Champaign-Urbana relocation (Chicago, Peoria, Springfield: chapel, house, neighborhood)

[kyle19125]

Can one assimilate easily into the community minus ties to the university? I'll also be carless which seems less a concern given what I have heard about the transit system, but would love to hear firsthand perspective.

[NVMove]

Hi kyle19125,

I'm not sure what you mean by "assimilate into the community", but I would think it is like any other town, with a bunch of advantages (and a few disadvantages) that come from having a major university in the town.

So I would think if you ignore the university (to the degree you can) it would be mostly the same as assimilating into any other town. (Actually it is a pair of towns - Champaign / Urbana - with another town (Savoy) attached to it and a few outlying towns like Mahomet and St. Joseph.)

I do have ties to the university, so it is hard to say what it would be like as a newcomer who doesn't, but I think, if anything, it would be easier here than in a town of equivalent size, etc. without the university, because of all the extra things the university brings (that you could choose to ignore if you prefer).

I live in a typical neighborhood off campus, and I know a lot of my neighbors and, with the exception of one young couple where the wife is a graduate student, none of them are affiliated with the university.

I know people in town who have lived here their whole lives and never stepped foot on campus. I think that is unfortunate for them, but it shows it is possible. Depending on where you are going to / from, if your bus cuts across campus you will definitely be in the thick of it with zillions of students jumping on and off the bus and winding through campus streets and buildings.

The bus system here is, as you note, very beneficial for a person without a car. I have a car but still use the bus a good bit. Requiring the bus would make choosing your home location much more important than if you have one, but I know several people who don't have cars.

I don't know where you are coming from, but taxes are high here (in Illinois and specifically in Champaign / Urbana).

I don't know if it is just you, or if you have a family, how old you are, etc. so that might make some difference, but I think everything I say here would apply regardless.

Are there any more specific questions I could help with?

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Can one assimilate easily into the community minus ties to the university? I'll also be carless which seems less a concern given what I have heard about the transit system, but would love to hear firsthand perspective.

Most people in the area have no direct ties to the University. It is undoubtedly dominated by the University, and you certainly cannot ignore its presence. However, none of my relatives living in the area are alumni nor affiliated with the University in any way. I do not appreciate the appeal of the area, for the most part. I think that it is highly unremarkable, no disrespect intended, and would never intend to revisit the area without the personal ties.

[kyle19125]

I'm not looking to avoid UIUC by any means, just wondering if meeting a potential circle of friends who are faculty/grad students (which is my desire given interests and intellect) would be likely. I lived in Chapel Hill, NC for several years and found UNC grad students mostly snooty/dissociative to anyone not a student. I feel certain geography plays a role as many UNC grad students were from metro areas like DC and NYC, while UIUC students are more likely from the Midwest.

[ShampooBanana]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I'm not looking to avoid UIUC by any means, just wondering if meeting a potential circle of friends who are faculty/grad students (which is my desire given interests and intellect) would be likely. I lived in Chapel Hill, NC for several years and found UNC grad students mostly snooty/dissociative to anyone not a student. I feel certain geography plays a role as many UNC grad students were from metro areas like DC and NYC, while UIUC students are more likely from the Midwest.

I lived in C-U for 13 years. For only 4.5 of those years was I student, so I spent a solid 8.5 years not directly associated with the University and just working in town. I had no problem making and keeping friends who were students there even after I was a student. Simply hang around the places the types of people you are looking for usually go (grad students bars, coffee shops near campus, certain stores, intellectually stimulating events, etc) and you'll be bound to meet some like-minded people. Also, it's very easy to live in C-U without a car compared to most places. It's pretty walkable, and the bus system is second to none compared to almost anywhere else in the US, save the biggest city's central cores. Oh yeah, and housing and everything else is generally much more affordable, too. Good luck!

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I'm not looking to avoid UIUC by any means, just wondering if meeting a potential circle of friends who are faculty/grad students (which is my desire given interests and intellect) would be likely. I lived in Chapel Hill, NC for several years and found UNC grad students mostly snooty/dissociative to anyone not a student. I feel certain geography plays a role as many UNC grad students were from metro areas like DC and NYC, while UIUC students are more likely from the Midwest.

Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill is a larger, much nicer, more vibrant, and more diverse area than Chambana. Moving from out-of-state to Champaign for anything short of a life-changing opportunity is unfathomable to me. I do not mean to be negative. I think a day trip will tell you all you need to know. There are so many lovely highly-educated smaller metros/satellites in the Midwest and Upland South that are more worthy of attention—Lexington, Madison, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Charlottesville—to name a handful. I have to imagine that the percentage of Illinois graduates that remain in Champaign County following graduation is very low.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill is a larger, much nicer, more vibrant, and more diverse area than Chambana. Moving from out-of-state to Champaign for anything short of a life-changing opportunity is unfathomable to me. I do not mean to be negative. I think a day trip will tell you all you need to know. There are so many lovely highly-educated smaller metros/satellites in the Midwest and Upland South that are more worthy of attention—Lexington, Madison, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Charlottesville—to name a handful. I have to imagine that the percentage of Illinois graduates that remain in Champaign County following graduation is very low.

All with the exception of Lexington or Lansing are significantly more expensive with the primary motivation for my move to slash housing cost. Lansing depressed the heck out of me (just don't get it) and Lexington while a much larger city has an inferior transit system and weak infrastructure period in terms of transportation.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

All with the exception of Lexington or Lansing are significantly more expensive with the primary motivation for my move to slash housing cost. Lansing depressed the heck out of me (just don't get it) and Lexington while a much larger city has an inferior transit system and weak infrastructure period in terms of transportation.

Have you visited Champaign? I would put Lansing last among the five cities I mentioned. However, if you find Lansing 'depressing,' I would love to read your trip summary of Champaign. LOL

[movin1]

I think it depends on your age and willingness to make an effort to get involved in things you like. I went to school at the U of I from 1974-1978 and worked there from 1978 to 2010. There are many things to do, the arts and music scene are excellent (Krannert Art Museum and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts). The School of Music has concerts frequently and KCPA hosts world class artists, dance, opera, theater, jazz and classical music. Very bright students and professors in many fields abound. You don't have to be a student to go to events and meet like minded people. There are lots of restaurants, so the food and wine scene is good. Lake of the Woods in Mahomet is a nice place to go. Chicago and St. Louis aren't far away. Property taxes are high, power and water bills can be high depending on the size of your house and yard. Winters are harsh (cold and snow) and summers can be hot and humid. I like C-U better than Bloomington, Springfield and Peoria.

Being carless makes it a lot harder and more expensive to get around and go from the west side of Champaign to the east side of Urbana. I would not want to be carless there or most anywhere, it limits where you can go and what you can do too much.

[mattywo85]

OP, I suppose you mean can you be included in the environment if you're not part of UofI? The answer is yes. UofI is a large part of C-U ecosystem but you can live there without dealing with it. There are plenty of restaurants, bars, and a pretty good arts district from what I hear. You are also near Bloomington-Normal, Peoria, Springfield, and only a three hour drive from Chicago and St. Louis if you need a weekend get away. C-U and B-M tend to lean more blue, Springfield is red, and Peoria is in the middle. I used to have a friend who lived in Champaign, I went there often. Never felt unsafe.