Bike trails on Illinois side of STL (St. Louis, Columbia: insurance, how much)

[patrickmich]

I am in KC currently. The people are incredibly nice here. But it isn't a great
area for bike trails. I have been researching Rails to Trails. It seems that
the City of Alton, IL, Granite, IL and Edwardswilles, IL all have an extensive
network of rail to trails. Can anyone give me insight about these communities. What is is like to live there? Do people in these cities generally commute to the MO side? Are they nice looking communities? Are the bike trails used often? Are the bike trails nice? I appreciate your time. I will leave
KC on Monday and head that way. I am in a traveling mode. My personal belongings are in storage out West, and I am searching for a new place to live. The sooner I find it the better, as it is very expensive paying for lodging.
I do not like big cities, but I do prefer to be near a big city. I am under the impression that the IL side of STL is flat.
Is it also much less populated than the MO side? Thanks again.

[la_missourienne]

Well, I've never lived in these places, but I've been through them on my bike doing parts of those trails you speak of. I love these trails; I'm a member of Trailnet (broken link) , which has lots of organized rides that are mostly on the Illinois side because, yes, it is flat over there for the most part. The bike trails are used quite often, but not crowded by any means of the imagination. They are well-maintained and nice to ride (some are paved and some are limestone/gravel chips, easily navigated by both road tires and mountain-bike type).
My fiancé (who has lived in STL much longer than me), tells me that Alton can be more of a party-type town (has a casino and some regionally well-known bars, as well as a college), Edwardsville also has a college, but Granite City doesn't (at least that is what I've been told--this isn't confirmed!)
Yes, many people live in IL and commute over; every morning there are traffic reports detailing the status of each bridge coming over for this very reason.
The towns are not ritzy-looking, but they are not run-down, either. They just look like nice little working-class communities, really.
The IL side is far less populated; lots of farmland over there with lots of small little communities (but I hear it is really nice to live over there for some peace and quiet!)
Hope this helps (and sorry if some of the info isn't quite right...)!

[CellarBelle]

I moved to Edwardsville from Texas four years ago. Edwardsville is a great town. It is home to Southern Illinois University which is one of the largest campuses - greenspace wise - in the United States. Edwardsville is also the county seat of Madison County. Because of the University and the county seat, we have a great downtown area that has some nice shops, restaurants and bars. It has been experiencing some nice revitalization lately. The bike trails are amazing. I'm not a biker, but I have many friends that bike, run and walk the trails regularly. Because of the area's reputation of being a great biking community, we have an awesome bike store that supports the biking community so you don't have to go far for all of your biking needs. Heck, we even have a store one town over that is nothing but recumbent bikes! It is that big of an "industry" here. I don't know if you have children, but the schools in Edwardsville enjoy one of the best reputations in all of the metro-east area (that is what they call the Illinois side of suburban St. Louis. I would even venture to say that we have some of the best schools in all of the St. Louis area. In fact, Edwardsville has seen a nice influx of people from the Missouri side because of its schools. This is great for home values. We also are experiencing growth with the addition of a new grocery chain, electronics store, bookstore, craftstore and several new restaurants. But, it still has that smalltown appeal. I have a great email I can send to you with links on everything about the town from schools, to bike trails, to other things of interest. Send me a private message with your email address and I can send you the email. Good luck as you explore your options!

[patrickmich]

thank you for the replies. I used to live in Carbondale 15 years ago, and attended SIU for one semester before being required to return up North for
personal reasons. I always liked Carbondale. Isn't the main campus of SIU in
Carbondale? Is Edwardsville a branch campus, or what? How similar or dissimilar would you say Carbondale and Edwardsville? I have never been to the latter city. The former is quite hilly and wooded. I would never return to Carbondale to live because it is too
far away from everything. I really like the fact that, presumably, the
eastern side of STL is largely flat. I have been through that region quite
a few times, and it appears to be very fertile land. I am single and I do not have kids. I am 46 years old (male). I do not want to grow old in a small
isolated town. On the other hand I don't want to live in a big city.
Does Edwardsville have an isolated feeling about it? Or is it most definitely
considered a part of the metro east area? Being single I definitely want
to access to a larger population pool of available women, which is another
reason Carbondale is not a strong contender. Is there a lot of new home contruction going on in Edw? I would like to buy a house soon after moving there. I would like to PM you, but then other people who might be interested in learning about EDW wouldn't have the change to read the great information you provide. I hope to hear from you soon. I am still in KC, but
intend to depart here tomorrow. I will drive through and check out Columbia before finishing my journey in Metro East. Or I may continue on to Indiana.
(but doubtful). Thanks!

[CellarBelle]

Not being a "native", and having lived here for only 4 years, I don't know much about Carbondale - never been. So, I can't give you a comparison. It is rather flat here, but not "Nebraska Flat".

I would not at all consider Edwardsville remote. For example, my family loves Hockey, and we can be sitting in Scottrade Center in 30 minutes for a game. We go to Cards games, also, and again - 30 minutes and we are in the stadium. So I would by no means say you are isolated in this town. For what it is worth, within the last year we got a new Red Robin, 54th St Diner, St. Louis Bread Company, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cold Stone Creamery - just to name a few. So, it is a growing area. If you enjoy athletics at all, you MUST go and visit our new YMCA. We have one of the largest YMCA facilities in the country. It is just east on Goshen Road about 1 or so miles. You would need to get off 270 on 159, go north and turn right at the Home Depot/Quik Trip. The YMCA also continues to keep the older facility open and operating and it is great for swimming, basketball, exercise classes, and weightlifting.

SIU here is rather large. It is part of the same Carbondale SIU system. Be sure to visit their website to learn more about the University. SIUE.EDU. A very nice complement to the area and provides for good jobs.

Lots of housing available here from new construction to older, historic homes. Taxes are a little high in the metro-east. That tends to be the biggest shock for most folks. Look to pay around $4000/year for a $200k home. But, on a better note, we found insurance prices here to be quite nice compared to Texas.

For more info on bike trails, go to mcttrails.org and you can get maps, etc.
I can't post website links, so if you would like those pm me with your email address and I can shoot them over to you.

Hope this helps!

[2beamissourian]

I live in the General area -

Route 100 up the Great River road has a bike trail. It goes up past Per Marquette State Park.

[AdamK]

how much of a trail do you need? There are a ton of golf courses if you want to ride around them.

[ShadowCaver]

Can also find various rides via MapMyRide.com - Map your Cycling and Mountain Biking Routes. Topo Maps, Elevation Profiles, GPS Support. - put in key word of place/region/city of interest.

[e_seaborn]

Alton has the SIU school of Dentistry, Godfrey has Lewis and Clark Community College, Edwardsville has SIUE, and Yes Granite City does have South Western Illinois College.

Originally Posted by la_missourienne

Well, I've never lived in these places, but I've been through them on my bike doing parts of those trails you speak of. I love these trails; I'm a member of Trailnet , which has lots of organized rides that are mostly on the Illinois side because, yes, it is flat over there for the most part. The bike trails are used quite often, but not crowded by any means of the imagination. They are well-maintained and nice to ride (some are paved and some are limestone/gravel chips, easily navigated by both road tires and mountain-bike type).
My fiancé (who has lived in STL much longer than me), tells me that Alton can be more of a party-type town (has a casino and some regionally well-known bars, as well as a college), Edwardsville also has a college, but Granite City doesn't (at least that is what I've been told--this isn't confirmed!)
Yes, many people live in IL and commute over; every morning there are traffic reports detailing the status of each bridge coming over for this very reason.
The towns are not ritzy-looking, but they are not run-down, either. They just look like nice little working-class communities, really.
The IL side is far less populated; lots of farmland over there with lots of small little communities (but I hear it is really nice to live over there for some peace and quiet!)
Hope this helps (and sorry if some of the info isn't quite right...)!

[la_missourienne]

Thanks for the correction, e_seaborn! I'll be sure to let my fiancé know