SperlingViews - Springfield, Illinois

The Lincoln connection and historical sites are wonderful but what could have been a very nice town was poorly managed and almost no preventive measures taken to keep Chicago influence out. The crime rate is ridiculous and drugs are everywhere. Gangs from Chicago use this town as a connection point, recruiting ground, and hide away when things get hot in Chicago which all makes for easy influence on Springfield youth. Add in poverty, a abysmal education system, and confusing city/county jurisdiction lines and you got all that is needed for a city that has higher violent crime rate than Chicago, New Orleans, or NYC. There is also very little to do there and with all the poverty and gang influence many parts of town look exceptionally trashy.[read more...]

The cost of living here is low.[read more...]

Moved to this area about four years ago from Louisville,KY. I was a freshman in high school, I have to say the schools are not that great and seem very segregated, I applied for a transfer 3 times to SHS and got denied all three time despite my good grades. I ended up dropping out my Sophomore year and being home schooled by an accredited high school. If you are looking for a challenge and high expectations, you won't find it in these schools. The nieghborhood ( east South Grand ave.) I live in is not the best, but if you mind your own business you will be fine.[read more...]

your page for springfield said that the teacher to student ratio was 1 to 15. where did you get that info?? i have 2 kids that go to school here (5th grade and 10th) thaer are at least 25 kids in each of there classes and sometimes more. you need to check your facts first[read more...]

The best thing about Springfield, is its low cost of living. Unfortunately, it is not a very interesting place to live.[read more...]

I have lived in a rural area of Springfield my whole life, being 49 yrs old. A very political city, which means alot of BS. White collar mostly. I am from the blue collared industry. People are sincerely happy to help you kind. The surrounding towns are very clique's, as far as Schools go. We do have exceptionally good Schools and city colleges. Not a whole lot to do here. Hardly a night life. I feel safe, as far as crime goes. We have our fair share of crime, and drugs. We are situated between Chicago, Il. and St. Louis Mo. All in all it's alright, abit boring[read more...]

how safe is the city?[read more...]

Seems fairly ridiculous for a city this size. Granted it's a Capitol city, but it seems as though there is twice the amount of crime here. It's disheartening, really. It could be such a remarkable place... but it seems like the city is depressed to some extent. Like it doesn't WANT to get past the issues it has. Just my two cents.[read more...]

Quality of life is high for a comparatively low cost of living. Great place to raise a family.[read more...]

well if you like wide open spaces this would be a great place to start its quite, nice for setteling down with a family, if your trying to get ahead in the world the job opprotunities are that great, but it is quite cozy! not to mention its pretty cheap to live here in all aspects[read more...]

My wife and I lived in Springfielf, IL for seven years and had a positive experience. We lived between Springfield and Chatham. Springfield is a big little town. Government is the driver not business. - RFHale[read more...]

Springfield has made some smart moves in the last few years with the new Lincoln sights and now working on better roads in and around town.[read more...]

Springfield is an odd town, and the residents (not all, that would be unfair) are by far the ones who grew up here. I know people in their 50s who have left the state only twice and can't fathom reasons to ever leave the county, as if they have rubber bands on their backs. They are not welcoming. You are judged by which H.S. you went to, and if you aren't from here, then you might as well be invisible. Technology isn't welcomed by the majority. If shopping is important to you, you'll do a lot of traveling to get to shopping stores. There's a t-shirt in town that has a face pic of Abe Lincoln and beneath it are the words: "You'd have to shoot me to get me to go back to Springfield." The county didn't vote for him in his presidential elections, but they like him now that he is famous. [read more...]

I have lived here since I was 3 years old. The cost of living is fairly high here and really not much to do here as far as recreation. Unless you are employed by the state, or in the retail/restaurant industry there isn't much employment here either.[read more...]

First off, Springfield is becoming a thriving urban community, has a stable positive economy, and is growing steadly. The business district in Springfield is the largest and fastest growing in Central Illinois, with people commuting from Decatur and even Bloomington. The downfall about Springfield is the higher than average crime rate, and the violence in the inner Springfield schools. But on a positive note, Springfield has some of the best private schools in the state. All in all, I give Springfield an 8 out of 10.[read more...]

Pros: 1. Low cost of living and housing 2. Affordable place to live 3. Good school system 4. Visiting the State Capitol Cons: 1. Very high crime rate 2. Huge problem with gangs and drugs 3. Lots of illegal trash dumping and vandalism 4. Nothing to do 5. The city government is corrupt 6. The "good" areas of town have suddenly gone bad[read more...]

Across the state of Illinois, Springfield has a stereotype for being "peaceful and quiet" and "typically Midwestern". But having several friends that used to live in Springfield, having looked at the crime statistics to back up their statements about the city, and having visited the city several times, I can assure you that Springfield is the exact opposite of its stereotype. Springfield has a very high crime rate that makes it impossible to live there without being in fear of becoming a victim of crime. In fact, it's probably the most dangerous mid-sized city in the state (with about 1,500 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, where 450 is the national average and a 700 is considered high). The aggravated assault rate in particular is over 4 times the national average. Gang- and drug-related violence is the norm here. In mid-sized cities like Springfield, crime can usually be avoided by not living in the bad parts of town. However, as one reviewer mentioned, the corrupt city government demolished the hay homes where the poor people lived in favor of luxurious homes for the rich people, forcing these poor people (many of whom commit crimes to support themselves and their families) to live in areas of Springfield that used to have low crime. Because of this, gangs and drugs are a huge problem almost everywhere in the city. Further aggravating drug use is the general lack of things to do in the city, except for visiting the State Capitol. The city is also very polluted, with a lot of illegal trash dumping and vandalism. Springfield does have a few positives. Thanks in part to a large campus of the University of Illinois as well as the presence of the state government, the public school system is good and educational attainment is some of the best in the state. The cost of living and housing is very low, and the economy is fairly stable, with lots of state government jobs. Unfortunately, that's not enough to save a corrupt city ridden with crime, trash, gangs, and drugs. Avoid Springfield at all costs, and don't say I didn't warn you![read more...]

With moderate cost of living and many options for housing, Springfield is one of the best central Illinois places to live. There are many great restaurant choices especially if you look for alternatives to chain-restaurant dining. The arts scene has lots to choose from including a good local symphony, an active arts community, and regular jazz and almost every other type of live music. For the midwest, the weather can be hot and humid in the summer but the winters are fairly mild. We've lived here for 30 years and enjoy the area and the people.[read more...]

I have lived here for 43 years. The gov. is corrupt, they don't want anything in this town but the capitol building and resulting jobs that go with it, and state agencies. They tore down the Hay Homes where all the blacks lived and built veritable mansion type multi-family dwellings which left them scattering everywhere in the city. Now instead of the crime being contained to one area, they sent it off to rent everywhere else in the city, to all neighborhoods that NEVER had problems before. That, and the welfare roles & a feeling of entitlement are very large. The schools, I promise you you don't want to send your kids to public schools here, everything you've worked to build them into will be destroyed in weeks. The saving grace is there are some good private schools. Drugs are a real problem. Miserably hot & humid, long cold sub-zero winters. Nothing to do in this town whatsoever, except go out to eat, shop, or watch a movie. Real estate to get away from the problems is getting rediculous. Everyone wants to move out to get away from the city. The landscape & geographics is ugly & horrible. In sort, this town really sucks, there's just no onther word for it. I'm moving away asap as so many I know have done. Don't even THINK about moving here....[read more...]

Springfield has bad weather- cold and long winters. Hot and very humid summers usually.It rains alot which farmers like but if you don't farm it's too much.Less than national average sunny days.Crime index is over double the national average.Lots of racial issues and problems even in the police force.Public schools are hostile and often have problems involving race.High volume of white flight so problem isn't going to get better.Utilities are higher than national average. Housing used to be somewhat cheap but not anymore.At least anywhere you would feel safe.The town and surrounding area is very ugly geographicly.It is flat with no moutains-hills-lakes-oceans or anything close to being scenically beautiful.[read more...]