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Old 12-30-2011, 10:52 PM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 103,201,963 times
Reputation: 29983

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Quote:
Originally Posted by prairiestate View Post
Check out Iowa. Illinois is fine, but I'm guessing you don't want a really big city since you didn't post this in the Chicago forum. Des Moines is a wonderful small (maybe medium depending on your definition) sized city, and gay marriage is legal in Iowa.
It actually was originally posted in the Chicago forum but got moved because the question was not Chicago-specific.

As a whole, Illinois outside of Chicago isn't particularly gay-friendly outside a few patches in major college towns. Chicago is a whole different ballgame.
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Old 12-30-2011, 11:59 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,269,957 times
Reputation: 6426
Central Illinois as a whole has a fair amount of junior and small four-year colleges and many of those schools have train service too. A few that come to mind are Eureka, Canton, Lincoln, Havana, Decatur, Galesburg, Charleston, and Macomb. I am sure they all have a gay community albeit not particularly large and they don't proclaim it quite as boldly as Boystown in Chicago. .
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Old 12-31-2011, 07:31 AM
 
2,300 posts, read 6,185,102 times
Reputation: 1744
Quote:
Originally Posted by linicx View Post
I don't understand the insistance to drag Iowa into an IL forum. What makes anyone think Peoria and Bloomington are not hiring when Costco and Targest are building new stores?

The IL side of the Quad Cities is 90 miles from Peoria and about 150 miles from Bloomington. Why would the OP want to drive 200 miles to IC when he can hop a train in Normal and go to the CITY?
Simple, if you're not interested in Chicago, there are few reasons to live in Illinois. I would argue the quality of life is better in any other Midwestern state. Lower taxes, better services, far less corruption, and they'll recover from the recession far sooner then Illinois. The OP said they were interested in a variety of states. Illinois doesn't make much sense if they're not going to Chicago.
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Old 12-31-2011, 09:22 AM
 
Location: Maryland
4,675 posts, read 7,407,718 times
Reputation: 5368
Quote:
Originally Posted by prairiestate View Post
Simple, if you're not interested in Chicago, there are few reasons to live in Illinois. I would argue the quality of life is better in any other Midwestern state. Lower taxes, better services, far less corruption, and they'll recover from the recession far sooner then Illinois.
In the less-populous Midwestern states, probably. States with large populations like Ohio and Michigan, heck even Indiana (for all its touted low-tax, business friendly attitude)? Probably not.
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Old 12-31-2011, 02:57 PM
 
Location: Greenville, SC
6,219 posts, read 5,944,595 times
Reputation: 12161
Illinois unemployment rate last month: 10.0%. Iowa unemployment rate last month: 5.7%.

Unemployment Rates for States

The OP hasn't committed specifically to settle in Illinois, he/she is looking at other states as well as Illinois, so I think it's fair mentioning towns in adjacent states he/she might look at. Illinois also tops some lists of the worst places to retire, primary due to its fiscal state:

» Our Worst States to Retire List Topretirements

Congratulations, Illinois.
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Old 12-31-2011, 03:12 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,269,957 times
Reputation: 6426
There is a preconveived notion that any place in Illinois south of Chicago is a frightful area to live. I am happy to report in this past year I helped several families from both coasts move to Central Illinois and they are doing well. I found a newly formed lacross league for kids for a family from NJ, help for an autistic child in another, and so forth. I helped families from Chicago move too. One father is a store manager. He likes his job and the area in general, and his kids are doing well in school.

Several new businesses came to the area this past year: Hi Vee, Fresh Market and Bass Pro opened new stores. Costco and the new Target store will open next year. Unemployment is going down in Central Illinois, too, so one could reasonably argue it is not nearly as depressed or as terrible as non-residents proclaim.

Is it perfect? No, but neither is any other state. If we removed all the cities and all the farm and ranch land, and all the concrete ribbons in the Midwest we would still have a naturally beautiful state as would be most of the other states as well.

We need to stop this nastiness and learn to co-exist peacefully.
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Old 12-31-2011, 06:42 PM
 
117 posts, read 128,817 times
Reputation: 40
Quote:
Originally Posted by linicx View Post
There is a preconveived notion that any place in Illinois south of Chicago is a frightful area to live. I am happy to report in this past year I helped several families from both coasts move to Central Illinois and they are doing well. I found a newly formed lacross league for kids for a family from NJ, help for an autistic child in another, and so forth. I helped families from Chicago move too. One father is a store manager. He likes his job and the area in general, and his kids are doing well in school.

Several new businesses came to the area this past year: Hi Vee, Fresh Market and Bass Pro opened new stores. Costco and the new Target store will open next year. Unemployment is going down in Central Illinois, too, so one could reasonably argue it is not nearly as depressed or as terrible as non-residents proclaim.

Is it perfect? No, but neither is any other state. If we removed all the cities and all the farm and ranch land, and all the concrete ribbons in the Midwest we would still have a naturally beautiful state as would be most of the other states as well.

We need to stop this nastiness and learn to co-exist peacefully.
excellent post...I just relocated to central Illinois and one thing I know for a fact...I wouldn't be able to live a quality of life like this had I stayed in Chicago and I would be paying a lot more for a place like this...We have descent schools too...We have Lincoln Land Community College and Univerisity of Illinois to name a few...I decided to return to school...It is working out great...I am only three hours away from Chicago if I want to visit friends or family
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Old 12-31-2011, 06:47 PM
 
83 posts, read 164,041 times
Reputation: 51
You won't get hurt for being gay there, no more likely than any other mainstream state.
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Old 12-31-2011, 06:48 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,269,957 times
Reputation: 6426
Yeh, it's kinda cool being situated between two larger Metro areas with great sports teams and upscale dining.
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Old 12-31-2011, 07:17 PM
 
117 posts, read 128,817 times
Reputation: 40
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dale the male View Post
You won't get hurt for being gay there, no more likely than any other mainstream state.

As quiet as it's keep. A place like Springfield is not bad at all, because people tend to mind their own buisness. In Chicago, people have a tendency to not mind their own business.
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