Moving TO IL ... Help Deciding Where (Chicago, Aurora: employment, house, companies)

[llama214]

Originally Posted by nanannie

jill,I also notice your post saying you are moving to Iowa and Minnesota so I can only assume you have not decided.I hope you will visit all the areas and decide for yourself.I will tell you there are many nice areas in the Chicago suburbs,

Everytime we downstaters make a more negative comment about Chicago, we are bashed to no end. But when we are refered to as hicks and redknecks it is ok, and we must silently go on. Even though they have their own forum now, they still come here and bash us. I guess if I went into their domain and said that DuPage county was small and packed in with wall to wall people then I guess I deserve a slight attack, but not when it is on a forum that is designated for the rest of Illinois.

All I stated was that McClean and Champaign counties are the biggest in the state, but have two amazing cities in them, with hundreds of square miles to spare. Unfortunetly you will not find any space up there. That is a fact that can't be turned around. The only places that there still is room to grow are the little towns outside of the suburbs that will soon be engulfed. In another ten years no one will be able to afford the gas or the time it takes to commute into Chicago. For goodness sake, Dekalb is almost like a suburb these days.

Many on here believe that we are jealous of what they have. Like I have said many times, come here, and then up there, and you will see that we are very willing to leave them to their concrete, wall to wall people, endless traffic suburb. Why are some subdivisions here nothing but Chicago transplants and retirees that tell us everyday how much more they enjoy their life here, then up there? I have asked many of the Chicagoland forum memebers, many times, what one of their individual cities can do that Bloomington, Champaign or Peoria can't. They never answer and continue to only bash us for even considering the fact that we might have the better lifestyle. Most of whom on here have never even been to these three cities.

If it wasn't for Chicago these areas would be nothing but cornfields. They may offer more together, but who wants that? How can you have small town pride, when you are surrounded on all sides by other cities. Peoria, B-N, and C-U success is all our own, and that says way more about our economic strength and great cities, then any suburb could hope to have.

Just because there are more upstaters here that express their attacking opinions on an hourly basis(and I mean that), don't be fooled by the masses. In this case they are wrong. Sorry for sounding a little 'flaming' (if that is what they call it), but I find it hilarious that we are bashed on a regular basis, but when the opposite is acted upon we are just some trolling jerks. Believe me, you will find more hospitality anyday here, then anything many of the suburbs can dish out.

If you have any questions feel free to pm me and others down here. You will quickly see why so many enjoy central Illinois and its endless supply of rolling fields of progress.

Moderator cut: personal - off topic

[Paxtonian]

Things you won't get up in Chicagoland- clean air, starry skies where you can see the Milky Way, county fairs with animals and Future Farmer's of America exhibits, post offices where the clerks know you by name, being able to chat with the mayor if I chose to, and a strong sense of community.

[sukwoo]

Originally Posted by llama214

Why are some subdivisions here nothing but Chicago transplants and retirees that tell us everyday how much more they enjoy their life here, then up there?

Not meaning to bash downstate, but what you're exhibiting here is an example of selection bias. Of course B-N is filled with people who like it there. That's why they are there (in B-N). If you could track down all the people who left B-N for Chicago and asked them which city they preferred, you'd probably get a different answer.

The fact is that both metro areas are growing in population, undoubtably including transplants moving in both directions. Of course it only takes a tiny population transfer from Chicago to B-N to make a noticeable difference on your end (Imagine if 1% of Chicagoland showed up in your town in one year!), whereas if the whole of B-N moved to Chicagoland there would be little noticeable change up here.

Personally, I agree that DuPage county is all "messed up." Its not nearly dense and urban enough for me.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Paxtonian

Things you won't get up in Chicagoland- clean air, starry skies where you can see the Milky Way, county fairs with animals and Future Farmer's of America exhibits, post offices where the clerks know you by name, being able to chat with the mayor if I chose to, and a strong sense of community.

Let's see... starry skies where you can see the Milky Way... Check. County fairs with FFA exhibits... check... strong sense of community... check... so you're off on at least three counts.

[BLOOMINGTONIAN]

OK - why does this big debate of Chicagoland vs. Downstate have to pop up again on a different thread? Same participants - same topic - just a different thread. It's the same argument from before all over again.

First of all as I've said before, the standard of living that we enjoy in B-N is totally inconceivable to people living in a huge metro area like Chicago. Anyone moving to Illinois and can live anywhere due to job flexibility, should seriously consider living beyond the collar counties of Chicagoland. From downstate, you can always go up there and come back home, but those who live there rarely see anything downstate other than maybe an annual trek to Starved Rock.

Saying that Chicagoland must be better than B-N, (8 million people cannot be wrong) is ridiculous. By that argument, I suppose the Chicago neighborhood of Pilsen is nicer than Barrington Hills. Come on now. Most people who live in the city of Chicago live there because they don't know any better or cannot get out. They are confined by such things as poverty, ignorance, and unbreakable family ties. Most people who live in Suburban Chicago do so due to job requirements. When your job is in Schaumburg, it's not real practical to live in Springfield or Champaign.

Some of my downstate companions who write on here are maybe a bit too passionate about their opinions as maybe am I. I want to state that I truly love to travel to Chicago. I was shopping on Michigan Avenue over Christmas, went up in the Sears Tower for the first time in about 10 years. I love Cubs / White Sox games etc. I absolutely love Shedd Acquarium and Millenium Park. But I do not have to live there everyday to enjoy an occasional outing to the big city. I can have (and afford) such a more full lifestyle by living downstate. And the suburbs are just strip malls and subdivisions. We have those here in Bloomington, they're just a lot easier to get to.

And I get so tired of people talking about culture and diversity. What is diversity?? If that means neighbors who have names a mile long and don't speak English, then I'll take "white bread" B-N anyday. I would much rather have John and Mary Smith as neighbors who sit out on our deck with us over drinks and watch the kids play over some immigrants from who knows where that I have never met and don't really want to (or are afraid to).

[Drover]

Much of the time the "debate" arises when people feel the need to respond to such ignorant, ill-informed nonsense as "the suburbs are just strip malls and subdivisions" or "most people live in Chicago because they don't know any better or cannot get out" and disgustingly xenophobic comments like "I would much rather have John and Mary Smith as neighbors who sit out on our deck with us over drinks and watch the kids play over some immigrants from who knows where that I have never met and don't really want to (or are afraid to)."

I'm glad you like where you live and I don't begrudge your decision and I have nothing disparaging to say about your town. For most of us, all we're asking for is the same courtesy. Yes, there are one or two impassioned upstaters on this forum who assume the Chicago area is objectively better and can't fathom why anyone would want to live downstate, but honestly, most of us are just live-and-let-live folks.

[j33]

Originally Posted by BLOOMINGTONIAN

Most people who live in the city of Chicago live there because they don't know any better or cannot get out. They are confined by such things as poverty, ignorance, and unbreakable family ties. Most people who live in Suburban Chicago do so due to job requirements.

Are you kidding me? It is that sort of attitude that perplexes me. I'm Drover, we need to start living and letting live. Like I've said before, I don't care where anyone choses to live, even within my own family, I have a sister who once told me she'd rather "live in a van down by the river" than live in my neighborhood She likes more rural spaces, and I like visiting her in them.

Oh, and I grew up with loads of neighbors with "names a mile long", all of who spoke English (or at least the kids did, I did once have a memorable run in with a Japanese grandmother in the middle of the night who didn't speak a lick of English when I spent the night at a friend's house). In fact one of my most memorable spelling tests as a child involved the names of my classmates. I felt bad for my mother who had to quiz me on the 15 letter surname of the Indian kid who I had a crush on. I don't think it was a bad thing at all.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by j33

Are you kidding me? It is that sort of attitude that perplexes me. I'm Drover, we need to start living and letting live.

I presume you mean "I'm with Drover..."

[j33]

Opps! sorry for the momentary identity crises, I am indeed not Drover.

My computer must be eating words.

[Switch625]

It feels like some people are competing for those who want to move to Illinois, as if the person doesn't move to their area they lose points somehow.