Normal/Bloomington, Illinois (Chicago, Springfield, McLean: 2013, rent, insurance)

[TomDewey123]

I'm considering a job offer in the Normal/Bloomington, Illinois area. My wife and I are kind of shocked because the housing prices look very affordable. Additionally, we are also somewhat concerned because it appears that central Illinois is also tornado country, too. Any guidance on this area is appreciated.

[reneeh63]

Yes, quite a few tornadoes but check out the link below and scroll down to "McLean" county. You'll see a long list but keep in mind this is the biggest county in Illinois so quite a few square miles. You'll also see that, up until 2012 there were no fatalities and just a few injuries. They were all less than and F2 in strength. Tornadoes can be very strong but usually have a very narrow and short path.

Illinois Tornadoes

Now, that said - there was a bad tornado in 2013 quite close to Bloomington-Normal (Yes, Bloomington is usually put first!).

Midwest tornadoes, winds slam towns and trucks; 6 killed in Illinois - CNN.com

You can get home costs from all the realtor sites. Oh yeah, be sure to get a home with a basement - most around here have them - because of the tornadoes.

[TomDewey123]

Thanks for this very helpful information! We are coming from an area of the country that rarely has tornadoes, so that's an aspect of life that will be new for us. I have a few other questions, if you're available to answer them. Since Bloomington does have tornadoes, I imagine that means home insurance is pricier, too?

Thanks again.

[damba]

Pricier than what other specific part of the us? Where are you now?

[damba]

Originally Posted by TomDewey123

Thanks for this very helpful information! We are coming from an area of the country that rarely has tornadoes, so that's an aspect of life that will be new for us. I have a few other questions, if you're available to answer them. Since Bloomington does have tornadoes, I imagine that means home insurance is pricier, too?

Thanks again.

The average rates are published online for all 50 states. Only if you live in hurricane prone areas around the gulf, or areas such as Oklahoma, which has more tornadoes per square mile than anywhere else would you start to see *significantly* higher home insurance rates. AFAIK, IL is in the middle of the pack, regardless of tornadoes. You could call your current insurance agent for assistance too (we did that prior to previous moves).

FWIW, you might see home insurance in downstate IL of less than $100/month tops, likely less depending on the property and what else you have on the policy. But it won't be priced like FL or OK(!)

cheers

[reneeh63]

Originally Posted by TomDewey123

Thanks for this very helpful information! We are coming from an area of the country that rarely has tornadoes, so that's an aspect of life that will be new for us. I have a few other questions, if you're available to answer them. Since Bloomington does have tornadoes, I imagine that means home insurance is pricier, too?

Thanks again.

Never thought about it as I've mostly lived in the midwest and tornadoes are not unexpected. A few people also add earthquake protection but that's not common - more so if you are in southern IL and closer to the New Madrid fault line. Again, purely optional, unlike the "built-in" storm/tornado insurance on your homeowners.

[cuja1]

Originally Posted by TomDewey123

I'm considering a job offer in the Normal/Bloomington, Illinois area. My wife and I are kind of shocked because the housing prices look very affordable. Additionally, we are also somewhat concerned because it appears that central Illinois is also tornado country, too. Any guidance on this area is appreciated.

I've lived in central IL my whole life (40 yrs) and only remember one bad tornado that affected Springfield. That said, I would recommend living somewhere that at least has a crawl space.

[Tonya0210]

I've lived in Il my whole life. IT SUCKS HERE. Taxes are outrageous! And yes there are a lot of tornadoes! We just had 4 the other night that wiped out a few towns. Schools are terrible, they pretty much teach you like you are in military school. We are so broke here-Chicago gets everything. They are cracking down on a lot of stuff that doesn't even matter. Bunch of nit picking. I'm looking into relocating my family in June this year

[TomDewey123]

Originally Posted by damba

Pricier than what other specific part of the us? Where are you now?

We are coming from Western North Carolina.

[CSD610]

Bloomington - Normal is a nice area from what I understand.
Cost of living is medium being somewhat the center of Springfield and Chicago.
We have only visited but enjoyed the area very much.


OP, the only way to know if this area is going to be acceptable to you is to spend a few days minimum, talk to locals,
compare pricing, neighborhoods and homes and rent for at least one year.