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I'm a recently admitted grad student moving to the Urbana-Champaign area to start my studies at UIUC in the fall and I'm looking for housing advice. Here's what I'm looking for, in no particular order:
1) Price. I'm fairly new out of undergraduate, so I'm basically going to be living off my stipend and I was hoping to find a 1BR/studio/efficiency under 400, 600 max.
2) Solitude. I'm very sensitive to noise, so it has to be in a quiet neighborhood...can anyone recommend any quiet apartments?
3) Safety. Well...I'm coming from Baltimore, so I'm sure nothing really compares, but does anyone have an idea of what are the safer areas in town? I heard something about the south and the west sides of campus, but I noticed that a few of the very cheap apartments are on the north side. Ideally, I'd like to be able to bike home at night from campus safely. (In Baltimore this wasn't a problem because my apartment was right across the street from my tiny campus, which was locked down like a fort).
4) Parking. This is more about price. I don't mind parking on the street, but I don't want to pay $100/mo. for a permit.
5) Gas stoves, ideally. Not a deal breaker, but I'm a bit of a foodie and I hate cooking on electric stoves.
That's a pretty generic list, so to trim the possibilities let me add that aside from parking and a gas stove, I really don't care about the amenities at all.
Does anyone have anything to say about Barr Real Estate?
1) Price. I'm fairly new out of undergraduate, so I'm basically going to be living off my stipend and I was hoping to find a 1BR/studio/efficiency under 400, 600 max.
2) Solitude. I'm very sensitive to noise, so it has to be in a quiet neighborhood...can anyone recommend any quiet apartments?
3) Safety. Well...I'm coming from Baltimore, so I'm sure nothing really compares, but does anyone have an idea of what are the safer areas in town? I heard something about the south and the west sides of campus, but I noticed that a few of the very cheap apartments are on the north side. Ideally, I'd like to be able to bike home at night from campus safely. (In Baltimore this wasn't a problem because my apartment was right across the street from my tiny campus, which was locked down like a fort).
4) Parking. This is more about price. I don't mind parking on the street, but I don't want to pay $100/mo. for a permit.
5) Gas stoves, ideally. Not a deal breaker, but I'm a bit of a foodie and I hate cooking on electric stoves.
I don't know much about apartments but here is my input. You should be able to find one for that price away from the campus area, which seems to be what you want anyway (based on your noise request). Things north of University Ave will be cheaper because that is the more run down area of town. It's probably not comparable to Baltimore but it's a little more sketchy than other parts.
Campustown (East of Neil, West of Wright, South of University, North of Kirby) probably isn't for you as it's loud, expensive and filled with undergrads. The area just east of the engineering campus to downtown Urbana (Goodwin to Race, south of the railroad tracks) is fairly quiet (more as you get away from campus), more grad students, though I don't know the price. Beyond that, if you are interested in looking at places 1 mile or more away from campus, there are probably quite a few.
I don't know much about apartments but here is my input. You should be able to find one for that price away from the campus area, which seems to be what you want anyway (based on your noise request). Things north of University Ave will be cheaper because that is the more run down area of town. It's probably not comparable to Baltimore but it's a little more sketchy than other parts.
Campustown (East of Neil, West of Wright, South of University, North of Kirby) probably isn't for you as it's loud, expensive and filled with undergrads. The area just east of the engineering campus to downtown Urbana (Goodwin to Race, south of the railroad tracks) is fairly quiet (more as you get away from campus), more grad students, though I don't know the price. Beyond that, if you are interested in looking at places 1 mile or more away from campus, there are probably quite a few.
Thanks for the info! I was looking at some places right in that area hoping to be close to the library, but I'm looking elsewhere now (I also found out that the library isn't open 24/7).
Do you have any opinion about the neighborhood that runs along Lincoln, north of Florida, right around the Krannert Center? There are apartments around there both on and off campus--is the area that's on campus over there noisy?
I'm also considering graduate housing at Orchard Downs (near Goodwin and Vine), though it's a bit far for me. I can imagine that it's quiet, however, and the cost isn't that bad.
Do you have any opinion about the neighborhood that runs along Lincoln, north of Florida, right around the Krannert Center? There are apartments around there both on and off campus--is the area that's on campus over there noisy?
I'm also considering graduate housing at Orchard Downs (near Goodwin and Vine), though it's a bit far for me. I can imagine that it's quiet, however, and the cost isn't that bad.
There are some fraternities/sororities on the east side of Lincoln there. I've never known anyone who lived in that area but I wouldn't call it quiet unless you are at least east of Busey. Anything west of Lincoln would be university housing except a small section between Nevada and Oregon. I have to imagine those would be pricey though, given their proximity to campus.
Orchard Downs is probably pretty quiet. Most of the residents will be foreign and folks with families. You should check out the bus system (Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District) because it is pretty efficient and could allow you to live farther away and get more for your money. I bus in the winter and bike the rest of the year and I know several other people who do this.
Just curious, are you male or female? I know of a great area that would be a perfect fit.
I'm male.
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There are some fraternities/sororities on the east side of Lincoln there.
Any idea how far east they extend? I'm eyeing a unit near Race and High.
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Anything west of Lincoln would be university housing except a small section between Nevada and Oregon.
As a matter of fact, Nevada and Oregon are precisely where I'm looking. The price isn't so bad, still below 600 w/o utilities. Would it be noisy there, on campus just to the west of Lincoln?
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I bus in the winter and bike the rest of the year and I know several other people who do this.
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking about doing. Well, I plan on bringing my car, so I can drive to campus in the winter. I imagine that from Orchard Downs the bike ride would be pleasant.
I think most of the Greek houses are basically on Lincoln itself or just in the first block or so off of Lincoln.
You'll have students here but it's nothing like the Greek area of Champaign (i.e. just west of the Library / Armory) which is a bit chaotic to say the least. I think you'll generally be fine in most places in the area bordered by Lincoln / Florida / Vine / Green. As far as close to campus, relatively quiet, this is the first place I would look.
However, it only takes one idiot to make noise. You'll have to look around a bit when you get there and check out the neighbors. Look for signs of a big party at certain houses or talk to some folks walking the streets about what is best / worst in that block.
You're in the right area, but now it's a house by house issue you'll probably have to settle by being on the ground.
I go to UIUC right now so if you want any current information, you can always message me.
I think you'll have a tougher time finding studios or one-bedroom apartments for under $400. I have one friend who pays $385 and that comes without utilities. It's fairly spacious for a one-bedroom unit.
Her friend pays over $600 for a similar apartment elsewhere, in a newer apartment, without utilities.
Quiet apartments are everywhere, but if you want a quiet neighborhood on or nearby campus, I suggest east of campus in Urbana, between Lincoln and Race.
I know many townies live there too, and they don't participate in the idiocy of campus town.
It would be quieter to live there than in the two major residential areas: the area between University and Green (north to south) and Oak and 6th (west to east). Otherwise, choose what you've seen that you like.
Urbana offers recycling as part of its garbage, Champaign doesn't or just started (I'm not sure, I don't recycle).
Both towns are the same in living, as far as I'm concerned. Champaign has the bars and restaurants, Urbana doesn't have that immediately upfront, but rather you must go further into Urbana to get that.
The campus is safe, however, I will admit that recently, I've been getting more "Crime Alert" e-mails.
Our Chief of Police sends out e-mails to students regarding any criminal activities, like robberies or stick-ups, that occurred on campus (town).
I have 4 just from this past January, and 13 from this whole school year (back to August). Most of them are people walking alone (usually women) in shady parts of campus and they get mugged.
Some attackers have guns, some bluff. One got punched. Just be vigilant of your surroundings. You'll be fine.
You can bike safely, I'd be more concerned about pedestrians or motorists getting in your way and possibly making you fall or slide off your bike. That's a really common scene.
I'll admit, I hate bikers on campus because they don't follow any traffic rules and act as if they own the whole damn street. It's so frustrating.
Pedestrians hate bikers too since bikers are fast and can hit you, though most pedestrians don't watch where they're going.
Parking is such a ***** on campus to find. Good luck getting cheap parking. I have a friend that was offering her gravel lot for about $30 or $40 a month in Urbana.
A garaged space can go up to $80 a month at Tower at Third high-rise. Parking on the street (you get a random numbered slot assigned to you) are also expensive, I think $1000 yearly?
I'm not sure, but it's more expensive than I had ever though. There is a mammoth parking lot called E-14 that costs about $600 for the whole year; it's on the south part of campus.
It's owned by the university, hence the cheaper price.
I don't know about gas stoves, but good luck. I'm sure they're rarer since it's easier to burn your apartment down than with an electric one. I doubt landlords want that!
I don't know about Barr, since I've chosen to live off-campus and not deal with campus anymore. Campus Property Management is big here, but also have the most complaints.
I've heard horror stories about Gabe's Place apartments; I have two friends at Winer (spelling?) and they're content with it.
Here's a link that is made by the university to assist people with UIUC housing and complaints:
My opinion: go off-campus. You'll find it cheaper with better amenities.
Yes, it's farther, but snag an apartment along the bus route and you're set! If you've got a car, just park at E-14 and take the bus (or shuttle--parking for it is about $112 I think yearly) for classes.
Parking meters can get extraordinarily expensive.
I calculated that for one class for one hour for one semester, it would cost about $27 for a meter, if you find one...hah! Needless to say, if you begin driving to campus and parking at meters, you'll get parking tickets for expired meters.
University ones are more expensive, I think $20 initially. Champaign is also $20? Urbana is $10. They double after 3 days.
Off-campus housing: Orchard Downs (Urbana?), 88-West (Champaign), The Village (Savoy) are a few off the top of my head. There's a billion more, just look on-line.
Here's another website that shows some more graduate housing: Housing Information - University of Illinois Division of Nutritional Sciences (http://www.nutrsci.illinois.edu/admissions/housing.html - broken link)
Frats and sororities: Most of these Greek houses don't extend far into Urbana. The majority are along Lincoln, and barely a handful go beyond a block I would say (Busey or so).
The big chunk of Greek houses are west of Wright Street, south of Green, and east (or along) First.
Nevada and Oregon: that's a good location, you can find some fair prices there. There's a new building I'd stay away from because it's so expensive.
I don't know the name of it or its address, but it's obviously brand-new with a brick facade; in fact, it's supposed to be a "mall"--whatever. It's got stores at the bottom level (Sandella's, Subway, Basil Thai and so on).
Thanks for the terrific responses. I'm actually in Champaign right now at a homestay for the night as I visit campus and meet some professors in my department.
Unfortunately, I leave tomorrow in the early evening, so I won't have much time to tour apartments, but I did talk to my adviser and some grad students, and they all confirmed what everyone here has been saying. Another good rule of thumb I learned today: west of the railroad tracks in Champaign is quieter.
I decided against Orchard Downs, mostly for aesthetic reasons and also because it's a little *too* isolated for my taste. I'm right now eyeing a studio for under 500 in Urbana on Race near the mall. Looks like my noise concerns have been partly unfounded, as I didn't realize how much quieter the whole place is in general when compared to Baltimore. Parking is free and utilities come out to about 90. Best of all, it has a gas range =).
I also learned a little bit about the subtle differences between Urbana and Champaign. Sounds like Urbana is more my style, though both seem pretty laid back. I appreciate the recycling and the other amenities. I have to say, I'm absolutely charmed by the neighborhoods here.
Another possibility came up as I was chatting with another passenger in the plane ride down here: what if I took out a mortgage, bought a house, and rented out the spare rooms? Sure, it would be noisier, but it might make a great investment. Has anyone here done something like that?
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