Moving to Paris, IL (for sale, job, hospital)

[MSmoving]

My family of a wife and three school aged children are moving to Paris, IL this summer. My question is, how safe is the town. Any major problems I should know about. I noticed on the crime statistics that there are 45 registered sex offenders which seemed a bit high for a town this size. We visited there about 3 weeks ago and found the historical homes to be a bit rundown with lots of potential if someone wanted to take on a home restoration project with the possibility of getting a deal on a home. Just don't want to end up in a bad part of town if there is such a thing in Paris. Any advice on housing, schools, or just an overview of the town would be helpful.
Thanks

[CathyinTN]

I am from IL and worked a lot in Paris. There are nice parts, a nice park with a lake. Be careful of the neighborhood that you choose...meth is a huge problem in Paris. They also have a huge problem with teen pregnancies. Every town has its positives and negatives. Good luck!!

[btjohnson83]

Paris isn't that bad of a town. it's a small town with good values. there are alot of good people here that will do anything for you. there are some people here that down right suck, but you'll have that anywhere you go. i notice that someone mentioned we have a lot of meth heads here. i dont think that it is anymore than anywhere else, but they are reallllllly cracking down on it in edgar county to try to eliminate the problem. that may be the reason for it sticking out. as for the teen pregnancy, take it how you want, but i think that that can be blamed largely on poor parenting and lack of involvement with children. but, who am i to judge? as far as the safety of the town, i believe that our police do a good job keeping the level of hoodlums at a minimum. i know that when i was a kid, they drug me home by the scruff of my neck a few times. if you do end up moving here, let me be the first to say welcome neighbor. our town may not be the best, but its home. brian johnson

[chelseaparrent25]

I was born in paris,IL and my mother born and raised their. I have many family members their, including brothers and sisters. My mother loved to move around a lot, so I have also moved around a lot and seen many city and towns. I was one of those teenage moms (at 15) and I was in phoenix when I did that. So what I'm saying is that teenage pregnacy is everywhere. As for drugs you also have that in big cities or small towns. I love Paris. I love the people and the historical of the town. That's what give it' s charecter.

[jlw55]

I have lived in Paris all my life. I am 53 yrs old. With any town you get good and bad but this is home. It has such great neighbors and you won't go anywhere in this town that you won't find a friendly face or a helpful hand if you need one. I have seen people with less than my family had come to us when our home burnt and offer us whatever help they could give us. I have seen and been a part of so many benefits to help the sick/aged/dying. I have seen handicap ramps being built for people by people that didn't even know them. As for the meth problems in this town, I have two children, 18 and 29 and I neither of my kids do drugs/smoke or drink. I think alot of it has to do with the supervision they get at home and how aware the parent is of who their children hang around with and where they go. The teenage pregnancy rate in this town is not as high as it used to be I don't think. The one thing this town DOES LACK is something for the younger kids to do. I don't mean the age of children still on bicycles or going to the skating rink. I mean the jr high and mostly high school age kids that are already at a difficult age and not having a place to congregate and socialize with each other that is somewhat structured but not heavy laden with alot of silly rules is why SOME tend to get into trouble. Idle hands/idle minds...you know the saying. It seems to be true here. I know my son is so bored with nothing to do sometimes but he says everyday I AM NEVER MOVING FROM PARIS. That is very comforting to know that he will remain close to me but still the lack of opportunity here is very worrysome. Holding down a full time job at 18 yrs old and then having no recreation within your own hometown is rough on him as well as his friends. College is not for everyone. Lets see what we can do to find the kids/young adults in this fine town something to occupy their time without watching them like hawks just waiting on them to do something wrong so they can be busted while the meth heads still do what they want. If you are bringing driving age children to this town beware of the officers that like to just sit in waiting for their tickets in the comfort of their squad cars that WE pay for because some of them don't want to take a chance and find the real criminals or drug dealers. Too dangerous for them. Why do that when you can get your quota just sitting out of eye range and waiting on someone thats speeding. Much safer for them while the danger to the people that are using the drugs and dealing the drugs continues. Seems the police in this town are so busy with the good kids that might speed or cross lanes too quickly to actually go out and find the ones that are committing crimes that hurt others alot more. In a nutshell..Paris IS a great place to live, good teachers, good people, friendly people, helpful people. We have a definate lack of business for shopping. It's very hard to keep a small business going in a city of this size since there are bigger cities with malls and alot of competitors in the food business. Would be great to have more restaurant chains here as well. If you want burgers or pizza, Paris is your place!!!

[MSmoving]

Thanks for the many replies to my questions and concerns. We have now been in Paris for 4 months. We have so far been pleased with our decision to move here. As a southerner for 33 years, I can honestly say, hospitality can not be claimed by the South alone. Since our arrival, we have been greeted by nothing but courteous people. The first month we were here, two people from the neighborhood brought desserts to our home. I can agree with some of the points of view: 1) The teenagers do seem to need more than a parking lot to keep them entertained. 2) I think the town could support more dining and shopping options.
I must say, I was pleased to see a movie theater in a town this small, and you can't beat the price. The parks are nice, and I don't see evidence of a lot of crime (vandalism, theft, hoodlums, etc.). Overall this seems to be a great little town.
There seems to be a lot of failed restaurant business here. I've noticed about three buildings that appear to have been restaurants that are closed and for sale. Does it seem as though the town couldn't support them or that they were ill managed? If any one has an idea let me know.

Thanks