Nice family town in southern IL? Not too small? (Springfield: insurance, low crime)

[Oceanaddict]

Originally Posted by joee

your best bet is carbondale/marion, real down to earth people in that area, lots of outdoor things to do, all around great place, you'll get a lot more house for the money there also.

I have to say that I DONT agree at all. I have a very good friend that lives in Marion and there are always sirens going off in her neighborhood.. drive by's as well as a literal street that is known for its drug use...
I would never raise kids there and I would never recommend it to anyone!!
My friend if should ever come the chance to leave WILL!

There are however other places in the Southern area that you could live.. Closer to Paduka KY maybe for staters... and maybe St. Louis as well... I just would really check things out ALOT before making the final move.
Just my opinion is all.

[AnonymousCoward]

It's not perfect, but the Springfield area would certainly be a very good choice, especially from among the the area you specified. If you are going to spend your time traveling south of town, Chatham or Rochester would be excellent and convenient choices. I believe Rochester schools are the better of the two, based on what parents have told me, but both are good. Both Chatham and Rochester are very family oriented and safe, if a little boring. There are also a numerous neighborhoods in Springfield that fit your description, but you would do well to consider a private school if you live in an area covered by district 186. In my experiences, you probably want to avoid living too far outside of town. In Springfield and the immediate suburbs, you will find a significant percentage of people who aren't originally from this part of the world, who have traveled, have more education, and may share more of the same life goals that it sounds as if you have.

As for culture, I've seen well known national acts at the Hoogland Center for the Arts as well as the Sangamon Auditorium. Springfield has a growing downtown that continues to improve and offer more entertainment. On the west side is practically every chain store you are used to seeing in any other city. Still, Springfield is a small town, but thankfully St. Louis a little over an hour away. Chicago is further away but offers even more. St. Louis and Chicago are both easily accessible by both rail and the interstate.

Housing is also very inexpensive here. You need only spend $350K if you need a very large and very nice home, but keep in mind homes in that price range are generally more difficult to sell. Plenty of new and newer homes in very nice neighborhoods that are well sized for a family, with 2 - 3 car garages and nice sized lots can be had in the $150k - $230k range.

Good luck in your search!

[Sunshine 12]

Originally Posted by Rightpath

I have to say that I DONT agree at all. I have a very good friend that lives in Marion and there are always sirens going off in her neighborhood.. drive by's as well as a literal street that is known for its drug use...
I would never raise kids there and I would never recommend it to anyone!!
My friend if should ever come the chance to leave WILL!

There are however other places in the Southern area that you could live.. Closer to Paduka KY maybe for staters... and maybe St. Louis as well... I just would really check things out ALOT before making the final move.
Just my opinion is all.

I DON'T AGREE AT ALL...... I LOVE MARION! I GREW UP IN MARION AND NOW MOVED TO THE LAKE.......I NEVER HEARD SIRENS .....NEVER HEARD OF DRIVE BYS ( IN MARION COME ON)...THE ONLY THING I EVER HEARD OF WAS LIKE A CAR BROKEN INTO OR SOMETHING LIKE ON THAT ORDER THAT HAPPENS ANYWHERE......EVERYONE MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE FAMILY HERE......
I LOVE RAISING MY CHILDREN HERE......MARION IS GROWING SO FAST AS WELL......WE ARE ALSO GETTING THE MINOR STADIUM THAT WILL OPEN SOON.....THERE ARE TONS OF OUTDOOR THINGS TO DO AND I LOVE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.....I LIKE IT THAT WE ARE ONLY 40 MIN TO PADUCAH AND ONLY 40 MINS TO MT VERNON AND 20 TO CARBONDALE...........WE HAVE THE MAJOR INTERSTATE 57 THAT RUNS THROUGH, PLUS I24 IS ONLY 10 MINS SOUTH OF MARION AND IT TAKES YOU TO PADUCAH.....
THE HOUSES AT THE LAKE RANGE FROM 50 THOUSAND TO OVER 1 MILLION.....THEY HAVE REALLY INVESTED ALOT OF MONEY INTO THE AREA....CENTURY 21 LAKE OF EGYPT HAS SOME LISTINGS .......LUXOR LANDING IS THE NEWEST PLANNED SUBDIVISION.........THAT'S MY OPINION!

[ratbert]

I moved to the Marion/Carbondale area two years ago from Houston, Texas. We love it here. Although coming from the big city to a small town does require some adjustment.

As to the previous posts on Marion, even small towns have bad neighborhoods. I grew up in rural PA in a very small town and their were good streets and bad streets.

I don't have kids, but hear good things about the school districts. Apparently there isn't a great deal of turn-over and, particularly in Carbondale, there are a lot of teachers with masters and doctoral degrees because their spouse teaches at the university.

Of course with all the national and state parks nearby, there is plenty for kids to do. The university also offers arts and music programs etc. for young people.

Between Marion and Carbondale along 13 you have most of the major shopping chains.

From my home in Murphysboro, it's about 90 minutes to Metro East, 3 hours to Springfield or less, and about an hour to Paducah, but then I'm not on a main route.

Good luck in your search!

[SaintNikkilas]

hi waldo, my name is Nikki and I am a high school student at Vandalia. although i am not discouraging you from moving to vandalia, i will recommend you find somewhere more interesting. vandalia doesn't really have much to offer family activities wise.. there is a walmart and a park, and thats about it. i can honestly tell you that one of the first things i want to do when i graduate is move away from here. i would definitely recommend moving closer to a larger city ( i noticed effingham and carbondale were mentioned). also, if you didnt already know, vandalia is currently facing a major bond refferendum issue.. if the bond is not passed (citizens are voting april 17th) ALL extracirrucular activities will be cut from the school system, this includes ALL sports, band, choir, bi-phy-chem, student coucil, scholastic bowl, National Honors Society, theatre arts, homecoming, and prom (just to name a few): basically anything and everything that goes on after school. if the bond is not passed, i would VERY HIGHLY suggest not moving to vandalia for the sake of your children.
the areas around here (greenville, ramsey, pana, altamont, etc) are not much better. what people are saying is right.. all the areas between springfield, effingham, and st louis are basically just very small farmer towns

good luck and best wishes with your move.

[joee]

ratbert, do you ever spend any time on lake kinkaid, beautiful place spent many a time on there then partying in the grounds by the marina, nuttin better.

Between carbondale & marion it's got everything a person would need but yet still hangs on to the laid back style, then over anna ways you have all the orchards, ahhhh perfect lol.

[Sunshine 12]

Just went to Kinkaid Lake the other day.......Very scenic over there......

[ratbert]

Actually I don't get out to Kinkaid all that much, even though it's just a short drive. (Although we did have a few Margaritas at the Boat House Friday night.) Like so many places here we have a large 3.5-acre farm pond plus another larger pond behind us, just a stone's throw to a vineyard and a big orchard. Our place is so pretty, it seems kind of silly to go somewhere. I do have a list of "best area hikes" and I swear I'm going to try some this year.

Also we are only 2 miles or so from Cedar Lake. Hoping to get a kayak or a canoe and start seeing more of it. What I think is nice is how different lakes cater to different needs. Cedar Lake doesn't allow anything over 10-hp, where Kinkaid accommodates bigger boats.

Yeah there's about everything you could need here. I like to say it's the best of all worlds. Rural and small town with enough culture, retail and restaurants to make it interesting and convenient. Not too cold and not too hot; four seasons without the extreme of either end.

In the end though, my passion is gardening (of the flower variety) so I generally am out puttering among my peonies or hydrangeas if the weather is nice.

[Sunshine 12]

HERE ARE SOME PICS OF KINKAID LAKE


http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/bambam203/scenic/kinkaidlakecoloredtrees-1.jpg (broken link)

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/bambam203/scenic/BOATLAUNCHKINKAID.jpg (broken link)


http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o122/bambam203/scenic/BRIDGEOVERWATER.jpg (broken link)

[Stiery23]

Originally Posted by Switch625

Truthfully, There isn't much south of Springfield other than the E. St. Louis metro area. Effingham is the only other city of any size. In the deep south of Illinois, it's all little towns and rural areas. You could look at Vandalia, but again it is a town not a city.

Wow, I would have to say that I disagree. Having lived in the Metro East for nearly seven years, I can tell you that it is one of the hottest spots in the St. Louis area right now. I live in O'Fallon and it is a great community. High quality of living- great education, shopping, cultural attractions (Downtown St. Louis is 15 minutes away), and nice subdivisions. O'Fallon is one of the nicest places in the country! There's a quaint side to it, where you know your neighbors and feel a sense of community, but there is also a progressive feel to it with all the growth we are experiencing! It's the best of both worlds. The I-64 corridor is hot right now...all kinds of retail developments going up. St. Clair Square Mall, the largest mall in Southern Illinois, is in nearby Fairview Heights. In the past couple years, it's undergone major upgrades, and an open air "lifestyle center" called The Shoppes at St. Clair was recently built, offering shops like Talbots, Coldwater Creek, Banana Republic, and Barnes and Noble. I can't say enough about how you need to look into the Metro East! There are other great communties besides O'Fallon as well, such as Shiloh, Edwardsville, Troy, and Highland to name a few. Yes, it's true that East St. Louis is 15 minutes away, but O'Fallon is a very safe community. Pretty much anywhere east of route 159 is a safe bet! I would highly recommend O'Fallon.