Urbana? (Chicago, Rockford, Peoria: appointed, to rent, home)

[r826]

I was offered a job in Urbana Illinois. I'll be moving from the Chicagoland area. I'm wondering where is a cheap, safe place to rent that is not overrun with college students. I don't mind driving up to half an hour.

Thanks.

[asearchforreason]

The contiguous cities of Urbana, Champaign, and Savoy are all safe if you avoid a few trouble spots. There are plenty of places in C-U that you can avoid college students as long as you are west of Neil in C or east of Race in U. If you stay away from the U of I, the rent tends to be less for what you get.

There are also plenty of tiny farm towns nearby if that's what you are looking for, as well as the "suburbs" of St. Joseph and Mahomet.

I can't help you much more than that with the information that you've given. Are you looking for a nightlife? Are you looking for good schools?

[linicx]

Please be advised Illinois is a farming state. Once you leave Chicago you will be bitterly disappointed because everyone from Chicago hates everything and everyone south of 1-80. You will be surrounded by corn and cattle. You will no longer live in the largest convenient store in the midwest. Many of the foods, the neighborhoods, the conveniences, the entertainmentm the firends and the attitude you are accustomed to are still in the Chicago you left behind as are the Cubs, Sox, Bears and other professional sports. The night lights and a city that never sleeps is being replaced by a sleepy farm town grown large. You won't find Clark Street, the Gold Coast, Lake Shore Drive, a Great Lake, or Chicago style pizza. If you hate kids, a town with the largest university in Illinois will not byour cup of tea.

However you will have a job and a lower COL. Welcome to Southern Illinois

[Aerio]

If you go to Bing maps, and look at Champaign-Urbana at a distance of 0.6 miles (bottom right is an indicator) on the road perspective (as opposed to aerial or bird's eye), you will find the campus highlighted in beige.

Roads that fence in the living residences of students: Neil (west), Lincoln (east), Kirby (south), University (north).
Some students live west of Neil; some students live beyond Lincoln till Race (farther east).

Beyond that, you will encounter college students living far beyond those borders, but most keep to themselves.
At that point, most are either more responsible or graduate.

If you've lived in Chicago(land), then most of Urbana is cheaper anyway.
If you ask me, most of Urbana is safe.
Drive around town and see what places fancy you, and then you'll deem if it's appealing to you or not.

I don't know if Linicx was being sarcastic, but I'm really glad I left Chicago(land).
Yeah it's great and convenient, but wow...I was so enlightened once I departed.
I guess the city isn't for me, and the suburbs grew old (both are a great place to live though).

[Drover]

Originally Posted by linicx

Please be advised Illinois is a farming state. Once you leave Chicago you will be bitterly disappointed because everyone from Chicago hates everything and everyone south of 1-80...

...and it's little wonder when we're frequently confronted with attitudes like this.

[linicx]

Don't talk to me about attitude. And how many times have you seen posted in the Chicago Forums. and maybe participated in nasty, negative, sarcastic, mean-spirited, hateful remarks about everything and everyone living south of I-80?

For a minute I forget why.

Every single penny generated in taxes north of I-80 - support *Southern Illinois*, pregnant unmarried women, and failing schools like UIC, UI medical school, WIU, Normal, EIU and SIU. Not one single copper earned in Northern Illinois stays there. If this is not enough hate poured on the other 7 million people who live in Illinois, there is the Chicago boy who whines: "There's nothing to do. I'm bored. I don't have any friends. There isn't any nightlife. I'm surrounded by corn."

Historically, Illinois was a farming area before the state was ever formed. It is the flat, boring black, fertile, land that supports corn and beans, and the gently sloping, grassy, tree covered, hills that support cattle, It was this, along with potable water and an abundant food source, that brought my ancestors to Illinois.

Anyone who pretends Peoria, B-N, Springfield, Quad-Cities, Rockford, Quincy, Metro-East, or UIC is not surrounded by cattle, corn and beans is unrealistic. One only has to drive 1-39 from Wisconsin to Cairo to see 250 continuous miles of farms and ranches. I can't count the number of Chicago posters who sing the same song: I-55 is boring and nothing but cows and corn. It is a fact - all the way to Champaign.

Your attitude works both ways. The difference is we don't hate Chicago; we don't waste time thinking about it. Anyone who moves south of State and Madison needs to understand they are moving into the great plains - the heartland of the Grain and Livestock Belt.

It isn't Chicago. But it is approximately 50,000 square miles of land that is more farm and ranch than it is road or community.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by linicx

Don't talk to me about attitude. And how many times have you seen posted in the Chicago Forums. and maybe participated in nasty, negative, sarcastic, mean-spirited, hateful remarks about everything and everyone living south of I-80? . . .

Ah yes, the "you guys started it!" defense. Not a very compelling one outside a grade school playground, and one that ultimately validates the original charge by indulging it.

[linicx]

I see you agree. Thank you.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by linicx

Please be advised Illinois is a farming state. Once you leave Chicago you will be bitterly disappointed because everyone from Chicago hates everything and everyone south of 1-80. You will be surrounded by corn and cattle. You will no longer live in the largest convenient store in the midwest. Many of the foods, the neighborhoods, the conveniences, the entertainmentm the firends and the attitude you are accustomed to are still in the Chicago you left behind as are the Cubs, Sox, Bears and other professional sports. The night lights and a city that never sleeps is being replaced by a sleepy farm town grown large. You won't find Clark Street, the Gold Coast, Lake Shore Drive, a Great Lake, or Chicago style pizza. If you hate kids, a town with the largest university in Illinois will not byour cup of tea.

However you will have a job and a lower COL. Welcome to Southern Illinois

Ignoring the assinine hostility shown by Linicx, a lot of what is spewed there doesn't apply to Champaign-Urbana anyway.

Yes, it is surrounded by farms. Most cities (even Chicago) are surrounded by farmland eventually, even if you have to drive through a few suburbs first.

Champaign-Urbana is smaller, but being home to a large, well-regarded University means it has far more available in it than many small towns do. There are asian grocery stores, and even the non-asian ones are well-stocked, there are authentic Korean and Chinese restaurants, other good local restaurants. There are a lot of the national stores you see in Chicago. There are a good number of locally-run, quality restaurants, too.

There is less theater, and I'm not aware of any locally-run boutique clothing stores, but all in all, Champaign-Urbana is probably nearly as cosmopolitain as a lot of metro areas with populations five times as large (the CU metro is about 200,000 people).

There are multiple Amtrak and buses to Chicago every day, and there are multiple flights from Willard Airport to Chicago, Detroit and Dallas, with connections from those cities to anywhere in the world. There is even inexpensive and usable public transit in the main parts of the cities and around the University.

I enjoy living in Chicago, but if I had a great opportunity in Champaign-Urbana, I wouldn't mind moving there for a while - it could even be a fun change of pace.

[linicx]

Champaign is a large college town. As far as traffic and services are concerned it no worse than any other college town of its size. Some posters complain there is nothing to do, others complain Champaign is a ghost town when the school is on break. It is a farm town as much as Springfield, B-N and Peoria are farm towns grown large. There are nearly 80,000 farmers in Illinois. The average working farm is 1000 acres or more. There is 100 miles or more of farms and ranches between Chicago and Champaign, The only town of size between the two is Kankakee.

Certainly Champaign has the conveniences much the same as any other town its size - the differences will depend a great deal on the student population. What no town in rural America has is Trader Joe's, Cosco, Whole Foods or IKea. In rural Illinois you won't find Lake Shore Drive, The Gold Coast, Clark Street, Navy Pier, Chinatown, the Chicago architecture, Shedd. the museums, the El, the Loop, the neighborhoods, nor the convenience, the lake or major waterways.

What you will find is the heartland of America. You'll meet friendly people, enjoy quiet drives in the country, hunt and fish, and find a good place to raise a family. There is good and bad in every town but if you look for the good in pople you will find it. There is always an adjustment when you move to a new area. C-U is nor far from Arthur, an Amish community.

Here are the largest area newspapers.
Champaign: The News-Gazette.com: Your Source for News and Advertising in East Central Illinois
UIC student newspaper: The Daily Illini | The Independent Student Newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
Springfield: Home - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register
Peoria: http://www.pjstar,com
Southern Illinois: thesouthern.com - Carbondale and Southern Illinois

You will find zoological parks here:
Springfield: Champaign-Urbana | The Daily Illini
Bloomington: Miller Park Zoo :: Bloomington Parks & Recreation - Bloomington, Illinois
Peoria Zoo and Luthy Botanical Garden: header_v8
Peoria Park District
Decatur: Scovill Zoo — Decatur, IL

Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington and Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago are the two oldest zoological parks in Illinois.

You'll find river cruises and gambling in Peoria and the Quad Cities. If you like nature you'll find 200,000 of IL Ozarks in Southern Illinois. You'll find the Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. If you like Native American history you can find in Lewistown in Fulton, Il. at the state owned Dickson Mounds Museum. Between Peoria and Champaign you can find festivals and celebrations large and small and FOLEPI, one of the largest night time Christmas parades and displays in America as well as Springfield First Night.

Performing Arts include.Champaign Urbana Theater Company, Springfield Theatre Centre. Peoria Players Theater, Cornstalk Theater and Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

Dinner theaters: Conklin's Barn II Dinner Theater at Goodfield, IL. - half-way between B-N and Peoria. Springfield Murder Mystery Dinner Theater. If you like indie films there is a newly opened theater in Peoria and Boardman't Art Theater in Champaign.

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