Advice on possible move to Carbondale (Carterville, Girard: apartments, houses, buying)

[momoftwokids]

My husband was recently offered a position as a professor at SIUC starting in the fall. We both attended graduate school there 20+ years ago, so I am familiar with the area but unsure if it is a good move for our family.

We have two children who are in elementary school and are wondering if Unity Point or Giant City would be a better fit for them. My children are shy, quiet, have difficulty making friends, and are currently enrolled in gifted education. A school that is more focused on academics than sports would be ideal since they are not involved in sports. Does anyone have advice on which school is a better fit for my kids?

What do young kids/teenagers do in the area for fun? My kids don't hunt and fish, but they enjoy hiking and I know there are a lot of trails in the area. I have spent hours trying to find things to do in the area and haven't come up with much other than the occasional film festival or fair in town. I love St. Louis, but am wondering what there is to do in town and where kids hang out with their friends as they get older.

Any advice folks have about raising children in Carbondale is appreciated. I know the area is beautiful and enjoyed living there as a student, but am having a hard time imagining what life would be like for our children!

Thanks and have a great day!

[Beachgoer44]

In Southern Illinois in general, sports tend to be a priority over education. It is unfortunate but true. My son is an athlete, but we opted for him to be a student athlete and not an athletic student. He goes to private school for that very reason.

Having said that, either Giant City or Unity Point will be good options. I'm a little biased and normally recommend Unity Point, only because I am very good friends with one of the administrators. Both schools offer the best public education available, and have fewer social problems than Parrish, Thomas and Lewis schools. GC and UP are also K-8 schools, so if you stay through junior high, your children will not change schools until high school.

I believe Unity Point may have move SIU faculty kids. Therefore, your family may be around like-minded people.

Activities for kids are limited to what you already listed. Giant City State Park will offer the hiking, Cedar Lake swimming, kayaking, and canoeing. Carbondale has a fairly new skating rink. The Science Center in the mall is not all that great, mediocre at best. Most of us travel to St. Louis, Paducah or Cape Girardeau for better options.

I hope this helps.

[novabrite]

I would stay in Carbondale if it was my family, but that's just me. When I lived in the area 10 years ago, we ended up buying in DeSoto to save some money. I thought we were going to get a charming small town experience. It was terrible. No one would talk to us because we were "outsiders" My husband's friends were Japanese and enjoyed coming over and working on their cars in our garage, since they didn't have garage space at their own apartments. We had the police called on us for having "illegal aliens in and out of our home." No joke. We also had the police called on us because of the suspicion that we were making meth. The sheriff's deputy went through our garbage. There was absolutely NO truth to this awful allegation. We were quiet, friendly people, but no one wanted anything to do with us. We were encouraged by some of my husband's coworkers to move to Carterville. Apparently it was seen as a better family area. Everyone we met when looking at that area was VERY conservative and many quite unabashedly racist. If I had it to do over again, we would have lived in Carbondale, preferably within walking distance of the food co-op, indie coffee houses, etc. I had a friend who grew up attending Carbondale public schools, and she loved it. She even got a college scholarship for tennis, so I would say they have more opportunities than the smaller town schools.

[Beachgoer44]

DeSoto is not a place I would recommend either.