Decatur IL Move or stay away? (Chicago, Rockford: rental, crime, mortgage)

[Josh1985]

I am a 22 year olds and I need to get out NW Pennsylvania
It is a economically depressed area and very rural. I just happened to be looking at a map of IL and saw Decatur .

What kind of Jobs are there. I will need to rent so what the rental prices like. How about shopping,entertainment,etc.
How large is it I am looking for a small city but not a small town

[arpschneider]

Originally Posted by Josh1985

I am a 22 year olds and I need to get out NW Pennsylvania
It is a economically depressed area and very rural. I just happened to be looking at a map of IL and saw Decatur .

What kind of Jobs are there. I will need to rent so what the rental prices like. How about shopping,entertainment,etc.
How large is it I am looking for a small city but not a small town

In terms of costs of living, Decatur is quite reasonable, but that is due to the job market being slim. Of course, this depends upon your job skills and if you have marketable skills, you ought to be able to find something to make a living.

However, that said, 40 miles to the north, you should find much better economic opportunities in Bloomington/Normal than in Decatur. I live about half-ways in-between the two and we often joke about "a tale of two cities" comparison between the two communities, because it's true. Decatur has quite a bit more of the "blight" you're prolly accustomed to in NW Pennsylvania (Kind of reminds me of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area); whereas B/N is very much more up-and-coming and many "white collar" jobs abound. There is, of course, much construction activity to support the growth. I think it has been much less affected by the mortgage meltdown than some of the more "trendy" areas of the country.

HTH!

[supernova9]

I'm not sure what you do for a living, or if that is a consideration in your move, but unless it's crucial that you live in Decatur to do it, I would highly reccomend not moving there. It's a pretty rough town.

I second the notion that Bloomington-Normal is a markedly better area to live in every way. The job opportunities there eclipse Decatur wholesale, even for non degree holders. I would reccomend it over Champaign for job market, but Champaign is better for nightlife.

Central and East Central IL are very easy places to live, except for the winter. ;-) The universities and corporate entities in Bloomington-Normal, Peoria, and Champaign-Urbana tend to keep the area in a bit of a "bubble" economically, which is a good thing. Best of luck in your decision!

[irish setter girl]

I agree with Bloomington-Normal as a great alternative. Most of my DH's family who are younger all left as soon as they could.

[Steve-o]

Steer clear of Decatur, come to Chicagoland where there are actually jobs.

[lesueuj]

My husband and I moved here to Decatur, IL about four years ago when he accepted a senior position with one of the major employers (Tate & Lyle, ADM, or Caterpillar) in town. We moved from northern NJ and after visiting Decatur to do an initial house-hunting trip--I only agreed to move here if we could purchase a nice house on the lake.

Fortunately, the housing prices in Decatur are lower than the national average... BUT you have to look at the entire picture of this town. Yes, I'd agree with the earlier responder that Decatur is a pretty rough town--crime in certain parts of the city, honestly fairly limited employment opportunities (unless you have specific skills for our city's largest employers mentioned above).

For a city of 85,000-95,000 people, Decatur lacks the cultural ambiance (decent restaurants, things to do for younger people, etc.) I'd have expected to find. Fortunately we do not have any children--honestly, the public school system in Decatur is not the greatest so many if they can afford it, choose to send their children to private schools.

Having myself worked in HR for one of this city's largest employers, I can share that it was a problem trying to attract good young talent/new college graduates from out-of-state to Decatur. I would have to agree with the earlier writers to recommend other nearby cities (Springfield, Champaign, or Bloomington/Normal) over Decatur.

Best of luck!

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Josh1985

I am a 22 year olds and I need to get out NW Pennsylvania
It is a economically depressed area and very rural. I just happened to be looking at a map of IL and saw Decatur .

What kind of Jobs are there. I will need to rent so what the rental prices like. How about shopping,entertainment,etc.
How large is it I am looking for a small city but not a small town

Moving from NW Pennsylvania to Decatur would be hopping out of the frying pan and into the fire. If you have your heart set on central IL, check out Bloomington. It's a much more vital place.

[BUalumni]

Originally Posted by Drover

Moving from NW Pennsylvania to Decatur would be hopping out of the frying pan and into the fire. If you have your heart set on central IL, check out Bloomington. It's a much more vital place.

I second that. Bloomington/Normal, the greater Peoria area, Springfield, and Champaign/Urbana are all FAR better places to live, work, and play than Decatur will ever be. Out of the five big downstate cities, Decatur ranks the lowest by a long shot when compared to the others. It isn't as if to say that Decatur is a raging crime/poverty stricken area. But it isn't any Peoria or by any means Bloomington, by any shot. Decatur is in my opinion just a very boring town. For a city that is home to such a liberal college, there is really nothing to be had. In general, there are several areas of the state that cast a dark shadow on everyone. These include, but sadly not always limited too: Rockford (Northern Illinois), Aurora (Chicagoland), Joliet (Chicagoland), Elgin (Chicagoland), Gary (in the state of Indiana, but part of Chicagoland), and sadly Decatur. I have heard that at one time it was really a nice place to live. But unlike Peoria, Decatur has not been so fortunate in turning its buisness climate around.

[Clint_Noname]

Originally Posted by BUalumni

I second that. Bloomington/Normal, the greater Peoria area, Springfield, and Champaign/Urbana are all FAR better places to live, work, and play than Decatur will ever be. Out of the five big downstate cities, Decatur ranks the lowest by a long shot when compared to the others. It isn't as if to say that Decatur is a raging crime/poverty stricken area. But it isn't any Peoria or by any means Bloomington, by any shot. Decatur is in my opinion just a very boring town. For a city that is home to such a liberal college, there is really nothing to be had. In general, there are several areas of the state that cast a dark shadow on everyone. These include, but sadly not always limited too: Rockford (Northern Illinois), Aurora (Chicagoland), Joliet (Chicagoland), Elgin (Chicagoland), Gary (in the state of Indiana, but part of Chicagoland), and sadly Decatur. I have heard that at one time it was really a nice place to live. But unlike Peoria, Decatur has not been so fortunate in turning its buisness climate around.

I will have to respectfully disagree that Springfield is a better city than Decatur. Sure, Springfield may have a better economy and more to do, but there's just so much corruption, crime, trash, gangs, and drugs there that it's impossible to live a happy life. In my opinion, Decatur is an okay place if you can find a job and are not raising kids (the public school system is terrible). Yes, there are rough areas, but the crime is nowhere near as bad as Springfield...and if you don't believe me, you can look up the statistics on the Illinois State Police website. That being said, I think that Bloomington, Champaign, and Peoria are better options (albeit with a higher cost of living).

[bls5555]

Bloomington-Normal, Peoria, Champaigne, Rock Island/Davenport IA area (though out of the loop of the others), Decatur, Springfield.


That's my order and Im sticking with it!!!! I have to say that Springfield, IL is one of the most depressing places I have ever been. The plus about Decatur is that there is a nice little town on the north side. I can't remember the name of it but the mall is there. At least the couple times I have been there it seemed nice (Forsyth maybe?).