Where should a young professional live in Peoria, IL? (Chicago: apartment complex, rentals)

[crblount]

I'm a young professional moving to Peoria in a couple of weeks, and I'd like advice on where to rent an apartment. I don't have children, so I'm not concerned with school districts. Things that are important to me are a social environment where I can meet similar people, easy access to activities (biking, running, etc). I'll be working just North of the city (Mossville), so I'd prefer to stay on the North side. Thanks!

[linicx]

Let me tell you a bit about Peoria. The MSA is over 400,000. It is the largest area after Chicago and East St. Louis. Peoria is the oldest and largest city on the river. Peoria is not a square grid. Peoria County sprawls along the banks of the Illinois River for about 50 miles. Mossviille is NE of Peoria on Illinois State Route 29 which is also NE Adams Street in Peoria. If you wish to live near work you will want to live on the NE side of Peoria.

Many professionals live in upscale Peoria Heights. It is a very nice area. Otherwise any area in Peoria that is North of War Memorial Drive is a decent area in which to live. Old Rome Road is a very interesting area but I do not know if you can find a rental. It follows the course of the river into Chillecothe.

Peoria is not flat. It is built among cliffs and rolling hills. The Peoria Park Distrct manages 10,000 acres that includes sports, riverfront, parks, amphitheater, zoo and most events. You can find upscale dining as easy as a sports bar or pizza. You can network privately or socially. We have a large Performing Arts and Vistual Arts community. The music is all encompasing as you find Southern Gospel and Jazz as easy as Country and Indy groups. The same can be said of religion as every major faith, and some not so major is represented in Peoria. Politics and lifestyle is as diverse as our residents views on same. The Arts community offers juried art fair, opera, ballet, symphony, Broadway, artists and artist studioe. There are also various annual races that range from the Rubber Ducky Race to the TT Finals in the fall. There is a regional state fair in Peoria because the State Fair in Springfield is 100 miles. Their is also a Renaissance Faire if you like jousing. If you re a hunter you can Bow hunt at the same park the faire is held.

Peoria has 100+ restaurants, two malls, a dozen grocers and half-dozen shopping centers. You can find International Market, meat market, fish market and deli as well as national grocers. There are two old time laundries to starch and iron your shirts, clean and press your suits, and clean your silk ties. Idea Troy has been cleaning and pressing Peoria laundry for nearly 100-years. You will find four hospitals, three times more physicians than the national average plus a non-tradional Holistic community. You can find Vegan and Vegetarian foods in restaurants as well as at Naturally Yours grocer.

What you cannot find is much in the way of the bar scene Sun thru Tues night. Wed-Sat nights is when you will find the majority of activity. The exceptions will be the bowling alleys and movie theaters. Peoria has always been a quiet town on these nights unless there is some type of specific activity.. You may well find more S-T nights during the summer when the carriage rides and river cruises are open.

If you are a CAT employee you will want to check out CEFCU credit union. It was originally opened by CAT for small loans a zillion years ago. It is now independent but it does offer some nice perks to members in the form of low interest loans and other things.

I recently talked to a couple of apartment complex managers. They say they are required by law to do a credit and police check on all residents. You are coming with employment. You may find yourself in a motel for a couple of weeks. It would not hurt to start the process now. Perhaps your employer can make a recommendation. You can get a short term lease but you may have the same problem with the credit and police check. I don't know this to be a fact; it may depend upon your particular circumstances.

I will contact you privately with other information. Look for a private message underneath your name on the upper right corner in Your Notifications: .

[crblount]

linicx,
Awesome, awesome reply...thanks very much! I'll follow this and also the advice you PM'd me and I'm sure it'll help me make a smoother transition.

[Scio42]

Just thinking off the top of my head, check out the apartments managed by NHS.

Welcome to nhs Property Management

Nearly all of the complexes they manage are decent, although I've heard some complaints about the construction at Covington Court (note - not Covington Club which is nearby)

Also, working at Mossville, the new Prairie Lake Crossing apartments are pretty nice and would only be about a 5 min drive from work. There are many other decent complexes, just maybe a stretch to include everything you posted you're looking for. I'll try to post some further suggestions when I think of them.

It would be best to look for a decent apartment in a nice area. I can't really say that there's an apartment complex that would be a great social setup for a young professional specifically. Your best social connections will more than likely be made independent of which complex you choose anyway.

As a prior poster mentioned, Peoria Heights is a pretty nice area for the most part, however there's not much in the way of decent rentals there, espcially decent rentals at an affordable price. I would agree that many professionals live there, just maybe not so many young professionals.

I do disagree some with the prior post that "any area in Peoria that is North of War Memorial Drive is a decent area in which to live." While this was true 10 years ago, it has changed since then. I would change this to - any area in Peoria that is North of War Memorial is likely a decent area to live. Specific to your concerns, there are a few apartment complexes North of War Memorial that really are not good or completely safe (in a couple cases) places to live. Best advice is not to rent from anyplace sight unseen.

[linicx]

I believet the poster mentioned: Hiking, biking, running, social? I fhink Forest Park and Grandview Drive fit that bill, and of course Prospect has some intersting places to eat and socialize. Finding a rental is not an issue at all. You have to know who to ask.