Moving to Springfield: I'm a little disappointed (Chicago, Peoria: apartment, houses)

[junglerock]

Hello everyone. I'm moving to Springfield and I can't say I'm too excited about it. It is for a temporary job (5 years) and I am a single 29 year old male. I'm moving from Atlanta where I was living in the downtown area in a nice flat. I'm worried that I might hate it in Springfield. My job is going to keep me very very very busy but on the rare occasion when I have some down time, is there something to do in the city? Is there a downtown area where people are walking around and there's some sort of activity? I guess the question is will a young single male feel out of place here or is this another one of those "god forsaken sleepy towns" ?

Thanks for the help.

[Maintainschaos]

Springfield's a mixed bag. It's definitely not as sleepy as other cities its size, but it's not a college town or a big city. There is definitely a downtown with some nightlife and bars, but it's so much smaller than Atlanta, you cannot expect the level of nightlife and excitement that you'd otherwise get there. The good thing: St. Louis and Chicago are quite close for weekend getaways. COL is also quite low in Springfield, and it's very family friendly. If you are going to be very busy with your job, it's probably not going to be too much of a loss to move to a quieter city.

[junglerock]

Thanks for the reply. Yea, I will be very busy so I might not notice Springfield's poorer aspects. I was hoping at this point in my life to meet someone and start settling down (in atlanta the dating scene is quite similar to most other big cities where you are only serially monogamous and theres always plenty of fish in the seas). That being said, I suddenly feel like I might not be in the sea anymore but rather an aquarium. Is there is a dating scene at all in Springfield?

What about stuff entirely different from that for instance, are there theatrical shows to see, concerts, festivals? Are there nice restaurants, bars, movie theaters, malls?

If I have the weekend off then yes I'll probably head to Chicago, but I want to know I won't be living a solitary life in Springfield.

You said its not a college town, does that mean to imply there aren't many young people (20s-30s) in the city?

Thanks for the info.

[madpaddy]

It's not Atlanta, but it's not Mayberry, either. There is a small but real downtown nightlife. There are a variety of bars and restaurants and a walk-about crowd, especially in the summer and on weekends. If your tastes skew towards the sophisticated, you may have a hard time keeping yourself satisfied. If you're willing to go a little "blue collar," you should be able to find plenty to do. Boating on the lake is big in the summer; get yourself a boat/jet-ski or buddy up to someone who has one. There's a minor league baseball team and a minor league hockey team. The state fair is right there on the north side of town every August. Besides the fair, there are flat-track motorcycle races, car shows, festivals, and various other events at the fairgrounds.

If you've gotta get somewhere a little more urban, St. Louis is an easy 90 minute drive or 2 hour train ride away. Head down Saturday afternoon and stay the night. Chicago's a little further, more like 3 hours driving and ~4 by train.

[chet everett]

The handful of people that I have known to live in Springfield find it to be a rather bleak place unless you have a higher ranking state job and even then it is not exactly "fun"...

Be prepared to try to work 4 days and then head to Chicago for the weekend, a very very common practice in the state capital.

Internet dating might be an option.

[Disgusted_53]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The handful of people that I have known to live in Springfield find it to be a rather bleak place unless you have a higher ranking state job and even then it is not exactly "fun"...

Be prepared to try to work 4 days and then head to Chicago for the weekend, a very very common practice in the state capital.

Internet dating might be an option.

I agree 100%

[madpaddy]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The handful of people that I have known to live in Springfield find it to be a rather bleak place unless you have a higher ranking state job and even then it is not exactly "fun"...
Be prepared to try to work 4 days and then head to Chicago for the weekend, a very very common practice in the state capital.

That's a common attitude for people with roots in Chicagoland who end up working in Springfield for some government-related job they perceive as temporary, keep their home up north, get a minimalist apartment downstate, and never even really try to live in Springfield.

The vast majority of Springfield residents spend most of their weekends in, wait for it, Springfield!

It's no Shangri-La, but I think calling it "bleak" is a stretch.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by madpaddy

Common practice for people with roots in Chicagoland who end up working in Springfield for some government-related job they perceive as temporary..and who never even really try to live in Springfield. Many only get an apartment downstate and keep their home in Chicago or the 'burbs.

The vast majority of Springfield residents spend most of their weekends in, wait for it, Springfield!

I don't doubt most folks that do live in Springfield do spend their weekends there.

The OP is a lot more like the "temporary residents" that end up in Springfield because of need to work directly in government or for a related contractor in some kind IT service capacity.

These are the folks that "get the heck out" midday Friday.

I've even known a few folks that even worked at the hospitals and except for the fact that housing costs are almost silly cheap compared to Chicago they really did not like living there. Certainly the "until some one else gets elected" factor is part of the thing that they did not like but beyond this many folks grew tired of the fact that the only "business" in town was not business at all but the machinery of state government that often bred a kind of dishonest / disillusioned mental attitude that was not pleasant for folks to deal with, especially in a healthcare setting...

There may be some nice folks trying diligently to do an honest job and raise a nice family but in all truthfulness none of the dozen or so that I have known to work in Springfield ever encountered many such people. The degree to which folks did as little as possible and relied on poltical connections / hiring prefernces for every special interest category under the sun was disheartening.

While this may be an unfair charcterization of a town that does have over hundred thousand folks this is essentially what happens when corruption and dishonesty are the most revered forces in town...

[MoonBeam33]

I despise Springfield, but that's because I grew up there. Anyway, there is more to do than one would think. Pick up the Illinois Times every Thursday - free weekly that lists all the happenings in town. There is more to do in summer than winter, of course, but usually there is something to do. There are a handful of excellent bands, some good local (not chain) restaurants, and developing art scene, plus the state and Lincoln museum.

I don't know when you're moving, but there is a music festival downtown this weekend:

SOHOMUSICFESTLINEUP

There are several outdoor music/bbq/etc fests throughout the summer.

[linicx]

Springfield is the state capitol. It is a business and government town. It is not as lively as Atlanta, nor is its college town. Illinois is a long, wide, state that is the #1 and #2 producer of beans and corn in America. It dose not mean we are bored.

Open a state map. Draw a line from Peoria to Springfield, then to Urbana-Champaign, and up to Bloomingto-Norman and thence to Peoria. In this area is something like 800000 people, 6 malls, two dozen shopping centers, four zoological parks, 1000 restaurants, performing arts, juried arts, ballet, opera, symphony, TT finals, 4K international race, a regional and a state fair, First Night, museums for two presidents, every sport except skiing, very large city parks, the largest inland wildlife refuge in America, history that predates the birth of Christianity, all mainstream houses of worship are represented, planetarium, historical trolly rides, horse drawn carriage rides, rolling hills, high cliffs, natural beauty, the only Illinois State Park, camping, fishing, huntings, sail, canoe, r powerboat on the largest river in the state, and botanical gardens. You will find Cosco, natural food stores, butchers and fish stores, international markets, farmers markets, and roadside fruit and vegetable stands. You can even find Chicago Style Pizza. What you won't find is Trader Joe's. The nearest is in St. Louis. The nearest others are in the Chicago area. The only difference is the traffic generated by 8M people. We have wonderful libraries, and huge college campuses.

It isn't that there aren't things to do. It is that you have to drive to some of them. Central Illinois is lively most weekends all year. It ends on New Year's Eve and kicks off the New Year with Eagle Watch Days. Golf? There are probably 50 golf courses. Once you get boots on the ground, and learn your way around the whole area, it won't seem nearly as different as you expected. The food is pretty good, too. Each of the areas you have in the circle is very different from the others.

It is impossible to be bored for very long; there is too much to investigate. It's a visual state. Welcome to Illinois!