Exciting places to live, "not far" from Macomb

[linicx]

Macomb is in the Illinois corn and beef belt; farming towns that surround it. Illinois has five basic metropolital areas: Chicago, Peoria, Springfild, Champaign and Bloomington-Normal. There isn't much on the Illinois side of the Quad-Cities (but there used to be a nudist camp not far away). Much the same can be said for the Illinois side of the St. Louis metro area.

Peoria would probably meet your expectations quite well for it offers a variety of entertainment from live jazz to live theater to national acts that appear in the Peoria Civic Center to a band shell. Shopping and worship is just as diverse. Peoria has several museums, plus you can find a glass blower, potter, cigar maker, upscale shopping and fine dining as well as national chains, fast food and regional foods like the "Made-Rite" sandwich and "Steak n' Shake" that originated in N-B area. Peoria has three or four nice shopping areas: Sheridan Village, Metro Center, Northwoods Mall, Shoppes of Grand Prarie, a strip mall across the street from Sheridan Village, another strip mall west of Glen and War Memorial (Lowe's Petsmart, restaurants and several other stores), plus there are some nice shops in Peoria Heights. The bakery on Prospect Road south of War Memorial is like nothing you have ever experienced. Peoria also has minor league hockey and baseball teams, plus a medical school, three hospitals, one of hte largest park systems in the state, and a plethora of bars and hotels.

It is not be easy to find housing in any small town. Canton is in between Peoria and Macomb and has a population of about 25-30k. But, you're probably better off renting in the area where you are going to work for a year and take that time to investigate your options.

[etme]

Wow, what excellent information!

Quincy seem to be basically at the same distance as Quad CIties; the advantage is Amtrak, yet, as you were saying, the hours are somewhat impossible.

Peoria presents the same situation; same distance as QC (in terms of travel), but no Amtrak.

Galesburg might be an option, in terms of being halfway to everything else, and has Amtrak. It's also a fourty minutes ride, which is not that much. There's a train that gets in in the morning, and one leaving late afternoon. Hmmm... I am wondering if I could learn more about Galesburg, then... Is it a nice place to live? I read somewhere that there is some crime, especially in the south part.

So that's where I am right now, guys...

[kriskaden]

Galesburg doesn't have high crime. However, you can't exactly leave your house unlocked, but you don't have to feel threatened either. The only places I would avoid would be the southwest side of town. It's mostly industrial and the neighborhoods there are not the best. I would stick to the north side, anywhere north of Main Street is pretty decent. If you're buying a house, the taxes on the north end are much higher. We live on East Losey Street and we're in a nice neighborhood with low taxes.

Here are some links:

City of Galesburg, IL
Galesburg, Illinois - Visit www.galesburg.ORG

[linicx]

[quote=etme;4313120]Wow, what excellent information!

Quincy seem to be basically at the same distance as Quad CIties; the advantage is Amtrak, yet, as you were saying, the hours are somewhat impossible.

Again, where you live depends upon your expectations and your wants.
Moving to a new area is not easy. Most likely you will pay first and last month rent in advance, plus you will mostly likely pay deposits on utilities. And, you need to know that many small towns are "clannish".

Quincy is a river town that floods. Galesburg is about 90 minutes from Peoria via I-74.

You cannot avoid crime anywhere. But, if you live in a small town that has its own police department, chances are you will see a lot less crime. It is not wise to leave doors unlocked in any town.

The smart thing to do is take a vacation and spend a few days in the area. I don't think you will like Amtrak unless you are already used to it; it isn't exactly the El.

[KBF]

I hate to be the one to say it but you are asking for a bit more than you will find in the area. Quincy does have some art galaries and is growing, but you are not likely to find much unless you are willing to do a lot of traveling. You are going to an area full of farmers who do not have the time to live a cultured life. I know I grew up there an moved because there was not enough to stimulate my brain. I wish you luck in you endevour.

[linicx]

Like KBF said, if you want the social life you'll drive to Peoria to find it.

[jessiegirl_98]

[quote=linicx;4461348]

Originally Posted by etme

Wow, what excellent information!

Quincy seem to be basically at the same distance as Quad CIties; the advantage is Amtrak, yet, as you were saying, the hours are somewhat impossible.

Again, where you live depends upon your expectations and your wants.
Moving to a new area is not easy. Most likely you will pay first and last month rent in advance, plus you will mostly likely pay deposits on utilities. And, you need to know that many small towns are "clannish".

Quincy is a river town that floods. Galesburg is about 90 minutes from Peoria via I-74.

You cannot avoid crime anywhere. But, if you live in a small town that has its own police department, chances are you will see a lot less crime. It is not wise to leave doors unlocked in any town.

The smart thing to do is take a vacation and spend a few days in the area. I don't think you will like Amtrak unless you are already used to it; it isn't exactly the El.

Quincy is a very safe town, yet again, isn't the best choice due to the commute. 1 correction though, only 3 blocks of Quincy are in a flood zone (width wise) so being worried about flooding is of no concern

[etme]

Thank you, guys! Yes, at this point it looks like I will have to just move in to Macomb, and then find my time to look around. I still like the Quad Cities, though, but Galesburg is indeed the much more feasible alternative, being accessible through Amtrak (am moving from a large city with working public transportation, so am used to commuting for an hour or so using it - you can work on your laptop, read etc). So Macomb it is, for now, probably... So now I have to find a good agency to find a decent place... I do however plan on spending a weekend a month in Chicago - so, yes, the culture part... In any case, I think I'll get back to you guys, later, when things look clearer - and would like to thank you, already, for the wonderful feedback.

[kriskaden]

Again, where you live depends upon your expectations and your wants.
Moving to a new area is not easy. Most likely you will pay first and last month rent in advance, plus you will mostly likely pay deposits on utilities. And, you need to know that many small towns are "clannish".

Quincy is a river town that floods. Galesburg is about 90 minutes from Peoria via I-74. [/quote]

First, Galesburg isn't "clannish". It's large enough that you don't know everyone, we are culturally diversified, and we don't have any hate groups, or haven't have any in the 30 years I've lived here.

Second, Galesburg is only 42 miles away from Peoria so I don't know how it's taking you 90 minutes to drive there. I drive to work in Peoria from Galesburg and it takes me about 45 minutes. I hate when people give completely inaccurate information.