Tell me about Peoria (Chicago, Springfield: apartments, for rent, loft)

[Kmanshouse]

So my son is interviewing for a job in Peoria. It involves wildlife government work. He is single, won't know anyone, mid-20s. Outdoorsman, concealed carry permit, but also socially liberal.

He is not a city person, but at the same time probably wouldn't want to be in some sleepy suburb where it's all families either with nobody his age.

Looking for recs on where in the area would be a good spot for someone like this to get an apartment. Also, any wisdom anyone has about what to expect there.

Thanks,

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by Kmanshouse

So my son is interviewing for a job in Peoria. It involves wildlife government work. He is single, won't know anyone, mid-20s. Outdoorsman, concealed carry permit, but also socially liberal.

He is not a city person, but at the same time probably wouldn't want to be in some sleepy suburb where it's all families either with nobody his age.

Looking for recs on where in the area would be a good spot for someone like this to get an apartment. Also, any wisdom anyone has about what to expect there.

Thanks,

You guys are from Chicagoland, so I can't imagine that anything about Peoria is going to feel like what a Chicagoan would consider urban. The City of Peoria has less population density than either Cook or DuPage counties. It's far from a vibrant city, but I think that an active and social 20-something is probably going to be most attracted to the Waterfront/Downtown and maybe neighborhoods around Bradley. But, a mid-20s person might also be over that scene. At the end of the day, the city is so small that I'm not sure it really matters where he lives. It should take him a long time to get between any two points in the area.

[Kmanshouse]

Thanks for the response. I'm really looking for local insights. I've read that the whole downtown and just north of it is crime ridden and dangerous (south of McLure).

He is not a "city" person and won't mind a smaller place - so the balance for him will be safety, access to places a mid-20s person would want to go, and access to nature.

Seems not too many Peorians are on City-Data.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by Kmanshouse

Thanks for the response. I'm really looking for local insights. I've read that the whole downtown and just north of it is crime ridden and dangerous (south of McLure).

He is not a "city" person and won't mind a smaller place - so the balance for him will be safety, access to places a mid-20s person would want to go, and access to nature.

Seems not too many Peorians are on City-Data.

I used to be down in that area quite a bit before retiring. I had clients in both Peoria and Bloomington Normal. At least back then, there were a lot of people who worked in and around Peoria who lived in the Bloomington Normal area - and vice versa. Straight shot down I 74. About a 40 minute drive. Personally, I thought the BN area was quite a bit nicer with more to do than Peoria. State Farm HQ vs Caterpillar HQ and factories (HQ has since moved to Deerfield and now out of state to Dallas). Illinois State/Illinois Wesleyan together are 4X the size of Bradley. BN just has a different more professional vibe. At least last decade. Might be worth a look.

[Kmanshouse]

Helpful. Thanks.

Yes, I've heard that BN gets the "cool new stuff" before Peoria does, to the point it's a bit of a joke amongst Peoria residents. But with gas prices still pretty high, that's a long drive every day for someone making a lower salary (he would be in the 40s).

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by Kmanshouse

Thanks for the response. I'm really looking for local insights. I've read that the whole downtown and just north of it is crime ridden and dangerous (south of McLure).

He is not a "city" person and won't mind a smaller place - so the balance for him will be safety, access to places a mid-20s person would want to go, and access to nature.

Seems not too many Peorians are on City-Data.

Well, no I do not live in Peoria. However, much of my extended family lives in Central Illinois. I've been all over Bloomington, Peoria, Champaign, Decatur, and Springfield more than I care to admit. A lot of Peoria is economically distressed and I think the perception of crime is higher in general. However, a trip to the city would quickly reveal that the condition of the community can vary dramatically block by block.

I think the problem with your inquiry is that it comes from an angle that Peorians are not going to recognize. It is not a large city with many distinct neighborhoods like Chicago. I'd say Champaign and Urbana have more distinct neighborhoods. In Peoria, he really has three basic housing options—rent a little house, a downtown or loft apartment, or an apartment in a suburban-style complex.

For what it's worth, my best friend's brother went to Bradley and lived off-campus. He rushed back to Chicago as soon as he could.

Bloomington and Champaign/Urbana have a lot more economic vitality and vibrancy than Peoria.

[Caglee]

I lived in Peoria for about 5 years in the early 2000's. I stayed at the Timberlane apartments at the corner of War Memorial Dr. and Allen Rd., and back then it was safe and convenient to get around town being right on War drive so that might be an option he could look in to. My info is out-dated, but I think any single 20-something with no connection to the city is going to have a tough go at it. I'm originally from the suburbs of Chicago and the Peoria "locals" always felt entirely foreign to me. The city is very dangerous, I was always told to stay away from the neighborhoods north and east of Downtown, south and west of Bradley University. Even if you have to go downtown, though, it's not difficult to avoid the problem areas. No idea if crime has changed much since I left.

Once I lost my job, I found absolutely 0 reasons to stay in Peoria and I left and came back to the Chicago burbs. I would never recommend Peoria to anyone, but I also won't say it's the worst place you can go. It's an island in a sea of corn that provides a perfectly fine standard of living. I went to a lot of events at the Bradley campus including concerts.

One thing about Bloomington-Normal area, it actually felt more "southern" (i.e. more foreign to me) than Peoria but it also felt more "alive" than Peoria, definitely a much more college-town feel.

[Kmanshouse]

Originally Posted by Caglee

I lived in Peoria for about 5 years in the early 2000's. I stayed at the Timberlane apartments at the corner of War Memorial Dr. and Allen Rd., and back then it was safe and convenient to get around town being right on War drive so that might be an option he could look in to. My info is out-dated, but I think any single 20-something with no connection to the city is going to have a tough go at it. I'm originally from the suburbs of Chicago and the Peoria "locals" always felt entirely foreign to me. The city is very dangerous, I was always told to stay away from the neighborhoods north and east of Downtown, south and west of Bradley University. Even if you have to go downtown, though, it's not difficult to avoid the problem areas. No idea if crime has changed much since I left.

Once I lost my job, I found absolutely 0 reasons to stay in Peoria and I left and came back to the Chicago burbs. I would never recommend Peoria to anyone, but I also won't say it's the worst place you can go. It's an island in a sea of corn that provides a perfectly fine standard of living. I went to a lot of events at the Bradley campus including concerts.

One thing about Bloomington-Normal area, it actually felt more "southern" (i.e. more foreign to me) than Peoria but it also felt more "alive" than Peoria, definitely a much more college-town feel.

Wow, amazingly, I looked at those exact apartments online and thought they looked really nice, especially for the price.

Seems the right answer is to live away from the downtown area. The real question after that is, where would that be, where he'd not be one of the only single residents in his 20s.

For the record, he grew up in the Chicago suburbs, but went to college in rural Wisconsin, and he preferred that. He likes people who appreciate hunting/fishing, are down to earth.

[kazimierz]

I have been living here for over 7 years and we like it here although it is really only worth it to stay here if you have family and/or a good job. I have never had any incident nor felt unsafe during these years. Avoid South Peoria (mostly gang-related stuff), dont walk downtown at night alone, use common sense and you will be fine. PPD reports to a webpage displaying crime locations, so you can check unsafe places (go to their homepage, i dont want to link it as it may be removed).
For renting/housing, rule of thumb is to stay north of War Memorial (Rd 150). If your son likes outdoors, he will like here, plenty of hiking/hunting/fishing opportunities, and the people are generally nice.

[movin1]

I lived in Bloomington until I was 18, moved to Champaign for college, and worked for the U of IL for 34 years. Normal is now much nicer than Bloomington (because of ISU), Champaign-Urbana is the best Central IL location. I would not want to live in Peoria if I had other options.