Champaign, IL (Chicago, Urbana, Savoy: houses, condos, rent)

[cyclone1982]

Hi all, I might be moving to Champaign next fall for graduate school and had a few questions. Firstly, I'm just curious about the town (how is traffic, what is there to do, cost of living, etc). Even though I grew up about 3 hours from there, I've never been to Champaign aside from passing through on the interstate.

Also, how much would rent cost per month for either a 1-bedroom apartment for myself, or a 2-bedroom that I would share with someone else? Preferably for something either near campus or near a bus route that heads to campus.

[illini84]

Hi,
I did my undergrad at UIUC and loved it there! Champaign is such a nice, clean town that surprisingly has quite a bit to do. It's experiencing exponential growth right now with several large-scale mixed-use developments going in downtown and on campus. Traffic isn't really bad, except for on Illini game days (particularly football game days) and a few other times here and there. Campus is pretty congested most of the time though and there is very little parking. The bus system in Champaign is excellent (is nationally recognized), which is what I used all throughout college. I lived downtown and could get to the south Quad on campus quicker than I could drive my car there, since there was no parking and I'd always end up walking several blocks. The bus would literally pick me up at my front door and drop me off at the door of my class. As a student, you get to ride the bus for free, too.

Cost of living is pretty normal I think, but I guess it depends on where you grew up. Of course it costs quite a bit more if you're used to small-town living, but is definitely less than the cost of living in Chicago. With regards to rent, living on campus or downtown is more expensive than elsewhere in Champaign, but those are the two prime areas in my opinion. Bus routes swarm both areas, so you'll probably never have to walk more than a block to ride the bus (this goes for most of Champaign though). Campus is nice if you're looking to be close to your classes, but I think the crowd tends to be more of the undergrads and frats. Most grad students frequent downtown for the bars (I can think of at least 10 popular ones within a few blocks of downtown), the restaurants, and the coffee houses (mostly filled with grad/PhD students). It's nice to live there if you want to be close to all of those things. For a 1 bedroom, you'd probably pay in the $500-$900 range, depending on where you lived and how nice of a place you want. For a 2 bedroom, probably $800-$1200, depending on the same things. Good luck, you'll love it!

[chambana]

I've lived in Urbana for 7 years...A traffic jam in chambana is 10 cars at a stop sign(except on market view rd where it's 20 cars). If you've done any big city driving you'll think you're in heaven!

Cheap rents near campus can be got for $350--450 for studios...but don't expect alot for that price. Crime around the Green street area can be a problem...easy pickins for the crooks. Nice accomodations can be had in the $650--$900+ for one-two bedroom condos/appts. I live in a 2 bedroom condo
3 miles from campus and it's very nice. But more importantly, IT'S SAFE!!
So safety=$$

mark

[Ecky]

I went to undergraduate school at U of I. Traffic isn't an issue unless it's football weekend and even then it's isolated to the south part of campus. You really won't need to use a car much, it's a large campus but you'll find most of your graduate work occuring in a focused part of campus. Groceries can be purchase within walking distance, but with a car you'll be better able to get to stores with lower prices. Enjoy your time there, it's a great school.

[M TYPE X]

Wow! This place sounds great! I gotta move there!

... oh wait, I am already here.

Exponential growth what? A few new stores on Prospect? New Schnucks in Savoy? An I-57 interchange with Curtis Road that won't open until after we're all dead?
A downtown that is slooooooooooooooowly waking up? I do admit that all the high rises in the Green Street area are a little exciting.

[illini84]

How about the M2 high rise opening downtown? You've gotta admit, that's a pretty impressive project for a small-sized city such as Champaign. What about the Burnham Redevelopment project on campus (high rise and town houses)? Or the high rises on Green Street with lots of new retail? Look at all the bars and restaurants that have gone in downtown just within the last couple of years! Downtown has also gone COMPLETELY wireless for the public. I've lived in St. Louis and Miami after living in Champaign and they don't even have that!

I would still go back to Champaign. It's such a nice, clean, safe town. St. Louis and Miami are crime-ridden, congested, filthy dirty, very unwalkable, and have terrible public transportation. People hate on Champaign (namely the townies and Chicagoans), but try living somewhere else for awhile...

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by illini84

How about the M2 high rise opening downtown? You've gotta admit, that's a pretty impressive project for a small-sized city such as Champaign. What about the Burnham Redevelopment project on campus (high rise and town houses)? Or the high rises on Green Street with lots of new retail? Look at all the bars and restaurants that have gone in downtown just within the last couple of years! Downtown has also gone COMPLETELY wireless for the public. I've lived in St. Louis and Miami after living in Champaign and they don't even have that!

I would still go back to Champaign. It's such a nice, clean, safe town. St. Louis and Miami are crime-ridden, congested, filthy dirty, very unwalkable, and have terrible public transportation. People hate on Champaign (namely the townies and Chicagoans), but try living somewhere else for awhile...

I did. Never came back. It's a great place to go to school. I got tired of the college town atmosphere after a few years. Lived there for seven.

[illini84]

Understandable. It's a great place for the 20-early 30s crowd, but I could see where it would get old after that.

[ndb]

I've lived here for about 8 years, my wife went to Vet school here and I work at the University...4 years after her school is done and we are still here. It's a nice, clean town. Cost of living is cheaper that most other places unless you go to a smaller town.

nb

[Mr Bigman]

Its a nice area to attend school, but we checked out the area and we seen alot of blacks hanging on the corner of Kirby and not sure of the street which pretty much told us to look elsewhere. Good schooling and a friend of mine lives there, but its kind of of seedy cuz of that element.