is galena really like this? (Chicago: home, hotel, travel)

[PennsylvaniaFarmer]

i'd like to eventual move to a suburb/small town area that is within driving distance of chicago. I came across this place in a magazine i read, and i was wondering if galena is really as great as they say LogHome.com - Great Places | Galena, Illinois | Vintage by Design | Log Home Living

[Havasu]

It is driving distance from Chicago but it is NOT commuting distance from Chicago.
Its a great little town lots of tourists though and expensive.

[PennsylvaniaFarmer]

wow, expensive? I hadn't heard that yet. my impression was a small town with a touch of arts to it - kind of like a getaway for Chicagoans trying to dodge the big city hustle & bustle...

[jessiegirl_98]

Originally Posted by PennsylvaniaFarmer

wow, expensive? I hadn't heard that yet. my impression was a small town with a touch of arts to it - kind of like a getaway for Chicagoans trying to dodge the big city hustle & bustle...

It isn't close to Chicago, as the other poster suggested, so it isn't someplace where someone working in or who regularly goes to Chicago to live. It is not considered a suburb.

[Katiana]

It is on the Mississippi River, about 150 miles from Chicago as the crow flies.

[PennsylvaniaFarmer]

I guess I should have been more clear - I won't be commuting to work in Chicago every day, I just wanted to know if it was a "drivable" distance for a day-trip, etc. And it looks like maybe it is. It's like...I do not want to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the city (I lived in D.C. for 15 years...so I've had my fill) but I want the city to be within a drivable distance so I can check it out on occasion and take guests there.

My main question was "is this place really how great as they say it is on that article (see first post) I put the URL up for...they paint a very rosy picture of the area...I just wanted to know if that's true.

Sorry for the confusion, but thanks for all the great responses!!

[rgb123]

Hello! Yes, it is a very nice, driveable distance from Chicago, I live in the north suburbs and travel to Galena about 3/4 times a year. I can leave on a Friday night and be there in plenty of time to cozy up to a fire in a hotel or cottage that night, watch some tv and get up the next day to go shopping on the main street, take in some history, go hiking, whatever.

I have not read the article, but I can give you my candid opinion...

great place to retire, beautiful, and a rare place in illinois with lots of hills and scenery! Lots of history too if you enjoy that kind of thing and it is close to Dubuque, which is experiencing some revitalization, I was in Galena recently, and some of the tourist traffic has died down in recent years and some of the stores were moving to Dubuque (a mistake in my estimation, but a testament to Dubuque anyway).

Galena is very quaint, and the business owners all seem to know each other well, it is a small town. I do like the fact it is is close to Chicago yet far enough away....

The people that live there seem to feel the same way...

[rgb123]

ps....there is a river running through Galena, very pretty....but is not the Missisissippi, the big river is about 10-20 miles further west (on the main road anyway).

I'm sure everyone knows this but I'm an annoying geographer who feels the need to point these things out.

[Katiana]

Thanks. My bad. As for "is it as good as it sounds", I think you should know the answer to that: of course not. But it still might be very good.

[Chicago60614]

Actually you can drive 2 miles from downtown Galena and be at the Mississippi River, so it's fairly close.