Illinois, I'm coming home! But where??? (Chicago, Peoria: apartment complex, renting, insurance)

[Anne from Oswego]

To the person that wants to move to Oswego, Illinois...
If you are smart you don't move into Oswego.......Our taxes keep getting higher every year....We have more people that are putting up their houses for sale..
We have over crowd schools & they keep building more schools & more fire stations......We now have to many stores off of route 34....And the traffic is terrible.....I live in Oswego since 1969....They are trying to competent with Naperville ...What is funny is Naperville people move to Oswego to get away from high taxes.....Now they are trying to move out of Oswego...
And plainfield is no better if you are smart go to Lisbon or minooka or newark...Good Luck!!

[Jons99]

I would suggest Kankakee County to anyone looking for a rural area near Chicago..

[Dolly]

Community colleges in southern Illinois are so political in their hiring practices, it is difficult to break into that system. You might try adjunct teaching, the smaller colleges will hire adjuncts all day long. But realize that it may not be the stepping stone into full time work that you think it is. (The voice of experience here.)

[brightmidnight]

I'd look into the areas east of St. Louis-- Troy, Highland, Edwardsville, O'Fallon. It's a nice area with some community colleges and nonprofits, and of course the job market of St. Louis nearby.

[Sunshine 12]

Compared to other places our cost of living is pretty cheap and we do have SIU and John A Logan College here.....There are TONS of outdoor things to do here as well.......You can look up my other posts to look at all the pics from SO IL outdoors. We have Shawnee National Forest, Garden of the Gods, Rend Lake State Park, Crab Orchard Lake , Lake of Egypt, Kinkaid Lake, Little Grassy Lake, Devil's Kitchen Lake, Giant City State Park, and so on........We have Interstate 57 going right through Marion as well as I24 branching off just south of Marion. Paducah Ky. is only 45 mins away and Mt Vernon is only 45 mins. away. St louis is 2 hours away and is the closest International Airport, though Marion's Airport is offering flights to Chicago now... Alot of people here treat people like family...Marion and Carbondale both are nice towns and I don't think finding a duplex under 1200 would be a problem here!!! I have seen nice homes for rent for around 800 here! In Carbondale it might be a little more, but they got duplex, apartments and homes for rent all over town because of the college....Our first apartment we had only cost 260 with everything included but electric!

[CBexp.]

Be sure to check out Homewood! There is Isaak Walton preserve, Irons Oaks, and other great out door activities, about 90 minutes east of Starved Rock. My sister and brother inlaw take their kids there frequently. There are also several community colleges in the area, within a 45 minute radius. Homewood is a 35 minute train ride to the loop, yet has a small town atmosphere with larger town ammenities. The population is educated and professional. Check out the website www.HFisgreat.com

[illini84]

Try going further south into southern Illinois! Property values are cheap, taxes are cheap, and you get friendliness that you don't get in the northern part of the state. There is actually scenery and it is beautiful for doing outdoor activities (hiking, rock climbing, biking, etc.). A couple good friends of mine were lifelong Chicago residents and recently moved to the Carbondale area for all of the reasons I stated...and they LOVE IT! I grew up in the southeast portion of Illinois and would recommend it, if you don't mind lots of small towns. Evansville, Indiana was only about 40 minutes away and they have a lot to offer.

[cherylhome]

Check out McHenry, IL. Housing is reasonable and there is McHenry County College and Elgin Community College. There are plenty of non profit organizations too. Check out the UnitedWay of McHenry County for a list....

[geeminee]

Ever thought of Champaign-Urbana?

[Dahmom2]

My family moved from Joliet to Gardner 15 years ago when our son was 4 years old. Best move we ever made. My husband and I grew up in Joliet, but I never considered it my home. Gardner is my home. Everybody knows everybody and looks out for each other. The old saying it takes a village to raise a child, well this is certainly the right village. Great people, I highly recomment Gardner, IL