Small-town Iowa girl seeks small town in Illinois (Chicago, Springfield: real estate, assessors)

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Paxtonian

I don't think Danville is what she's looking for.

I don't think Danville is what anyone is looking for...

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Glen_Loves_Fun

I would consider Sycamore, Illinois. Maybe Danville or Harvard or Seneca or Yorkville Try cruising up and down IL route 23 or IL route 72. Illinois. What about Dodgeville, WI ?

Well, let's see... she specifically asked about Illinois towns, so that kind of rules out Dodgeville. Yorkville is right next to Sugar Grove and shares many of its characteristics (suburban growth/sprawl) which is what she specifically looking to avoid, so Yorkville is out. Sycamore will be a contiguous suburb in 10 to 15 years and is already starting to show characteristics of suburbia, so Sycamore is out. Danville is a dying town where just about anyone with the means to move someplace better has already done so. Plus she wants a town with character, and if there was ever a place that verily lacks it, Danville is the place. So Danville is out. That leaves Harvard and Seneca. What specifically about these towns to you recommend other than they happen to be two of hundreds of small Illinois towns?

[Switch625]

Danville is one big patch of urban blight. I wouldn't recommend anyone move there.

[ratbert]

Not sure if how close you want to stay to your family, but Southern Illinois offers beautiful rolling countryside, reasonable cost of living, and a temperate climate. Carbondale, as a college town, offers all sorts of coffee houses and cultural amenities. It also has a major arts program, and many artists choose to remain in the area.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Drover

Well, let's see... she specifically asked about Illinois towns, so that kind of rules out Dodgeville. Yorkville is right next to Sugar Grove and shares many of its characteristics (suburban growth/sprawl) which is what she specifically looking to avoid, so Yorkville is out. Sycamore will be a contiguous suburb in 10 to 15 years and is already starting to show characteristics of suburbia, so Sycamore is out. Danville is a dying town where just about anyone with the means to move someplace better has already done so. Plus she wants a town with character, and if there was ever a place that verily lacks it, Danville is the place. So Danville is out. That leaves Harvard and Seneca. What specifically about these towns to you recommend other than they happen to be two of hundreds of small Illinois towns?

Yeah, Sycamore is getting there. The town is blowing northward now. I went up Rt. 23 towards Kingston the other day and HOLY COW! There are homes and shopping centers all the way up the road! Rt. 23 that runs between Sycamore and DeKalb now has Borders, Barnes n Nobles, Target, Wal-Mart, Portillos (!!!!), GameStop, etc, etc... I couldnt believe it! So much for small-town Sycamore! I remember going to the speedway as a kid, even though its on the outskirts of town, we'd go into Sycamore and get food before, and the town was 10% what it is now. Pretty soon it will be suburbs all the way out to Dixon, I give it 50-100 more years, watch.

[llama214]

Just to save you some time, if I were you, I wouldn't even bother with the suburbs. These so called, "small-towns" will only be, within a few years, mere extensions of their neighbors. They will have no clas and will soon loose that small town feel within the next five years. By the time they realize what is going on, it is to late, and the history of the town is engulfed in Chicago. Many of these towns only have historical foundations, just to attract people to their town by making it look like they once did care. Look at their establishment dates, they don't post them, because many would say 1995 and up.

Look downstate when you come. Galena is far better then what you would find in Chicago. Central Illinois has hundreds, and many of them are all near larger cities, but are not engulfed by them. You may not even need these cities for weeks on end. Even though St. Louis is more 'rusty' then Chicago, and more dangerous, many of the small towns right across the river have the same small town feeling, and are right next to a major metro area. Edwardsville is nice, along with O'Fallon and several others. I would say though that in order to not have the complete 'country' way of life you will want to research the town. Even though Illinois is a well classed state, you will still find your little towns that aren't so pleasent. Stick to towns that have a standard of living close to that of a Dunlap(Peoria) or St. Joseph(Champaign-Urbana). These will give you a far greater lifestyle than the suburbs, and the small town feel is exactly what you are looking for. If nothing else, the schools are vastly better and I'm sure you would trade that in for the subtraction of the commercialism. In downstate Illinois the feeling is preserved far better then whatever you will find in Chicago.
Oh..and there are some medium densed cities that are not as big as a Peoria, but people still find a lot to do in them. In the Peoria area, these would be namely Pekin, and East Peoria. I don't know where else you would them in the other areas. Hope it helps, and makes your scouting out easier. I hope you enjoy the area.

[prairiestate]

I would reccomend Ottawa. It's far enough away not to be engulfed by Chicago, but not too far from Sugar Grove, and less then two hours from the city. It's located in the beautiful I & M canal corridor, near the Illinois River, a hilly, wooded area that's one of the more scenic in the state. The downtown area is very attractive, and has a lot of new shops and restaurants, and even a vintage movie theater. Other towns in the area to look at would be LaSalle, Peru and Streator. If you want a really small town, look at scenic Marseilles, east of Ottawa, right along the river. You also have the beautiful Starved Rock and Mattihessen State parks nearby.

[shadow91]

I am from Ottawa and miss it so much. The town is beautiful, the people friendly, lots of coffee shops to sit and relax. Low crime, nice quiet neighborhoods. Great schools. When my son graduates from high school, I will be moving back home to Ottawa.

[Jons99]

A lot of people looking for this lifestyle are moving to Kankakee County, its not seeing the huge growth that the western edge is having, so their small towns will remain small for much longer.

[mrtrain]

If small town is what you want come see chadwick right along RT40. Home to some 550 people.