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Moving to Peoria IL by the end of the year
need information on:
1. BEST PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL with that in mind best places to live.
2. HOUSE/APT. FOR RENT, THEN HOUSES TO BUY (all base on the school district)
3. DOCTORS [OB/GYN, Physician, FAMILY DOCTOR, Pediatrician AND DENTIST]
4. GRAPHIC DESIGN JOBs (husband already has one in his area, the reason for moving but I will be looking for me)
5. GYM
6. ACTIVITIES FOR 3 AND 5 yrs.
1- Peoria Heights K-12. There are also religious and private schools. PH kids are not bused to a different school system. They are not bused to a a different school within the Village every two years as students are in Peoria.
2- Peoria Heights is a very desireable address
3. Many of the doctors have suites on Glen Avenue and also on University. The only hospital outside of the Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria that treats more children annually is in Chicago. According to Sperling Peoria has more physicians than the national average. There is also a non-traditional holistic community. Children's Hospital has more than 100 physicians that practice a specialty. Peoria has several dentists; we never had e bad experience with a Peoria dentist.
4- You husband will have access to the names of other graphic art companies; I don't know them. Peoria has a very nice artist colony and performing artists. The Peora Art Guild hosts one of the oldest Juried Art Fairs in the state. It attracts many thousand visitors every year.
5- YWCA, YMCA/Family Y, and a state of art fitness center at the Fiverfront Plaza.
6. Peoria Zoo, Lookout Tower, Wheels of Time Museum, Chuck E. Cheese, Wildlife Prairie State Park, free saturday night familiy movies at the park, a 10,000 acre city park. nearby waterpark and animal farm for young kids. There is a fountain children play in at the Riverfront Plaza park, river cruise on the Spirit of Peoria, horse drawn carriage rides, and many family events during the year including the Santa Claus Parade, regional state fair, and the largest night time Christmas Parade and display in America. There is hunting, fishing, boating, sailing, TT Finals,*ice and roller*skating, skiing, birding, varous races, softball, baseball,*football, basketball, golf, bowlingand and more.
If your mate is a hunter, there are special rules you must follow to transport weapons in Illinois. You may not smoke closer than 15 feet from the entrance to a public building. You may not use a cellphone is any school zone in Illinois between 8a -4p on days when the school is in session. You may not touch a cellphone in any work zone. Scott's Law prohibits any vehicle from driving in*any lane next to a stopped emergency vehicle; it makes no difference if emergency lights are running or not. Warning! The fines are expensive and may be excessive for these violations.
If you live somewere near Prospect Avenue in Peoria Heights, between 4 and 5 stoplights on Lake Street or Glen Avenue, you will find a a dozen grocery stores, a half dozen shopping centers, two malls, doctors,*restaurants, post office, pharmacies, seasonal farmer's market, planetarium and museum, smimming pool, office supply, hospital and more. PH is surrounded by the City of Peoria on three sides and the Illinois River on the fourth.
About Peoria Heights. It is a Village in Peoria County that has a very good school system in a safe, family friendly area. It is an area that is convenient to parks, bakeries, boutique shops, restaurants, and the best of Peoria.
Welcome to Illinois - the #1 and #2 producer of soybeans and corn in America.
Dunlap School District which includes most of the north side is in the top ten districts in the state, may be #1... Homes are much more expensive in this district; crime is practically non-existant. Brimfield School district borders the west side, and is a great district too. I went there twenty years ago, and many of the same teachers are still working there. When I went, there were teachers that taught my parents. Definitely a family-friendly community, where people stay, or return to raise their kids. Also they're building a new modern high school right now. If you want to stay in the city I definitely agree with Peoria Heights, or Richwoods, which is also north side.
Peoria is a great mid-size city. I loved growing up there. Just big enough to have everything, but small enough to get around easy. No rush hour hassles that I learned to live with in florida. All my friends in Florida made fun of me for being so Peoria-proud, but you'll find out pretty quickly there how proud of their community Peorians are!
State's largest 4th of July fireworks display over the downtown riverfront - never seen a better display anywhere else in the country.
Riverfront Arts Center, Peoria Art Guild, and dozens of other venues for the arts. Peoria Symphony Orchestra is the oldest in the state and something like the 3rd oldest in the country. Cornstock theatre in the round in Bradley Park is always fun.
They just renovated the Zoo, and have an impressive African exhibit.
Just about every weekend there's a festivl of some kind going on on the riverfront. Concerts, octoberfest, Erinveis (Irish fest), Art shows, parades, including the nation's oldest Santa Parade, and so on.
A HUGE city park system. Seriously they have more park land within the city limits that Chicago! Not just plain Jane parks, but an awesome variety of parklands, ranging from riverbluff forests with amazing views to family friendly parks full of equipment and fountains, like Bradley Park or the Riverfront Park. There's a really neat hot air balloon convention at one of the smaller parks. The city is literally covered with dozens of hot air balloons - a real spectacle! Oh almost forgot Wildlife Prairee Park. All of Illinois' native plants and animals in a natural setting. It's a must do with the kids. they'll get to see bison, wolves, bobcats, snapping turtles, etc. they have a miniature train that kids love to take through the park. Lots of fun. It was one of my favorite places as a kid. Go to the Olde english Fair in Jubillee State Park. they'll love the jesters and jousters!
Go for a drive or a walk in Grandview Park, a breathtaking river bluff park on one side of the street, impressive turn of the century mansions lining the other side. Theodore Roosevelt on a motor tour proclaimed it "The World's Most Beautiful Drive". Don't know about that, but it's beautiful!
The city is in the middle of building a new museum complex on the riverfront as well. It will house the Lakeview Museum, which is currently uptown, and part of the Smithsonion network. There will be an Imax Theater, and Caterpillar's Museum. If the kids like cars and trains definitely go to the Wheels of Time museum.
If you like shopping you'll be happy there; it's a regional shopping destination. Two big malls, one indoor and the other a beautiful outdoor center.
It's also the downstate medical district for Illinois. Three hospitals. Saint francis just finished a 100million reno and Methodist is building an all-new 100million facility across the street. You'll have a hard time choosing a doctor, no matter the specialty. Plenty of great chiropractors too, if you're in the need.
I no longer live in the area, but get back as often as I can, as most of my family is there. In searching for the perfect place to raise my own family, Peoria is my benchmark. I haven't found too many places that all together have the same unique blend of attributes. Best of luck to you in your new home!
If you know Peoria then you know using Peoria for a benchmark makes it awfully hard to find a place that measures up in ammenities and diversity. Very few towns have the 10,000+ acre park system, the money, the Medical District or the large body of water. I looked for the same thing for years.
Tulsa, OK is very green and 10x larger than Peoria and it has everything exept the racial diversity; and I am not sure if they have a holistic community. Plus Tulsa is squarely in Tornado Alley.
A very, very small town and a version of Peoria is at Grove, OK on Grand Lake -- it is not huge by comparison but it is 60 miles long and it does take 4+ hours to drive around. The park district is not massive, but what it offers is surprisingly very, very nice. It is a top 5 rated retirement area, too. You will find all kinds of hidden gems amongst the cliffs and high rolling hills. The scenic view from atop the cliffs is very much like a portion of Grandview Drive.
If you don't want to live in Peoria, PH or Dunlap, I would look very seriously at Washington. It has the schools and a nice after school sports program. It isn't that far from Glen Oak or Detweiller.
How do you post a new thread? I am moving to Peoria possibly around June. I am 23, and just graduated college when I move. Where do you suggest I live or move to? I am from North Carolina , and know absolutely nothing!!! Help!!!
Peoria is about the size of Fayetteville, NC. The MSA is closer to 500,000 and is approx mid-way between Chi and St. L. There is no ocean, but IL is blessed with a Great Lake, two great rivers, smaller lakes and streas, and the IL River, a 278 mile deep channel shipping lane. that supports bargest hauling thousands of tons of IL products as well as sailing, speedboats and canoe. The City of Peoria faces the river. You can find a river cruise as a well as a state-of-art fitness center at the river's edge downtown (Water Street). You will find a very balanced religious community representing nearly every denomination known. You will find a large artists community including performing aits and visual arts and one of the oldest summer stock theaters, as well as dinner theater, multi-plex movies, etc. The healing arts community includes 4 hospitals, medical school, 3x more MDs than the national average and a Holistic community.
You can shop til you drop in two malls, a half-dozen shopping centers, nearly a dozen grocers and small food purveuyors and boutique Peoria Heights. Combining the entire MSA you can probably find nearly 300 restaurants. You will find most of the national stores and restaurants.
What you will NOT find is Trader Joe's, Costco ro Whole Foods; they are in Chi or St. L. I like St. Louis because it is easy-in and easy-out on Sunday mornings... not much traffic before 11am. However you can find Vegan restaurants, NC branded Fresh Market store in Westlake Center in Peoria, a natural grocery store and a seasonal local fresh air market in the Metro Center in Peoria.
Our winter temps frequently drop below zero, but it is not nearly as frigid as Chicago winters. You will need to buy winter clothing if you like outside adventures. Peoria also has a 10,000 park district that is a Gold Medal winner that includes an award winning zoo, and manages three ginormoous parks and every sport you ever beard of.
Continuing education from three excellent schools: Bradley U @ Peoria, medical school @ Peoria and ISU @ nearby Normal. Also if you have a hobby and extra time you can share your hobby through the Park District. You set the class size, dates and cost.
Rent can cost from under $500 to over $1000. Types of rentals include apartments, condo, lofts, duples, suites and houses. Transportation includes air, cab, limo and bus. No train servers Peoria, but you can catch a train to Chi or St. L from Galesburg or Lincoln. There is also a car service from Pia to Chi that costs about the same as bus-train or air to Chi.
Peoria is not a square grid. The seven major streets between the river and the top of Main Street hill are NE and SW streets. The five major streets north of Main Street hill are due North and due South. The only one-way streets are downtown: NE Adams and SW Jefferson.
US 150 (War Memorial Drive) traverses Peoria from the East (Prospect Avenue) to West (Sterling Avenue). Any area NORTH or War Memorial is generally considered a good place to live. If you want to live in an area close-in but NOT in Peoria look at the Village of Peoria Heights. You will be quite surprised at what it offers. You will be near an authentic French bakery as well as a bakery that has servered Peoria for more than 100-years.
The greatest area of Peoria shopping is E-W between War Memorial Drive Glen AVenue and N-S between Sherican Road and University. This is where you find the indoor mall and most of the shopping centers. If you follow US 150 West you also find the newer outdoor mall and new shopping centers. It is all contained in a 5 square mile area. There are several condos and apartment units in this area, too.
Peoria is severd by Comcast cable, ATT phone, Ameren for gas and lights. Best cell service in this area is Verizon followed by Sprint. US Cellular not so much. I think ATT is spotty at best. Gas heat is warmer in the winter. Not all apartment complexes offer gas heat. You will also run into a waiting list of up to 3 months. All landlords check credit history, criminal history, residency, etc.. and a deposit is required before they start the review process. If you are arriving in June you should start the process as early as March.
IL is an AG state. It is the #1 soybean producer and #2 Corn producer. You will see a lot of farms and ranches as you driver through Illinois. I-74 flows thru Peoria from 1-55 to 1-80. I-474 passes by Peoria beginning at Morton and rejoins I-74 stlightly north or Peoria. There are several Peoria exits off I-474. The Sterling exit is very popular. It is between Westlake Center and where US 150/Sterling and Glen Ave. meet.
If wish to live in a smaller country setting do look at Dunlap, Germantown Hills (rustic), Morton and Washington. These are generally considered white collar areas with college graduates. The center of town for most are 10-20 mies +/- from Peoria. Five bridges carry traffic across the IL river and into Peoria. It can get a little hairy in the winter, but generally speaking there is no particular problem getting to work.
Il does ocsassionally experience black ice and white outs in the winter. The rule of thumb: If you see semi-trailers and other traffic moving at a 10-miles per hour, don't drive any faster; there is a reason for the slow traffic that you don't "see".
If you have other questions, do ask. I don't think you will be disappointed.
Last edited by linicx; 10-05-2011 at 12:48 PM..
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but I will be looking for me)
