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My husband is hoping to secure a residency position in Springfield. We are (possibly) coming from Nevada and really know nothing about the area. I want to know your opinion of Springfield.
I am looking for any information on the city, what there is to do with a family, and specifically information on where to live. We are a young family with two boys, 3 and 10 months. We are looking for an area with nice homes, safe neighborhoods, larger yards for the kids to play in, and good parks nearby. We won't be able to afford anything too pricey (much over the $200,000 range). Any information is great as we would be totally new to the area - having lived in the West our whole lives.
Springfield's pretty OK overall--it's not the best city in the world, but it's certainly not the worst. You've got all the amenities that you could want in a medium-sized city without having to go to bigger cities; however, if you want more from a bigger city, you're just a train ride away from St. Louis or Chicago, and you can always drive to Indianapolis.
When I lived there, most of the newer families tended to settle on the west side of the city. Pricier homes can be found on the SW side of the city near Chatham or off of higway 4 (IL 4) as well as in places like Leland Grove and along the lake shore. Cheaper but still nice housing can be found to the north of the city in Sherman, Illinois. Also nice housing in the city can be found near Lincoln Park on the north side, near Washington Park/Macarthur Blvd in the central part of the city, and even some nicer apartments downtown. I've never had to purchase/rent housing in Spfld, but from what I can tell, it's a fairly inexpensive place to live, so if you're on a $200K budget, it should go pretty far. Good luck!
Oh, also, depending on where you're from in Nevada, you'll have to prepare for actual winter (I know it snows in Nevada, but I think the winter here is a bit more harsh) as well as realize that summers are a very humid kind of hot, not dry like the desert.
I have lived in Springfield for years now, and I'll do my best to tell you what I know:
The west side of Springfield is the ideal side to live. The city of Springfield's crime rates have been steadily growing over the last few years. The east side is where many of these crimes have been happening, however they have not been isolated to that area. On the west side there is the shopping, restaurants, and nice homes. The farther west you go, the higher the prices. You can find some really good deals in good neighborhoods, but if you go too far, the price can climb steeply.
I am a teacher who has worked in the Springfield school district, however I am currently employed in a neighboring district. The Springfield school district is very large. It has many good school, although many of them have inadequate facilities and supplies. It also has many not so good schools, which once again seems to be determined by location. The newest school in town is Vachel Lindsay, which is in a west side neighborhood. I taught there for some time and enjoyed it. It's known as the "rich" school in this district, however it draws about 50% of it's student body from some of the poorest neighborhoods in Springfield.
Honestly, if you want to make sure that you are in a good neighborhood with good schools, you may want to explore the small communities around the city. They are all just a short drive into Springfield, however they are all known to be safer with better school systems. I would suggest Chatham, Sherman, or Rochester for you to look into.
Also, Pleasant Plains is about 10 miles west from Springfield and they have an excellent, small school system. The community is small, but very family oriented.
I know there are many people who may say "you're crazy, Springfield's safe and their school district is great". I'm just speaking from my own personal experience. I live in an area that has always been fine: on the edge of Leland Grove (which is a very nice neighborhood in Springfield). Lately, we have been just on the border to a stabbing, shootings, and hold-ups happening on MacArthur Blvd, just about a mile away, if that. Just last night, the police were on the news telling people of Panther Creek (a very rich, west side subdivision) to be on the lookout of a burglar that was targeting that area. There have also been bomb threats and weapon threats at the Springfield schools this past school year -- but not in the elementary schools.
I have never personally had any problems, but I am learning to always be aware of my surroundings. If you're ok with that, then Springfield will be great. Otherwise, one of the smaller communities may be better.
I'm not trying to scare you off, Springfield has some very nice parts of town and it does have a lot to offer, however if you can live outside and come in for work and shopping, then you may find that's your best bet.
Hope this helps. I really think that you'd find one of the other areas (Chatham or Pleasant Plains would be my pick, Rochester, or Sherman) a little bit better of a place to live than directly in Springfield and the commute to Springfield is not long. In my opinion, it's worth it.
Also nice housing in the city can be found near Lincoln Park on the north side, near Washington Park/Macarthur Blvd
If you're looking for beautiful old homes that are affordable in awesome tree-lined neighborhoods, look over near Washington Park, particularly the blocks just to the north of the park, say between Fayette and Edwards. The park itself is a really great place to run/walk/relax.
Westchester is also a nice area off of Chatham Rd. that has many 1970s and 80's homes that are nice and affordable. That's a safe neighborhood.
You also have the option of the outlying towns. Chatham, Rochester, and Sherman are the more upscale options, all with good school districts. Other nice small towns are Pawnee, Auburn, and Pleasant Plains.
If you're willing to commute 20 minutes or so, Petersburg in Menard County is as pretty a small town as you will find anywhere, with lots of big, old homes built along the bluffs of the Sangamon.
The only real places to avoid in Springfield proper are the east side, and I would argue, much of the north side (although there are some nice spots), particularly the near northeast side.
Springfield is actually a very great little city with many classy neighborhoods and lots of variety in housing options.
Last edited by runninfiend; 02-07-2008 at 02:12 PM..
Thanks for the info! Crime is everywhere though - I don't think we can escape that, unfortunately. From everything I have heard - it is a very nice town. I am hoping this is where we end up. I have looked into real estate in Springfield and Chatham and it looks like the market is much more reasonable than it is here in Reno.
I'm not originally from here but I've found Springfield quite livable. I've heard some extreme opinions about this city posted in this forum, and none of the those seem especially accurate to me. In general, it seems to be a rather boringly typical town in the lower Midwest. Overall the city offers what you need, but if you are into culture or more specialized shopping you may find that you have to travel to St. Louis or Chicago.
Overall, the city is remarkably average in a lot of ways, with the exception of housing. Housing is remarkably affordable, $200k is roughly twice the price of a median home in this market. While you aren't going to buy a mansion, you should easily be able to purchase a nice home in good condition and in a good neighborhood for under $200k. Home prices seem to be stable, and haven't been impacted much by increases or decreases in prices associated with the housing bubble.
There are numerous places to live that are quite livable within Springfield or a short distance away. Certainly the west side is desirable, and has the greatest variety of shopping and businesses. The area south of town, and near Lake Springfield is equally nice, but fewer shopping options. The far north side is popular with first time home buyers, and is by far the most affordable but still livable part of the city. From what I hear, with some exceptions, the public schools in Springfield have a long way to go, but there are several private/parochial schools that are quite good. Of the surrounding communities, Chatham is the only suburb that is large enough to seem a little more like a suburb than an isolated outlying rural community. However, though they are more rural, schools in nearby Rochester, Sherman and Williamsville tend to have higher rates of graduation and better test scores.
Crime has been more or less stable, but still somewhat high for a city this small. Overall, I haven't had any issues, but I doubt that anyone moving here with any sort of street smarts would have any major issues with crime here either. As with anywhere, ask around before you choose a place to live, pay attention to your surroundings, and use a little common sense.
People here are generally polite, but not particularly easy to get to know. For many, it seems to take them a while to warm up. It helps to have family connections to the region, and you may find that you simply have more in common with people who have moved here form somewhere else than people who have spent most of their lives here.
Like many places in the Midwest, Springfield has a highly variable climate. Recently we had temperatures in the 60's, subzero temperatures, a foot of snow, rain, wind, clouds and sunshine all in the same week. With some exceptions, Summers are generally hot and humid, but Spring and Fall are usually quite pleasant.
I was born and raised in Springfield. First of all, it's all about Lincoln and everything is geared towards the historical, however, the reality is that there are two definite sides of town: the good and the bad. The bad has moved in and spread, and the good has moved towards Chatham and smaller, outside districts.
There are tons of restaurants, an average size theater community, and a good size mall.
The most beautiful neighborhood, and certainly the most desirable, is near the Washington Park area and behind Walnut Street. These are the older homes with character and value, and if they've been cared for, they are stunning. Also, towards the lake are many fine homes, especially if you're into boating and/or skiing.
Springfield, as a city, really isn't safe at night anymore, so be careful about where you go. It was a wonderful place to grow up in, but when we wanted real culture or excitement, we went to St. Louis -- or Chicago. St. Louis, of course, is much closer and it has everything.
Last edited by TrixxiSpumoni; 02-17-2008 at 06:27 PM..
Reason: left out a word
I have family that moved out of Springfield in 2006. I noticed the OP asked about what to do with children. There is an amsument park off I-72 between the Veterans parkway exit and the I-55 interchange, I think its called Knights tale. For homes, check out some of the neighborhoods located off veterans parkway near Chatham. My family lived in the Piper Glen community, which has a swimming pool and golf course. They have some small homes that are under $200,000.
Have to agree with Trixie about a few things: Springfield has become very tourist-oriented (Lincoln, Dana Thomas House, State Capitol), and has lost out on a lot of industrial opportunities in the past 20 years, much by its own desire to shun it.
When Fiat-Allis & Pillsbury shut down (both in the mid-1980's), Springfield lost a sense of itself, and latched on hard to the historical aspect. Granted, being the state capital, the largest job market is in government (i.e. working for "the state"), but now most other jobs are service-related.
With no industry, the economy has gone up and down, with a lot people leaving or not being able to leave and going through some really hard times - Springfield has grown by only about 10% is 20+ years. I believe this is also the reason that crime has increased during that time frame - the lack of a thriving economy.
While I call Springfield my hometown, I do feel sad when I go back to visit, knowing what it once was and could be again, but it seems that so long as it has the Lincoln history and the State to fall back on, it will not improve, no matter how many new historical sites they erect. Nearby towns such as Bloomington have prospered whereas Springfield has not - much of this, again, goes back to lack of industry. I really wish that the Land of Lincoln would embrace the industrial age again as other towns in the area have.
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I currently live in Springfield
