Moving to Champaign Il help please! (Chicago, Decatur: low income, crime rates, schools)

[kls_01]

I've lived in Villa Grove most of my life. Yes, there was a siren that sounded at 6:00 p.m. I remember listening for it because then I knew it was 6 and had to go in for supper. Was it being sounded back then(15 years, give or take) to warn african-americans or any other non-white people to clear the area? I don't know. Just because the sirens may still be in place doesn't mean that everyone here is horribly racist(I, at least, am not). There are small minds in small towns as well as large towns. This being said, there is more diversity here than before. We have many Hispanics and believe it or not, some African-Americans.

There was talk of how small towns have managed to stay white for so long as if we are trying with all our power to keep everyone "ethnic" out. I suppose if this is true, we must also be prejudice against all the rich people as well since our median income has remained so low. It could be that ethnic people and rich people alike just don't want to live in areas like this....not that we're trying to keep them out. Just a thought.

[Katarina Witt]

Many of the small towns in the area where I grew up tested their fire sirens at 6 PM. I suspect this is what was happening in Villa Grove as well. Anyone who believes it to be true that it was a signal for all people of color to leave should offer up some proof.

[cwarnold]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

Many of the small towns in the area where I grew up tested their fire sirens at 6 PM. I suspect this is what was happening in Villa Grove as well. Anyone who believes it to be true that it was a signal for all people of color to leave should offer up some proof.

This certainly doesn't count as "proof", but I hear they had a sign up into the 80's or 90's that said something to the effect of "******, don't let the sun go down" ...

Of course, it's all heresy, and at any rate, it's not anywhere near that extreme anymore.

Lastly, my $.02: I really dislike Villa Grove. It does seem to be a gathering point for people who're most interested in what Other people are doing. Not that I'm an expert: I haven't lived there since I graduated high school nearly 8 years ago (and I was only there 1 semester).

While this probably won't matter to most people, it's something that erks me: I've been driving almost daily since I got my license @ 15; since I was 16, I've gotten 2 tickets, and both of them were in Villa Grove. It's not just a small town, it's a fairly isolated, slow and ignorant small town. Not that everyone who lives there is that way (my Grandma lives there, for one, and doesn't seem to mind it). If you can stand (enjoy?) the general small-town atmosphere (slow, isolated), it's probably a pretty nice place

[cwarnold]

Originally Posted by MollyM

I would not recommend anything in the North Prospect area. Yes, it's growing fast, but is near all the big box stores and about a jillion chain restaurants, and is the only place in town with real traffic jams. The natives complain constantly about it North Prospect Ave. traffic.

Originally Posted by sonicreducer

Agreed. It seems like everytime I am home for a visit, there are new stores opening out there, and the traffic only gets worse. I think the city is attempting to deal with this a bit, but it still seems bad to me. I can't imagine living out in that area. I noticed they are building new apts or condos in the cornfield right by Market Place Mall. Very weird.

It's actually not that weird to have residential mixed in w/ commercial development ... it's just weird for New development in the US (and a few other countries).

I live in Ashland Park off North Prospect, and it's true that the traffic on Prospect is "terrible" at times (esp. weekends, due to the traffic lights being horribly out of sync (it can be faster to drive thru the parking lots!)). Everybody shops here on the weekends, so I avoid it. That said, I've gotten to my workplace off North Lincoln Avenue in less than 5 minutes, when I hit all green lights down Niel Street before I-74 (5 or 6 of them, fairly well synced), and both green lights after I exit onto Lincoln. I always take Niel to Ashland Park; Prospect is only fast after about 11 pm (when the lights suddenly become synced), tho I wouldn't say it's really bad except on the weekends (when there really is heavy traffic, exacerbated by the lights being out of sync).

Off course, Ashland Park is as cookie-cutter as it gets ... but I'm 24, just graduated, and can really *afford* a home outside of the "ghetto" (i.e., not just *get* one w/ some sub-prime mortgage, but *afford* one). I love this neighborhood, and we don't even have our park yet ... but it could just be the euphoria of having a garage and being able to play music/movies with *some* base w/o bothering my neighbors. It's also remarkably quiet and calm being as close as it is to the retail district: if you don't live here (or know somebody who does), there's no reason at all enter the subdivision. I'd say you're paranoid if you were nervous about walking/running around this place at any time of day.

It's amazing how handy it is being < 1 mile away from 24 hr Wal-Mart/Meijer/everything-else-everyone-within-a-50-mile-radius-drives-to-on-the-weekends ... and they still managed to keep it quiet/private (which I didn't really expect, and never really found in any of the apartments I've been to around town). It also takes about 5 minutes to get to downtown Champaign if I drive; probably about a 20-30 minute walk (tho I've never had a reason to walk it).

I'd say Ashland Park is probably most suitable to young professionals with no or younger children (judging by most of those who've moved in so far), or retirees who don't need a gigantic house, and want something nice that's going to be more or less maintenance-free (with luck ... but I wouldn't say it's "bad" for anyone, except perhaps those who really hate new ("cookie-cutter") developments We've brought my younger sister (8) out here to ride her bike on the weekends, as there are actually children her age out and about (unlike a lot of more "established" neighborhoods in CU, such as the one my parents live in), and fairly nice bike-paths.

[Katarina Witt]

cwarnold:

This certainly doesn't count as "proof", but I hear they had a sign up into the 80's or 90's that said something to the effect of "******, don't let the sun go down" ...

Maybe you could ask your grandmother, since she seems to have lived there for quite a while. I am really curious. I lived in the CU area for 7 yrs, but I don't know if I've even been to Villa Grove. Been to a lot of other places around there, though.

[cwarnold]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

cwarnold:
Maybe you could ask your grandmother, since she seems to have lived there for quite a while. I am really curious. I lived in the CU area for 7 yrs, but I don't know if I've even been to Villa Grove. Been to a lot of other places around there, though.

She was there when I heard about it (from somebody else who lived there), and didn't refute it. Still, the person I heard it from does have a tendency to exaggerate things ... I would bet that there was a sign into the 70's, and possibly the 80's.

But I don't really think it's all that "racist" anymore ... it's just backwoods (disclaimer: I'm white ... you'd certainly be better off asking someone of a minority race). I doubt if Sydney/Homer etc. are all that different (tho they are about half the distance from CU). If you are able to embrace the small-town "smile everywhere you go, tell everyone about everything, always make time to chat" culture, I think you'll fit right in, black, white, brown, etc... But if you don't like hearing about other people's business, or sharing your own, or joining in whatever other small-town traditions/events they have going on, they'll all know about it, talk about it, and assume there's something wrong with you.

For anybody reading this and getting defensive: it's Not everyone there, just the majority of them. It's small-town culture. Some like it; I don't. There are small towns that get enough "large-town" culture from their proximity to a larger town, but Villa Grove just isn't one of them.

[Katarina Witt]

I was just curious. I lived there in the 1970s and never heard of that. Oh well, I guess there are some things we are never meant to know.

We/I (went through a divorce then) lived in St. Joseph for a while. It was/is a cute little town, but we never got into it because we worked in C-U.

[calidude]

i use to live in champaign i went to washington magnet school on grove st which is in a pretty bad neighborhood. Champaign is just ur typical central il twn the dwntwn is defeintely gettng better and more lively its full of cafes and stuff. Defintely not a bad place to live nowdays im guessn

[kls_01]

Well, I'm pretty sure there was no sign like that up around the mid 80's...that's when my family moved here and I'm sure my parents wouldn't have moved here if a sign like that existed. Perhaps what you're thinking about is that there is still in the law books(or whatever you call them) that people can be hung after 8 if they're found in town walking around. I heard this from an actual cop here in town...obviously its not practiced...and it hasn't been removed from the books either.

As far as VG cops stopping you....they're bored! They have nothing better to do...

[GBOYS]

Great area, small but has much to offer for the midwest. The schools are excellent, and therefore the town is growing exponentially. Outlying towns are Whiteheath and Cisco (very small). Many new subdivisions that are excellent for children. 20 miles from Champaign 20 Miles from Decatur and about 35 from Bloomington. Great location on I-72.....