Charleston, Il (Chicago, Peoria, Springfield: houses, private schools, college)

[crazylilkelly]

So, I graduate from nursing school in a few months & my husband & I want to start a family in a couple of yrs. I'm starting to consider charleston b/c the houses are so cheap, good schools & it's very safe. I just want to get any info you can give me about living in charleston. thanks

[Drover]

Not a lot going on in Charleston, even with the college in town. It's quiet, sleepy (except near campus and the college bars), and frankly, the town collectively doesn't really have a lot of ambition. It's a city that seems content with its station in life and isn't looking to change much. You probably want to stay away from the college area though; they are a pretty rowdy crowd as there aren't a lot of entertainment options on the weekends other than bars and keggers. In addition to the area right around the college, there is also a fair amount of student housing right around the courthouse square area. Champain/Urbana is only an hour away for the occasional pseud-urban getaway; Indy and St. Louis are both about 2 hours away in case you need serious urban getaways.

[AnimalLover]

You might want to look at Springfield. Two major hospitals here - St Johns and Memorial. We also have Prairie Heart Institute and Springfield clinic, which is expanding. Cost of living is very reasonable.

[crazylilkelly]

thanks for your input guys.
i don't want to be more than 50min from CU, so Springfield wouldn't be in the cards.
any more info???

[jobhopeful]

I currently live in Charleston. Now obviously you know there is a college here, but have you truely considered what that means? You have to be able to put up with a very immature, drunken city attitude 9 months out of the year. The city was also built to be a college city. I have a very hard time finding anything to do other than go to the bar. I am moving from this place in a month, but that is because I have attained my degree and want to move on. If you want to live here as a family, just remember what I said.

[PenguinSix]

I grew up in Charleston and it is not a bad place to live as a kid, though it can be kind of limiting. I didn't see a fancy piece of artwork or have many friends who travelled the world until I left the town.

The town is pretty self-contained. What you need to survive you can get in town, or a quick trip to Mattoon. People have sort of an island mentality though--not really getting out to see much else (as it is a long drive to Indy or St. Louis, etc). That said, it is kind of nice to live in a place where you could bike anywhere you wanted (and your kids can too).

Students can be a pain, but there really is kind of a dividing line. There are townie bars and student bars, and you don't necessarily have to interact with them that much unless you live next to some.

But if you are looking around the area (Mattoon, Paris, Tuscola, Arcola, etc) than I think it is one of your better options given what else is out there.

[mariab311]

Like others have said, it's a college town. That's all the town has. Not trying to be mean. There's limits of what you can do, see...etc. It's quiet in the summer. It's a quaint town though. If you are wanting to stay "downstate", there are plenty of other towns. I would try a town with more hospitals.

[BUalumni]

If Charleston doesn't seem to be what you are looking for, come check out the Peoria area. Peoria really is like a small version of St. Louis or Chicago. Unlike Springfield though, we have a definite metro area that is rapidly expanding, while the capital city is seeing it's population build within it's boundaries. Peoria has problems with drugs and gangs on it's southside, and it's public education(except Richwoods high school) is poor. There private schools are excellent though. Even with these problems the positives that the city has are creating a population boom in the towns around them. don't get me wrong. There are lots of good reasons to move to Peoria. But mot people are treating the city as their place to work and play, but not live. Peoria is the world headquarters for Caterpillar, and several other smaller corporations. There is everything in terms of dining, entertainment, shopping, and the Riverwalk is a must see.

Some of the areas outside the city, that you may be interested in are:

Tazewell County: Pekin, North Pekin, Marquette Heights, East Peoria, Groveland, Tremont, Morton, Washington, and Eureka.

Woodford County: Metamora, and Germantown Hills, Chillicothe(although I think that may be in Peoria county)

Peoria County: Bartonville, Mapleton, West Peoria, Peoria Heights, Farmington, Kickapoo(yes that is the name), and the Dunlap area.

Of course each of these towns is different, and most are very nice, or at least have parts of them that are full of civic pride. Feel free to ask about any of them. Hope this helps!

[Momof4monkeys]

Charleston is nice. Everyone hates it here growing up, but we all come back because we realize it's worse everywhere else! Lol

That said, it is a college town which can be a little annoying if you live around the college and have little kids (noise, drunks). But there is actually a good amount of things to do for families in the area. Close to C-U, many good jobs, the college has festivals and entertainment there. Plus tons of fairs, festivals, and little celebrations that the kids love. There is a real community atmosphere and everyone knows everyone. There IS a huge meth problem, but as long as you don't live on the north side of town (north of Madison), then it's not really an issue.

The square is not what it once was, but hopefully that is worked on. It would be my #1 place to raise a family of all the places I have lived (in IL, OH, and NC). Housing prices are really, really good, too.

On the downside, Walmart is about as close to shopping as you get. There's a little mall in Mattoon about 10 minutes away, which is ok, but as far as health food stores or better food shopping in general, stock up while you're in C-U.

[crazylilkelly]

Originally Posted by Momof4monkeys

Charleston is nice. Everyone hates it here growing up, but we all come back because we realize it's worse everywhere else! Lol

That said, it is a college town which can be a little annoying if you live around the college and have little kids (noise, drunks). But there is actually a good amount of things to do for families in the area. Close to C-U, many good jobs, the college has festivals and entertainment there. Plus tons of fairs, festivals, and little celebrations that the kids love. There is a real community atmosphere and everyone knows everyone. There IS a huge meth problem, but as long as you don't live on the north side of town (north of Madison), then it's not really an issue.

The square is not what it once was, but hopefully that is worked on. It would be my #1 place to raise a family of all the places I have lived (in IL, OH, and NC). Housing prices are really, really good, too.

On the downside, Walmart is about as close to shopping as you get. There's a little mall in Mattoon about 10 minutes away, which is ok, but as far as health food stores or better food shopping in general, stock up while you're in C-U.

what do you think about living in chucktown vs. cu? my husband & i live in cu & really like it. however, it seems that we would be able to afford a house easier in charleston. plus, i like the idea of having a community feel since we dont' have any family that lives nearby. we want to make friends easily. people we can raise our kids w/. also, i heard the schools are good.