(12-15-2020, 12:49 PM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: We are seriously considering it. I could change my name to IlliniBengal. Wait, what?

(12-15-2020, 03:08 PM)jason Wrote: You got the sheriff on your tail or what?

(12-16-2020, 09:03 PM)SladeX Wrote: I grew up in Chicagoland, for the most part. I'm ok with Illinois. I've come to appreciate Chicago quite a bit as time goes on.

(12-16-2020, 09:29 PM)Benton Wrote: My family is from there. I spent most of my summers growing up in southern Illinois and am about 30 minutes from there now.

I think the biggest thing if you're thinking about moving there is this: consider what part. Southern Illinois (like the bottom half of the state) is mostly farms and rural communities, except for the chunk around STL (which is where my family spends a lot of time). You can drive on some parts on an interstate for a half hour and not see anything other than silos. The upper half is Chicago. If you like Chicago, then it's pretty good stuff. I've been there a few times and I like it. You can stay on the outskirts and take a train into the city, there's pretty much everything there. Personally, though, I like STL and the STL part of Illinois better than the Chicago part. But I prefer to drive where I'm going.

But no matter where you live, Chicago pretty much dictates what happens everywhere in the state.

Oh, and everyone drinks in Illinois. And drives. It's like a state law or something.

(12-17-2020, 07:02 AM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: We are looking at Metropolis, IL.  My wife has family in Paducah, KY.  So we'd be right across the river from her family.  She's living with chronic back pain and they can't find what's wrong.  So...now she goes to a pain management doctor and is hooked on opiods.

Her doctor has asked her if she's ever tried marijuana, and she has, but since it's possibly illegal where I live, a shift about 5 hours southwest, and she not only will try it, but it will help her in several ways.

So thanks to all you guys for the input.  But we're going to be all the way at the bottom of Illinois, right on the river.  Also, an update.  Talked to my real estate agent, I think this is going to happen, early in the new year!

(12-17-2020, 01:00 PM)WiregrassBenGal Wrote: Hey Tiger Teeth, I currently live in Carbondale, which is about 50 miles above Metropolis. My move came August, 2019 when I had to find a place cheap to live for two years or more. Why Carbondale? I had gone to school at SIU and knew the area, knew I could find a cheap, relatively safe apartment here. And I did. It's tiny, but it suits me for now.

The town still looks basically the same, but the university is almost half the size of when I went here. It is even more beautiful than when I went here and they take spectacular care of it. I enjoy walking through campus and on Lake of the Campus on their paved walking paths there. The demographics of the university and town are a little bit different, too. My only complaint is that the upstairs neighbors, college kids get a little loud sometimes.

When my lease is up, I may move to Marion, which is 14 miles east, has better shopping, and is a nice country community mostly. Just a closing note; taxes in Illinois are higher, especially property taxes and registering your car. But the lower cost of living overall kind of offsets it in this part of Illinois.

(12-17-2020, 11:35 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Never lived there, but visited a bunch.

Make sure on your way there to drive through Gary, Indiana.  Take your time and appreciate the scenery.  Definitely stop in a few places, grab some lunch, and maybe take a little stroll around the town.  You'll love it.

Edit: On second thought, just in case, please don't take this seriously.

(12-17-2020, 01:25 PM)Benton Wrote: Ah cool beans. Metro is where my family lives. My parents are originally from there. I live just outside Paducah.

There's not a ton of stuff in metro, but most people who live there work in Paducah or marion or carbondale.

If you end up in metro, holler. I'll buy you a beer sometime.

(12-17-2020, 01:00 PM)WiregrassBenGal Wrote: Hey Tiger Teeth, I currently live in Carbondale, which is about 50 miles above Metropolis. My move came August, 2019 when I had to find a place cheap to live for two years or more. Why Carbondale? I had gone to school at SIU and knew the area, knew I could find a cheap, relatively safe apartment here. And I did. It's tiny, but it suits me for now.

The town still looks basically the same, but the university is almost half the size of when I went here. It is even more beautiful than when I went here and they take spectacular care of it. I enjoy walking through campus and on Lake of the Campus on their paved walking paths there. The demographics of the university and town are a little bit different, too. My only complaint is that the upstairs neighbors, college kids get a little loud sometimes.

When my lease is up, I may move to Marion, which is 14 miles east, has better shopping, and is a nice country community mostly. Just a closing note; taxes in Illinois are higher, especially property taxes and registering your car. But the lower cost of living overall kind of offsets it in this part of Illinois.

(12-17-2020, 01:33 PM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: Looks like it's going to happen.  Would love to enjoy an ice cold brew with you my man.  If I remember correctly you live in the area of the school shooting.  I would absolutely hit you up.  

(12-17-2020, 02:46 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Get ready to pay more taxes than you even make.

(12-17-2020, 03:50 PM)Benton Wrote: Yup. Live less than a mile from the school. My son was there in the lobby where it happened, but he wasn't hit. We're about 30 minutes south of Paducah.


And water. Where I live, the water bill is like $30 every two months. My grand dad's was a couple hundred per month when he passed a few years ago. The taxes on his place (nice house with a few acres) was more than my dad's three farms, house and vehicles.