more thoughts on champaign-urbana? (Ogden: housing, crime, college)

[crazylilkelly]

i posted earlier & got one opinion about living in CU. My husband & i are planning on staying out here (go to uofi). I just wanted to hear from people who have lived in the community about they have to say. From schools to activites, give me all you got. I think we're may also look into st. joe. thanks!

[Switch625]

Hey, I live in St. Joe! What do you want to know about that community?

[crazylilkelly]

Originally Posted by Switch625

Hey, I live in St. Joe! What do you want to know about that community?

everything! schools, housing, community feel... i graduate from uofi in may of 08 & my husband graduates a yr after me. we're considering st. joe too. i've just heard that so many ppl like living out there. i like that it's so close to CU. i would appreciate any info you could give me. (i know we still have a while til we graduate but i love learning this stuff early, then we'll be more prepared when the time comes!).

[Drover]

My wife grew up in St. Joe. Her mom and two brothers still live there. We spend a lot of time there.

There's a tight community feel there. It is a small town after all. Some suggest it's a little too tight and that long-term residents in particular have a slight sense of superiority. I kind of agree but it's not intolerable. Nobody will shun the newcomer.

Quality of housing stock is generally good. People take care of their property, keep their lawns mowed, keep their houses painted, et cetera. Said stock is a mix of pre-WWII two-story four-squares (some quite stately), post-WWII ranches, and more contemporary shiny-new-subdivision stuff. In fact a pretty big subdivision is going up right behind a brand new junior high school right now.

There is a small downtown area. It's mostly mom-and-pop shops, a small IGA grocery store, a diner-type place and a small hardware store. For more substantial shopping and dining needs, Chambana is a 15-minute interstate drive away.

Property values: climbing. Rapidly. This is a good place to get in near the ground floor. Lots of surrounding farmland means lots of opportunity for the city to expand. And that's what it's doing, as people look for a cheaper, quality alternative to C-U.

Schools: St.Jo/Ogden is probably one of the best rural high schools in the state. Certainly one one of the best schools in the area. Their focus is truly on college-prep and not just getting kids the bare minimum and shovin' me out the door like some other schools in the area.

[Switch625]

Property values are heading for the stratosphere. Buy as soon as possible if you want to locate here. Try to buy one of the older homes rather than out in the subdivisions. The older homes have character and are very sturdy. Some need cosmetic help, but a little elbow grease will fix that.

Not only is the town expanding, but it is also expanding it's services. The village is preparing to build a sports complex for public use. The diner Drover mentioned has closed, but a new one will be opening soon. Within the next few years, the town is expecting to get a Monical's pizza parlor, a McDonald's, and a Mexican restaurant will be opening on the site of the old diner. The downtown has the basics, as there is also a pharmacy, a library, and several bank branches in the downtown area. As the above poster said, for major shopping needs Champaign-Urbana is close by.

The schools are indeed excellent, and the high school sports teams are very strong (if that's important to you). The town is halfway between rural small town and suburb in feel. Still a tight knit community, but there are also folks who just sleep here at night and do everything elsewhere.

By the way, a bit of trivia. The Saint Joseph library has a few interesting curios, the main one being a real tiger skin that is over 100 years old. The person who founded the library was an eccentric collector of oddities.

I moved here because I had friends here, but I quickly grew to love the town. It's quiet, crime is non-existent by city standards, and the community is generally friendly. If you have children or are planning to have children, there is no better place in Champaign county to be than in Saint Joseph. The schools beat the schools of Champaign-Urbana in every way.

One last thing. There are more antique stores in Saint Joseph than in any comparably sized town that I've ever been to. I have no idea why this place became the antique capital of east central Illinois, but there it is.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Switch625

a Mexican restaurant will be opening on the site of the old diner

El Toro! I love that place and I'm ecstatic they're opening one in StJoe. Now my mom-and-law and I don't have to drive all the way to Champaign to get our margarita fix. Too bad my wife and her brothers are addicted to Chevy's. Oh well, they can drive all the way to Champaign while Mama and I go to El Toro and stumble home.

One last thing. There are more antique stores in Saint Joseph than in any comparably sized town that I've ever been to. I have no idea why this place became the antique capital of east central Illinois, but there it is.

I think Clingan Auction has a lot to do with that. He manages to find a lot of truly high-quality stuff. My mom-in-law has loaded up her house with thousands of dollars of trinkets bought at his auction house. She knows a few people who own antique or retail stores that buy a lot of stuff at his auctions and resell them in their stores.

[Switch625]

Chevy's? Blech. How can you go to Chevy's when the likes of El Toro and Dos Reales are around?

[crazylilkelly]

thanks for the replies.