Jacksonville IL? (Chicago, Springfield, Quincy: Home Depot, employment, theater)

[limontee]

We are considering a move to Jacksonville IL and are wondering what people think about the town. Anyone???
Thanks!

[doll lady]

I don't live there but I like the small city.

There seems to be things going on in Jacksonville quite a bit of the time. In the fall there is a classic car show where the streets are literally lined bumper to bumper with dreamy classic cars.

Jacksonville is home to the Eli Bridge co., the orginal ferris wheel maker. There is an original ferris wheel in the park.

The city has both a state mental hospital and a correctional center so employment opportunites exist.

There are not an overabundance of department stores/shopping but seems adequate for a city of its size. And Springfield is just down the road about 30miles. I don't feel there are a lot of really good dining establishments but I guess it depends on what you like. There are a couple of nice antique/craft malls.

Jacksonville sits just off Interstate 72 so there is adequate access.....to Springfield, Quincy, and Hannibal. There is a lake for fishing. Just down the road is Pittsfield, which has a campground and nice fishing lake.

Hope this helps.

[jc1969]

Not a bad town, but property taxes are high. Only one grocery store, so they jack the prices up high.

[New2Jacksonville]

I just moved here myself, a month ago tomorrow. I come from a very small town in Indiana with a population of about 900, so it was a little overwhelming for me. There are parts of town that I still haven't ventured to, I pretty much just stay on the main drag; which, in my opinion, has pretty much everything you need except a craft/hobby shop. Contrary to the statement made in a previous response, there is more than one grocery store, it just depends what you want. There is the main one, Country Market, but there is also an Aldi and Save-A-Lot, which are both discount grocery stores that you can save a lot of money in. Of course they don't have as much as Country Market, but they have most of the necessities. Also, coming from a small town, there are A LOT of department stores and such; JCPenney, Goody's, Walmart, Fashion Bug, Shopko (one of my personal favorites), Maurices, a couple of shoe stores, Home Depot...that's just a few off the top of my head. There are quite a few food choices also, maybe not a Red Lobster or something "top of the line," but Mugsy's, for instance, is a little Pub that has great food from what I've had. There are several pizza and Italian joints and fast food joints like Steak & Shake, McDonalds, etc. For me, coming from a small town, Jacksonville has pretty much anything that you would need, depending on your style of living and taste. Besides, as a previous reply states, if you don't find what you want here, Springfield's main shopping drag is only 30 minutes away and right off the exit for Wabash St. or you can take Veterans Parkway, it's all right there. Also, you can find great medical specialists in Springfield, from my personal experience anyway. So, enough rambling, I think this town is pretty great, even though it was a little scary for me at first. Like I said, I'm sure there's a lot more that I haven't even seen or experienced yet, this is just a quick glance from someone just coming here. Sometimes, I think people have been somewhere so long, they forget what their town has to offer. Oh yeah, there are a couple of universities, a civic theater and a YMCA, which I think are all great things also. The only thing I think this town lacks is an Olive Garden and a Hobby Lobby! I hope this helps!

[jessiegirl_98]

It really depends on what you are looking for. It's a pretty small town, so safe, etc, but not a ton going on. The good thing is that it's not too far from Springfield. It is totally based on preferences.

[JvilleTim]

Originally Posted by jc1969

Not a bad town, but property taxes are high. Only one grocery store, so they jack the prices up high.

Property taxes are high everywhere!
Grocery store compitition is coming when the get the new Super Wal-Mart open!

[dmann304]

Hi folks, Doug here. I used to live in Jacksonville cuz i went to school there but i live in the Chicago Area so a big difference for me.

I did enjoy Jacksonville alot but only thing that kinda annoyed me was no major transportation into and from Jacksonville.

Good luck there. Leo's is good for pizza and hang out at shooters for billiards and Licoln Square is cool for shopping and fast eats.