Get to know your fellow Illinoisans (Chicago, Kankakee: real estate, homes, camping)

[gardener34]

1) Where in IL do you currently live? Region or city, doesnt matter. Unincorporated St. Charles township
2) Do you like it there? Yes, except for archaic inappropriate Kane county zoning districts.
3) Were you born in IL? If so, where? Berkeley > Elmhurst > Cicero > St. Charles
4) If born out of state, how/why did you end up here. Do you like living here? N/A
5) Whats your favorite city/town in the state? Geneva, IL
6) Whats your favorite region of the state? Northwest, Mississippi valley region
7) What do you like least about the state? where do I start... Our Governor, the corruption, the fact that IL has no money, roads/infrastructure, the way our schools are funded, going to downtown chicago (too expensive), public transportation systems could be much better, badly planned sprawl...
8) What do you like most about the state? Jobs are here. Winters are not too bad (anymore).
9) Whats your favorite state park/recreation area in the state? starved rock region

[deegers]

Great thread and wonderful idea Steve! It is good to know the regulars here a little bit better. Again, gotta love Chicago threads. I'm going to have alttle fun myself...

1) Where in IL do you currently live? Region or city, doesnt matter. Used to live in Wheaton...hopefully, Geneva soon!
2) Do you like it there? Sure do!
3) Were you born in IL? If so, where? Elk Grove Village
4) If born out of state, how/why did you end up here. Do you like living here? native
5) Whats your favorite city/town in the state? I think that's obvious
6) Whats your favorite region of the state? northern is the coolest
7) What do you like least about the state? flat, no mountains
8) What do you like most about the state? trees!!
9) Whats your favorite state park/recreation area in the state? Starved Rock I think.

[BUalumni]

1) Dunlap, Illinios. About five miles north of Peoria.
2)Yes! Great schools, clean streets, best downstate shopping, etc.
3) No.
4) Born in Indy metro area, but moved back and forth between there and central Illinois. I went to school in Peoria for four years, and then spent several years of school in Downers Grove, Illinois, where I recieved my first real job and spent ten years. I was offered a position in Peoria and that is why we are here.
5) I love living in Dunlap, but I also enjoy all the great towns on the east side of the river, and of course Peoria with all of its diversity and attractions. I am increasingly spending more and more time in Bloomington/Normal which the family and I find as a good alternative to Peoria.
6)Central Illinois River Valley.
7)How Chicago controls everything from Rockford to Cairo. You don't realize it, or understand it, untill you have lived in both. I'm not quite as dramatic, or open, as some are around here. But I will say that if Chicago gets its way with the Peoria-Chicago highway, I will be one of the many that will take a job out of state the first chance we get. Not for better money, but based on the principle of the matter, and to show how out of touch Chicago really is with the rest of the state.
8)The great diversity that Illinois has, not only in population, but in the landscape. You can really do just about anything in terms of the outdoors in Illinois and if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes and it will change.
9) Too many to mention.
10) Alaska. As long as there is running water and electricity, I will be there.

[xxJoyfulxx]

Great thread Steveo, we have our preferred destination in common!

1) Where in IL do you currently live? Belvidere (northern IL, Boone county)
2) Do you like it there? Sure, it's ok
3) Were you born in IL? If so, where? Yep, Peoria
4) If born out of state, how/why did you end up here. Do you like living here? It's ok. I'm not too fond of IL over some other places I have been.
5) Whats your favorite city/town in the state? Not sure really but I like where I grew up (Newark, IL)
6) Whats your favorite region of the state? I don't really have a favorite
7) What do you like least about the state? The weather and the flat ground
8) What do you like most about the state? Plenty of jobs in the Chicago area, the city is fun and beautiful
9) Whats your favorite state park/recreation area in the state? Starved Rock

and last but not least...

10) If you could move somewhere else, where would you like to go? Estes Park, CO (just got back 2 days ago) or Fort Collins, CO, Anywhere in Colorado really, next choice would be New Zealand.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by xxJoyfulxx

Great thread Steveo, we have our preferred destination in common!

Yes! Estes Park is gorgeous. Id probably get bored there though, the town is soooo small. I wouldnt really care though, I have access to RMNP anytime I want.

Have you visited Galena? Or the Garden of the Gods? Mississippi Palisades? Or the LaRue-Pine Hills in IL? Those are the areas of the state that actually have hills, I think you might like it. I know how you feel, thats why Im suggesting you try these areas. Everytime I come back from CO Im disappointed with the landscape here too. But some weekend trips to the above-mentioned areas helps out ALOT. I actually really enjoy those areas, they have a Ozark-ish feel to some of them. Matthiessen State Park is another great place, as is Apple River Canyon State Park too. Just sharing some ideas to help you out with your mountain withdrawal syndrome.

[dogluver]

Just a fun thread to spice up the day a little... have fun with it!

1) Where in IL do you currently live? Region or city, doesnt matter. Coal City
2) Do you like it there? Yep!
3) Were you born in IL? If so, where? Berwyn
4) If born out of state, how/why did you end up here. Do you like living here?
5) Whats your favorite city/town in the state? Can't say I have one!
6) Whats your favorite region of the state? Don't travel much in IL so say.
7) What do you like least about the state? High cost of living
8) What do you like most about the state? Job market
9) Whats your favorite state park/recreation area in the state? Starved Rock

and last but not least...

10) If you could move somewhere else, where would you like to go?
Will be moving to Virginia in June 2008

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by dogluver

1) Where in IL do you currently live? Region or city, doesnt matter. Coal City

Coal City, huh? I knew a guy that used to make the commute from there to Geneva, IL, every morning. Insane!

[runninfiend]

Yes! Estes Park is gorgeous. Id probably get bored there though, the town is soooo small. I wouldnt really care though, I have access to RMNP anytime I want.

Have you visited Galena? Or the Garden of the Gods? Mississippi Palisades? Or the LaRue-Pine Hills in IL? Those are the areas of the state that actually have hills, I think you might like it. I know how you feel, thats why Im suggesting you try these areas. Everytime I come back from CO Im disappointed with the landscape here too. But some weekend trips to the above-mentioned areas helps out ALOT. I actually really enjoy those areas, they have a Ozark-ish feel to some of them. Matthiessen State Park is another great place, as is Apple River Canyon State Park too. Just sharing some ideas to help you out with your mountain withdrawal syndrome.

Estes is ok, but the western slope on the back side of RMNP is less touristy, and the San Juans of Colorado are absolute heaven in comparison.

It's funny, I hear people a lot saying how the topography of Illinois is boring, etc., but in reality, if you know where to go and how to appreciate it, it's every bit as inspiring as the mountains.

The depositional effects of glaciation may not compete in grandeur with the huge uplifts of the Rockies in scale, but the waterways carved through our till and loess have a much more diverse flora than most parts of the arid west.

For example, you don't see huge White oaks, Sycamore, Tulip tree, and near the diversity of grasses and sedge that you see in our more temperate Oak/Hickory (now largely Sugar Maple) woodlands.

There are beautiful spots all over Illinois, not just the usual suspects in the northwest and deep south parts of the state. You just have to know where to look.

That's not to say the Rockies aren't stunning, they are, but I think most Illinoisans really miss out by neglecting the interesting natural world in their own backyards.

Just my opinion.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by runninfiend

Estes is ok, but the western slope on the back side of RMNP is less touristy, and the San Juans of Colorado are absolute heaven in comparison.

It's funny, I hear people a lot saying how the topography of Illinois is boring, etc., but in reality, if you know where to go and how to appreciate it, it's every bit as inspiring as the mountains.

The depositional effects of glaciation may not compete in grandeur with the huge uplifts of the Rockies in scale, but the waterways carved through our till and loess have a much more diverse flora than most parts of the arid west.

For example, you don't see huge White oaks, Sycamore, Tulip tree, and near the diversity of grasses and sedge that you see in our more temperate Oak/Hickory (now largely Sugar Maple) woodlands.

There are beautiful spots all over Illinois, not just the usual suspects in the northwest and deep south parts of the state. You just have to know where to look.

That's not to say the Rockies aren't stunning, they are, but I think most Illinoisans really miss out by neglecting the interesting natural world in their own backyards.

Just my opinion.

Wonderful post! I couldnt agree more! While I wish we had more in the ways of mountains, Im completely fine here. I love hiking in IL and seeing all the diverse terrain and flora/fauna, even though Im not extremely well-versed in identifying them. I enjoy hiking flatlands and marvelling at marshes/bogs/prairies/etc as I am in the Rockies or Superstition Mts.

[Drover]

It's not the lack of mountains that dismays me about Illinois; after all, the Northwoods is one of my favorite parts of the country and there's nary a mountain or even a significant hill in sight. It's that natural beauty of any type is in short supply here. Illinois is very gifted in the sense that it is easily developed and has some of the most fertile soil on Earth. That has led to nearly every corner of the state being either paved over or plowed under. That's great for our economic development but leaves only tiny spots of natural beauty here and there. In Illinois, you have to make a concerted effort to seek out the natural beauty, especially if you want to see something you haven't seen before (Starved Rock is nice enough and all, but after a while it's like "yeah, I've seen this a few times already"). In other parts of the country, you walk out your front door and it's right there.