Washington/Germantown Hills/Chillicothe/Dunlap (Peoria, East Peoria: to rent, crime rate, houses)

[deathreau]

I will be moving my family to Illinois here in the next couple months and am trying to narrow down my search. There are other parts of Central Illinois that we are considering, but we are drawn to the terrain and nature in and around Peoria.


Germantown Hills/East Peoria - We really like the houses that have been available in G.H. (or just barely west of there, with an East Peoria address), and we really like the geography, but I have read about some crime sprees in that area last year and this spring. Also, I wonder if there are flood issues. For some reason the houses here don't seem to be moving as quickly as other areas. Just wondering why.



Washington - Seems like more of a small town atmosphere, which might be better for our 9 & 10 year old boys. Not sure if the landscape is as cool, but it is close to Farmdale Resevoir, which is a draw for us as we love trail running.


Chillicothe - This and Dunlap would add to my commute a bit, but I'm guessing proximity to the NW section of Peoria could be an advantage with things to do. For Chillicothe we're mainly looking in and around the Fawn Hills area, not necessarily smack dab in the middle of Chillicothe.


Dunlap - Looks like great schools and really nice neighborhoods...a touch pricey.


Any comments on these or any other surrounding areas would be greatly appreciated! My main concerns are safety, avoiding issues like flooding, relative affordability (looking in the 250-300 range), and proximity to nature.



Thanks!

[deeman7]

Also, Washington just had a tornado recently so the odds of having another one are low.

[Rag King]

Germantown Hills would provide easy access to to I-39, if you need to access that interstate often. Head eastbound on IL state highway 116 to get there. Are houses harder to sell up there? I have no clue. Some families deliberately move to that town to get their kids on the high school football team.

Germantown Hills/East Peoria/Washington.........ask about the school district the house is in before you buy. The school district boundaries meander and are not the easiest to decipher.

East Peoria is - overall, more blue collar and not as nice. The schools are not as nice as in Washington. The bonus to East Peoria is quick and very easy access to shopping and restaurants.

Washington had a horrible tornado ten years ago that destroyed 300 houses, long since rebuilt. The town has a 50/50 balance of white and blue collar. It used to be (or maybe it still is) a big lacrosse town.

Dunlap is nice with new, large schools, but the property taxes are very high.

How long do you plan on living in the Peoria area? Chilicothe is a much older town. Peoria continues to grow north, but most of that growth is Dunlap towards Princeville.

If I were to live in the Peoria area, I would live in Farmington or Hanna City and then get an annual membership at Wildlife Prairie Park.

[deathreau]

Originally Posted by Rag King

Germantown Hills would provide easy access to to I-39, if you need to access that interstate often. Head eastbound on IL state highway 116 to get there. Are houses harder to sell up there? I have no clue. Some families deliberately move to that town to get their kids on the high school football team.

Germantown Hills/East Peoria/Washington.........ask about the school district the house is in before you buy. The school district boundaries meander and are not the easiest to decipher.

East Peoria is - overall, more blue collar and not as nice. The schools are not as nice as in Washington. The bonus to East Peoria is quick and very easy access to shopping and restaurants.

Washington had a horrible tornado ten years ago that destroyed 300 houses, long since rebuilt. The town has a 50/50 balance of white and blue collar. It used to be (or maybe it still is) a big lacrosse town.

Dunlap is nice with new, large schools, but the property taxes are very high.

How long do you plan on living in the Peoria area? Chilicothe is a much older town. Peoria continues to grow north, but most of that growth is Dunlap towards Princeville.

If I were to live in the Peoria area, I would live in Farmington or Hanna City and then get an annual membership at Wildlife Prairie Park.

Thanks for the reply!



Not really sure how long we will be there. It's possible that it will be short term - just a few years. So re-sale is a big consideration. It would be great to rent, but that market is looking even worse that buying.


I'll be commuting to the east, the two towns you mentioned would probably be a bit too far.


How about houses with a Peoria address, but Dunlap schools? The Churchill Park neighborhood for instance. Does that area have a good enough buffer between it and the more dangerous parts of Peoria?

[deathreau]

Oh and thanks for the heads up about Wildlife Prairie Park. I hadn't noticed that yet, but it's definitely something we'd take advantage of.

[Rag King]

Yes, there is a large part of northern Peoria that is the city of Peoria but is in the Dunlap school district. You are making the right choice by deciding based on the perceived "good reputation" of the local public school district. People use those perceptions as a selling point when deciding to move.

Historically, if you lived north of route 150, then your neighborhood was deemed "safe" from the more dangerous parts. I do not know about the current situation of that area.

Is there a crime rate map for Peoria? That would be neat to see.