Illinois is lacking a second city (Chicago, Peoria: hotel, to live in, cost)

[BillyH]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

The Shreveport MSA is about the size of either the Peoria MSA or the Rockford MSA. I think this idea of having a "2nd" city for IL is just hard to rationalize because Chicago is just SO big, so unless IL had the population of, say, TX (with there being San Antonio, Houston, DF, etc) or CA (with LA, San Diego, San Francisco, etc) it would be hard to have a true "2nd" city. I mean, even in NY, Buffalo pales in comparison because NYC is just so massive.

I have often wondered why Illinois didn't have a "2nd city". I have lived in San Antonio for most of my life but have many relatives in Springfield. I have been visiting the Capital City off and on for the last 30 years, Springfield is my second home. I would agree many people in central and southern Illinois identify with St Louis more than Chicago. St Louis is 90 miles and Chicago 200, although my relatives and I visit both cities. Crossing that huge Mississippi River (nothing like it Texas) coming from Springfield put St Louis on the Missouri side not Illinois for me. St Louis suburbs sprawl for miles west of downtown on the Missouri side. Crossing back into Illinois from the freeway to Springfield it seems to turn into farm land fairly quick but I am not that familiar with the area. Missouri does have two cities St Louis and Kansas City even if they do grow into Illinois and Kansas. Ohio 3 Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati. With Illinois having such a large population 5th largest, you would think they would have a least one other large city like Ohio. But the lack of a manufacturing base in central and southern Illinois stated on this thread is a valid point. Outside of Springfield proper is all corn fields. Anyway I still think Illinois is a great state!

[linicx]

Billy H. I don't know the land in Eastern MO except 1-44 which is a beautiful drive throgh the foothills of the Ozark Mountain Range. Central Illinois -which would include Springfield - has prime land for crops. It isn'st hard pan, clay and limestone as in SW MO or red clay as in OK., or even a sandy soil - although my land is black loam and sand mix which is great for drainage and crops. There are a lot of drivers who do not like small towns and farms yet they continue to drive through Ilinois and continue to complain. These same people would complain about the feed lots in Texas and the mountains in New Mexicao.

Springfield is flat and surrounded by farms. To discover different scenery, travel north on IL 97 through Menard County. You'll encounter rolling hills and a more forrested area that continues thirty miles to the shores of the Illinois River in Mason County. You are still surrounnded by farms. If you follow the river 150 miles north, you'll find the same thing. Small towns, farms, rolling hills, and forrested areas. It's the same basic scenery in southern Illinois although the land, I think has less hills. It has an awesome national forrest that extends nearly to Springfield, MO.

I think if you would spend a weekend exploring Bloomington, and a weekend exploring Peoria you would find a marked difference between the three cities - and I think you would enjoy the diversion. Bloomington's Miller Park Zoo is home to one of the two oldest zoological parks in America. The other is Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

[linicx]

I think for Southern Illinois and sourthen Central Illinois residents St. Louis is much closer. For residents around Peoria it is a matter or preference as its a couple hundred miles either way.

[linicx]

Originally Posted by skipcromer

I dont know an answer. I've never lived in Peoria, and have only been there a couple times. I would guess they have a much better cost of living compared to Chicagoland.

Again, the term 'better' is so relative.

The OP first asserted Kankakee County is better than Peoria County and stated Peoria us a turd, while he admitted he had never lived any place except Kankakee County in his life. He then proceeded to turn the subject to Chicago v Peoria and that everything Peoria offers, Chicago also does on a grander scale.

Maybe the OP is doing a school project? There is no way to compare a mega-metro city of 10M to a farm town. It''s absurd. There is not way to compare the services of a town with 27K pop to a city five times larger. It is just as absurd.

The OP has yet to attempt to make the case as to why Kanakakee is superior to Peoria, or why Kankakee County is superior to Peoria County. The OP said nothing to promote the area.

If one wants to cut the fat hog, the diff is convenience. I can drive to the furrier, grocer, box stores, doctors, hospital, restaurants, specialty shops or two malls in 15 minutes in heavy traffic. Twenty minutes will get me to the courthouse, main library, federal courts, and the riverfront plaza, or the zoo and botanical gardens. Thirty minutes will get me to two state parks, IVY club, four contry clubs, a couple of golf courses and the ariport. It is all relative to where one lives in Peoria in relation to the destination.

[Jons99]

Originally Posted by linicx

The OP first asserted Kankakee County is better than Peoria County and stated Peoria us a turd, while he admitted he had never lived any place except Kankakee County in his life. He then proceeded to turn the subject to Chicago v Peoria and that everything Peoria offers, Chicago also does on a grander scale.

Maybe the OP is doing a school project? There is no way to compare a mega-metro city of 10M to a farm town. It''s absurd. There is not way to compare the services of a town with 27K pop to a city five times larger. It is just as absurd.

The OP has yet to attempt to make the case as to why Kanakakee is superior to Peoria, or why Kankakee County is superior to Peoria County. The OP said nothing to promote the area.

If one wants to cut the fat hog, the diff is convenience. I can drive to the furrier, grocer, box stores, doctors, hospital, restaurants, specialty shops or two malls in 15 minutes in heavy traffic. Twenty minutes will get me to the courthouse, main library, federal courts, and the riverfront plaza, or the zoo and botanical gardens. Thirty minutes will get me to two state parks, IVY club, four contry clubs, a couple of golf courses and the ariport. It is all relative to where one lives in Peoria in relation to the destination.

Where did I EVER, EVER state that Kankakee is better than Peoria? Moderator cut: rude

But for me, I would rather live in Kankakee County than in Peoria, can live in a rural area thats within an hour of one of the truly great cities in the world, not to mention the things that Kankakee County has to offer, such as the Kankakee River and the Kankakee River State Bank, both amongst the best in the state.. Also has all the shopping to meet my basic needs and continues to get better as the area grows.. There is not a national chain store in Peoria thats within 30 minutes of our house.

[skipcromer]

Originally Posted by Jons99

There is not a national chain store in Peoria thats within 30 minutes of our house.

Heres an idea...move within 30 minutes of the mall.

Problem solved.

[linicx]

Originally Posted by skipcromer

Heres an idea...move within 30 minutes of the mall. Problem solved.

Awesome. I could not have said it better myself.

[Jons99]

Let me correct myself..

There is not a national chain store in Peoria thats NOT within 30 minutes of our house.

[Jons99]

Originally Posted by skipcromer

Heres an idea...move within 30 minutes of the mall.

Problem solved.

We live within 30 minutes of 4 malls and 2 more that are being built...

[BillyH]

linicx
[SIZE=3]We have driven I-44 through Joplin, Springfield, and Rolla to St Louis many times over the years. We really don’t notice a major difference in scenery all the way from San Antonio until we get close to the Ozarks the best scenery of the trip it is beautiful. I was surprised when I was old enough to pay attention to these things how flat Illinois becomes as soon as we cross the Mississippi from St Louis. The soil around San Antonio is clay and rocks and it sucks. You can’t plant a lawn without top soil brought in. I have always been envious of how big the trees get, up north. Although it is green around here as long as we get rain the only really big trees we have are 50 years plus Live Oaks, Pecans and Cypress trees on the banks of rivers and creeks. I have been to Chicago twice using I-55 to get there from Springfield but didn’t stop along the way. Chicago is a great city a mini New York only cleaner. I saw Champaign/Urbana once and checked out the campus of the Fighting Illini. A side trip to Bloomington and Peoria does sound like a good diversion and a short trip from Springfield. Back to the question on this thread I have heard of Champaign, Peoria, Bloomington, Decatur, Rockford, Carbondale, Quincy, Quad Cities, East St Louis even Kankakee but I have some knowledge of Illinois. Some friends and I were playing a game once naming cities in the U. S starting with a “K”. After replying Kankakee a friend from Toronto started laughing a said “you made that one up”. If I were to ask my fellow Texans they might not have heard of any of those cities or if they had, would not be positive if they were in Illinois. I have heard the term more than once if it plays in Peoria… on TV but the state is never mentioned after words. Most will just name Chicago, or if they can remember what is the capital if Illinois?[/SIZE]