Family of 3 moving to Springfield, IL (Chicago, Lincoln: daycare, hotel, new home)

[sshouze]

Hello-

My husband's job is transferring to Springfield, IL. We are in our 30s and have a 3 year old child. We have never been to Springfield. Can anyone describe the culture of this city? We're not expecting it to be Chicago or anything. We simply want to know how life is in this city. We enjoy trying new restaurants. Also, we enjoy family activites. I welcome any useful information that anyone can provide.

1. Safest areas/neighborhoods to live.
2. Are there any artsy neighborhoods?
3. Can you describe the nightlife, if there is any?
4. Best locally owned places to eat
5. Best childcare facilities (3 year old child)


Thank you!

[Maintainschaos]

I hope that you enjoy Springfield. I lived there for 18 years, and I still have a lot of family in the area. It can definitely be a bit of a sleepy town, but it's nice for families.

1) Most of Springfield is, in general, safe. There are parts of the southeast side of the city proper that aren't great, have a lot of crime, etc. but the west, north and south sides are pretty good. There are large. established single-family homes in old neighborhoods along Lincoln and Washington parks. For new homes, check the far west side along Iles Ave. or Wabash Ave. or the suburbs of Chatham, Rochester or Sherman.

2) There aren't any traditionally artsy neighborhoods, but there are some more eclectic neighborhoods in Enos Park or Vinegar Hill.

3) Most "nightlife" centers around downtown. It can be sleepy on weekdays, but most weekends there are festivals around the Old State Capitol (more of a small-town square feel) including the farmer's market, blues festivals, oyster and beer festivals, etc. With the recent addition of the presidential museum, a new microbrewery downtown, and the new center for the arts, downtown is a lot more upbeat than it used to be. There are a few clubs and bars (for local music).

4) If there's one thing Springfield doesn't lack, it's restaurants. Some of my favorites include Sebastian's (downtown), Bentoh's (downtown), Dublin Pub (west side), Incredibly Delicious (downtown--great tiramisu) and American Harvest Eatery (west side). Charlie Parker's Diner (southside) and the Cozy Dog Drive-in (southside) have been featured on the Food Network for Americana-style greasy spoon places. Cozy Dog claims to be the home of the corndog.

5) Sorry, no children here so I can't help you there.

[linicx]

If you are moving soon you'll be in town in time for First Night that begins on New Years Eve. Ballet, symphony, etc.. It is very nice, parking is a mess, and it is generally bone cold on NYE. If you stay in a hotel you may be able to find a qualified nanny for the evening.

[sshouze]

Thanks for all of the information.

[Mylläri]

I'm 30 and live in downtown Springfield.

1. Stay west of 5th Street and south of North Grand Avenue, general rule of thumb for safety IMO. I'm Catholic so I normally recommend that people move near or relatively close to one of the Catholic Parishes in town such as Blessed Sacrament, Christ the King, or Saint Agnes. All areas around those parishes are quite nice. Otherwise the west end of town is suburban (west of Chatham Road).

2. Can't quantify.

3. Not much nightlife, downtown is decent but nothing too exciting. Weekends tend to be better, Springfield does have different festivals and other events every month. Get a copy of the Illinois Times (its free and widely available) and check out the events section.

4. Springfield has a wide variety of great restaurants. Among my favorites are Holy Land Diner, Obed & Issac's Microbrewery, Incredibly Delicious, Saputo's Italian, D'Arcy's Pint, Brickhouse, etc. For high end dining you have to check out Nick & Nino's Penthouse Steakhouse which sits atop the Hilton downtown, my friends took be there for my 30th birthday and it was the best dining experience I've ever had.

5. I'd have to recommend any Catholic school.

[JHous83]

Hi sshouze. I'm 29 and have a 2 year old son. My wife and I have lived in Springfield all of our lives and really have no complaints. I really hope you enjoy your time here.

1. I really think where you're coming from makes a big difference here. If you're coming from a similar sized city or bigger, I think you would find most of Springfield safe. But if you're coming from a small town, probably not so much. I pretty much agree with Myllari about staying west of 5th and south of North Grand, but of course there are pockets of exceptions all over town, some good and some bad. Of course all of the "suburbs" around town like Rochester, Chatham, and Sherman will be very safe. Any local realtor should be able to point you in the right direction.

2. There really isn't any specific artsy neighborhoods, but I'm going to assume that based off of this question you are not looking for the typical suburban subdivision surrounded by strip malls. If this is true I would recommend some of the older neigborhoods in town like the Historic West Side, Vinegar Hill, Washington Knolls south of Washington Park, Hawthorne Heights, or Leland Grove (if you can afford it). Lincoln Park on the north end is also quite nice. The Enos Park neighborhood just north of downtown is probably the best example of an "up and coming" neighborhood and has the Springfield Art Associaton housed in the historic Edwards Place building. The residents of this area are being very proactive in getting these historic homes redone and improving the whole are in general, but still have a long way to go IMO. If you prefer subdivisions and strip malls then the west side is definitely the place for you. All very family friendly.

3. As previously mentioned nightlife is pretty much centered downtown, but there are various "neigborhood" bars of all types all over town. There are all kinds of festivals downtown spring through fall and usally draw large crowds (I'm a big fan of the St. Patricks Day parade myself). The new Donnie's Homespun in the Vinegar Hill Mall, the Legacy Theater, Hoogland Center for the Arts, and the Sangamon Auditorium usually have some musical acts coming through.

4. The previous suggestions for restaurants are all great and all locally owned (sometimes I think Springfield may be the chain restaurant capital of the world). I either do Osaka or Hunan for sushi, Thai Basil or Magic Kitchen for Thai, and I've heard good things about Gateway to India but have never been. Darcy's Pint is the go to for the local "horseshoe" and was on Man vs. Food. Ross Isaac's is also pretty popular for the upscale exprerience. Capitalcitymenus.com has the vast majority of your dining options along with their menus and map locations.

5. We were lucky enough to get into the daycare of the hospital that my wife works at, but our backup was Building Blocks on Chatham Rd. There are a lot of other options, but unfortunately I don't know a whole lot about them.

Hope this helps and I'd be glad to answer any specifics if you'd like.