how to move around in charleston, il (Chicago, Mattoon: appointed, rental)

[lea86111]

i'm gonna move to charleston soon and i need to know if there's any way to get around in charleston or from charleston to mattoon. i don't have a car and i'm gonna have to get a job but the choices are very limited in charleston and even more limited if you don't have a car.

[linicx]

City of Charleston, Illinois -- Welcome to the City of Charleston

Illinois is the #1 and #2 producer of soybeans and corn in America. Livestock is also a large export farm product. Almost all of our towns are surrounded by farms and ranches. I would call the city and ask if they have a bus or transportation system.

Perhaps another member can answer your question.

[mdand3boys]

Charleston is the home of Eastern Illinois University, but other than that, there "ain't nothing there".
Bicycle or walk?

City of Charleston, Illinois -- Welcome to the City of Charleston

[Drover]

Best way to get around Charleston without a car is by bike. There is no public transportation system to speak of. The city is too big to cover by foot on a daily basis, though you could always get lucky and end up working within walking distance of where you live.

There is no practical way to get from Charleston to Mattoon and vice-versa except by car. They're connected by a bike path so I suppose you could get back and forth by bike if you're in really good shape and don't mind riding an hour each way. I bet that would really suck in winter, over and above the standard suckitude of having to ride an hour each way even under the best conditions.

[CPT Puffy]

There isn't public transportation between Charleston and Mattoon, so it would be beneficial to reside as close as possible to your job. Rental costs in and around the EIU campus area are high and the quality of rental units is overall very poor; Mattoon probably has better rental options. If you're moving to either community for purposes of seeking employment, you may be disappointed. EIU and Lake Land CC haven't been hiring very many persons lately and industry has pretty much left the area. The days of middle class employment with Trailmobile or Blaw-Knox are long gone. Even so, Mattoon and Charleston are still decent small cities to live in "if" you can find employment. The square in downtown Charleston is a nostalgic "throwback" to a simpler time, lots of nice small shops and restaurants surround the Coles County Courthouse. Good luck to you!

[SonySegaTendo617]

Originally Posted by CPT Puffy

There isn't public transportation between Charleston and Mattoon, so it would be beneficial to reside as close as possible to your job.

I'm very surprised EIU, and/or the cities of Mattoon and Charleston don't have at least some kind of limited shuttle service between both towns, at least for people in Charleston having to rely on catching Amtrak in Mattoon. You think there'd at least be shuttles timed to go to and from the Mattoon station, before and after each Amtrak train that comes through. (and I'm sure at least some EIU students/faculty rely on taking Amtrak trains to/from Mattoon....)

For all I know, I wonder if there are even 1-2 cab companies serving the Charleston-Mattoon area. Weird to learn the only non-car option one may have if going there is biking between either community, and somehow I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult in either community to bike...

[Drover]

In my 5+ years as an EIU student, I never met a single person who took the train, or at least nobody ever talked about it or asked for a ride to the station or what-not. If you wanted to get back and forth between Charleston and the Chicago area, you hitched a ride with one of your friends.

Most rural small towns don't have shuttle service between them. The only reason Charleston and Mattoon might conceivably be any different is because the former is a college town and the latter has a train station. But there are in fact cab companies you can call for a ride to/from the station. But obviously neither that, nor a shuttle timed to get people back and forth only when a train stops in town, is practical for the OP's daily commuting needs.