Champaign / Urbana Apartments (Springfield, Bradley, Golden: apartment complexes, high crime, dorms)

[rjhubbard]

Hi all,

It's another Champaign/Urbana grad student thread. I'm heading out to C-U for graduate school come August, and I have been doing as much research as possible on apartments/weather/crime in the area, including reading several of the other threads posted here. Some folks have stated that violent crime in C-U is especially high, while others are not convinced, but its enough to make me worry. I have a couple of apartment complexes in mind and was wondering what the safety of the areas are.

1) Springfield and Mattis in Champaign
2)S Vine St and Fairlawn Dr in Urbana

I appreciate any information you can give, as I am moving from California and have essentially no knowledge of C-U. Any recommendations on apartments would be great as well!

Much obliged!

[socaldream]

I don't know, I always liked Urbana better when I was going to school there, but then again that was a while ago. I was at UIUC from 1987-1992. Some things have probably changed since then. I don't know that it is a particularly crime-ridden town even today, though. Some parts of Champaign are rough but most areas near the University are usually safe. But, again, I haven't been back there in a long time.

[Nimbus09]

I just finished in January.

Just stay away from anywhere between University north to Bradley. Both of the areas you have mentioned are fine. That specific Urbana location is nicer in my opinion.

Good luck in Champaign. Enjoy the endless amounts of cheap beer, especially at Murphy's, the only campus bar that grad students can handle. Blind Pig in downtown Champaign (both of them) are the equivalent sans the undergrads. Also good places to spend Christmas Eve at if you can't afford a plane ticket back home.

Also, for good chinese, go to Golden Harbor (hands down the best restaurant in the entire town. get to know tina, she always hooks you up with free side dishes).
Good Mexican- Dos Reales
Good Pho+Thai- Thara Thai
Good BBQ- Black Dog
Cheap + Good BBQ- Lil Porgy's (Sunday half chicken + lemon shakeup is only $5)
Good fish sandwiches- Legends
Good chicken fingers- Geovanti's
Good pizza- bleh, nowhere. maybe papa del's but not really

And hit up Curtis Orchard for apple picking when in season.

All of this and I'm still so damn skinny, lol

Anyway, good luck again!

Oh, they just recently started sending everyone emails about the violent crimes on campus. They were happening before these notifications, trust me. Now, everyone is just more aware, and therefore scared. Think the worst that has happened was someone got punched in the back of the head and got his wallet stolen.

[rjhubbard]

Congrats Nimbus on finishing, and thanks so much for all of the information. I'm definitely a bit of a foodie, so I really appreciate the restaurant suggestions. I think I will go for the Urbana location.

Thanks again!

[linicx]

I called campus housing. Graduates are placed off campus in apartments located in Urbana. It is away from the main campus and away from any high crime areas. It is also near the bus line - if you don't need a car.

Here is a link to pre-register for housing.

Click on the link.
Click on "Register" above the Log in box
Click "Save & Continue" to go to the application page

http://www.housing.illinois.edu/NoSSO.aspx

Good luck and welcome to Illinois.

[Katarina Witt]

Back when I lived there, it wasn't so much violent crime as it was theft, burglary and whatever else you call stealing other people's stuff. Practically everyone I knew had had a bicycle stolen, including me. Mine was stolen from the parking garage of my apt. building.

I too preferred Urbana, but my husband likes to say you can't tell when you're leaving one and entering the other w/o a sign.

[socaldream]

I could tell. I started in the dorms in Urbana and pretty much stayed in Urbana throughout my time there. That's not to say that Champaign doesn't have some nice residential areas, though. It does.

Originally Posted by Katiana

Back when I lived there, it wasn't so much violent crime as it was theft, burglary and whatever else you call stealing other people's stuff. Practically everyone I knew had had a bicycle stolen, including me. Mine was stolen from the parking garage of my apt. building.

I too preferred Urbana, but my husband likes to say you can't tell when you're leaving one and entering the other w/o a sign.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by socaldream

I could tell. I started in the dorms in Urbana and pretty much stayed in Urbana throughout my time there. That's not to say that Champaign doesn't have some nice residential areas, though. It does.

If you walk east down Green St., you cannot possibly tell when you have crossed from Champaign into Urbana, unless you know that the boundary is Wright St. Seriously.