Moving from Austin, TX to Illinois

[cubssoxfan]

atx2009- Just curious, why are you leaving Austin? Looking for some insight to possibly recommend a place you will like and avoid a place you dis-like.

[jer2911]

Evanston is a fantastic place to check out. There is a ton to do, and right next door to Chicago. You'll have the beach and public trans at your door step to

[sigprn]

Normal better then bloomington. Would say bloomington normal or Champaign/Urbana. NOt naperville. Thats west suburbs. Would recomend looking in Orland park or Mokena or Frankfort or Oak Lawn if you want the suburban chicago experience

[AJohnston_STL]

Suburban St Louis - O'Fallon, Edwardsville, Collinsville, Fairview Heights, Belleville, Swansea

[morecoffeeplease]

I moved to the Chicago area from Texas (but I'm originally from the Midwest), so let us know more about what you are looking for and maybe some of us can help. Chicago metro and the rest of IL are two completely different birds...Chicago is a HUGE city that is just way more city-like and older than Texas towns. In Austin and San Antonio, you have some old historical markers and a "downtown", but it's not like Chicago in the city limits. Chicago has lots of old buildings (which can be great), smaller streets than Texas (newer) cities and is really more like out East (New York/Bostonish) for people from the South. The rest of IL has a lot of farms and while it can be quite pretty, it's NOT anything, especially culturally like Austin. Austin is a great college town, and it's growing, so it's got some great urban features...Chicago has several great universities, but it doesn't have that college town feel. The City is one of neighborhoods, so check out the forum for discussion on neighborhoods and that might help. I'd recommend just coming here and visiting...it's very VERY different from Texas.

A head's up. If you liked the outdoor/rec parts of Austin, Chicagoland (mostly suburbs) do have a lot of forest preserves you might like. Bike trails and stuff.

[trailerguy]

I think Evanston would come closer to the Austin ambience than any other Illinois city I can think of, and it has all the things you mentioned. Northwestern University is there (one of the nation's best private colleges), excellent public schools, live music/entertainment, very sophisticated populace, and its a 30-minute/$2 train ride from downtown Chicago, one of the great cities of the western world.

[linicx]

Peoria has an excellent traffic flow compared to Chicago or Dallas. There are a couple of school systems that offer a K-12 sysemt when your kindergarten child graduates with the kids he sarted school with. Smaller classes and all the teachers have MEd or doctorates. The schools, psrents and commuity work together to give the students an excellent education. Church, gifted and private schools are available.

The Peoria Park District owns 60.000 acres. They just opened a new 7 acre exhibit called Africa! There is very little outdoor/indoor activities the PPD is not involved in. It is a great town for homeschooled kids. Have some nice reaasonably priced apartments and an acceptable COL. .

IF you want an area that is more like Dallas and less like Sweetwater you might want to look at Peoria.

[atx2009]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

atx2009- Just curious, why are you leaving Austin? Looking for some insight to possibly recommend a place you will like and avoid a place you dis-like.

Well it's not so much that I want to leave as my boyfriend is a veteran and is going back to school. He is considered an Illinois resident as he is from Benton, and the state of Illinois is kind enough to offer a good deal to it's veterans. So how do you say no to that???

I've been in Austin for over 9 years and I have enjoyed everything that it has to offer...live music, good schools, outdoor activities (I run, hike, etc), short commutes. I will miss all of that except for the 100 degree weather we have been experiencing the past month. I can live without it and also it has a higher cost of living than most Texas cities and the job market isn't exactly hopping around here. I guess the job market isn't really hopping anywhere these days. Also, I like that Austin is more of a liberal city and although it has a population of over 700k, it still feels like a small town.

Well thanks to everyone for all of your input. I'll definitely take all of your recommendations into consideration.