a little better than the high school but the districts administration does not seem to care about anything but making more money for themselves.

The middle school is a disaster. I have seen drugs, racial tensions, and sexual conduct running rampant in the school.

I would suggest living in the country, sending kids to Mattoon Schools which get a bad rap but are becoming some of the most improved schools in the state.