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Champaign, IL is known for being a vibrant city with plenty of exciting activities to enjoy. From the bustling downtown area to the beautiful campus of the University of Illinois, Champaign offers something for everyone. With its unique blend of culture, shopping, dining, recreation and entertainment, Champaign has become one of the most highly sought-after places to live in central Illinois. People who have visited or lived in Champaign often rave about its lively atmosphere and friendly locals. Whether it’s a night out for dinner at one of Champaign’s many acclaimed restaurants or an afternoon outdoors exploring its renowned parks and trails, there is something for everyone in this dynamic city. In addition to all these great attractions, people come from around the country to attend some of the best universities and colleges located in Champaign, making it a hub for higher education as well. All these wonderful features combined make Champaign an excellent place to call home!
based on 13 ReviewsGet to know Champaign with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Champaign
High taxes - 12/29/2019
Pros - close to Chicago, has Parkland community college and lots of places to eat. There is a train station downtown that is really good. Beautiful deciduous trees and old houses.
Cons - close to Chicago because this also means the influx of gangs, nothing really much to offer if you are an avid outdoor person. Property taxes are so high. Lots of big beautiful houses but check what the property taxes are before you buy. Urbana is even worse. There was a great downtown when I was a kid but Market Place Mall killed that. Now Market Place Mall is having trouble. They are trying to bring a Chicago gentrified vibe into the downtown. So it’s better then it was but still struggling. Parking is hard to find.
I grew up in Champaign and it’s not a great place to grow up. The school system is poor, theres lots of crime. Central High School is the worst! There were gang fights when I went there and no facilities like a track for kids. We used to have to go to west
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Nice place to live but you wouldn't want to visit - 9/19/2017
Actually it's barely a nice place to live.
The pros:
Not terribly expensive - at one point the least expensive place to live in the country among modest sized cities.
Accessible - you can ride your bike from one end of the city to the other in about half an hour.
Something of an intellectual climate - it's a college town plus a large medical center (Health Alliance - a regional HMO plus its hospitals etc).
A great place for an education - seriously. U of I is a world-class research center (and occasionally teaches pretty well). We'll see if they survive the decimation of their foreign student income.
The cons:
You're quite a ways from civilization. As one of the transplants-in-denial (there are a lot of them) said "It's okay here, but for anything important we go home to Chicago". You can find them on the road to "someplace interesting" on Fridays or at the airport waiting for the
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City is past its prime but still decent - 8/23/2011
I grew up in C-U (Champaign-Urbana) overall it is a good place to live but there are some caveats about the place. C-U is a University town and without the Universty it would probably be another dying midwest town. It does have an airport at Willard, and better yet, it has a good train station, the lines from which run up to Chicago, and down through Southern Illinois and on to New Orleans. Besides the students, the local demographics seems to me to be that of an aging town. There are lots of retirees of the university who remain in the town tied to a health insurance racket called Carle Care (which is really just a eugenics and money making operation run by Carle hospital - biggest racket going in C-U at the moment). Many of the neighborhoods were built during post WW2 boom and are aging and way past their prime, so a lot of these neighborhoods are starting to get really run down. What used to be really nice, happy neighborhoods when I was a kid are now looking like ghettos. At the
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if your not a collage student - 2/23/2010
Don't move hear i have been stuck hear 4 years!. if you are a bartender or work any kind of hospitality the pay is for the students $4.85 hour and they will only hire students! this area is for the collage only there is nothing to do here and housing is high priced. I have lived in Arizona, Florida, this is far worst place to live! "I'm wanting to move to new
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Family Town - 7/29/2009
Champaign is a wonderful place to raise a family. Often you miss the big city excitement. But there are TONS of restaurants. The movie theatre's are very nice. Good colleges. Middle and highschool's could do a little better, but they do have good private schools for reasonable prices. I have been all over the country and I do love it for my family. Once the kids are gone, we will rethink staying here
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champaign, illinois - 7/10/2008
Champaign-urbana is a great place to raise a family, the cost of living is fairly inexpensive, it`s not hard to gain employment, and the college sports keeps our town busy in the
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Champaign=okay - 7/7/2008
Nice sized town, good for art and cultural activities. Weather is not great, winters are long, cold and dark. Summers are hot and humid. Traffic is terrible for a medium sized town. Good place for college sports. Housing is
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Best of both worlds! - 2/5/2007
I've lived in the Champaign area for a decade, and I can't imagine living anywhere else. The University of Illinois is a constant hub of activity, from Division 1 collegiate sports to cerebral lecture opportunities and fantastic museums. Downtown Champaign offers great nightlife and unique boutiques in a pedestrian-friendly environment. This area is big enough to have a great amount of diversity, but small enough that the owners of the stores you patronize will remember your name and greet you with a smile. It's a terrific place to live and
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