Southeren Illinois (Chicago, Peoria, Springfield: relocate, military, employment)

[Mr Bigman]

Im a bad speller, i know.

I lived there for a few short years.

I live in Chicago area.

I lived downtheir and during my experiences, i was like that of blue collar tv.

Nice folks but not with the motions of today.

[BadDaddy96]

Originally Posted by arpschneider

Sometimes, I don't think you can get any further "south" than central IL! They must have all moved here after the other states kicked them out.

As far as singers: Central IL has the (in)famous "Modern Cowboyz" hillbilly band. Unfortunately, they have decided to practice every Thursday evening in a garage located in our town that the rest of the 300 residents have to endure. It's bad enough in the Winter when the doors and windows of their garage are closed because of the cold but becomes twice as bad during the Summer when they open up the doors and windows!

It oftentimes got so bad that the village board even had to pass a law to limit their practice sessions to a 10PM curfew because they'd go on almost all night otherwise. And the more beers they got in them, the more "interesting" they sounded!

Crooning at the Moon! OWOOO!

I know from a very reliable source that the Modern Cowboyz do not practice in a small town of 300 on Thursday nights. You better check your information!

[arpschneider]

Originally Posted by BadDaddy96

I know from a very reliable source that the Modern Cowboyz do not practice in a small town of 300 on Thursday nights. You better check your information!

Indeed. I had a nice talk today with Ron Devore, and he let me know that he hasn't had a practice session in months and when he has, it has been in his basement of his home in a different town.

I don't know who the garage band is at this point that practices nearby, but it is/was not the Modern Cowboyz, even though this was what I had been (quite obviously mistakenly!) told!

My apologies to the group for the mis-attribution. I certainly don't mean any innocent parties any incriminating remarks of any kind.

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by computerguysd

I'll admit, outside of government or casino jobs, Metroplis doesn't appear to offer much for employment opportunities. I suspect, many of those jobs are pretty low pay / benefit, too.

If I were interested in living in that area, I'd likely be looking for work in Paducah or, more likely, locate close enough to commute to Marion / Carbondale. The VA Medical Center in Marion would probably have higher than average salaries, since Federal pay is based on a national scale. I don't know if you've ever checked out job openings there but you would have a hiring preference, as a veteran.

I tend not to live "in town" anyway, I much prefer having an acreage.

Yep, lots of low pay jobs. I know people who spend a lifetime in these jobs. In some instances, they actually take home more in Social Security when they retire than when they were working.

Economically, this area is a retiree's dream. The cost-of-living (with the exception of gasoline) is basically static. If you have a CPI based pension, you're always ahead of the game, and the gap increases every year. That, and an inherited home, is the only reason I stay here. With the internet, cable, and a couple of interstate highways, it's doable.

[computerguysd]

Who know, maybe as more "Boomers" retire, they'll look at the low cost of living and Metropolis will become a "boom town"

[BLS2753]

I suppose most of the cultural disapointment I see now in S. IL, compared to the 1950's and 60's that I grew up in, is the aspirations and influences of the residents. Seemed back then, people looked to Chicago and St. Louis as how to speak, dress, and interact with others. Now the influence is the ruffian aspects of southern culture.

I think some of this pertains to the fact that my father's and grandfather's generations, because of WWI and II, had traveled and been exposed to a much broader view of the world.

Most people here today, were born here, lived their entire lives here, and will die here. This is all well and good, but also makes for a limited perspective of the world.

[computerguysd]

BLS2753

I'll admit that I haven't lived in Illinois for quite awhile, but I do stay in touch and go back to visit friends and family.

If you want to focus on what I guess you might call "rednecks", they're everywhere. Big cities have their share, too. From what I've seen, the "classes" probably don't mix as much in big cities. If the people you're around at work, in your neighborhood, your church, etc., all tend to dress alike and think alike, it's very easy to think that everyone is like you.

In smaller towns, there's often only one or two high schools, neighborhoods are less homogenous and there's more of a mix between rich and poor, townies and farmers, the artists and rednecks, whatever.

In my neighborhood growing up, we had a mix of families, retired folks, young & old, business owners, janitors, factory workers, salesment, etc.

Everyone downstate may seem to have a bit of a southern accent but they're certainly not all characters out of "My Name is Earl" or Deliverance, either.

[Julian B]

^^ BLS is absolutely right.

My mom and dad were both born and raised there, and they cannot believe I wanted to move to the city. My mom said recently when I told her I hated it there that "she likes it here" (meaning there). I said "Most people like where they live, if they have never lived anywhere else." This is true in her case. People of all ages (even my wife's grandma who has lived there for all but 3 years of her life) tell us to stay away from southern Illinois because there is nothing going on; few good jobs (packing boxes at the Circuit City plant for $9/hr as a contractor is not a good job), little to no recreation (hunting and fishing, not my cup of tea), and is not going anywhere, with an exception of Marion, which has been growing in leaps and bounds. If I ever move back, it will be to Marion.

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by Julian B

^^ BLS is absolutely right.

My mom and dad were both born and raised there, and they cannot believe I wanted to move to the city. My mom said recently when I told her I hated it there that "she likes it here" (meaning there). I said "Most people like where they live, if they have never lived anywhere else." This is true in her case. People of all ages (even my wife's grandma who has lived there for all but 3 years of her life) tell us to stay away from southern Illinois because there is nothing going on; few good jobs (packing boxes at the Circuit City plant for $9/hr as a contractor is not a good job), little to no recreation (hunting and fishing, not my cup of tea), and is not going anywhere, with an exception of Marion, which has been growing in leaps and bounds. If I ever move back, it will be to Marion.

I don't really have a problem with the recreation part. Other than close access to theatre, concerts, and pro sports events, everything else is here for the most part. Even if you live in the city, you don't attend these events every night of the week. St. Louis is a 2 hour drive, and it's not that big of a deal.

Lack of recreation is not an issue with me. I suppose if I was a young person it might be.

It's the simple minded residents that affect me. Not necessarily low in intelligence, but a very limited view of the world, and a S. IL bias on how things work. The tendency to think that this area is the center of the universe, and the rest of the world is messed up. Truth is, a 9/11 could occur here, and other than those that lost loved ones, no one else would care. This area has little social or economic impact on the world as a whole.

A good example of local mindset, is the "industrial park" mentality. Every community it seems, has set aside some empty land on the edge of town, and earmarked it for development. They allocate a budget to seek corporations willing to relocate. The majority of this land has been sitting vacant for years. Some are eventually used to build county detention centers (jails) or in some instances an extension campus for a community college.

There's the thought that manufacturing jobs are all that there is for economic growth. When anyone with a cursory knowledge of the modern world, knows manufacturing jobs in the U.S. are a thing of the past. That $9 an hour is easily undercut in China or Mexico.

Still the high schools and community colleges, have curriculums heavily laden in the industrial trades. Graduates end up making $8 an hour changing oil somewhere.

[Julian B]

Originally Posted by BLS2753

Still the high schools and community colleges, have curriculums heavily laden in the industrial trades. Graduates end up making $8 an hour changing oil somewhere.

Yeah, I've always been curious as to why anyone would go to school for things like "Industrial Technology." "Yep, I'ma get me mah 2 yurr duhgree in Indistreeuhl Technawlogy and get me a good pay'n job at Continentul Tahr in Mount Vernon, where all dem blaks is. Hell, thay start pay'n at $12/hr!"

I had a guy tell me that he dropped out of college...It went like this
(this is serious; not a joke)
Me: Hey, ___________, you still in school?"
_____: (taking puff of a smoke) Nope, dropped out! (very excitedly)
Me: How come?
_____: Got a good job!
Me: Oh really, where at?
_____: Red Lobster
Me: Oh...What do you do?
____: Wash dishes, pays $8/hr!

Keep in mind, he was dead serious.


And yes, I guess the recreation thing is because of your age (as you said). There is seriously no recreation there. Hunting, fishing, homecoming parades, Herrinfest, and the Du Quoin State Fair. A 2 hour drive is a big deal when gas is $4/gallon, #1. #2, I've lived in St. Louis for under a year and I've been to the zoo 7 times, the Fox Theatre 3 times, 1 Blues game, 2 Cardinals games, went out to the clubs downtown twice (15 minutes from my house), etc, etc. I couldn't have done any of that in southern Illinois.

blech.

I truly don't like southern Illinois, but alas, I will have to return some day.