Pros and Cons of Springfield (Chicago, Bloomington: fit in, insurance, crime rate)

[Grah3426]

My husband and I are thinking about moving to Springfield to be closer to family. My parents live just north of St. Louis and my grandparents live in Greenville. I have heard mixed reviews about Springfield. I have heard some unfortunate reviews of the public school system but since we plan to homeschool our children that doesn't bother me too much. One concern I do have is the crime rate. What are the areas to avoid? We had been looking at some houses a little south of the fairgrounds on N. 11th St. Is that an okay area safety wise? Any advice or insight would be welcomed.

[linicx]

If I was buying and I wanted to live in the Springfield area I would look a little farther north at the Petersburg area. It is the seat of Menard County government. It is a tightly knit farm community with a short drive time to Springfield, and. There has only been 2 reports of tornadic activity in 50 years.

I do not like tornado weather. Springfield, Lincoln, Bloomington, Pontiac are all on I-55. All have been visited by tornadic activity. Sangamon County (Spfld has had 70 reports of activity and more than two direct hits in Spfld; McLean County (Bloomington) has had 100 reports of activity. .

Most of our storms move SW to NE. Therefore Northwest and Southeast appear to be safer areas, generally, in which to live. This is not just an Illinois problem. It is border to border in the US. Tornado and Hurricane are nature's evil twins. I cannot imagine living in any house in the Midwest that did not have a basement.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by linicx

Most of our storms move SW to NE. Therefore Northwest and Southeast appear to be safer areas, generally, in which to live...

What???

[Maintainschaos]

Springfield is a perfectly fine albeit sleepy town for the most part (although some of this is changing). Historically, Springfield has had consistent and low unemployment with a relatively white collar workforce focused on government, health care, insurance, and law. The cost of living in Springfield is generally very low, and housing costs are very affordable. The city has just about everything you would want from a major metro area for the most part, but you'll quickly realize it's just an overgrown small town (maybe a third of a million people in the entire metro area). There are tons of restaurants and an expanding brewery scene and farm-to-table movement in the area. Springfield also enjoys easy and quick access to St. Louis and Chicago on I-55 or on Amtrak. The airport is small, but there's a much more extensive and nicer regional airport in Bloomington.

Some of the public schools are good and some are bad, but most of the information can be found online and you can look up report cards for different public schools. Springfield has a pretty extensive parochial school system for a city of its size, and the education their is normally worth its cost. Most of the small towns/suburbs that surround Springfield also have good school systems (Chatham, Rochester, Sherman, etc.).

Crime is really focused around a narrow area on the southeast side of Springfield, bound by approximately 11th St., Ash St., Cook St., and over to approximately Dirksen Parkway. That is really the only area of the city to avoid when looking for housing. The area near the fairgrounds, especially as you get closer to Lincoln park, is very nice with older, more historic homes that can range from small to palatial. The newest and largest expanding areas are on the west and southwest sides of the city, if you are looking for newer housing.

[cuja1]

I agree with maintainschaos. The bad parte of Springfield is generally the east side. Most crime is concentrated there.

[Mortheos]

I concur with Maintainschaos. my wife and her sis lived in Springfield. They recommend north of north Grand street. LincolnPark is at the northend of 6th street, and is a nice park l concurwith linicx on Petersburg, tho it would be a walk to the dollar general. otherwise it is walkable to the county market, but thats about it for basic shopping.

[MoonBeam33]

Originally Posted by Grah3426

My husband and I are thinking about moving to Springfield to be closer to family. My parents live just north of St. Louis and my grandparents live in Greenville. I have heard mixed reviews about Springfield. I have heard some unfortunate reviews of the public school system but since we plan to homeschool our children that doesn't bother me too much. One concern I do have is the crime rate. What are the areas to avoid? We had been looking at some houses a little south of the fairgrounds on N. 11th St. Is that an okay area safety wise? Any advice or insight would be welcomed.

Springfield is hit or miss in many areas. If you are conservative, you will fit in better, but if you are liberal you will have to work a little harder to find your people.

Springfield middle and high schools are terrible. Some of the elementary schools are ok, but most are middling if that. There are charter schools, but they are on the lottery system so there is not guarantee.

Anything anywhere on 11th street is a big fat NO. Stay away from the east side, a good chunk of the north side, and there are now pockets of the south-west side that are no good. The west side/far west side is generally safe, good neighborhoods.

Crime rate is going up and no one is immune, but there are definite areas to avoid. There are drugs and gangs, both contributing to the rising crime rate. Springfield has lots of colorful characters who will either make your life more interesting or be the bane of your existence.

[Fedguy86]

My wife and I moved to Springfield from socal a yr and a half ago and we are leaving in a month for Norcal. Springfield is a decent town, I honestly haven't noticed much crime since I've been here, even though i read about it a lot before moving here. Chatham is just south of Springfield and that's a nice quiet area. Sherman to the north is small but safe, and most of the nicer areas are the SW part of the city IMO. The mall is there and a lot of other stores.

Pros: cheap cost of living, historical significance, not too far from STL, and not a bad place to raise a family. I've also found most of the people to be very nice.

Cons: Lack of recreation - there just isn't much to do here. I've had family visit and they always ask "what is there to do around here?", and I say "visit Lincolns house and go the bars". It is flat, prairie farmland so there isn't much scenery or great places to hike, etc. The bike trail from Chatham to Springfield is kinda nice tho. The food is also not the greatest. There are only a few good restaurants in town. Obed and Isaacs is a cool restaurant/brewery that is right by the Lincoln village.

I just couldn't see myself living here for 30 yrs. I need mountains, scenery, cool places to go, of which norcal has plenty of, even if i have to put up with the cost of living and the traffic. Plus the weather is soooo much better.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Fedguy86

My wife and I moved to Springfield from socal a yr and a half ago and we are leaving in a month for Norcal. Springfield is a decent town, I honestly haven't noticed much crime since I've been here, even though i read about it a lot before moving here. Chatham is just south of Springfield and that's a nice quiet area. Sherman to the north is small but safe, and most of the nicer areas are the SW part of the city IMO. The mall is there and a lot of other stores.

Pros: cheap cost of living, historical significance, not too far from STL, and not a bad place to raise a family. I've also found most of the people to be very nice.

Cons: Lack of recreation - there just isn't much to do here. I've had family visit and they always ask "what is there to do around here?", and I say "visit Lincolns house and go the bars". It is flat, prairie farmland so there isn't much scenery or great places to hike, etc. The bike trail from Chatham to Springfield is kinda nice tho. The food is also not the greatest. There are only a few good restaurants in town. Obed and Isaacs is a cool restaurant/brewery that is right by the Lincoln village.

I just couldn't see myself living here for 30 yrs. I need mountains, scenery, cool places to go, of which norcal has plenty of, even if i have to put up with the cost of living and the traffic. Plus the weather is soooo much better.

I agree that Springpatch does not have a lot going for it, but I've been to Sacramento too and other state capitals (like Albany) and they all seem to have a bad environment due to the unhealthy way those state's are run. It encourages a miserly attitude toward workers and discourages more fun things like dining out and outdoor recreation. It is more fun to head over to UC Davis than to mope around Sacramento...