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My husband may get a job in Stonington IL, and I'd be looking for post doctoral work at the University of IL in Champaign. We are both from California, currently SoCal but originally from the Central Valley. We were hoping to purchase a place in/near Decatur, as its a town that seems to be halfway and coming from CA we are really drawn to this area because of the low cost of living. We can't wait to get out of this unaffordable tiny condo in this SoCal cesspool, and we want to some day have a few acres for horses and general play (which is out of the question if we stay in California!). So our question is, is commuting from Decatur to Champaign reasonable? 40 miles in SoCal can take hours upon hours.... how is the traffic coming into the University? And how does the winter weather affect the commute? And are the winters really that terrible?
As far as traffic is concerned, it's really a none issue. Weather is probably the bigger issue in terms of the commute.
I'd suggest looking into the Monticello area. It's a great smaller town located halfway between CU and Decatur. Allerton Park is just a few miles away, which is an absolute treasure. Not many places like it. If you've got some money you can look into Millionare's Row, or if not just gawk. It's a nice historical town but there's lots of nice subdivisions and rural type estates around Monticello especially along the Sangamon River. Some of that even extends NE almost into Champaign County, which would get you about a 15 minute drive into west Champaign.
Monticello to Stonington is a hell of a commute. I wouldn't recommend it.
Somewhere in the Decatur area is a good in-between point for Stonington and Chambana; if you're looking for acreage than somewhere just outside the NE corner of Decatur would be a good midway point. Where exactly could depend on whether quality of the school district matters. Are there kids in the picture?
The worst that can be said about the commute from the Decatur area to both locations is that it can get tedious and you'll rack up miles (and depreciation) on your cars fairly quickly. In normal conditions, you'll be cruising at full speed with light traffic in both directions to and from both destinations. Winter snowstorms can increase travel times substantially; you'll probably encounter 4 to 7 or so times per year. Drive carefully and defensively, and make sure you have at least a good pair of fresh all-season tires for winter duty, if not dedicated winter tires.
Compared to SoCal... yes, winters suck, though they vary in their severity. Sometimes it hardly ever snows and daytime highs exceed freezing on a regular basis. This year there's already been plenty of snow and plenty of days that never got above freezing. And it's not even officially winter yet. Probably the most maddening aspect of winter isn't how much it varies from year to year, but from week to week or even day to day. So far this December has seen temperatures range from highs in the lower 60s to lows in the single digits. If you want to know what the weather is going to be like from day to day, you have to pay close attention to weather forecasts. The weather can change drastically in just a day or two.
Monticello to Stonington is a hell of a commute. I wouldn't recommend it.
Its not terrible, no more of a commute than Decatur to U of I. (45-50 minutes)
If you want equidistant commutes, you need to look in the Argenta/Oreana/Oakley Township area. Neither Argenta nor Oreana is much more than a gas station and a post office (both have a population under 1000). There are some really nice homes in the country in this area; particularly south of I-72, near the Sangamon River.
If you don't want to live in the country or a postage-stamp sized town, somebody's going to have to assume a bit longer drive. Monticello is 25-30 minutes from U of I (depending where in Monticello you are and where on campus you need to get to) and, with a population of a little over 5000, has a lot more than Argenta or Oreana. It's still small-town living, however.
If being close to a variety of shopping/dining/entertainment options is important, the immediate Decatur area is your only choice. Forsyth would be my recommendation: It offers good schools, mostly nice homes, lots of retail, a fair selection of restaurants (as long as you don't mind chains), and easy access to the interstate for both commutes.
Illinois winter weather can be frighfful. It usually a wintery mix of snow, sleet, snow showers and frozen rain. It means snowy, slippery, icy roads with traffic that moves like .. well think of I-5 rush hour in LA on Friday night except you are on two lane roads. The good news is from Champaign you can go to Chicago or St.Louis by train on any day. You will see miles of LA traffic, and you won't be in it. IL traffic as a whole moves well because it has 1000s of miles of roads that cross and criss-cross the state.
Financially, all of central Illinois has a lower COL. My daughter had a small 3b ranch in SoCal wioth a single car garage and no basement. She paid over $500000 and her taxes were $8K. You can buy the same house in Peoria for $200K, and taxes are about $2K. What you need to know about property taxes is they pay for schools, hospitals, city and county government, parks, library, county roads and bridges, etc..
IL has some laws worth remembering. After Jan 1 talking and driving is a fat fine. So is throwing out a cigarette butt while driving. Speeding fine have increased. Scott's Law the short version: Don't pass a stopped or parked emergency vehicle in the lane closest to it. It makes no difference if the emergency lights are on or not. Violation can include jail, large fine, and lose the drivers license. Some of the fines are over $1000. No smoking in public buildings; no smoking within 15' of the entrance to same.
Decatur economy has really taken a beating; it is not the town it once was. Now ADM is talking about moving out. I strongly suggest you rent for 6-12 months. By then you'll have boots on the ground and you will know about where you want to live. For what its worth, the university houses doctoral candidates and visiting professors in Urbana.
Most of central Iliinois is in corn and beans because of the soil. You can easily pay a cool million for a section. Ranchers say one acre per horse. Most of the ranchers I know have 40 acres and a small herd. It's hilly and rocky with lots of trees. You either ride a horse or an F350 4x4 when you repair fences, feed, doctor, and chase, etc..
Good recommendations, still need to consider practicall concerns...
Quote:
Originally Posted by madpaddy
Its not terrible, no more of a commute than Decatur to U of I. (45-50 minutes)
If you want equidistant commutes, you need to look in the Argenta/Oreana/Oakley Township area. Neither Argenta nor Oreana is much more than a gas station and a post office (both have a population under 1000). There are some really nice homes in the country in this area; particularly south of I-72, near the Sangamon River.
If you don't want to live in the country or a postage-stamp sized town, somebody's going to have to assume a bit longer drive. Monticello is 25-30 minutes from U of I (depending where in Monticello you are and where on campus you need to get to) and, with a population of a little over 5000, has a lot more than Argenta or Oreana. It's still small-town living, however.
If being close to a variety of shopping/dining/entertainment options is important, the immediate Decatur area is your only choice. Forsyth would be my recommendation: It offers good schools, mostly nice homes, lots of retail, a fair selection of restaurants (as long as you don't mind chains), and easy access to the interstate for both commutes.
I know a little about this part of the state and agree with descriptions above, at least as far as businesses. From a practical matter, if schools are important to you, I would try to find a town that has access to schools on the Illinois Honor Roll for Academic Excellence.
I also know that weather is a BIG factor in rural Illinois -- expressways that normal make a 50 mile drive doable in less than an hour can turn into icy and impassable nightmares littered with fatal wrecks. It would be NUTS to face that kind of drive EVERY morning. Given that grad schools rarely require five days a week on campus it might be wise to consider a way to live closer to one spouse's work and then have a "back up plan" for the grad student having a place to stay closer to school in bad weather. Of course if there are kids this makes especially tough but rural Illinois relies on a patchwork of State, County and municipal plows to keep things safe and that is nothing to take for granted...
I also know that weather is a BIG factor in rural Illinois -- expressways that normal make a 50 mile drive doable in less than an hour can turn into icy and impassable nightmares littered with fatal wrecks. It would be NUTS to face that kind of drive EVERY morning. Given that grad schools rarely require five days a week on campus it might be wise to consider a way to live closer to one spouse's work and then have a "back up plan" for the grad student having a place to stay closer to school in bad weather. Of course if there are kids this makes especially tough but rural Illinois relies on a patchwork of State, County and municipal plows to keep things safe and that is nothing to take for granted...
Weather is certainly a factor, although I think you're painting a picture that's far more grim than the reality. "Littered with fatal wrecks" is a reach, as is the suggestion that you'd have to face this type of danger "EVERY MORNING." As mentioned above, its more like 5-7 times a winter. Depending exactly where you locate, both commutes are going to be almost entirely Interstate and State Highway; roads that will get prime attention from IDOT when it snows. Vehicle choice, tire choice, and an abundance of caution behind the wheel can mitigate the risks considerably.
And truth be told, there really aren't many choices between Decatur and Stonington so the best you could do is hedge your bet slightly by choosing something on the west side of Decatur. That's a bit more of a hit-and-miss proposition in terms of neighborhood quality.....and you're stuck with the Decatur school district which isn't particularly impressive.
I did not mean to imply that the weather is hazardous every morning but rather to emphasize the fact that it might be wiser to make a choice not based on a midpoint but rather on which situation would leave open the situation of not having to drive in everyday -- while not every course at UofI is available online I do know that there are options for distance learning as well as the fact that unlike a M-F employment situation one very likely could find a classmate that might be able to offer a place to stay if weather is particularly bad. I've even known a few people that work for the State with offices in Springfield and they've arranged temporary situations so that family has not had to relocate from the broader Chicago / suburban area to avoid uprooting kids from schools and such...
On the other hand this post doctoral who is looking for work may well find employment in another area closer to where her husband works. The biggest problem with Illinois weather is not so much the Interstate and U.S. routes which must be cleared, or the state Routes must be cleared too. The real problem is heavy fog (add fog lights to your vehicles), black ice and white out. If you semi trucks crawling at 20mph on any interstate, federal or state route there is a reason. Drop your speed to 10mph; you may be on black ice. If you cannot see markings on the the side of the road, or in the middle of the road, you are in a 'white out'. Finding shelter is a priority as they can last hours. In the whiteout in rural areas one loses all sense of direction. It is similar to a sudden sandstorm.
As someone who lives in a very rural area of Illinois I never travel long distances in winter without proper preparation, a CB, cell phone, and NOAA AC/DC weather radio.
On the other hand this post doctoral who is looking for work may well find employment in another area closer to where her husband works. The biggest problem with Illinois weather is not so much the Interstate and U.S. routes which must be cleared, or the state Routes must be cleared too. The real problem is heavy fog (add fog lights to your vehicles), black ice and white out. If you semi trucks crawling at 20mph on any interstate, federal or state route there is a reason.
In my opinion, the biggest winter hazard on the Interstate is when most traffic is moving along carefully but deliberately in the right lane, then some inconsiderate jackass in a semi comes flying by in the snow-covered left lane, creating a quarter-mile long whiteout in his wake.
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Good recommendations, still need to consider practicall concerns...
