Moving to Decatur, IL

[MichiganKris]

I finally new job after being unemployed for almost 3 years. Unfortunately it involves moving to Decatur, IL. I know nothing about the area, does anyone have any suggestions on good schools or areas to look for housing at?

 

[ckmoore]

I never post on the boards, but while I was scrolling down to the Universal area it just caught my eye because I was born in Decatur, and most of my family still live about twenty minutes from there. Just outside of Decatur is Maroa-Forsyth which has good schools and a bit further away is Monticello, which is a small quaint town with excellent schools.

If you are looking to stay in Decatur proper I don't know the town that well, or the schools -but I know it can be rough in areas. If you have any other questions feel free to ask, but I am leaving my computer, so it will be a while for me to resond. Congratulations on the job!!!

 

[Lovedisney77]

Personally I have just been through the area but my sister lived there for 2 years and said it was a rough place and you have to be careful about where you go there and has a funny smell. (I can vouch for the funny smell, something to do with the industry there).

If I were you I would try and get as much info on the area as possible when trying to find schools,place to live etc. Good luck with the new job

 

[princessdi81]

I would recommend Maroa-Forsyth, Argenta/Oreana, or Mt. Zion. Decatur DEFINITELY has a bad smell to it - those of us in central IL call it Stinkatur! There are certain areas that are kind of rough - let me know if you need a realtor, I used to work in real estate and have dealt with a handful of realtors in that area. I'm sure they would be very helpful in the process!!! Good luck & congrats!

 

[SarahKate]

Good ol' stinky Decatur! I live in Springfield and just yesterday we had the windows open at work (Decatur's about 30 miles to the east of us) and said "It smells like Decatur!". When the wind blows just right, you can smell it! Just a way of life there and you get used to it.

My DH is from there originally lived there from the time he was 3 til he was in his early early 30's. He grew up in Mt. Zion, which is a decent area, and Maroa/Forsyth that others mentioned is nice as well. There are some lovely areas out by Lake Decatur - I'm not sure what you get for your money there, but definitely nice.

We aren't that familiar at all with the school districts, unfortunately (recently, anyway).

Our family lives on the far eastern edge of Springfield and are in Rochester School District. It is an EXCELLENT district. The area we are at is very close to the interstate (3-4 minutes) and is an easy drive to Decatur. It's not super close, but you can get there in 30-45 minutes depending on where in town you work. Not sure how you feel about that type of commute or not, but it is an easy drive w/ all interstate (my DH commutes an hour each way every day so for him it's not a big deal). Neighborhoods out here are wonderful, lots of kids, safe, and new/newer houses you can get between 150-200k. Lots of people around here commute from Decatur to Springfield, it's not a big deal. Just something to think about! Honestly, I would never want to actually live in Decatur (sorry!).....and my DH was not at all disappointed to move away from there.

Good luck with whatever you decide! Lots of big decisions. You have plenty of Central Illinoisans here so we're more than happy to answer questions.

 

[SarahKate]

By the way, try www.seehouses.com. It has listings for all around here and you can actually pick by town/city OR listings in a specific school district. It might have more listings for the Springfield area but Decatur areas are options as well.

 

[MichiganKris]

I was thinking of going closer to Springfield. An hour drive wouldn't be much different than I had before, but it's been a while since I had a commute.

 

[PinkJade]

Also from central IL. My in-laws live there. We live closer to Champaign, which we love. It is about 45 minutes. Some areas, like any city of similar size, are bad. I can't stand the smell, but you must get used to it, as my DH thinks I'm crazy when I complain about how bad it stinks and he hasn't lived there in over 10 years.

One good thing is the real estate is very low there. My sil have a huge house with basement and really large plot for much less than our home. I'm not familiar with the neighborhood names, but it is a nice area near the Target. They like it there.

Monticello is nearby and is a nice smaller community, known for having a better school district. They have the U of I Allerton Park, which is really beautiful and are building a new community pool. We were considering moving there, but decided to stay closer to Champaign.

 

[SarahKate]

From the time we leave our house on the east end of Springfield til we get to the opposite side of Decatur (Mt. Zion) where my FIL lives, it's about 45-50 minutes. Not bad at all.

If you do house shop in Decatur I agree w/ other posters that you can probably find a good deal on a house there! More for your money.

I don't know a lot about the Monticello community but Allerton Park is awesome! Even if you don't look there, it's worth a nice little day trip w/ the family. Of course that's just one of MANY things to do.

 

[disney*mom*82]

Also from central IL here, not far from Decatur and my DH use to teach in Decatur (5 yrs ago). You have already been warned that it is a rough town, DH wanted to move there when teaching and I said not unless I homeschool the kids! LOL. IDK the schools there that well, but know I wouldnt feel safe there. I too recomend trying one of the towns close. I know Mt Zion seems like a nice smaller town, decent schools, and real close to Decatur. We live about 45min-1 hour and DH commuted daily and I know it can get old. GL in your decisions and move.

 

[mdsouth]

I was born and raised in Decatur and lived there until I married. I went through the public school system. My mother still lives there and I visit often since I live about an hour away now.

Many areas in Decatur have gone down since I live there but there are still lots of nice areas too. For good public schools, I would say you should look to buy a home in one of the three outlying school districts mentioned: Mt. Zion, Maroa-Forsyth or Argenta-Oreana. They are all very good.

If you choose to buy a home in Decatur public school system, I would look for a home in the Muffley area or South Shores. Parsons might be okay too. It is probably the school near in which the poster's SIL lives near the Target.

Let me know if you have more questions and I will be willing to help you out.

 

[MichiganKris]

I appreciate all the help so far. If anyone has any other information to help I'd appreciate it. I only have a couple weeks before I start down there so all help is greatly appreciated.

 

[chris9800]

I've lived in Decatur and Forsyth for the last 20 years - currently in Forsyth and the Maroa-Forsyth school district. You will be pleased with the value in housing - very inexpensive compared to most of the country. All of the towns in the surrounding area that have been previously mentioned as well as the Warrensburg-Latham area are all great choices. There are also extremely nice/upscale neighborhoods in Decatur if you prefer a more urban setting. The main advantage of Forsyth over some of the other towns in the area is that there is a mall located in Forsyth (population about 3,000)and provides a nice source of income from sales taxes for the village - wonderful village parks, bike trails and infrastructure - while maintaining all of the great things about being small town. Find a good realtor who can help you find the right neighborhood/community for you - don't sell the Decatur area short, that smell is the smell of money (watch 'The Informant!' if you have some free time) and the area has lots to offer.

 

[midwestdee]

This is off topic, but while our Illinois friends are driving through our wonderful state, if anyone is passing through Peoria, check out Copper River Coffee & Tea, a small cafe that if kind of like Intelligentia in Chicago. tThe young guy that owns the cafe is REALLY into a quality product. They have a website www.coppercoffee.com if anyone goes through Peoria and would like to stop in for some quality brew. They ship their coffee too. Their cold drinks are really good.

 

[deerhart]

Another central Illinoian here (Tuscola about 30 miles EAST of Decatur down route 36).

Where will you be working at?

Mount Zion is really the better public school in the Decatur area unless you want a private school. Yes Decatur does stink mostly do to ADM (archer danial midland) but there is also a Firestone factory in town. Further, the smell is on the eastern half of the city (on a good easterly blowing wind you can smell ADM from over 30 miles away)

Decatur is a union town by tradition, thus politically blue, while most of the surrounding rural east central Illinois is a resounding red (the first time I voted in my county the only democrats on the ballot were for national/statewide offices)

Where you choose to live will really depend on what you want/need for you and your family. If you have kids and sports/activites are a big thing for them, your going to want to look at different places then if its just solely academics or something else. It will also depend on the sport. For example, many of the last few years class 1 and 2 A football state finalists are from the central Illinois area. This year, 2 were from the same Confernce (Okaw Valley) Also, an hour commute there is not the same as an hour commute in other places. I live in St. Louis now and an hour commute for me is a 20 mile drive, an hour commute in East Central Illinois is more like a 50-60 hour drive My dad commutes from Tuscola to Champaign and has for years. Its about a 25-30 minute drive and about 25 miles away (door to door).

I can probably tell you quite abit about the small towns in that area since I've been to them way to many times (tons and tons of festivals that go on), and while its been awhile, I've been in most of the schools as well over and over due to sports in high school (I lived in the Mt. Zion gym for 6 years over thanksgiving at their b-ball tourney).

I know in our family, given the choice of Champaign, Decatur or the Mattoon/Charleston area, Decatur would be are last choice

 

[etoiles]

Congrats on the job!

I went to college in Decatur and got a job teaching at MacArthur and Eisenhower High Schools (art) for a few years there. The area of Forsyth is a good idea instead of residing in Decatur because it is much nicer and some areas are rough. I think that MacArthur high school is a decent school however. It could have changed though since that was more than 6 years ago.

The water is really bad in the Decatur area. While at college I had a Brita water filter. To me, that got all the nastiness out. However, everytime DH would visit me there he would get sick. After a few visits we figured out that it was the water! Even filtered water made him sick. If it can do that, it really makes me wonder what is in it. We also met other people at college that could also not even drink filtered water. Buy gallon jugs of water! much safer!

Honestly we did everything we could to eventually move out of that town and when we left everyone said how jealous they were of us that we were leaving!

 

[girlsn980103]

Another Tuscolian here! (actually now in Pesotum, just 8 miles north) Decatur would be about the last place I would want to live in this area. Lots of crime in certain areas, and VERY high unemployment/bad eceonomy.

Congrats to DH on the new job!! Maybe things are turnign around in that area!

As OP have mentioned, Monticello is a very nice town that is not too far. Several people also drive to Decatur from Tuscola, not a terrible drive. Our HS even sent a bus every day to a trade school in Decatur.

Good luck with the move and let the DisIllinoians know if you need anything! Welcome!

mb