Interested in moving to IL, but not sure which town is right for me. (Springfield: property taxes)

[2monkeymom]

My family is looking to move this summer. We have two children, 5 yrs and 2 yrs. I would like a small, quaint town of approx 6,000-50,000 people (don't want TOO small, but could go bigger). Preferably, we would like something that isn't outrageously expensive, homes around $120,000-$175,000 would be preferable, so long as it's not ghetto. Looking for great schools, and some kind of activities, annual festivals, and just a "life" to it. Obviously, we don't want to move where there is a lot of crime.

I was actually looking around the Quincy area, or Springfield. I really don't know much about them. We don't want to wind up somewhere where there are no jobs, either. So any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

We are actually torn between Illinios and Washington. We really just want to make a change from Arizona and are open to those areas. Looking for change of SEASONS!! A town with personality. Charm. A great place for our kids to grow up.

Any suggestions or info would be wonderful!
Thanks!

[Steve-o]

Sycamore, IL sounds about right for you. There are some nice new townhomes just north of Rt. 64 on Rt. 23 that start at 140K and are decently nice. Schools are decent, not the greatest. There is chain store galore on Rt. 23 near DeKalb. Avoid DeKalb, the town isnt that great at all, just a warning.... Sycamore is fine though, its quiet with a decent downtown and several nice festivals every year.

[Juice13610]

Fairview Heights or O'Fallon, Illinois. They sit 15-20 minutes to downtown St. Louis, but there is a great community feel and there are festivals frequently in downtown Belleville. Great access to St. Louis for good jobs, and Fairview Heights and O'Fallon have extremely low crime rates (less than half the US average according to city-data.com). All the shopping/retail/restaurants you could imagine, and the light-rail system that takes you through St. Louis runs right through Fairview Heights/Scott AFB/Swansea/Belleville. I live in an apartment right off the main drag through Fairview and it is a very quiet neighborhood.

I'm sure you can find nice homes in your price range, check realtor.com

[jessiegirl_98]

Originally Posted by 2monkeymom

My family is looking to move this summer. We have two children, 5 yrs and 2 yrs. I would like a small, quaint town of approx 6,000-50,000 people (don't want TOO small, but could go bigger). Preferably, we would like something that isn't outrageously expensive, homes around $120,000-$175,000 would be preferable, so long as it's not ghetto. Looking for great schools, and some kind of activities, annual festivals, and just a "life" to it. Obviously, we don't want to move where there is a lot of crime.

I was actually looking around the Quincy area, or Springfield. I really don't know much about them. We don't want to wind up somewhere where there are no jobs, either. So any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

We are actually torn between Illinios and Washington. We really just want to make a change from Arizona and are open to those areas. Looking for change of SEASONS!! A town with personality. Charm. A great place for our kids to grow up.

Any suggestions or info would be wonderful!
Thanks!

I grew up in Quincy. It is about 40K, so maybe smaller than what you are hoping for. There isn't a lot of crime and there are great schools (I think that I would choose Quincy over Springfield for those two reasons). If you have questions about Quincy specifically, feel free to send me a DM.

[Juice13610]

Fairview Heights is in a cluster of about 5 towns; Fairview is 15,000, ofallon is 22,000, Belleville is 40,000, Swansea is 10,000, etc, etc. Any dining and shopping options you can imagine in your own town, then anything else within a 20-30 min drive. Metro east, as it is called, is the fastest growing area of the Greater stl area.

[Paxtonian]

I'm notorious for touting this, but look into Paxton (pop. 4525) in East Central Illinois. Wikipedia has a thorough listing for Paxton, look it up.

[2monkeymom]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm checking into your suggestions! Keep the info coming. I welcome it all!

[Drover]

I'd look into Monticello and St. Joseph, both within the orbit of Champaign/Urbana (good source of jobs) but isolated enough from them to have a small-town feel.

[CellarBelle]

Check out Edwardsville, Illinois. 25 to 30 minutes to downtown St. Louis. Great school system. Read my other posts to learn more about it! It is an awesome family town, and you can't beat the Route 66 Festival, Halloween Parade, Goshen Market and Arts in the Park program that runs during the summer. It is a growing town and home to SIUE. The bike trails are amazing and our new YMCA is one of the largest in the country. Can't say enough about it... but I'm a bit partial. Good luck!

[skywaitress18]

I would look further south than Quincy, I have grown up in southern St. Clair County my entire life. What I love about this area is that I grew up with my closest neighbor five miles away, then moved to a town of 400 people and great schools, and now I have upgraded to a smaller city Belleville/Fairview Heights/Swansea/O' Fallon area (which is very clustered). Also we are only a stones throw from St. Louis and in minutes can be back into the country. Personally I love the Freeburg area, but their property taxes are on a big rise so if you go just a bit south of there still great towns and great schools with the same High School District. The great thing is all of these "mid southern" towns are just minutes from each other. We like to say it takes 20 minutes to get everywhere. Good luck!