Moving to Carbondale IL from SC (Marion, Worth: apartment, hotel, houses)

[Beachgoer44]

Originally Posted by Salih1983

Beachgoer44 thank you so much for your helpful comments
appreciate it

You are welcome. Good luck to you and your family!

[Salih1983]

Originally Posted by myrc60

OMG have you not been to the many parks and lakes in the area? If you can't find anything to do with your children in the Upstate and WNC, you aren't looking very hard. Maybe you should come have a look in the Greenville/Spartanburg forum for some ideas. I understand you are going to school in Carbondale, but the area you live in now is far from boring.

Hello and thank you for your comment
I am a grad student and my schedule is very busy
Ya I know that there are alot around me but Clemson is very small town
There is not even a hospital here
I am moving up north because I had hard time here that my family is just staying home and have no thing to do here
Thank you

[linicx]

Hey dad! I know you study hard, but don't forget to take some time every day for the little people in your life. You won't regret it, and they won't forget it. Sometimes it is as simple as going downtown to get a coke or ice cream cone. I remember the nights dad woke me up at midnight on weekends to come eat fresh hot pizza he brought home. Mom and I would go get fresh hand made tamales on Friday night around 11pm. I also remember how terrified she was of a lift bridge because she could not swim.

By the way, you can find a wide selection of regional foods in Illinois too. Steak 'n Shake was born in Normal 80 years ago.

As to hospitals, it is common to not find a hospital in every small rural town; it's the norm.

[Salih1983]

Originally Posted by linicx

Hey dad! I know you study hard, but don't forget to take some time every day for the little people in your life. You won't regret it, and they won't forget it. Sometimes it is as simple as going downtown to get a coke or ice cream cone. I remember the nights dad woke me up at midnight on weekends to come eat fresh hot pizza he brought home. Mom and I would go get fresh hand made tamales on Friday night around 11pm. I also remember how terrified she was of a lift bridge because she could not swim.

By the way, you can find a wide selection of regional foods in Illinois too. Steak 'n Shake was born in Normal 80 years ago.

As to hospitals, it is common to not find a hospital in every small rural town; it's the norm.

Thanks alot
the problem here is there is no place to go unless driving at least 40 miles (Greenville)
As for Cemson, Its very tiny town no downtown at all
I do remember my dad did the same when I was child
Any way I am doing my best with them but still struggling with the study as it goes harder and harder
Now
One more thing
I was in Michigan in 2010 and I stayed up there for six months
It was the best time of my entire life and I had an amazing time there
To be honest with u, When I came to SC I got a shock
People here are totally different from ppl of Mich every thing seems substantially unlike what I got there
Language ppl traffic illegal ppl education system cars the way ppl thing more and more
I wanna end my presence here and go back to mich but the problem is the admission is not easy in mich and I got an admission in Carbondale and moving up
HOPEFULLY I can get used to in Carbondale IL as easy as Mich
WHat do u think
THx
how was ur weekend/.?

[linicx]

What I know is every state is different. I've lived in FL, CA., NM., IL, MI, MN, MO., and OK., plus I spent a fair amount of time in IA, AR., and LA.. No state is perfect; all have blemishes.

The North and South are as different as the East and West coasts. I do not like Florida, but I love SoCal; I cannot afford either. I prefer the Midwest as it has four seasons, and outside of the large cities, the COL is reasonable. I have always liked central Illinois particularly around Peoria as it is not as radically political and there are many amenities to enjoy.

I believe IL education K-8 is very good when parents are involved in schools and home work from Kindergarten to college. 9-12 is a craps shoot simply became high schools are filled with teenagers that need herding. It was the same 50 years ago. The diff is the drugs and alcohol were not the problem they are today for parents.

As a whole Illinois has some very good hospitals that have good sanitation policies in place. I took care of sick and dying family for 35 years, I was in public service for 20 years before my parents became sick. I've had a really broad education (in several states) regarding health issues, sanitization, dirty hospitals, and doctors who should not be licensed. It is one of the reasons I returned to Illinois when critical care was on the horizon. .

Traditionally SoIL has been the most ignored and underfunded part of the state. It is the poorest part of the state. It is where coal mining is and fraking will begin. Politically it is not very liberal, and probably very Christian. You may hear a southern drawl. SoIL was settled by folks from KY and TN. Marion is where one of the state prisons was built a few years ago. The general area has grown.

The four seasons are not as severe. Because of it spiders, ticks, mosquitoes, snakes and other critters thrive. If I was in your position I would live near campus before I would live on the edge of the city boundary that was not well developed, or the forest. I would have a house and I would have pest control 4 times annually to insure I did not have a problem with spider, wasp, fire ant, sweat bee, tick, flea, etc.. I would not have an outside pet. You have to examine kids and pets from head to toe every day in the summer for bites and ticks. It is almost mandatory.

Please read this: http://dailyegyptian.com/west-nile-m...ackson-county/

Because IL is nearly a peninsula it is very humid. If you have never walked in a cornfield in the summer, you don't know how hot and wet corn is. Spring and Fall are the best seasons in our state. Carbondale will be warmer in the winter. Last winter central Illlinois felt a few days of bitter cold -60F wind chill.

That's it in a nutshell. Because Carbondale is home of SIU, I expect you to have a good education. I think you will enjoy the area. Springfield is 1/10 the size of St. Louis and those are your closest large towns for shopping.

Groceries, shopping, and gasoline are cheaper in MO, plus it has the closet Trader Joe's, Costco and Whole Foods. Bulk buying groceries for a family is much cheaper than by the can at the local grocer. Aldi's is the exception. Where I live there is one grocer. The cost for a generic can of corn is approaching $2. Our Aldi is 35 miles.

The Aldi grocery store in Carbondale is where you will find the best grocery prices. The house brand is excellent and so are the dairy products. They have a large fresh meat selection. But. They also have !# and 2# chubs of ground 85/15 beef that is excellent and less expensive than the fresh meat. I really like the frozen juice, frozen ravioli, frozen chicken quarters, the canned chicken broth, canned veggies, dairy, cereals, frozen potato patties, and bakery products. Most are less expensive per item than Walmart. In the fall and winter Aldi brings in jackets and coats that are good quality and not expensive. These items fly out the door. The Christmas toys that are good quality do the same.

Walmart is in Carbondale, whilst Sam's Club is in Marion. Sam's has great bulk prices on most items, but you have to watch. Some canned items are more expensive than Walmart or Aldi.

Here is QuickFacts Carbondale from the US Census bureau
Carbondale (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

and the official site of Carbondale
Explore Carbondale

Carbondale Churches
Churches in Carbondale by Denomination, IL Illinois Church Directory.

Impressive restaurant list that includes Dairy Queen, Steak n' Shake, Sonic (awesome Limeade), and MORE!
Best Carbondale Restaurants - Illinois

And Trader Joe's in St. Louis. I like Brentwood location best.
http://www.city-data.com/locations/T...County-MO.html

Carbondale News
http://thesouthern.com
http://dailyegyptian.com
http://carbondaletimes.com
http://www.kfvs12.com/category/99579...state-illinois

[Salih1983]

Weldone Thanks a ton many many thanks for ur time
Hopefully I will have a good time and my family will enjoy it there

[Salih1983]

How is the accent of the people and how fast do they talk
thanks

[myrc60]

You'll find a mix of accents in Carbondale. Our relatives in West Frankfort (just north of Carbondale) have a mostly southern accent and I think you'll find that to be true of the natives especially. It's a college town so the population changes.

[Beachgoer44]

Originally Posted by Salih1983

How is the accent of the people and how fast do they talk
thanks

Salih1983-that depends on who you ask.....some people consider us natives, hicks with a slight southern drawl...natives consider our speech normal..there is a high Hispanic population, and by nature they talk faster than the natives. In Carbondale because of SIU, you will run into many different cultures of people..there are Asians, Islamics, Russians, Germans, Hispanics, city slickers, rednecks, etc. all of us speak differently. I lived in Idaho for awhile and was told I talk "funny."

Regarding some of the comments/suggestions given to you for shopping..it is a nice day trip to St. Louis to do a variety of things. However, it is not necessary anymore to travel there for shopping. Carbondale has a decent mall with Macys and JC Penny for anchor stores, and a variety of your average mall shops. Marion Mall anchor stores are Dillards, Target, and Sears. No other real notable stores in the Marion Mall. In Carbondale there are 2 Walgreens and one CVS. Aldi's, Krogers, And Scnucks are your chain grocers. Wal-Mart is the large discount retailer. I am not a promoter of the big chain stores, but go there out of necessity. You will find the highest quality of meat on South Hwy 51 in Carbondale at Arnold's Market, locally owned and operated.

Regarding religion, Carbondale is your melting pot. You will find all Faiths, Atheists and Agnostics.

Regarding public schools...I listed the two best in Carbondale. I'm not a public school supporter, but if I couldn't afford private school, I would have selected one of the two I listed for you.

There is not a state prison in Marion, that is a federal prison, and has been there for many years.

Last winter was brutal here..I have my own philosophy that Hell is cold....because I was pretty sure I was in it last winter!

Your family will do fine here during the time it takes you to finish your degree. I have no doubt you will move when finished, as this area has little to offer individuals in the way of employment.

[linicx]

Oops I forgot about the prison. Illinois has many prisons. State and federal are often not far from each other. I like Kroger's, too, as I can often find items I can't find in other stores. I don't know how far St. Louis is from Carbondale. It is probably not practical to make a weekly run for common items, but it is a nice get-away day trip in the fall or spring when it is not too hot to enjoy.