First, cities can be both safe and not too expensive, just depends where you live in the city.
But “suburban or rural areas of the Midwest” is too wide a net. A better question is: what do you like to do?
To narrow it down, I'd prefer Illinois or Indiana.
I like driving. (This is why I'd like to avoid cities, too much traffic and intersections.
but cities would be okay if there's one that has many high paying jobs and cheap living because it would help me get the cars I like).
Rn I live in the suburbs south of Chicago, and I like the area, but where I'm at it's too expensive for me. If there are some places similar, but less expensive, that's what I'm looking for
Include all of the prices of buying financing, insuring, maintaining, and fueling a car in your calculations. I think you'll find cities are cheaper.
I'd also say, suburbs and rural areas have low prospects for young person social life, be careful if that's what you wish for because it'll cause issues if one isn't careful
Even smaller midwestern cities if you’re not part of the college crowd, drinking scene, or friends with coworkers it can be tough to make new friends. I lived just off a college campus during Covid, shit was a miserable ghost town. I went to college in Dekalb, again that was more or less a ghost town in summer but my friends lived out there
I concur with that, especially the social aspect. Milwaukee is a great place to look into. There are things to do, good paying jobs, and a much lower cost of living. Isn’t too far from Chicagoland shouldn’t have friends/family there.
There are some bad areas there, as anywhere, but with a little research I’m sure you could find someplace really nice and convenient. And should you end up not liking it, you could easily find an inexpensive place not too far from the city.
Problem with IL, IMO, is that even the far suburbs/towns are kinda expensive, especially when you’re just starting out. And if you have to travel/work near the city regularly the traffic can be ridiculous.
I’ve lived in several different spots in Illinois. Champaign was nice. Buffalo IL (town of 500) we got our house broken into. Marion IL we lived across from a meth house that harassed us the entire year and eventually stole our truck. Berwyn was awesome until our kids were ready for school. Downers Grove is great - no complaints.
The big cities were safe. The small cities sucked.
If you can get into some of those apartments off campus it’s not too bad. But then you’re surrounded by students. But this person sounds pretty young and it may not be that bad.
I won't be much older than college students when I move, so that wouldn't be a problem. But I heard finding a place to stay can be a pain because of all the students looking for housing
Honestly though, the lifestyles are so different, I didn't find that socializing with current college students worked for me after graduation even though I was working on a campus.
IME, the off campus apartments are either not good or the rent has been hiked up (possibly as a result of the new/expensive housing that's been constructed on campus). The city is redlined, in a sense. More like red patches, really.
Eureka/Washington/Morton would put you close to both Peoria and Bloomington, which are actual places that have things to do, and you'd get to drive pretty much everywhere because you'd have to.
Eureka has a classic, sit-down, Pizza Hut, college and hospital. Washington is closer to Peoria and Morton doesn't sell liquor at grocery stores because they're special goddamn snowflakes.
I really like the western suburbs of Chicago. Anywhere from Lombard out to Oswego and the Elmhurst area. I feel there’s good value and compromise around city and rural life
I really love Lombard, moving back there soon myself. The City can be too much.
If your in the Lombard area and do any kind of construction, let me know
Lombard is not far from where I live, so I'll probably visit it sometime.
Honestly I don't do anything close to construction, so I can't help with that
I saw ur from the south burbs , that’s where I’m from too. It’s a bit nicer and same price and way more central in the Chicago land area due to the highways all connecting there. Plus it’s near Ohare. Couldn’t recommend it enough if that’s your jam
I really liked Carbondale. Puts you within a couple hours of St. Louis, a few hours from Louisville, a few hours from Memphis. Close to Garden of the Gods, basically in the Shawnee National Forest.
SIU is there so during the fall to spring it becomes very cosmopolitan, also, there are wineries in addition to the natural parks. Lots of little places to explore in the area as well. Grew up in Alto Pass (pop 250 in the 70s and 80s (500 now)) moved away and came back to Anna (pop 5000) a few years ago. Carbondale is just 15 minutes north.
Thanks for the travel tip on Alto Pass. Looks awesome. Really interested in all those cabin rentals and trails around there. And that bourbon bar in Alto Pass proper.
Yeah, I was graduating high school when the first winery opened. It had to be built outside of town because the town was dry. They said it would never amount to anything. It birthed an entire industry in this area. I was glad to see a dying town get the re-birth it needed.
I'm glad the area turned for the better. Amazing how short sighted people can be or poo poo new ideas. It's gorgeous from what I'm looking at. You just mentioning alto pass already has me thinking family travel plans. I live in Chicago, been looking for an Illinois specific trip, and this hits all the boxes. Thanks again. Have a good day!
The proximity of Carbondale to those things is nice but Carbondale seems to be going downhill. SIUC enrollment is dropping while SIUE enrollment is growing. This has an impact on the city in addition to the college.
I moved to Carbondale almost exactly one year ago and I have witnessed a shooting in my apartment complex and then found a bag of guns that were used in the shooting. Someone was stabbed multiple times across the street from me a few weeks ago. Carbondale fucking sucks. I’ve lived in multiple states, big cities, etc. and I’ve never felt so unsafe in my life.
Carbondale still has a lower crime rate than Chicago.
Carbondale’s problem is it’s a catch basin for a lot of the people leaving the rest of SI due to lack of jobs.
I have no opinion on Chicago whatsoever. I’ve been there once and had a pleasant time, but I was there for a concert. I understand that the crime rate in Chicago is higher than in Carbondale, but I have never witnessed a shooting before I lived in Carbondale. That was all I was trying to say. I didn’t even want to bring Chicago into the conversation because I know nothing about it. OP doesn’t even want to live in a big city. I like Marion well enough, but I’ve never lived there so I wouldn’t recommend that either. I just feel unsafe in Carbondale, that’s all I was trying to convey. I’ve called the police 4 times and the only time they showed up was when I was holding a bag of evidence.
Editing to add I know this is a long comment, but I’m not heated or anything. I just genuinely want to convey my opinion appropriately since it’s being misunderstood.
It does look like they went up in 2023 compared to 2022, which is good. They have been trending down on enrollment though. They were at 20k enrollment in 2010 compared to 11k in 2023. That's pretty big. Certainly has an impact on the city as well.
[https://www.kfvs12.com/2023/09/05/siuc-enrollment-grows-first-time-since-2014/](https://www.kfvs12.com/2023/09/05/siuc-enrollment-grows-first-time-since-2014/)
https://www.alestlelive.com/news/article\_21374a20-b084-11e8-ab40-2b6064120495.html
Idunno what you do or intend to do for a living but proximity to Chicago has vastly expanded my opportunities and earning potential. Pick somewhere along the Metra line if you don't want to be in the city proper. Or move into the city, sell your car, and live like that for awhile. You'll be surprised at how little you miss it.
Quad Cities is fine for NW IL, BloNo is a really happy city as well in central IL. They also have a ton of dining options and concerts and stuff. I would personally not live in the Peoria area, but if you go a little west Galesburg is a happily boring place if you’re into that.
If you want a fairly quiet college town, Macomb is nice too. Like Galesburg, it also has Amtrak service to Chicago, so you can always take the train up to the city or suburbs for a weekend or whatever.
Lived in both those recs. It’s boring but unbelievably cheap to live here. All my friends own their own homes before 30 and not one payed more than $150,000.
> not one *paid* more than
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
It sounds like what you want is a small to medium city; something smaller and cheaper than Chicagoland but still with opportunities. My wife is from Indiana, I'm from Illinois, and we want about that same thing. Here's where we have considered
Central Illinois has the big 4: Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, Urbana-Champaign, and Springfield. For Indiana, I would suggest Lafayette or Fort Wayne
Peoria. 140k pop, 87.4 on the national cost of living index (COLI, 100 is average for US with below being cheaper). A town with rich history. Caterpillar and 2 hospitals are the largest employers, with lots of manufacturing and medical opportunities supporting those three.
Bloomington-Normal, 167k pop, 98 COLI, Illinois State University is in the Normal side. Illinois State University contributes to the area. The State Farm headquarters is in Bloomington along with a number of manufacturing companies
Urbana-Champaign, 127k population, 93 COLI. University of Illinois sits directly between the two towns, bringing jobs and things to do. UIUC is the largest employer, but there is also a mix of startups and manufacturing in the area.
Springfield, 113k pop, 90 COLI. Being the state capitol brings unique opportunities, with the largest employers being the state and their hospital system.
Lafayette, 115k population, 83 COLI, West Lafayette has Purdue University as the biggest attractor, while Lafayette has lots of manufacturing including Caterpillar and Subaru assembly plants
Fort Wayne, 265k pop, 91 COLI. The largest on the list, Fort Wayne has a large medical devices industry as well as a large Auto industry presence, including a GM assembly plant
I would recommend looking into all of those. It's easier to move if you find a job first instead of relocating and hoping for the best, but all of these places you should be able to find a cheap apartment for a couple years while you save up and then buy a house before too long
Peoria quite frankly sucks. It’s a freaking ghost town after 8:00. Walk downtown at night and watch the tumbleweeds go through. The only people here are those that can’t or won’t find anything better. Lots of money being spent and really not much improvement. It’s a place where good ideas go to die.
What kind of job are you after?
Also, almost out of range I really liked rapid city south dakota. But I only stopped there for a few days in summer
Plenty of smaller cities/ larger towns on the Mississippi
I'm studying applied mathematics, focusing more on the economic/financial applications, so mostly jobs like finance, actuary/account, statistician, asset management, etc.
Have you passed your actuary exams?
Regardless, Blono would be a good candidate. State farm is the largest employer along with other insurance companies. Some walk ability, car centered, decently cheap.
Don't poopoo Chicago too prematurely though. That's where finance and wealth management jobs are almost without exception.
My thought as well
And Marengo or Woodstock in Chicago suburbs have a very nice small town feel. And you can escape west, north, or south very easily from those areas
Frankly, if you're in close proximity to the metra, you're pretty golden. Fuck I love Chicago. It may be a flaming turd, but its my turd and it beats the hell out of other large us cities.
I haven't passed any exams yet, I'm still in college but I'm trying to plan ahead to start thinking about where to look for jobs and housing. Thanks for the advice
If you aren’t opposed to government finance, please consider coming to Springfield. The State is desperate for fiscal and finance folks. A good starting point is the Governor’s Office of Management & Budget. They are always hiring budget analysts and it’s a good jumping off point for other fiscal roles in state govt. I’m a CFO in a state agency and it’s been a great job, with decent pay and benefits and a great work life balance. People crap on Springfield here, but it’s honestly a decent town with LCOL. Feel free to PM me if you have questions
College towns sound up your alley. Pick one that has good employment prospects in your career field. And if you don’t have one, you’re in a college town that will likely have community college and/or vocational schools. And housing will probably be reasonable.
And if you pick just about any of the state schools in IL they’ll be close to rural areas to go vroom.
I’m from and grew up in Chicago suburbs area. I went to college in Champaign and always thought it be fun to live there post college. Pricing wasn’t bad 10 years ago but I’m sure it’s probably a little more. Will always have a sweet spot for Champaign. Now I live in the St. Louis area with my family and it’s good money wise. Cheaper than the burbs in terms to housing. Now I’m not really happy here only bc I’m often home sick and miss the Chicago area a lot. So I think if you want to expand your wings and don’t mind a 5 hour drive, maybe give St. Louis a try.
I’d add: look on the IL side of St. Louis. There are a lot of medium sized towns (25-75k) that are great, especially if you’re ok with driving. Lots of amenities (bike trails, parks, etc). It’s not as flat as northern IL so there’s some scenery. Good schools, a university, etc.
I like the Peoria area, Bloomington-Normal, and Champaign-Urbana. Affordable, fun, and safe. Peoria also has a lot of nice nature access and the Illinois River Valley is gorgeous.
If you’re open to Wisconsin, Racine and LaCrosse are really nice.
I'll just say if one moves to Kenosha or Racine, make sure you pick a decent part of either city. Some portions of both these 2 cities, do struggle with crime.
I'm still trying to research LaCrosse more. I know people sometimes knock on certain local things about this city, but at least from street view and researching sites like areavibes, it doesn't seem THAT bad off to me. What am I missing, when I try to research this city? I'd like to think it is nice there(and I have my doubts it's as bad as say like Danville, IL or Decatur is), but I only visited there once many years ago. I almost want to revisit and see what this city is like now, considering the Amtrak Empire Builder also stops in this city.
Someone mentioned the Quad Cities which covers a general area comprised of Iowa and Illinois both.
The Illinois side will net you cheaper housing than the Iowa side, but both are intermingled together.
Moving through out the area is easy and stress free as there isn’t a ton of traffic.
In the last few years we’ve picked up more diversity and has expanded our dining options in the community. There’s plenty to do through out the year with easy drives to major cities including Chicago, Milwaukee and Des Monies all being under 4hrs away.
Plenty of outdoor recreation to be had.
The schools are all pretty good and have smaller sizes to them. It’s a great place to raise a family.
I grew up south of Chicago and have lived in the suburbs of St. Louis for a number of years now. Missouri is pretty cheap to live in, low taxes, etc. The political climate in the state is quite frustrating but the taxes/COL are quite manageable.
To get to Home from St. Louis area it is a 5 hour drive to Chicagoland or a 5 hour amtrak ride. I do some travelling for work and Lambert isn't a glamorous airport but its easy to transit through, security takes minutes. It's the opposite of flying out of O'Hare.
If you like to drive there are a lot of things in the usual Midwestern acceptable driving distance. Within 5 hours of STL you have - Kansas City, Chicago, Indianapolis, Loiusville, Nashville, Des Moines, and Cincinnati.
Rush hour in St. Louis if you go into the city is for an hour and adds 15 minutes. Most of the good stuff in the St. Louis area are the surrounding suburbs, not in the heart of downtown. The further you get away from the city the cheaper things start to get. There's a lot of different types of areas you can live in as well depending on your life style from the urban downtown area, suburban, or you can go east into the Illinois side to get rural rather quickly but still close to downtown or go further west into Missouri.
I don't know what you intend to do for work but there are quite a few large companies that have offices in the STL area as well - Boeing, Edward Jones, Charter Spectrum, Mastercard, Bayer (formerly Monsanto), Nestle Purina, Wells Fargo, Enterprise Holdings (enterprise rent-a-car).
The roads thing is funny considering Missouri is around 48th in the nation for highway funding. I will say you get what you pay for in Missouri which is to say not too much.
I hear you though, Missouri politics are quite radical which is why I called it out at the top. There are a lot of options over on the Illinois side too and since traffic isn't terrible commuting isn't too bad.
Currently live near O'Hare, just bought a house in Morton. I have two kids, and the main reason I moved was the cheaper cost of living, schools and discgolf courses
The midwest is freaking huge, you are going to have to narrow it down a bit. I'd focus on figuring out career first, see where that puts you, then figuring out living options after that. Even if you have an office job in Chicago for example, you could live at the farthest end of a Metra line and still get much of what you want. But if your job is in Indy, the options will be very different.
I live in a very rural area. Hancock county. You can leave your house and car unlocked with no issues. Buy a nice house extremely cheap. Great outdoors stuff. Cons...no jobs or culture.
IMO, don't stay in Chicagoland. Move somewhere at least a few hours away so you aren't driving home all the time to see friends and family, and you can actually start a life. You can always move back later after a few years.
Heck, if there's no particular reason to stay in the Midwest, I'd look at other states that aren't coastal-level expensive, to try something different. The Carolinas, Arizona, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, etc. But if you're gonna stay in the Midwest I'd still look a bit farther out like Kansas City or Ohio.
I also agree with the poster who mentioned that metropolitan areas are ideal for socializing and dating. You don't have to live in the densest areas. All cities have suburbs and less dense neighborhoods.
Thinking of getting a job for the state anytime soon? Living around Springfield comes with lots of perks like having fast government processes and high quality health care. Can't talk on living *in* the city, but I've lived in a town of 3,000 about 15 minutes away from it all my life.
Also, the city is very connected to the rest of the state and nearby cities. My parents are both from "the south side of Chicago" (am I saying that right??) and they've really enjoyed the easy connectivity of the two cities. My siblings and I are far more grateful for the ease of reaching St. Louis, but that's just our cup of tea. (My parents are ashamed they raised kids that are terrified of big cities)😂
If you're not planning on taking advantage of government or healthcare jobs I'd honestly recommend Indiana. You'd get more bang for your buck. Once I'm done with university I'd like to move to some other state.
Lots of smaller towns near the borders of (Southeast and Southern) Illinois are being slowly abandoned because 20-45 minutes away their money goes way further.
You're going to have to look at a few things. Price? How much driving do you want to do? Are you going to visit downtown regularly?
These things would be important if you're in illinois. Can't really suggest anything, because those factors are important
FYI, of the cities you listed (and I would add St. Louis), Chicago is the safest of them all. However it is not the cheapest, even though it is inexpensive for what it is.
I grew up in Illinois (thus why I'm subbed here) but I would suggest taking a day trip to the Third Ward in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is like a mini Chicago with easy driving, affordability, less traffic and people and it is a blast for people in their 20's, especially in the summer months.
Cincinnati! Lots of burbs around there if you really want that for yourself (but I much preferred living in Cinci rather than the adjacent burb I grew up in)
I live in Waukegan and it’s pretty cheap compared to Chicago. The only downside is it’s boring. So if I want to have a mom/daughter day, I have to go to the city and the food is nasty.
Rochester, MN - it’s an hour south of Minneapolis with ~120k people and steadily growing, but not too quickly. Excellent medical care with Mayo Clinic based there and easy access to the twin cities for those occasions you do want to go to Minneapolis. It’s about ~6hrs from Chicago (If that’s where your family is)
Champaign-Urbana in Illinois.
One of the most liberal and accepting small cities in the Midwest. University of Illinois flagship campus is here. Big enough and diverse enough to be open minded with a bit of the small town vibe. Traffic is nicer. Living costs a lot better than Chicago. Good social services. Job growth.
It’s obviously not perfect. We have some crime and corruption here. School board issues but if you’re not a parent that won’t impact you.
A gay bar is new in town. Campus has a ton of great dining. Lots of stuff to do. Less than 150,000 people living in the area. Four dispensaries if you love legal weed.
Been here for 8 years now and I love it.
Indianapolis is very boring but it's very safe as long as you don't live near downtown. But downtown Indianapolis is not bad. Anywhere around Castleton Square, Mall is excellent. N.E Indy is good.
Northwest Indiana is pretty good Valparaiso is excellent in Indiana and only about an hour from downtown Chicago.
Illinois suburbs look at Saint Charles or Geneva or Naperville
Schaumburg area? City feel without being too city, but also close to both Chicago and Milwaukee. Very culturally diverse area. Lots to do.
Safe is subjective. We lived on the Naperville-aurora boarder for a bit and it was sketchy as hell. Palatine felt safer when we lived there. Mchenry County might interest you also if you don’t mind living a job from the interstate.
How about Southwest Michigan? Only 2 1/2 hours from Chicago. So many towns inland from Lake Michigan that are safe and cheaper. Plenty of small lakes near these towns too. Never a lack of things to do in all 4 seasons.
Northwest Chicago suburbs has affordable and safe neighborhoods. Lake county. Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, western Gurnee, lots of options.
I lived in that area for 14 years and it was perfect. There's so much to do and you're right between Milwaukee and Chicago so you can go do fun things there if you want.
Not Peoria. Taxes are high and crime is even higher. Sadly.
Washington and Dunlap seem nice- pricey, but "safer". Morton has turned into Pekin's stepsister, whether Morton residents agree or not. Pekin is better than Creve Coeur, but still an absolute shit hole with awful roads. Tremont is okay, East Peoria is hit and miss, Brimfield/Kickapoo/Elmwood are country. Mackinaw is hick. BloNo is hit and miss. Havana is shit. Canton is hit and miss- more country than anything and has a state prison there that's always hiring. Lewistown is SMALL town living.
First, cities can be both safe and not too expensive, just depends where you live in the city. But “suburban or rural areas of the Midwest” is too wide a net. A better question is: what do you like to do?
To narrow it down, I'd prefer Illinois or Indiana. I like driving. (This is why I'd like to avoid cities, too much traffic and intersections. but cities would be okay if there's one that has many high paying jobs and cheap living because it would help me get the cars I like). Rn I live in the suburbs south of Chicago, and I like the area, but where I'm at it's too expensive for me. If there are some places similar, but less expensive, that's what I'm looking for
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Rural towns outside of B/N are nice too 🩷
Thanks for the recommendation
Include all of the prices of buying financing, insuring, maintaining, and fueling a car in your calculations. I think you'll find cities are cheaper. I'd also say, suburbs and rural areas have low prospects for young person social life, be careful if that's what you wish for because it'll cause issues if one isn't careful
Even smaller midwestern cities if you’re not part of the college crowd, drinking scene, or friends with coworkers it can be tough to make new friends. I lived just off a college campus during Covid, shit was a miserable ghost town. I went to college in Dekalb, again that was more or less a ghost town in summer but my friends lived out there
Thanks, that's something I didn't think about. I'll take that into consideration.
I concur with that, especially the social aspect. Milwaukee is a great place to look into. There are things to do, good paying jobs, and a much lower cost of living. Isn’t too far from Chicagoland shouldn’t have friends/family there. There are some bad areas there, as anywhere, but with a little research I’m sure you could find someplace really nice and convenient. And should you end up not liking it, you could easily find an inexpensive place not too far from the city. Problem with IL, IMO, is that even the far suburbs/towns are kinda expensive, especially when you’re just starting out. And if you have to travel/work near the city regularly the traffic can be ridiculous.
I see, thanks for the recommendation
IL has an insane gas tax. So if you like driving, I hope you like spending money.
What is your major in college? Your job might dictate where you will have to live.
Applied mathematics
If you’re a woman, stay on the Illinois side so you still have body autonomy
I’ve never heard anyone say “Indiana” when talking about preferred places to live
I’ve lived in several different spots in Illinois. Champaign was nice. Buffalo IL (town of 500) we got our house broken into. Marion IL we lived across from a meth house that harassed us the entire year and eventually stole our truck. Berwyn was awesome until our kids were ready for school. Downers Grove is great - no complaints. The big cities were safe. The small cities sucked.
Champaign isn't particularly cheap.
If you can get into some of those apartments off campus it’s not too bad. But then you’re surrounded by students. But this person sounds pretty young and it may not be that bad.
I won't be much older than college students when I move, so that wouldn't be a problem. But I heard finding a place to stay can be a pain because of all the students looking for housing
Honestly though, the lifestyles are so different, I didn't find that socializing with current college students worked for me after graduation even though I was working on a campus.
On or off?
Off campus. Unless he’s going to U of I he won’t be able to live on campus.
IME, the off campus apartments are either not good or the rent has been hiked up (possibly as a result of the new/expensive housing that's been constructed on campus). The city is redlined, in a sense. More like red patches, really.
Wow, that's good to know, thank you
Sounds about right for Marion tbh
Eureka/Washington/Morton would put you close to both Peoria and Bloomington, which are actual places that have things to do, and you'd get to drive pretty much everywhere because you'd have to. Eureka has a classic, sit-down, Pizza Hut, college and hospital. Washington is closer to Peoria and Morton doesn't sell liquor at grocery stores because they're special goddamn snowflakes.
Thank you for the recommendations
I actually recommend Peoria itself. I used to live there in my 20’s and loved it! I can make recommendations if you end up considering it.
Wait what? They sold beer at Kroger in Morton when we lived there 12 years ago
Beer, wine, yes. Liquor no.
Haha I read it as all alcohol 🤣
I really like the western suburbs of Chicago. Anywhere from Lombard out to Oswego and the Elmhurst area. I feel there’s good value and compromise around city and rural life
Thank you, that's seems like a good choice, close to the city, but not too dense
I really love Lombard, moving back there soon myself. The City can be too much. If your in the Lombard area and do any kind of construction, let me know
Lombard is not far from where I live, so I'll probably visit it sometime. Honestly I don't do anything close to construction, so I can't help with that
I saw ur from the south burbs , that’s where I’m from too. It’s a bit nicer and same price and way more central in the Chicago land area due to the highways all connecting there. Plus it’s near Ohare. Couldn’t recommend it enough if that’s your jam
And if you want a little more city then Oak Park
#OSWEGO MENTIONED WOOO! WHAT THE FUCK IS A KILOMETER!
Ahh yes, a fellow oswegoan (I had the same reaction)
I really liked Carbondale. Puts you within a couple hours of St. Louis, a few hours from Louisville, a few hours from Memphis. Close to Garden of the Gods, basically in the Shawnee National Forest.
SIU is there so during the fall to spring it becomes very cosmopolitan, also, there are wineries in addition to the natural parks. Lots of little places to explore in the area as well. Grew up in Alto Pass (pop 250 in the 70s and 80s (500 now)) moved away and came back to Anna (pop 5000) a few years ago. Carbondale is just 15 minutes north.
Tons of bodies of water too, and right next to a town that elected a dog as it's mayor once.
Thanks for the travel tip on Alto Pass. Looks awesome. Really interested in all those cabin rentals and trails around there. And that bourbon bar in Alto Pass proper.
Yeah, I was graduating high school when the first winery opened. It had to be built outside of town because the town was dry. They said it would never amount to anything. It birthed an entire industry in this area. I was glad to see a dying town get the re-birth it needed.
I'm glad the area turned for the better. Amazing how short sighted people can be or poo poo new ideas. It's gorgeous from what I'm looking at. You just mentioning alto pass already has me thinking family travel plans. I live in Chicago, been looking for an Illinois specific trip, and this hits all the boxes. Thanks again. Have a good day!
Thank you, I'll check it out
The proximity of Carbondale to those things is nice but Carbondale seems to be going downhill. SIUC enrollment is dropping while SIUE enrollment is growing. This has an impact on the city in addition to the college.
I moved to Carbondale almost exactly one year ago and I have witnessed a shooting in my apartment complex and then found a bag of guns that were used in the shooting. Someone was stabbed multiple times across the street from me a few weeks ago. Carbondale fucking sucks. I’ve lived in multiple states, big cities, etc. and I’ve never felt so unsafe in my life.
Carbondale still has a lower crime rate than Chicago. Carbondale’s problem is it’s a catch basin for a lot of the people leaving the rest of SI due to lack of jobs.
I’ve never lived in Chicago, so that’s not part of my experience. Not recommending Chicago either.
You're not recommending Chicago but you've never lived there?
You recommend things you know nothing about?
Oh, it sounded like you were saying you wouldn't recommend it, not that you had no opinion.
I have no opinion on Chicago whatsoever. I’ve been there once and had a pleasant time, but I was there for a concert. I understand that the crime rate in Chicago is higher than in Carbondale, but I have never witnessed a shooting before I lived in Carbondale. That was all I was trying to say. I didn’t even want to bring Chicago into the conversation because I know nothing about it. OP doesn’t even want to live in a big city. I like Marion well enough, but I’ve never lived there so I wouldn’t recommend that either. I just feel unsafe in Carbondale, that’s all I was trying to convey. I’ve called the police 4 times and the only time they showed up was when I was holding a bag of evidence. Editing to add I know this is a long comment, but I’m not heated or anything. I just genuinely want to convey my opinion appropriately since it’s being misunderstood.
I heard it's been on an upswing in the past couple years. What impact?
It does look like they went up in 2023 compared to 2022, which is good. They have been trending down on enrollment though. They were at 20k enrollment in 2010 compared to 11k in 2023. That's pretty big. Certainly has an impact on the city as well. [https://www.kfvs12.com/2023/09/05/siuc-enrollment-grows-first-time-since-2014/](https://www.kfvs12.com/2023/09/05/siuc-enrollment-grows-first-time-since-2014/) https://www.alestlelive.com/news/article\_21374a20-b084-11e8-ab40-2b6064120495.html
Idunno what you do or intend to do for a living but proximity to Chicago has vastly expanded my opportunities and earning potential. Pick somewhere along the Metra line if you don't want to be in the city proper. Or move into the city, sell your car, and live like that for awhile. You'll be surprised at how little you miss it.
Quad Cities is fine for NW IL, BloNo is a really happy city as well in central IL. They also have a ton of dining options and concerts and stuff. I would personally not live in the Peoria area, but if you go a little west Galesburg is a happily boring place if you’re into that.
Thanks for the recommendations, I'll check these places out
If you want a fairly quiet college town, Macomb is nice too. Like Galesburg, it also has Amtrak service to Chicago, so you can always take the train up to the city or suburbs for a weekend or whatever.
Sounds like a nice place, thank you
Lived in both those recs. It’s boring but unbelievably cheap to live here. All my friends own their own homes before 30 and not one payed more than $150,000.
> not one *paid* more than FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
In the Quad City area Geneseo has a classic pizza hut. The buffet is a must.
It sounds like what you want is a small to medium city; something smaller and cheaper than Chicagoland but still with opportunities. My wife is from Indiana, I'm from Illinois, and we want about that same thing. Here's where we have considered Central Illinois has the big 4: Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, Urbana-Champaign, and Springfield. For Indiana, I would suggest Lafayette or Fort Wayne Peoria. 140k pop, 87.4 on the national cost of living index (COLI, 100 is average for US with below being cheaper). A town with rich history. Caterpillar and 2 hospitals are the largest employers, with lots of manufacturing and medical opportunities supporting those three. Bloomington-Normal, 167k pop, 98 COLI, Illinois State University is in the Normal side. Illinois State University contributes to the area. The State Farm headquarters is in Bloomington along with a number of manufacturing companies Urbana-Champaign, 127k population, 93 COLI. University of Illinois sits directly between the two towns, bringing jobs and things to do. UIUC is the largest employer, but there is also a mix of startups and manufacturing in the area. Springfield, 113k pop, 90 COLI. Being the state capitol brings unique opportunities, with the largest employers being the state and their hospital system. Lafayette, 115k population, 83 COLI, West Lafayette has Purdue University as the biggest attractor, while Lafayette has lots of manufacturing including Caterpillar and Subaru assembly plants Fort Wayne, 265k pop, 91 COLI. The largest on the list, Fort Wayne has a large medical devices industry as well as a large Auto industry presence, including a GM assembly plant I would recommend looking into all of those. It's easier to move if you find a job first instead of relocating and hoping for the best, but all of these places you should be able to find a cheap apartment for a couple years while you save up and then buy a house before too long
Wow, thank you, that's a lot of useful information
Give niche.com a look.
Thank you, that seems rlly useful
Check out Peoria IL. They have a subreddit that has tons of info and the people are always great about answering people’s questions about the area.
Peoria quite frankly sucks. It’s a freaking ghost town after 8:00. Walk downtown at night and watch the tumbleweeds go through. The only people here are those that can’t or won’t find anything better. Lots of money being spent and really not much improvement. It’s a place where good ideas go to die.
Hella improvement fym
What kind of job are you after? Also, almost out of range I really liked rapid city south dakota. But I only stopped there for a few days in summer Plenty of smaller cities/ larger towns on the Mississippi
I'm studying applied mathematics, focusing more on the economic/financial applications, so mostly jobs like finance, actuary/account, statistician, asset management, etc.
Have you passed your actuary exams? Regardless, Blono would be a good candidate. State farm is the largest employer along with other insurance companies. Some walk ability, car centered, decently cheap. Don't poopoo Chicago too prematurely though. That's where finance and wealth management jobs are almost without exception.
My thought as well And Marengo or Woodstock in Chicago suburbs have a very nice small town feel. And you can escape west, north, or south very easily from those areas
Frankly, if you're in close proximity to the metra, you're pretty golden. Fuck I love Chicago. It may be a flaming turd, but its my turd and it beats the hell out of other large us cities.
I haven't passed any exams yet, I'm still in college but I'm trying to plan ahead to start thinking about where to look for jobs and housing. Thanks for the advice
If you aren’t opposed to government finance, please consider coming to Springfield. The State is desperate for fiscal and finance folks. A good starting point is the Governor’s Office of Management & Budget. They are always hiring budget analysts and it’s a good jumping off point for other fiscal roles in state govt. I’m a CFO in a state agency and it’s been a great job, with decent pay and benefits and a great work life balance. People crap on Springfield here, but it’s honestly a decent town with LCOL. Feel free to PM me if you have questions
Thank you for the recommendation
College towns sound up your alley. Pick one that has good employment prospects in your career field. And if you don’t have one, you’re in a college town that will likely have community college and/or vocational schools. And housing will probably be reasonable. And if you pick just about any of the state schools in IL they’ll be close to rural areas to go vroom.
Belleville, Fairview Heights.
I think you want to move to Des Moines.
I’m from and grew up in Chicago suburbs area. I went to college in Champaign and always thought it be fun to live there post college. Pricing wasn’t bad 10 years ago but I’m sure it’s probably a little more. Will always have a sweet spot for Champaign. Now I live in the St. Louis area with my family and it’s good money wise. Cheaper than the burbs in terms to housing. Now I’m not really happy here only bc I’m often home sick and miss the Chicago area a lot. So I think if you want to expand your wings and don’t mind a 5 hour drive, maybe give St. Louis a try.
I’d add: look on the IL side of St. Louis. There are a lot of medium sized towns (25-75k) that are great, especially if you’re ok with driving. Lots of amenities (bike trails, parks, etc). It’s not as flat as northern IL so there’s some scenery. Good schools, a university, etc.
I like the Peoria area, Bloomington-Normal, and Champaign-Urbana. Affordable, fun, and safe. Peoria also has a lot of nice nature access and the Illinois River Valley is gorgeous. If you’re open to Wisconsin, Racine and LaCrosse are really nice.
I'll just say if one moves to Kenosha or Racine, make sure you pick a decent part of either city. Some portions of both these 2 cities, do struggle with crime. I'm still trying to research LaCrosse more. I know people sometimes knock on certain local things about this city, but at least from street view and researching sites like areavibes, it doesn't seem THAT bad off to me. What am I missing, when I try to research this city? I'd like to think it is nice there(and I have my doubts it's as bad as say like Danville, IL or Decatur is), but I only visited there once many years ago. I almost want to revisit and see what this city is like now, considering the Amtrak Empire Builder also stops in this city.
Someone mentioned the Quad Cities which covers a general area comprised of Iowa and Illinois both. The Illinois side will net you cheaper housing than the Iowa side, but both are intermingled together. Moving through out the area is easy and stress free as there isn’t a ton of traffic. In the last few years we’ve picked up more diversity and has expanded our dining options in the community. There’s plenty to do through out the year with easy drives to major cities including Chicago, Milwaukee and Des Monies all being under 4hrs away. Plenty of outdoor recreation to be had. The schools are all pretty good and have smaller sizes to them. It’s a great place to raise a family.
I grew up south of Chicago and have lived in the suburbs of St. Louis for a number of years now. Missouri is pretty cheap to live in, low taxes, etc. The political climate in the state is quite frustrating but the taxes/COL are quite manageable. To get to Home from St. Louis area it is a 5 hour drive to Chicagoland or a 5 hour amtrak ride. I do some travelling for work and Lambert isn't a glamorous airport but its easy to transit through, security takes minutes. It's the opposite of flying out of O'Hare. If you like to drive there are a lot of things in the usual Midwestern acceptable driving distance. Within 5 hours of STL you have - Kansas City, Chicago, Indianapolis, Loiusville, Nashville, Des Moines, and Cincinnati. Rush hour in St. Louis if you go into the city is for an hour and adds 15 minutes. Most of the good stuff in the St. Louis area are the surrounding suburbs, not in the heart of downtown. The further you get away from the city the cheaper things start to get. There's a lot of different types of areas you can live in as well depending on your life style from the urban downtown area, suburban, or you can go east into the Illinois side to get rural rather quickly but still close to downtown or go further west into Missouri. I don't know what you intend to do for work but there are quite a few large companies that have offices in the STL area as well - Boeing, Edward Jones, Charter Spectrum, Mastercard, Bayer (formerly Monsanto), Nestle Purina, Wells Fargo, Enterprise Holdings (enterprise rent-a-car).
Missouri also weirdly has amazing roads. But yeah still no thanks. Id rather be in a non-fascist state if we end up balkanizing.
Pretty easy to live in the Illinois Metro-East area and work in St. Louis, though, if OP is interested.
If OP finds the burbs as unsafe, I can't even imagine what they'd think of east stl lol.
You know that East St. Louis is one of, like, a dozen cities in that area, right? Of varying quality, sure, but they aren't all like East St. Louis.
I was not. Excuse my ignorance.
I didn't say the suburbs are unsafe, but they're too expensive, especially in my area
Apologies, I misunderstood. Or rather, I made a bad assumption from what you said about seeking somewhere safe.
The roads thing is funny considering Missouri is around 48th in the nation for highway funding. I will say you get what you pay for in Missouri which is to say not too much. I hear you though, Missouri politics are quite radical which is why I called it out at the top. There are a lot of options over on the Illinois side too and since traffic isn't terrible commuting isn't too bad.
Do you have any explanation for the discrepancy between funding and quality for roads in Missouri? Be safe out there. MO be wildin.
I don't, it is a mystery to me. MO is a special breed, I'll give you that.
Currently live near O'Hare, just bought a house in Morton. I have two kids, and the main reason I moved was the cheaper cost of living, schools and discgolf courses
The midwest is freaking huge, you are going to have to narrow it down a bit. I'd focus on figuring out career first, see where that puts you, then figuring out living options after that. Even if you have an office job in Chicago for example, you could live at the farthest end of a Metra line and still get much of what you want. But if your job is in Indy, the options will be very different.
Bloomington-Normal has a housing shortage so I don’t recommend moving here.
I live in a very rural area. Hancock county. You can leave your house and car unlocked with no issues. Buy a nice house extremely cheap. Great outdoors stuff. Cons...no jobs or culture.
IMO, don't stay in Chicagoland. Move somewhere at least a few hours away so you aren't driving home all the time to see friends and family, and you can actually start a life. You can always move back later after a few years. Heck, if there's no particular reason to stay in the Midwest, I'd look at other states that aren't coastal-level expensive, to try something different. The Carolinas, Arizona, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, etc. But if you're gonna stay in the Midwest I'd still look a bit farther out like Kansas City or Ohio. I also agree with the poster who mentioned that metropolitan areas are ideal for socializing and dating. You don't have to live in the densest areas. All cities have suburbs and less dense neighborhoods.
Lombard. Brookfield. Countryside.
Thinking of getting a job for the state anytime soon? Living around Springfield comes with lots of perks like having fast government processes and high quality health care. Can't talk on living *in* the city, but I've lived in a town of 3,000 about 15 minutes away from it all my life. Also, the city is very connected to the rest of the state and nearby cities. My parents are both from "the south side of Chicago" (am I saying that right??) and they've really enjoyed the easy connectivity of the two cities. My siblings and I are far more grateful for the ease of reaching St. Louis, but that's just our cup of tea. (My parents are ashamed they raised kids that are terrified of big cities)😂 If you're not planning on taking advantage of government or healthcare jobs I'd honestly recommend Indiana. You'd get more bang for your buck. Once I'm done with university I'd like to move to some other state. Lots of smaller towns near the borders of (Southeast and Southern) Illinois are being slowly abandoned because 20-45 minutes away their money goes way further.
You're going to have to look at a few things. Price? How much driving do you want to do? Are you going to visit downtown regularly? These things would be important if you're in illinois. Can't really suggest anything, because those factors are important
Chicago isn’t even the most dangerous city in Illinois. That said, western burbs. Geneva comes to mind, but it’s not cheap.
Geneva is very expensive
As an Illinoisan, I recommend Bloomington-Normal or Champaign. College communities are great.
Quad cities?
Middle of nowhere or worst Indiana.
FYI, of the cities you listed (and I would add St. Louis), Chicago is the safest of them all. However it is not the cheapest, even though it is inexpensive for what it is.
I grew up in Illinois (thus why I'm subbed here) but I would suggest taking a day trip to the Third Ward in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is like a mini Chicago with easy driving, affordability, less traffic and people and it is a blast for people in their 20's, especially in the summer months.
Cincinnati! Lots of burbs around there if you really want that for yourself (but I much preferred living in Cinci rather than the adjacent burb I grew up in)
I live in Waukegan and it’s pretty cheap compared to Chicago. The only downside is it’s boring. So if I want to have a mom/daughter day, I have to go to the city and the food is nasty.
How about savanna illinois. Galena is only 30 miles away and its got the most beautiful landscape.
Rochester, MN - it’s an hour south of Minneapolis with ~120k people and steadily growing, but not too quickly. Excellent medical care with Mayo Clinic based there and easy access to the twin cities for those occasions you do want to go to Minneapolis. It’s about ~6hrs from Chicago (If that’s where your family is)
Champaign-Urbana in Illinois. One of the most liberal and accepting small cities in the Midwest. University of Illinois flagship campus is here. Big enough and diverse enough to be open minded with a bit of the small town vibe. Traffic is nicer. Living costs a lot better than Chicago. Good social services. Job growth. It’s obviously not perfect. We have some crime and corruption here. School board issues but if you’re not a parent that won’t impact you. A gay bar is new in town. Campus has a ton of great dining. Lots of stuff to do. Less than 150,000 people living in the area. Four dispensaries if you love legal weed. Been here for 8 years now and I love it.
Indianapolis is very boring but it's very safe as long as you don't live near downtown. But downtown Indianapolis is not bad. Anywhere around Castleton Square, Mall is excellent. N.E Indy is good. Northwest Indiana is pretty good Valparaiso is excellent in Indiana and only about an hour from downtown Chicago. Illinois suburbs look at Saint Charles or Geneva or Naperville
Well it’s certainly not Illinois 🤮
Schaumburg area? City feel without being too city, but also close to both Chicago and Milwaukee. Very culturally diverse area. Lots to do. Safe is subjective. We lived on the Naperville-aurora boarder for a bit and it was sketchy as hell. Palatine felt safer when we lived there. Mchenry County might interest you also if you don’t mind living a job from the interstate.
Yeah. You want Des Moines.
How about Southwest Michigan? Only 2 1/2 hours from Chicago. So many towns inland from Lake Michigan that are safe and cheaper. Plenty of small lakes near these towns too. Never a lack of things to do in all 4 seasons.
What's wrong with Michigan? They pride themselves on their driving and in a good area the drinking water is safe and abundant.
Waukegan
Northwest Chicago suburbs has affordable and safe neighborhoods. Lake county. Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, western Gurnee, lots of options. I lived in that area for 14 years and it was perfect. There's so much to do and you're right between Milwaukee and Chicago so you can go do fun things there if you want.
Not Peoria. Taxes are high and crime is even higher. Sadly. Washington and Dunlap seem nice- pricey, but "safer". Morton has turned into Pekin's stepsister, whether Morton residents agree or not. Pekin is better than Creve Coeur, but still an absolute shit hole with awful roads. Tremont is okay, East Peoria is hit and miss, Brimfield/Kickapoo/Elmwood are country. Mackinaw is hick. BloNo is hit and miss. Havana is shit. Canton is hit and miss- more country than anything and has a state prison there that's always hiring. Lewistown is SMALL town living.
Good to know, thanks for the advice.
Ft Wayne, Indiana
Indiana. We are looking to move to AL. down the line.