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Hello eveyone! My family and I are planning to move out(from CA) to Urbana Champaign this summer(husband making a job move) and I have some questions please. First off we are a "health nut" family, our kids have had various digestive issues and in order to help them we had to become very health conscious. We eat only organic fruits/veggies and grass fed beef, etc. So my questions are...
#1. Will I be able to find a Whole Foods type store locally or smaller health food stores?
#2. Are there farms nearby that people buy eggs/raw dairy from?
#3. How is the air quality? (are there a lot of pesticides being sprayed locally?) My kids are very sensitive to any/all chemicals.
#4. Any advice on dealing with snow for the first time?
#5. (This is going to sound hyprocritical coming from someone in CA.. since we have the threat of earthquakes) but I am concerned about tornadoes, do I need to worry about a tornado, consider them when buying a home or learn how to properly prepare for one?
Thank you very much for any information/thoughts you may have.
No one has answered yet, so I'll give this a shot even though I'm not from the Champaign area:
As for #1 and #2: Chamaign is too small to support a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe's or a Fresh Market which is what immediately comes to mind when I think of large chains that sell organic foods and grass-fed beef; however, I'm sure there are smaller stores and markets that sell these sorts of materials. One I found easily just using Google: Natural Gourmet Foods (http://www.naturalgourmetfoods.com/index.html - broken link)
Given the large university population and presence, I'd be extremely shocked if there weren't a number of places to get these sorts of groceries.
#3: I think the air quality in the area is fine. You shouldn't have to worry about pollutants for major factories or from large numbers of cars because the population there is low. However, due to the number of crops (especially corn and soybeans) that are grown, and given that IL generally has muggy, humid summers, the pollen count and difficulty of breathing in the summer months can be high.
#4: Champaign doesn't get exceptionally snowy winters the way, say, Erie, PA or Buffalo, NY do. The wind from the prairie can make the winter there awfully bitter cold, though. Invest in some good winter gear: a good winter jacket, gloves, boots, knit hat, and a scarf (not just a fashion accessory here like it is in CA ). For your car, you'll definitely want an emergency pack that has things such as a flashlight, a blanket, maybe some bottled water, some hand warmers, etc. in case your car were to break down or get stuck in the snow during winter. Beyond that, I'm of little use because I don't own a car, but it's hard to become prepared for driving in snow...it just takes practice.
#5: From everything I've gleaned, the probability of you being in a direct hit by a tornado is virtually zero. Most people in the Midwest do have basements, though--these provide shelter from bad storms as well as act as cool havens during particularly hot summer days. I'd say worrying about a tornado should be on the last bit of your list for things to think about when moving to Champaign. If you decide to buy or rent a house with a basement, know that there are other things to worry about with it, such as "will the basement flood?" "is the basement sealed against mildew?" "is the basement adequately wired and/or heated/cooled?" Also, if you do move you should do a little reading on when to go to a basement if a tornado warning has been called.
I hope these help. Champaign/Urbana has the added benefit that it is a vibrant, young area due to the university there (>40,000 students). However, beyond the university the city does not have much more industry. So if you don't like things that are associated with the university (sports, theatre, music, very young population at downtown bars or nightclubs), it is hard to get away. However, Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis are all about equidistant, and they offer a whole wealth of things to do.
I would bet the Champaign-Urbana(C-U) area would have some kind of independent organic/health food store(can't quite help you on telling you where they are, since I know the B-N(Bloomington-Normal) a lot better, as I've spent more time there than C-U). I get by fine without one being very close to where I live(though I can get to several WF/TJ's within 15-20 minutes).
If you really want to go to Whole Foods, closest ones would be either in the Indianapolis area or the west/southwest suburbs. Ditto with Trader Joe's, as their closest ones are in the Indy area or southwest suburbs(though they have one in Orland Park, unlike Whole Foods(which I always found its absence from Orland Park strange)). This is as close as you'll get for either chain to the C-U area, and I know both chains have locations in the Saint Louis area(on the Missouri side) as well, in case you find yourself down there.
I the only organic food place I can think of are Strawberry Fields in Urbana and a co-op food store in Lincoln Mall in Urbana. They have a fair selection of things.
There's a vegetarian / vegan restaurant / cafe in Champaign on campus called the Red Herring as well; open mostly for lunch however. There are several Indian / Middle Eastern restaurants on campus (not so sure off) that serve vegetarian options that stem from the culture of the area.
During the summer there's a farmer's market that you can buy local goods. It takes place on Saturdays. I don't think it's open anymore, but I've never been. It goes from the early morning till noon I believe.
It gets snowy and then icy. Be careful when driving and expect to slide even if you won't -- this will just save you the grief of "coulda shoulda woulda" if you crash. Don't hold your hands in your pocket when walking on ice since you will fall on your ass and you won't have anything out to help soften the blow of the sidewalk.
Your house will probably have a basement. Tornados are just big windstorms, so if your house will be destroyed, chances are you'd die faster from a falling beam than being sucked up. You will know when a tornado is coming (for the most part) so if you really feel unsafe, go to a big building that you are comfortable in or someone's house.
The likelihood of you being hit by a tornado is about the same as your house catching on fire due to faulty wiring or the like. In fact it is probably less. Whereas earthquakes can rattle a whole region (think nuclear bomb), generally the tornados are like cruise missiles--incredibly destructive but only in a very small area. While you will hear sirens in the Spring occasionally, usually they just tear up some crops in the fields and rarely cause any damage in the city (I think there was one about 15 years ago in SE Urbana that destroyed a few homes, but can't remember any major ones since then). If you are really scared you might look at renting a home with a basement and ensuring you have a 'safe room' there where you can go when the warnings are issued.
As for air pollution, it is generally clear save the pollen and humidity. In harvest season though you will get some fine particulate matter stirred up (dust) which might affect those with allergies. I don't think the chemicals will really affect you much as they are generally applied on the plants from close range and don't waft around beyond the agricultural areas (though occasionally they crop dust from planes). In the Summer months they sometimes drive trucks around to spray for mosquitos (encephalitis control).
My family is relocating to the Urbana Champaign area in the late spring and I would love to know if you have already moved there and if so, what you've found out. My family is also health and allergy conscious. We shop at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, buy organic and local when possible. I've heard Strawberry Fields and Common Grounds are the places to go?
The nearest Trader Joe's, Costco and Whole Foods is in St.Louis. My windows and doors are closed year round. I change furnace filters every two weeks because of lung diseases and allergies. We have not had flu, colds, allergy outbreaks, lung infections since i started this regimin 5.5 years ago. If you children have allergies DO TEST your house for visual and hidden mold spores before you buy. My enviromentalist that tests houses for mold and radon says, "If the air is clean in the house, not only is the house easier to keep clean, then you don't have to worry about the mold spores outside." I buy the 3M Filtrete filters that trap and remove 97% of the bacteria, mold spores, virus, allergens, dust, smoke, pet dander,and more- that is larger than 0.03 Microns. Look alike filters are deceptive. Do read the labels.
IL is an Ag state. It is the #1 and #2 producer of beans and corn in the nation. C-U is part of the prairie in the midst of 1000+ acre corn and bean fields and ranchers who raise cows, hogs and some sheep. Yes there is methane and crop chemicals in the fields and ranches in the surrounding area. Illinois towns of size (100,000 m/l) are all seperated by miles of corn, beans and ranches. They are each unique and offer something different. Peoria (Peoria County) Springfield (Sangamon County) Bloomington-Normal (Mclean County) and Champaign are the largest populated areas outside of Chicago.
Yes Champaign has had direct hits from one or more tornadoes. The largest was an F-4 strike (Katrina that hit New Orleans was also an F-4) that caused $2.5M damage. Here is a NOAA map that show the track of the tornaodes and provides a description of the damage throughout Central and Souteast Illinois. National Weather Service, Lincoln IL -- Tornado Climatology of Central and Southeast Illinois .
Champaign - Urbana is a very decent place to raise a family. It is four seasons with very humid summers - thanks to the cornfields - but that is Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. Crime is no worse nor any better than any area of near 100,000 population anywhere in the U.S.
Welcome to your new home. Il has some wonderful state parks, and family entertainment nearly year round.
1 and 2. [URL="http://commonground.coop/"]Common Ground Coop[/URL] is a good place to find local and organic all in one store. It costs $60 to join and become a part owner/member, which nets you lower prices than non-members pay. [URL="http://www.strawberry-fields.com/"]Strawberry Fields[/URL] is another small natural/organic store. Unfortunately, you won't find any massive Whole Foods type stores within 100 miles of Champaign/Urbana. Regular grocery stores like Schnucks and Meijer also carry some organic produce and grocery items, usually for less than at the first two stores I mentioned.
The best place to get local and organic produce, meats, dairy, bread, flowers, et al. is [URL="http://%3Cbr%20/%3E%0Ahttp://urbanaillinois.us/market"]Market at the Square[/URL]. It's a farmer's market open every Saturday morning May through the first Saturday of November. I love it! If you want to buy your food direct, there are numerous nearby farms. Curtis Orchard is in south Champaign and you can buy apples in the store (along with other apple products) or pick your own. 15 miles west of Champaign is [URL="http://www.pontiousfarm.com/"]Pontious Farm[/URL], which has fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Finally, if you should decide to eat out, the following are a handful of restaurants which patronize local farms: Timpone's (Italian), Black Dog (BBQ), Cafe Kopi (coffee shop), Farren's (great burgers, among other things), Luna (European/American), Carmon's (French), The Red Herring (vegetarian) and Escobar's (Latin/American).
3. Sorry, can't help with this.
4. Wearing layers is helpful, since the temperature often changes rapidly outdoors and some buildings overdo the heat, while others seem to barely use it at all. [URL="http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/drivingsafety/drivingsafetytips/snow.html"]Read up on how to drive in snow and ice.[/URL] Invest in winter items now, while they're likely on sale: warm coat, waterproof boots, snow shovel(s) and/or snow blower, ice scraper and snow brush, etc. Then just grin and bear it.
5. You really don't need to worry about tornadoes; they infrequently touch down in a city. Many houses have a basement or cellar. In the event of a tornado warning (meaning one has been spotted on the ground somewhere), go into the basement. If there is no basement, go to an interior room on the lowest level, preferably one without windows. And that's about all you can do.
Last edited by Smultronstallet; 02-28-2011 at 10:47 AM..
Reason: Cannot get links to work!
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). For your car, you'll definitely want an emergency pack that has things such as a flashlight, a blanket, maybe some bottled water, some hand warmers, etc. in case your car were to break down or get stuck in the snow during winter. Beyond that, I'm of little use because I don't own a car, but it's hard to become prepared for driving in snow...it just takes practice.
