Moving to Decatur, IL

[TWCass]

I was born in Decatur in the 50's and have lived in suburban Chicago since 1970. Decatur's major problem is that it heavily relied on manufacturing for its job base. When those jobs left the country and the factories closed down, Decatur fell into decline and lost 20% of its population. Champaign had the college and Springfield the state government to keep them going, but Decatur had nothing to fall back on. The town does have nice parks and the lake is beautiful, but agree with others about schools and areas of decay. The housing costs are among the lowest in the country, however. Mount Zion or Monticello aren't bad as nearby alternatives.

[seljuk88]

I've lived in Decatur my entire life, and am now 21 and finishing up my college education here in town at Millikin.

The school district is in poor condition, poorly ran, and things may only get worse with the current administration. The areas outside of town have much better schools and are better run, but a few of the towns are infamous for things such as racism, and a couple are known sundown towns (No joke. Nothing may be officially on the books anymore, but the attitudes haven't left). Even if you're white, beware! They can also be cliquey.

Unless you're involved in the health care industry or in agribusiness, the job opportunities are few and far between, and businesses are only leaving. Also, avoid certain neighborhoods after dark... we've got some rough parts of town.

Overall, I wouldn't advise living here unless you have a steady job at ADM or one of the hospitals, and even they have started cutting back more and more. I wouldn't live in Decatur if I were you, but even in the smaller surrounding towns, be choosy.

[Bought.with.a.price]

How do you find good, safe home daycare in Decatur, IL? Needed on the North West side of town.

[dallas214]

This town has done nothing but deteriorate. I'm glad I got out of Decatur when I did. Whenever I go home to visit family, it seems like everything is just getting worse here. Get out of Decatur while you can.

[illstate89]

How has Decatur deteriorated?? I really don't see THAT much deterioration... Sure it isn't as good as Bloomington or Champaign but I think of deterioration as more of a "Rantoul" type city. At least 3 new restaurants just opened downtown, more apartments/condos are being rented downtown, the lakefront is on its way to becoming even better, the area by Millikin on Oakland has become much better in recent years... the only things that need help are our mall, school system(however neighboring schools are great), and better nightlife.

[mojo_fish]

Hi,I was reading your post and it's quite possible we know each other. I went to dennis elementary school,woodrow wilson middle school,and macarthur high. I lived on west wood street. I now live in fla.....couldn't stand the cold

[airplaendoc98]

I left Decatur a few years ago and will never look back. The Decatur schools are horrible. Olive Garden is the nicest chain restaurant in town. Don't get me started on the smell. The park system that everyone raves about is quickly deteriorating as well.

[illstate89]

Originally Posted by airplaendoc98

The park system that everyone raves about is quickly deteriorating as well.

How do you figure???

[tigernike23]

[Mod cut]
I know it's been years passed since the last post on here. But to update, Decatur's unemployment rate stands at 10.3%, the highest in the state of Illinois and 13th worst in the country in terms of metropolitan data given by the BLS. Fast forward from when I last posted in 2008-9 to now, its very depressing. It's to the point where I've had enough. I went back go college at the local community college and got my AAS degree in networking. I'm moving to Phoenix, Arizona at the end of the year. I have many friends down there, and many fellow Illinoisans are down there too. Very beautiful, great place to live. I'll miss Decatur, only because of family. Once people look outside of this walled garden in Decatur, they will find out things are happening much more outside of where they live. As I mentioned in 2008-9, the city government is in pure denial, thinking things are better now (in 2013) than they were 20 years ago. The city even had the onions to challenge the Census Bureau in 2010 for population! It's sad to see my hometown falling apart. Springfield, C-U, and B-N all have unemployment rates between 6-8%, while Decatur's hasn't been under 10% since 2009. Just in January it was 15.7%!!! One good thing though, is the public school board had elections and every incumbent was replaced. So at least public schools are looking up, somewhat. Curious to see what everyone else says.