Relocation to Bloomington...Need Advice (Peoria, Springfield: for sale, low crime, homes)

[rbarra82]

Relocation to Bloomington

Right now we live in Arizona...my wife and I have 3 daughters ages 10, 5, and 3. We are looking to relocate to Bloomington. Making a cross country move is something we have never done before so we are hoping to gather more information regarding good things, bad things and any other information about Bloomington.
We have narrowed down our housing to zip code 61705...Does anyone know if this is a safe area or possibly where to look that up. How are the schools in that zip code?

My other concern is commuting for my job...There is a possibility I may work in Morton, Pekin or Peoria...From Bloomington other than driivng my own vehicle does anyone know if there is transportation that goes out that way, and where could I find that information as well.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[linicx]

Every town you mentioned is separated by 15-50 miles of corn and beans. B-N is on I-55 not far from the junction of 1-74. Morton and Peoria are accessible on 1-74 or US 150/US24.

Pekin is not. It is accessible by IL 9, IL 29, IL 89, I-474, and alternately from US 136.

I strongly suggest you invest in a current truckers atlas that costs about $50. It has a map of every state with all major routes and roads plus emergency 800 numbers listed on every state map. If you get lost help is available 24/7 though the emergency numbers. I;ve driven from Peoria to California and back many times. I do not like the desert, but I do really like Winslow, AZ. It is beautiful country take advantage of it. .

Stay on I-40 thru Amarillo, Tx. You can pick it up outside Las Cruces. You will go North on the Interstate that passes the town of Elephant Butte, NM. Here is the reason to go through Amarillo. Just east of it and then a little SE is the Little Grand Canyon at Palo Duro. It is awesome and educational, too. There are many things to see and do that ae free or very inexpensive between AZ and central Illinois. If you are brave and want to bypass traffic in large cities, you can do that and see why America is Beautiful. Travel wise there is little difference in miles because you are continuously moving Northeast. If you cross at St. Louis you will encounter heavy traffic on 1-55 for 165 miles to B-N. If you cross farther north at Lousiana you will be about 100 country miles from B-N.

[chet everett]

Trucker atlas $14.76 -- Overstock.com: Online Shopping - Bedding, Furniture, Electronics, Jewelry, Watches, Clothing & more

Personally, the google map / Waze App is lots better, and free for Android or iOS.

[linicx]

Apps only work if you have cell service. I-44 and 1-40 in OK and MO are famous for not having much in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains except winding roads and few towns between Tulsa and Louis. Been there and done that several times with AT&T, T-MO, VZN or Sprint. Maps work.

The Overstock map is a joke. It is no different than the free road atlas State Farm gives clients. It is a waste of money. What the truckers buy is the road atlas that is spiral bound with plastic coated pages. It won't curl up, tear, coffee and food won't spoil it, kids can't tear it, and it should show a majority of marked roads in every state. I believe you can drive north of Phoenix and hop on 1-40. Do stop at Winslow AZ at Denny's for a bite. Good food; great service and not too far from Texas.

[cuja1]

Bloomington is a nice city. I live about 60 minutes away in Springfield. It seems like a pretty safe, low crime city. It really grew in the 90's. Most of the city looks like newer development. I personally think it's a long commute from the Peoria area. About an hour drive I'd say. If it were me, I'd live in one of the suburbs of Peoria. I don't know much about the schools but it seems like where you have newer development, better schools follow (or vice versa).

[Wiki]

We live in the 61705 area code. This is a great location and has one of the best school systems in the state, TriValley. That may be why you are interested in this area...anyway, it's a very nice area and about 45 minutes from Peoria if you take the interstate. I used to work in Morton and in Peoria and drove it daily. I also have friends in Peoria who commute between there and Bloomington daily and have done that for many years. There are nice homes for sale in this area too. It is outside of the Bloomington city limits and there are several very nice subdivisions with lakes and ponds for fishing, canoeing, swimming...it's really great out here. There are homes for sale in many price ranges too. Good luck with your move and I hope you and your family enjoy this area as much as we have.