opinions about Illinois life

[modelperry]

Considering relocation to north Central Illinois (Dixon, Rochelle, Oregon) area. Anybody out there currently or recently live there and willing to share your HONEST opinions about life and cost of living in that area?

And.....GO!

thanks

greg

[Vermin_King]

Not sure, but it looks like it is about halfway between the quad cities and Chicago. My cousin's wife is from Rockford originally. Would you want second hand info?

[modelperry]

Originally Posted by Vermin_King

Not sure, but it looks like it is about halfway between the quad cities and Chicago. My cousin's wife is from Rockford originally. Would you want second hand info?

Any info (first, second, third, etc.) is welcome. I already know about the political and state budgetary issues, so that I don't "really" need to know about, but overall cost and quality of life is useful, especially as it relates to crime and education.

Thanks,

greg

[ct ertz]

A good friend of mine lived their for a number of years. Good looking country in parts. It can get cold in the winter. A lot of permits and hidden taxes (high gas prices) depending on were in Illinois you live. (He lived near Chicago) He ended up moving to Texas. He likes Huston area better, but he likes Chicago area better then Pierre South Dakota or Hayward California, the other places he has lived. I don't know if that gives you enough contexts or not, but it seems Illinois has its charms in some areas but is a little lack luster in others...

[C9B]

We lived about forty miles from you in West Central Illinois. The Dixon area was about eighty miles north. We spent time in Burlington and in Davenport, Iowa, and experience with the cost of living in Illinois.

I think the greatest difference you will find in cost of living is from Illinois's reliance on local property tax revenue to fund schools, governments, fire and ambulance districts. We paid more than ten dollars per day in property taxes on our typical middle-class house. Illinois sales tax on groceries is just one percent. Illinois income tax rate is pretty low (compared to Missouri, anyway). Gas taxes are relatively high, but not much different than Iowa.

We lived in the country, so paid high prices for propane, rural water, and septic tank maintenance. We found utility costs to be high compared to city living. Insurance costs were similar (they screw you wherever you live).

We are older, so were dismayed by how tough it was to get access to quality medical care from the doctors who served the local hospital. That will vary by community. The Dixon area is a lot less remote than where we lived so may attract more and better physicians.

I can't speak to the availability of decent jobs in that part of the state. Things were very tough where we lived. So much depends on how well Cat is doing in Peoria and whether the farmers are buying new Deere combines from the Quad Cities. Amazing how much depends on the price of corn and beans.

It is going to take Illinois a long time to climb out of the pit the state government dug for itself by failing to raise revenue to cover its expenses. I believe that taxpayers will shoulder that burden one way or another for years to come. Most Illinois schools are very good to excellent, but outside of the collar counties are underfunded.

We now live in an old house in the city of St. Louis. We enjoy the lower cost of living compared to rural Illinois, but money isn't everything. We enjoyed the beauty and appreciated (most of) the people. I hope some of this is useful to you. Dixon is certainly an attractive community, and if you move to that area I wish you well.

[modelperry]

Thanks for everyone's input thus far. I hope others out there in pm dot com land are compelled to add there thoughts as well. For me, the relocation is contingent on receiving an offer of employment from an interview I recently had.

No offer = no move.

Offer = lots of heavy duty thinking...

greg

[SCEtoAUX]

I know you asked for current thoughts on that area, but the last time I was in northern Illinois was around 30 years ago. I have been stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center a few times as a student and as staff. It is located on Lake Michigan just south of Waukegan.

There is an area near the Wisconsin border called Chain Of Lakes. Nice fishing, boating, swimming, hiking.

The area just across the border in Wisconsin was nice too.

There is a Great America amusement park near Gurnee.

Chicago is just a couple of hours east of the area you are asking about.
Chicagoland has great venues for sports and concerts. Have I mentioned Wrigley Field and the Cubs yet? (eamus catuli!)
The Chicago lake front has some good places like the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and the Shedd Aquarium. So if you do not mind day trips it is something to think about.

These are my recollections from 30 years ago during my stays in NE Illinois. There were some troubles with gangs and the illegal drug trade which most likely has not abated much. I really do not know what the situation is in north central Illinois.