Information on Mattoon, Illinois neighborhoods? (Chicago, Joliet: apartment, crime, how much)

[IiswhoIis]

I'm looking into moving and was wondering if anyone knew anything about the Layafette Ave. neighborhood. Any information would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Drover]

Where are you moving from, and is there a specific reason you're looking at Mattoon?

There's really no "bad" part of Mattoon except maybe some of the trailer parks on the edges of town. There's a stretch of pretty nice homes along Western Avenue, but aesthetically speaking the rest of Mattoon ranges from "OK" to "ugh." Mattoon overall is kind of a tired, run-down town that has picked up the nickname "Methtoon" for a reason. It's not particularly dangerous or anything but it's no Mayberry either and there is no shortage of quality-of-life sorts of issues.

I moved to Mattoon for my final year of undergrad at EIU to get away from the student ghetto of Charleston. Big mistake -- Mattoon makes Charleston look like Rome. Maybe we need different things from the places we live and Mattoon will suit your needs just fine, but I couldn't wait to put that dump in my rear-view mirror for the last time. I can't conceive of how much money it would take to convince me to live in Mattoon again. Or Charleston for that matter.

[IiswhoIis]

I'm coming from Decatur mostly taking an opportunity to get away. I chose there due to a close friend having an open room in his apartment and looking for a roommate. My father had lived there for several years and I kind of enjoyed the quiet atmosphere.

[Drover]

Well, Decatur suffers many of the same maladies of Mattoon but on a larger scale and in some cases more severely, such as population decline due to de-industrialization and having genuine urban crime issues whereas Mattoon at worst is stagnating with a mild crime problem. If a quieter atmosphere and overall pace of life is your primary motivation, then yeah, I can see Mattoon being an upgrade without being stuck in the middle of nowhere.

[probablyimnotsure]

Originally Posted by Drover

Where are you moving from, and is there a specific reason you're looking at Mattoon?

There's really no "bad" part of Mattoon except maybe some of the trailer parks on the edges of town. There's a stretch of pretty nice homes along Western Avenue, but aesthetically speaking the rest of Mattoon ranges from "OK" to "ugh." Mattoon overall is kind of a tired, run-down town that has picked up the nickname "Methtoon" for a reason. It's not particularly dangerous or anything but it's no Mayberry either and there is no shortage of quality-of-life sorts of issues.

I moved to Mattoon for my final year of undergrad at EIU to get away from the student ghetto of Charleston. Big mistake -- Mattoon makes Charleston look like Rome. Maybe we need different things from the places we live and Mattoon will suit your needs just fine, but I couldn't wait to put that dump in my rear-view mirror for the last time. I can't conceive of how much money it would take to convince me to live in Mattoon again. Or Charleston for that matter.

Isn't this all of Southern Illinois? I have family there, and when I visited it seemed like a lot of the towns in Southern Illinois were like this. It seems like an economically depressed area in general. I remember driving through Effingham and seeing nothing but dollar stores, churches, and bars. It was very drab and depressing.

[ChicagoMeO]

People from Mattoon prounounce it "MATT toon".

just so you know.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by probablyimnotsure

Isn't this all of Southern Illinois? I have family there, and when I visited it seemed like a lot of the towns in Southern Illinois were like this. It seems like an economically depressed area in general. I remember driving through Effingham and seeing nothing but dollar stores, churches, and bars. It was very drab and depressing.

I wouldn't call Mattoon "southern" Illinois -- more "central" or "east central" to be more specific. In any case it's fair to say that pretty much everything south of Joliet is struggling for various reasons such as de-industrialization and/or increased mechanization of agriculture, Chambana being the exception for obvious reasons. But if the guy is looking to move from Decatur, Mattoon can be an improvement in some ways, such as a quieter atmosphere such as the OP is looking for.

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

People from Mattoon prounounce it "MATT toon".

just so you know.

It's really more of an equal emphasis on both syllables, but definitely not "muh-TOON" as most outsiders are apt to pronounce it. But as fussy as they were about the pronunciation of their little hamlet, it got annoying having to remind them that there's no "e" in "WES-CONsin." Our cars still had Wisconsin plates at the time as we had lived there a year earlier so we got lots of people asking why we had moved there from "WES-CONsin."

[IiswhoIis]

Originally Posted by Drover

Well, Decatur suffers many of the same maladies of Mattoon but on a larger scale and in some cases more severely, such as population decline due to de-industrialization and having genuine urban crime issues whereas Mattoon at worst is stagnating with a mild crime problem. If a quieter atmosphere and overall pace of life is your primary motivation, then yeah, I can see Mattoon being an upgrade without being stuck in the middle of nowhere.

I may be on my own here but I prefer the middle of nowhere. Any info on local parks or nearby nature preserves as well? Mostly wondering on which are the most dog friendly.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by IiswhoIis

I may be on my own here but I prefer the middle of nowhere. Any info on local parks or nearby nature preserves as well? Mostly wondering on which are the most dog friendly.

There aren't a lot of nature preserve options in the area. There's Fox Ridge State Park about half-hour southeast. There's also Wolf Creek and Eagle Creek about half an hour west. While they're generally nice and scenic, you'll also be sharing it with other people so it's not like you'll be all alone in nature with only your own thoughts. In fact Wolf Creek in particular has a lot of recreational development like a golf course with clubhouse and swimming pool, while the Eagle Creek side tends to be more nature-y though it has a pretty big campground too.

Local parks... information on city parks can be found here. The city's largest park, Peterson Park, will be within easy walking distance of the eastern half of Lafayette Avenue. They do a big Christmas lights display there in winter. There's also Lytle Park on the western outskirts of town, operated by the Mattoon Township Park District. Decent open space, nice swimming pool with cheap rates. On the east side is Douglas-Hart Nature Center that can provide a quick nature-trail walk; not sure if dogs are allowed. For some reason their website is down right now but here is a brief Youtube video.

[IiswhoIis]

This may be a strange question but how about local legends and myths. I'm familiar with the stories of "The Mad Gasser" but was curious if there were any more. Anything really, ghost stories, UFO sightings, Bigfoot, etc. Thanks in advance.