Columbia, IL Anyone? (Chicago, Swansea, Waterloo: property taxes, travel, income)

[Froni]

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me about Columbia, IL. I found the website for columbia, IL, but it makes it look like a pretty small place. Is there a local gym there, or how far is the closest mall and how big is the mall? Is there a target there, a walmart? Schools, are they good? The house prices are fantastic, but are the taxes pretty high there?
thanks

[Froni]

No one know's anything about columbia, IL? It must be a pretty dang small town.

[christy4181]

i need help finding my dad is there any way u can help me find him?

[joee]

Columbia is a nice little town, the town itself is spread out somewhat though.

i think there's a wally world close by, mayby a little shopping but it's real close to the bridge to st louis & there's tons of stuff there.

since it's so close to mo you would probably be better off living on the mo side of the river since il prettywell rips you off on property taxes & a few other things.

[oncesir]

Columbia is a small town near Waterloo IL and the MO side. Nice place, very little crime and convenient to STL or the more populated parts of the metro east. I lived in the Metro East area for 25+ years. There is a lot of growth on the IL side due to its shorter travel time to the city than many MO side locations. IL property tax may be high but MO taxes you yearly on your personal property(cars, boats,etc). The STL Area is a great place to live with many things to do and tons of things to see. hth

[bls5555]

Columbia Illinois is very nice, but as posted before, you would be better off just going across the bridge to the Missouri side. Property taxes in IL are absurd and Gov. Blagojevich is proposing the biggest rise in taxes in the history of Illinois to cover health care (maybe more than just health care). This might have gotten shot down by his Lieutenant Gov. though. I read something about him disagreeing with the plan.

The problem with IL is that it is ALWAYS going to be run by Democrats due to the huge population of Chicago.

Though if you have Children, they do have a good health care plan called All Kids. It extends to all families regardless of income. If you make over a certain amount you just have to pay a premium per month.

I would look at just hopping over the bridge to Mehlville or Oakville or if you must be in Illinois head up north to Shilo or Swansea (this is about 20 miles or so from the bridge by Columbia).

[justpicky]

Originally Posted by Froni

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me about Columbia, IL. I found the website for columbia, IL, but it makes it look like a pretty small place. Is there a local gym there, or how far is the closest mall and how big is the mall? Is there a target there, a walmart? Schools, are they good? The house prices are fantastic, but are the taxes pretty high there?
thanks

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I know it's a small town , very quiet and clean . Yes the taxes are high
what town doesn't have high taxes ???
South County has a mall off 255 / 270 or close to it , St.Clair Malls
about 30 mins . All I seen was a walmart . If only they had homes
in my price range available , maybe soon they will ....

[greathouse]

It is a small town but the schools are excellent. The nearest wal mart is in Waterloo, just south of us about 7 miles or across the river to st louis, about 10 miles from us . there are several malls in the 45 mile radius on both sides of the river. The taxes are a little steep but it is a nice area to raise a family.