I'm moving to Champaign Urbana (Chicago, Mahomet: 2014, assessor, houses)

[BRIKELL]

My wife and I intend to move to Champaign or Urbana in the next 6 months. We're both retired and just want to live in a quiet tree-lined neighborhood without much crime. We love older homes, something built in the 1900s to 1960s. We've visited the area and liked the look of Urbana, but met some locals from Champaign who recommended we focus on Champaign and not Urbana. They were pretty vague on why Champaign was better than Urbana.

Can anyone explain the difference between the two cities, why one is preferable to the other and give us an idea where we should look. Any insight would be appreciated.

[mattywo85]

Originally Posted by BRIKELL

My wife and I intend to move to Champaign or Urbana in the next 6 months. We're both retired and just want to live in a quiet tree-lined neighborhood without much crime. We love older homes, something built in the 1900s to 1960s. We've visited the area and liked the look of Urbana, but met some locals from Champaign who recommended we focus on Champaign and not Urbana. They were pretty vague on why Champaign was better than Urbana.

Can anyone explain the difference between the two cities, why one is preferable to the other and give us an idea where we should look. Any insight would be appreciated.

Urbana is the quieter and older of the two. Although Urbana has seen some hipster artsy vibes lately. Champaign is the more modern of the two. And Champaign also has college vibes and atmosphere with UofI. A lot of teachers live in Urbana because its the better of the two options. Urbana also tends to be on the cheaper side with housing and such. Both are great areas, but some areas come off as tired industrial.

[DaBears02]

This seems to be in the wrong sub-forum. Champaign seems to be more active whereas Urbana is a bit more quaint. Champaign seems to have more retail and entertainment. Urbana is more quirky too.

[Kraftask]

I'd recommend nearby Paxton, IL. Lots of old Victorians with mature treelined streets in a much quieter area, lots of older people & only 25 mins or so north of Champaign so it'd be on the closer to the burbs too.

[movin1]

I lived in C-U for 40 years (1974-2014). They are not radically different and there are very nice areas of both cities. Get a good realtor (I recommend Nick Taylor) and explore all options. I lived in Mahomet for several years before I left IL. I do not recommend living outside C-U, it takes too long to get to "civilization", i.e where everything is, shopping, restaurants, entertainment etc. If that doesn't bother you, Mahomet has some nice areas near Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve.

In Champaign, Maynard Lake area, Devonshire, and Robeson Meadows are all nice areas. There are some nice older homes on Hill and Union Streets.

For streets like you mention, look east of the main U of IL campus in Urbana. They are the "state" streets, Michigan, Delaware, Nevada, etc. There are other areas that are not as close to campus. There is a nice area southeast of campus near Meadowbrook Park.

Be prepared to pay high property taxes!

[madpaddy]

Originally Posted by movin1

Be prepared to pay high property taxes!

Property taxes are one reason many choose Champaign over Urbana. Taxes in Champaign County are high everywhere, but they're absurd in Urbana.

In Champaign, there are many nice, relatively affordable older (early- to mid-century) homes in mature, tree-lined neighborhoods in in the ~1.5 mile x 1.5 mile square bordered by Church Street on the North, Kirby Avenue on the South, Mattis Avenue on the West, and State Street on the East.

There is similar housing stock in Urbana, but not nearly as much. The nicest stuff of that vintage tends to be closer to the U-of-I campus, too, so even though Urbana has the reputation of being quieter than Champaign, those neighborhoods may not be.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by madpaddy

Property taxes are one reason many choose Champaign over Urbana. Taxes in Champaign County are high everywhere, but they're absurd in Urbana.

In Champaign, there are many nice, relatively affordable older (early- to mid-century) homes in mature, tree-lined neighborhoods in in the ~1.5 mile x 1.5 mile square bordered by Church Street on the North, Kirby Avenue on the South, Mattis Avenue on the West, and State Street on the East.

There is similar housing stock in Urbana, but not nearly as much. The nicest stuff of that vintage tends to be closer to the U-of-I campus, too, so even though Urbana has the reputation of being quieter than Champaign, those neighborhoods may not be.

Bear in mind the "absurdity" involved is $8.61 per $100 of assessed value, meaning a 200K home is $1,722. Much of the US would kill for that.

[movin1]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Bear in mind the "absurdity" involved is $8.61 per $100 of assessed value, meaning a 200K home is $1,722. Much of the US would kill for that.

Not correct. Property taxes are about 2% of value. A $200K house will have a $4,000/year property tax bill.

Here's a house listed for $435K. Property tax bill in 2021 was over $10K.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...=srp-list-card

I lived there for 40 years and owned several houses, I know what the property taxes are.

[madpaddy]

Originally Posted by movin1

Not correct. Property taxes are about 2% of value. A $200K house will have a $4,000/year property tax bill.

Here's a house listed for $435K. Property tax bill in 2021 was over $10K.

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...=srp-list-card

I lived there for 40 years and owned several houses, I know what the property taxes are.

And that house has been held by the same owner since 1996, so the assessed value is probably light. If it sells for anywhere near asking price, the new owner's property taxes will likely be north of $13k.

Here's a ~$200k house where the property taxes are already $4400 a year, and the assessment is likely is go up after the sale.
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...=srp-list-card


Property tax rates in Urbana are in the ballpark of $10 per $100 of assessed value, and assessed values are supposed to be 33% of market value. If you buy a house there for $200k, you shouldn't be surprised if you property taxes end up being $6k+.

[movin1]

As far as I know, there are no property tax caps in C-U. Mine got re-assessed and went up every year, the tax assessor wanted to screw everyone out of every last dollar. I filed a complaint with the state and won, she wasn't happy.

I lived in Champaign for many years, and Mahomet and Chicago too. I didn't see a big difference between Champaign, Urbana, and Mahomet property tax rates, they were all exorbitant. Chicago was lower at the time, but they have gone up a lot since I left. It really was one of the main reasons I moved to other states.

My property taxes in Naples, FL and Vegas are 1/3 of what they were in Champaign. $600K house in C-U tax was over $12K/year. In Naples and Vegas it's about $4K. My property taxes are capped at 3%/year in Vegas.

When a house is sold in C-U, it gets assessed for the new price. If it was an old house that had a low property tax bill, kiss it goodbye.