Moving to Bloomington from Los Angeles (Chicago, Peoria: real estate, apartment, to rent)
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Hi, I will be moving to Bloomington in the near future to work for State Farm. Along with me will be my wife and our toddler daughter. I would like to ask for advice on a safe area to rent an apartment. Coming from LA, I would not mind a commute but safety and proximity to parks and other public areas is primary. Also, I have these 'stupid' questions which will help me in the move:
1. What are the shopping options in the area (grocery, departmental, clothing)?
2. Things to do in Central IL and surrounding areas?
3. How do I commute? Do I need a car at all times (like in LA) or can rely on public transport (like in NYC)?
4. Do utility bills often go off the roof because of the use of heat (it snows there right )?
It is all subjective. There is a pretty good bus in Bloomington that makes regular trips to SF and the two towns inclcuding the university, malls, hospitals, bus and train stops. You can shop Kohl's locally or hop on the train to Chicago or St. Louis to shop at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or Costco. The difference between the two areas is about 8 million people; Chicago being the largest. If you are a Lincoln historian you can hop a train and go to Springfield to the Lincoln Llibrary and museum.
There is a mall in Bloomington, Normal and Springfield, two malls in Peoria. You'll find these grocers: Meijers, Kroger's (Von's in CA.), Shnuck's, Gordons, HiVee, Aldi's, Fresh Market, Naturally Yours, Sam's Club, Walmart Super Center for grocerties. There is also indies like International Foods, Dixon Fish Market, Alwaa Brothers meats, Pottstown Deli. Some are only in Normal, Some only in Peoria and some in Peoria, Spfld, Normal and Bloomington.
Spfld, Bloomington and Peoria have zoological parks. Peoria County has a wild animal park. The largest Inland Wetlands Refuge in America is located in Fulton and Mason Counties. The City of Peora Park District manages 10,000 acres and shares duties with two other ccommunities,
IL is an AG state, but that doesn't mean it is all tracter pulls and farm shows. Wicked, a Broadway play is in Peoria now; best seats $125.00. One of the largest night time parades and displays in America is in East Peoria. It starts the Sat after Thanksgiving and ends after New Years Eve. You can also find Pair A Dice Casino, a waterpark and Bass Pro Shops. Coming soon is two new national stores one of which has never had a store in rural Illinois, The Marigold Festival in Pekin draws as many thousand visitors, who come to chase he illusinve Medallion Hunt coin, as the Christmas Parade. There is plenty of hiking, biking, races (people, boat (sail & power) cars and TT Finals. You'll also find fresh pressed apple cider, fresh maple syrup, wineries, brewpub, authentic French and 100-year old bakeries, and feather beds to sleep on . If you like something a bit quirky you can sleep to a wolf lullaby, buy a duck and ompete in the the Rubber Ducky Race, join a Triathalon, or eat apple pie from wood fired oven. You might like the Rennaisance Faire, of even the Indy movie theater that srerves alcohol and foreign films. Bloomington-Normal are about 20-25 minues apart via I-74/I-55. Springfield is abotu an hour via 1-55. You can find almost any sport including Frisbee Golf. If you like somthing quieter there is planetarium, trolly tours, exploring county roads, fishing, hunting and camping. There is no shortage of Performing Arts, Visual Arts of music including Jazz and Chamber Music, Opera, Ballet, summer theater, dinner theater, and more. It isn't CA, or Hollywood or LA or SF. But, there is a lot of things going on all over the area at any given time. You might like First Night in Springfield. It is an all night party that begins early NY Eve and ends when the last party goer calls it quits.
Geographilcally B-N and Springfield are in the prairie. Peoria is in the Illinois River Valley surrounded by heavily forested high rolling hills and cliffs. It is a river town that is the largest community on Illinois River and the oldest continued settlement on the river. Politically Peria is left, right and in the middle. Raciallyy it is white and black with a small base of Asian and Hispanic. You can find almost every relgious denomination know in America in Peoria. It is a mix of business, medical, finance, technology, entertainment and the Arts. It is a social town with many kinds of groups: Artistians, business, unions, musicians, thespians, politics, church, clubs and social societies, country clubs, sports clubs, photography clubs, genealogym birding, etc.. If you want to be involved you can find a niche.
If you're a day sailer bring your boat; there is a yacht club in Peoria. The food won't be the same as in CA, but have some good professional chefs in and about the area. If you are a business man there is a place to network, too. Peoria has he largest MSA followed by Springfield.
I have not addressed any part of Illinois expcept where you will live: Medica calls it the Heart of Illinois. The media braodcast area includes the counties of Marshall, Stark, Peoria, Tazewell, Fulton, Woodford, McLean and Mason. Springfield is the State Capitol. It is approximately 90-miles south of Peoria and 60/65-miles SW of B-N. The largest towns in East Central Illinois are Champaign and Decatur.
You can hop a bus to work or to shop, but if you wan to go to Peoira you need a car. Insurance and plates are cheaper than CA and so is teh cos of living. How much you pay for heat and air-conditioning (cornfields are very humid in the summer). It can be brutal below zero cold in te plains. You bills depends upon where you live and the temperature you set your furnace. There is no such thing as heating with paper logs in the winter like in SoCal. But there are things can do to keep the utility bill to a minimum. Bloomington has a windmill farm. I do not know how much or how little it impacts the local utilities.
Thanks a lot linicx. The info you have provided will go a long way in making sure me and my family have an easy and fun life in and around Bloomington. In fact, am gonna make a copy of your response and paste it on my fridge :-)
I would really appreciate if you could also let me know about the areas to live in which are safe, good to live and near parks and the like.
One of the things I meant to mention since you have children is this: The only critical care Level 1 children's Tertiary unit outside of Chicago is Children's Hospital of Illinois at Peoria. The parent hospital OSF, is the only hospital in Illinios that is affiliated with St Jude Research Hospitals, Shriner's Hospitals and Easter Seals. I hope you never need these services, but if you do it is there.
The only thing I can tell you about is Peoria. The people who live in B-N and Peoria work and play in both cities. If you asked me about Peoria I would say Peoria Heights simply because the kids that start kindergarten graduate from high school with their friends. Unlike some of the other towns it is a K-12 city. The kids are not bused to a new school every two years. They stay in one school until junior or senior high. PH a couple of miles or less to one of the large parks. It has the zoo, botanical gardens, tennis courts, amphitheater, free G-rated family movies on Sat. night. It used to have Bocci ball and softball diamonds but I don't know about today. And of course tons of picnic tables, and swings and such. PH is home to a 187' lookout tower and Granview Drive. Pres. Teddy Roosevelt called it "The world's most beautiful drive." Grab a pizza a head for cut out. You'll find a picnic table and trash cans. It's a really scenic place on top of a heavily forested cliff! The zoo loves kids and a has nice program for Scouts, for insance. Older kids can actually get involved with the animals behind the scenes. PH is a very desirable area to live until snow and ice. The drive to and from work will not be terribly pleasant. The good news is there are 5 bridges that connect Peoria and Taxewell Counties. The other good news is Peoria Heights has never been struck by a tornado. I cannot say the same for all of the other cities in the area.
The second large park in Peoria is Bradley Park. It is home to Corn stock Theater. It is a summer theater and the only 'theater in the round' in Central Illinois. It is also the fourth oldest summer theater in the United Staes.
The third large park (they are all somewhere around 500 acres +/-) is Detweiller. If you like to fly model plains and kites this is park for it with lots of open unfettered space. There is a nice marina at the foot of the park. What you need to understand about the Illinois River is this: It is deep channel shipping lane and not a swimmin 'hole'. The wake from a barge in a "no wake 5mph" zone is still ferocious due to the massive size. If you are not an experienced boater say off the river until you learn the ropes so to speak. If you are a day sailor you won't ave any problems and you'll love the regatta. BTW, The Spirit of Peoria is a stern paddle wheel boat that offers tours from 90 munutes to a week.
Kids love the Riverfront Park in Peoria in the summer for the fountains they can play in. It is also home to a nearly new state of art fitness center with pools, tracks and equipment. Get a day pass and try it out. Rent a four person pedway and tour the city. or you can take a horse drawn carriage ride through the downtown area. The Wildlife Park is in the county. it has trolly/train tours,too, fishing for kids and more. You can rent a cabin for the weekend. Its lots of fun. The animals are native to Illinois.
Illinois also has tons of state parks, but if you really want to go all out you go to Starved Rock and stay at Grizzly Jack's, the only indoor waterpark in Illinois. It is free to guests. Their cabins feature full kitchens with washer and dryer. It is not cheap but it is a lot of fun. Only guests are allowed to use the waterpark faciliites. You stay to play. It is near the entrance to Starved Rock. If you like to hike you can find some awesome waterfalls in the area. Bring a camera.
If you follow US 136 WEST (from south of B-N on I-55) you can find a State Forest and fish hatchery or an RV camp. If you poke around and look in the corners you can find a small winery that gets good reviews, a potter and pretty good food. It is here you find the Wetland Refuge. There is a nice Native American museum with interactive guide, a good gift shop (unusual) and very clean pubic restrooms. Early every year there is a Eagle Watch Day. Someone usualy brings birds of prey into the museum auditiorium for a show. These birds cannot be returned to the wild due to previous injuries, but some are allowed to fly around the auditorium. It is quite a show.
Illinios State University is in Normal. B&N share a common border. ISU is joined wth University High in Normal. It is probably one of the most desired high schools in Illinois. It is a 1000 student body with a long waiting list. The kids from Normal are first pick. then Bloomington and last, the rest of the state. If I had smart students I would live in Normal in a heartbeat. It is smaller and has younger feel because it is a college town with an international student body. ISU offers one of the thirteen top rated Actuary programs in North America. Normal has Meijers and Kroger grocery stores, a mall and a Bromen hospital. They have a new train depot for Amtrac and a new Sheraton Hotel and new restaurants. Steak n' Shake, once a regional restaurant, was born in Normal in the 1930s. Once you try a Steakburger you won't look at fast food hamburgers the same way. Maid Rite is a regional food too. It's in Peoria. I don't know if there is one in B-N or not.
Their are two Avanti Italian Restaurants in the Peoria/B-N area. These are owned by brothers. The Avanti's Italian Restauranti in Peoria is not the same as the other Avanti's.
I have not lived in Bloomington for 40-years. I didn't like it and I did not stay. Then it was too up-tight, too conservative and too politcal for me. I do not know what it is like today. Then Miller Park was a great place to be on weekends with kids. Other than the parks and shopping it tended to be boring for me. I am told the B-N area has changed dramatically. By the way you can get your fresh maple syrup not very far SOUTH from B-N on i-55 at Funk's Grove.
Here is a link to the local papers. What you need to know about local bad news is most of it is contained in one area and its generally gang or family feud related. it does not generally spill over into the community at large. You can't win all the wars but youc an pick your battles. I would ask SF about the type of area you wish to live in. In some cities if you live across the street from, or on the side of a city park you pay an extra park tax with the real estate taxes for the priviledge.
Welcome to your new home! Illinois is not perfect, but it does have a lot of advantages for kids and seniors. If your kids are young take a page from Homeschooling mothers. Every outing is an opportunity to teach your child something new whether it is a leaf or a label on a can of vegetables. Homeschooled kids do better on tests than their public scholl counterparts, too.
Archie, while I think about it, you need to find out if SF has temporary housing once you arrive. Since 9/11 it is harder to rent an apartment and a longer wait to get moved in. I'm pretty sure that SF can pave the way. They do have a lot of clout in the city. It took a friend who moved from WA state nearly two months. It will be really hard to lie in a motel with kids as you need a permanet address.
Also. They will need to bring their school and medical records. They need to have current eye and helth exams and their shots must be up to date. The schools are very picky about meds. If your children need them do work it out with the school. The Kids cannot have meds on their person at school. Not asperin and probably not an inhaler for Asthma. Illinois is not nearly advanced in its thinking about meds as CA is. It can be a hill to climb with a sick child.
It will be a culture shock to move from the ocean into the middle of corn, soybeans and cows. There is absolutely no way to compare to LA. There is no Beverly Hills or Hollywood. You find that on the Gold Coast and Mag Mile in Chicago. On the other hand, the houses are not small on small lots and the COL is a whole lot cheaper. I've been in Palm Springs, LA and SD where a simple Chinese take out was $300 for three people. I just has something similar tonight that cost a whopping $10! The grocery tax is 1%. But you can buy line 10/$1 or avacado the size of softball for $1 or fresh catch. You can buy fresh Sushi. You can find upscale shops with the latest NY styles, and something very similar to 5-star on a budget. You can't get a real cobb salad, but you can get a good steak and hot cup of coffee. Your wife will be frustrate at what she can't find. You can find Kosher in Peoria, but I am not sure about B-N or Spfld.
Come with a open mind. You are about to embark on a new chapter in your life. I hope you find things you enjoy. good places to eat and pleasant neighbors. It won't be the same. It is not LA, but it ain't nearly as bad as some of the other places in the US.
You will be a long way from he ocean or even the Gulf. One of the most pleasant trips I took was through IL to MN to Canada and back through the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, MI and then home. The Great Lakes are beautiful, the food was good, and i had a grand time. Another little trip that is really neat is to Door County- the thumb of Wisconsin. it also one way to get acquainted with the Midwest. You will find the Amish furniture in Arthur, iL ouside of Champaign. The Amana Colonies are not too far over the IA border on I-80. You can also learn about Illinois by following the highways and byways. You won't really be too far from Mark Twain's Hanibal Missouri on the Mississippi River. This year you can take your kids to a christmas tree farm. Pick out the tree and cut your own, IL will be a new adventure for your children. We have a state fair every year when it is hot and steamy. The one reason to go is to Ag building. You children will get to see a life size cow carved from a block of butter. They've been doing it for 60-years. Peoria has a regional state fair called Heart of Illinois Fair. it runs about 10 days. It is plenty of fun for smaller kids. It is famous for the Menonite breakfast the first weekend. It starts at an ungodly early hour, though.
I would really appreciate if you could also let me know about the areas to live in which are safe, good to live and near parks and the like.
I live in Bloomington and work for your employer. There are many parts of Bloomington that are quite safe and you'll find lots of values in the housing markets these days. In general, I prefer the neighborhoods to the east (as do most). Generally east of Hershey is good. I really like the newer McGraw Park, and the neighborhoods that surround it. I'd also recommend someplace that has good access to the Constitution trail.
There are many nice neighborhoods in North Normal and Southwest Bloomington. You'll be driving a bit to most of the shopping centers and State Farm if you locate there, but there are many parks and good schools in those areas as well. Also the southwest part of Bloomington is a bit less flat (though still very flat).
People tend to prefer Unit 5 Schools rather than District 87, but they are all really fine. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
Thanks steve. I would also like to know about the cost of living. I have used many calculators online and all of them make me happy about the fact that am moving to Bloomington on the same salary I was getting in LA. But can you tell me if 90k+ per annum would suffice in that area?
It will more than suffice in any of the Central Illinois ciites and if you live in the county real estate taxes are even less.
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Originally Posted by archie999
Thanks steve. I would also like to know about the cost of living. I have used many calculators online and all of them make me happy about the fact that am moving to Bloomington on the same salary I was getting in LA. But can you tell me if 90k+ per annum would suffice in that area?
Thanks steve. I would also like to know about the cost of living. I have used many calculators online and all of them make me happy about the fact that am moving to Bloomington on the same salary I was getting in LA. But can you tell me if 90k+ per annum would suffice in that area?
Yes, 90k will go plenty far in Bloomington. I guess I would caution you that there are plenty of people that make more than that, which leads to some spoiled kids, and may make for comparisons with any kids you may have. But 90k will but plenty of house here. There are a TON of houses on the market in what I expect would be your price range. So you'll be able to choose quite a bit.
I'd recommend looking at any of the eastside elementary schools: Northpointe, Grove, Benjamin.
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