9 Places In Illinois You Should Never Move To 

For 10 more places to avoid in IL, check out this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JaVEqD6yfP8.html

I grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago. We moved there from Cicero when I was five. I played baseball everyday with the neighbors kids. Nice schools, good teachers. What is wrong with Illinois is the corrupt politicians and police who do not enforce gang activity in any meaningful way.

What is Illinois best known for? ... 🤔... Um, having more governors in prison than any other state!

I shut down my business and sold my house (at a loss) to get away. Did anyone notice that when the governor and queen of Chicago walked in waving in the open game of baseball they got BOOED by the entire crowd they just kept smiling. THEY WILL NEVER CHANGE

Just moved back to Illinois after 5-years Hollywood. Illinois looks like paradise compared to L.A. right now.

The best place to move to in Illinois is out of there.

Left Illinois nearly 10 years ago. Only thing we miss are Family and friends that are still there.

Left Danville, Ill. In 2009. Best but hardest decision I’ve made. But, I am thankful I was able to leave everyone I knew in search for a better life. I found it!

As a black woman i stay away from 'sundown' towns

The best way to look at Illinois, is in your rearview mirror

Lived in Belleville for 25 years until I moved to Smithton 2 years ago. Had my car stolen in 2019. A homeowner in Centerville saw my car in front of his house which was a dead end road. A path led to a housing area just across the railroad tracks. Cops recovered it and it still had 1/2 tank of gas. I suppose the thief return find that someone had stolen his stolen car.

I live in the nicest little town in illinois! I won't name it, but left home of CA 29 years ago due to a horrible divorce, had to flee with my small children. They are adults now. They've enjoyed safe, wonderful schooling, a wide variety of jobs, gorgeous parks and the cutest, friendliest shops. Seeing how CA. Has become, I don't regret leaving for a moment. I do miss the beaches and surfing but that's it. There are several other tiny towns nearby that are equally as great. So, there ARE some very nice places to raise a healthy, happy and SAFE family. Would like to see a 'best places to live' in illinois video.

I grew up in Peoria. It saddens me to see this kind of decline, but as much as leaders of both the state and country promise to somehow bring the "rust belt' back to life, nothing ever happens. The decline of industry in this country has had far-reaching and long-lasting negative effects. Caterpillar, one of the original multi-national corporations, certainly didn't show much loyalty to the city by moving out after decades of basing their headquarters there. I believe ADM also vacated their executive employees out of Decatur some time ago. I don't know why these companies turn their back on these downstate communities. They used to be family friendly and economically progressive.

Im getting out of Illinois, I was raised around the Springfield area and currently live in the Peoria area. Im just burnt out and don't have any hope for this state. Im 42 and got a family and don't want them to be stuck here any longer.

Abbreviated version: Don't move to Illinois.

I moved out of Illinois four years ago and it was the best decision I ever made! I wish I would have moved sooner!

Much of the violent crime is related to m.e.t.h. production: resources and territory. I grew up in Springfield, but left in 2003. It is hard to see my hometown decay to ruins.

If you want to surround yourself with criminals and filth come to Illinois. Our Governor needs to move to some of the cities and see the mess he has caused sickening

I live in Illinois, and the only thing keeping me here is my job. If they ever allowed us to transfer i feel most of us would be out of here in a heartbeat

As someone who lives in Rockford, the crime really isn't that bad if you stay away from the west side/ downtown, Cherry Valley is a great place to live, very quiet town with very little crime, however the housing prices are a little higher

The biggest problem with Illinois and still recovering from the damage that former Speaker of the House Big Mike Madigan inflicted on Illinois.

I've lived in Springfield Illinois for 47 years and what you said is correct but this town is no worse than about 95% of the other cities in America I've been all over this country literally all 50 states and I've seen way worse cities than what Springfield has to offer yeah it's got his bad parts of towns yeah it's got homeless people in it but what major city don't I mean if you want to get really technical you know I mean look at la it's the capital of homelessness in the world and they have everything but you don't hear people complain about people leaving are coming or going from that place because LA is LA.you can say that it's a bad time go ahead and raid it the way you want and what you saw downtown by the Lincoln's home with the homeless people I mean come on like I said every major city has a homeless problem I go down to St Louis all the time and you walk downtown and there's all kinds of panhandlers and people wanting to buy money on drugs and fighting all the time so I mean it goes on everywhere Chicago same thing Indianapolis same thing Detroit same thing and these are major major cities I mean anywhere and everywhere you go you're going to have problems unless you buy a farm and have lots of land and you don't want anybody else around you or you want to live in some happy Go-Go small Rich City like you said which I'm not rich and I can't afford to live there so you take with what you get and I've been here for 47 years and I've never been robbed

Real estate taxes are triple of what people are paying in Indiana. Huge numbers flocking across the border.

I grew up in the south suburbs in the 70s and 80s. It was a good place and of course everything changes as time goes on.There are still lots of good people there. It's our local government that has let things go.

The decline of Peoria is a shame. The area has some of the most attractive neighborhoods you have ever seen. Literally.

Illinois has extremely high taxes. So high that major corporations are moving out of the state. With fewer jobs available, it's not a surprise that the poverty is so high. People are just barely surviving.

I was born and raised in Peoria for 35 years. I was so happy the day I moved out. I lived in the East Bluff which was a good area in the 1970’s , 1980’s, and early 1990’s. Then the gangs, thugs and criminals started doing whatever they wanted. The City Council and Police Department can’t agree on how to curb the criminal activity so people get tired of it and move out. Only time I go back to Peoria is to visit friends I have there. No amount of money or any job offers could ever get me to move back there. Sad that a city I grew up in has such a crime rate.

I was born in Chicago and lived in Chicago, DeKalb, Sycamore, Urbana, and Champaign for years. I was surprised that Chicago was not on the list. It seems that Chicago has not gotten better but the smaller cities in Illinois have gotten worse.

I moved 50 years ago & never looked back

Born and raised in Hellinois, getting worse as the years pass.

The best things to come out of illinois is this. I-74 EAST or West, I-57 South, I-55 South, I-39 North, I-80 West, I-64 east or West, I-24 east. I think y'all get it...

4th Generation Illinois Resident . Once a mighty state ! Kinda ruined by our corrupt government and out sourcing

The nine places you should never moved to: 9. Illinois 8. Illinois 7. Illinois 6. Illinois 5. Illinois 4. Illinois 3. Illinois 2. Illinois And my hometown and place I'm stuck in, can't wait until I can leave... 1. Chicago

I was born in Centralia, had family residing in Decatur and my high school girlfriend was from Danville. I'm not really sure what all that adds up to, but I'm glad my parents decided to move to Sarasota, Florida when I was seven years old.

Personally, I don’t wouldn’t want to move to Chicago, not because of politics, but because of the crime.

Should never move to Illinois period

I'm moving to Illinois. I know what I'm getting into but A) I'm from Maryland so it's an upgrade, and B) it's the great people & lifestyle that I like

Most of the 50 states have all the same problems. They all have undesirable cities. The US is in decline. Thanks to the braking of the unions and lose of manufacturing jobs to Asia.

If my wife did not have cancer and could travel, I'd leave tomorrow. Get out of Illinois!!!!! With pritzker, it will never change.

Might be a lost cause?.. born and raised Chicago Northside. I’m getting out of this whole entire mess that they made! They’ve destroyed my beautiful city and sat back and watched it burn. I can’t take anymore. I’m moving with my family out of here ASAP. God❤ bless everyone.🙏🏼

A couple of bull sharks were caught in Alton by fish traps in the 1930s. I believe this is the longest freshwater migration of the anadromous shark in north America, although bull sharks have been found thousands of miles from the ocean in the Amazon and Nile rivers.

We drive through Cairo, in the southern tip of Illinois, fairly often. It was a beautiful river town with fabulous architecture, but now more than half those beautiful homes are empty and going to rot and ruin.

I live in Springfield and I have found it to be very difficult to support this city. As a capital city you think we would have great amenities, jobs, new developments however none of these are the case. Our infrastructure is very poor. Good jobs are very minimal and crime is much higher than the national average. I am beyond excited to call Miami, FL my new home next week!

How did Kankakee not make this list?

Excellent video: State of Illinois keeps it's paws inside your pocket, as if it has a personal relationship with you, as one of three people in the state.

Driving past Springfield my entire life I always have been disgusted by the rest areas as you enter the area! Absolutely gross and if I were a visitor to this area I would be wary of visiting the Lincoln Sites. One would think the state would redo these rest areas and advertise the historic areas. Currently the rest area smells of urine, years of urine, soaked and sealed into the grout. It’s embarrassing,

You might consider posting some pictures of the best and the worst neighborhoods in each town you profile. That would give viewers a better idea of actual living arrangements.

Chicagoland (read ‘collar burbs around the city’) my childhood stomping grounds. I go back and drive route 19 from Elgin to Chicago,... so blighted! It is said strip malls & Woodfield type builds killed the multitude of shops along the once vital non-rail route.

Thanks for your video... and well, it is Illinois. I swore I'd leave it at 17 (high school grad) and I did. I swore I wouldn't come back... but I did. Then, after revisiting, I swore it off once more. I won't get into the reasons why in particular, but in Silvis Illinois, home of the Rock Island Railroad at one time (and nearby John Deere, but only that was later)... well, I won't get into it. I saw a lot, lived through a lot, but still had some happiness growing up there. I think their crime rate was minuscule, but when I was back from basic training visiting home someone tried to break in on our porch. I went after them in my skivvies, and there was a lot of snow as well as a snow storm. They drove down 19th street, I hopped the fence hoping to catch them... anyway, I guess if I had a point... people that are losing hope start to lose attachment. They don't care about each other or their neighbors. I don't blame them really... because those of us that don't live through it don't understand it on a daily basis. I'm seeing way too much of this again. I guess, luckily, I won't be seeing that much more.

You should really check out Collinsville illinois. We have the Cahokia mounds. Monks mounds etc. The oldest city in North america. 600 AD. Monks mound has a larger footprint than the largest pyramid in Gaza/Egypt. Great museum. Many documentaries have been made on it

Good thing Illinois made marijuana legal, next cocaine and heroin so everyone can have employment.

We used to live just across from Saint Louis in Granite City. It was a town that had its best days at least 50 years ago. Can't wait to go back and visit. The town still had a K-Mart in the 1990's.

Rural Illinois resident here still keeping on. Things are changing. Snicarte IL still small still forgotten at least we have a church.

Someone should so a video on the dying collage town of Carbondale Illinois

Mt. Vernon. Man I have a lot of relatives around Mt. Vernon. Last drove through in 2015 and was horrified at how downhill the place went. I remember the '60's & '70's and how FUN it was to go there and shop and go out to eat.

Makes me sad...I loved Alton when i was there. Eating at Tony’s and walking along the water.

Thanks. I've driven past Sauk Village so many times on the way to a friend's country getaway in Indiana. Glad I never stopped to explore. I remember a report a few years back when there was a severe metal contamination in the water supply. Sad.

I grew up outside of Galesburg in a town called Rio (population of 200). It was the best childhood one could have asked for. Going back now is depressing. Galesburg is a shell of its former self.

God I hate living in this state. Low pay and high taxes, as a home owner it's extremely hard to make ends meet and rely heavily on programs such as LIHEAP and Obamacare. The only positive is the tiny farm town I live in is crime free aside from all the drunk drivers. Other than that Illinois is a joke and I'm not even gonna get into Chicago...that should be a state of its own.

there are still some scenic small towns in Illinois. Actually probably a decent state to retire in, because it doesn't have income tax on retirees. And I visit Rockford recently, i'm born in Aurora, live in Naperville area, Rockford has a lot of poverty, but there is a lot going on in the city. Nice parks and activities there.

I'm moved to Springfield 35 years ago. It has its up and downs but all in all I like living here. I feel safe, except for crazy drivers but hey that's everywhere.

I don't want to pick on any city in Illinois but it's actually the entire state that's in ruins. Bad Politics and High Taxes have killed that state. Look next door to Indiana, like two different worlds.

My parents moved out of Illinois in 1955 to santa barbara calif. I thank them for that. Now it's time to move out of calif.

You failed to mention Freeport Illinois. What was once a beautiful city has been devastated by years of poor management, high taxes, rising crime, and a loss of employment due to high corporate tax by the state.

I was a student at NIU, and lived in DeKalb my first semester, then stayed in Rochelle, IL my last yesr. I shopped in Rockford, and got a chance to visit different cities, including Chicago, during my time in practicum and internship. I was offered a position with the State of Illinois, post graduate studies, but a hiring freeze was put in place during that time, so I didn’t get a job, and went back home to Detroit.

I lived in Rockford the “Forest City” for most of my life. It’s very sad as it was a beautiful place in the 80’s and early 90’s. I do agree that it is in ruins with no updating or renovations. How many times have I heard let’s revitalize the downtown area. I moved away 5 years ago and only go back to see family.

What about Ford Heights? The problem with Sauk Village is that it lies next to Dyer, Indiana. If I want cheap gas, property taxes, and anything else, I'll move out of Sauk.

I use to live in Illinois, it made me ill and annoyed! So glad I moved!

I have lived here 62 years. It I'd a great state. So overlook Chicago and Springfield. Maybe all of the southern part but here in northern Illinois it's not that bad. We get all kinds of weather. It's awesome

I grew up in Springfield and moved all over the world after college with a successful corporate career. Sad for me to see Springfield rated as it is here.

I love the nice music soundtrack underneath all the dire information.

In 96 I got a one way ticket out of springfield aka sprungpatch never to return. It's just one of many black holes scattered across this country.

I'm not sure what your politics are but you come so close to the entire point a number of times in this video and even in the description. Poverty leads to crime. If you remove poverty, you remove the vast majority of crime as well. I just moved to IL and it's been great so far. I haven't been to any of the cities you mentioned apart from Peoria and Springfield, but overall it's been one of the better places I have lived and there are some really shitty places in every State. Ironically, most of them are the poor areas. See my first point. We the people need to stop bickering and fighting each other so we can fight our oppressors, the rich and the corporations, together as one united people. It's sad how many poor to middle class people will punch down and fight those around them when the richest people in the country are the ones stealing from all of us every single day.

Geneva, St. Charles, Batavia are great towns!!

I live in IL. My fiancè and I just bought a very nice brick house in a very chill town called Oglesby. I grew up their and loved it.

I used to lived in Gurnee, Illinois with my family in a nice suburb called Grandwood Park. I did moved back in 1994-1997 with my sister. I moved back in Wisconsin in 1997 to be closer to my parents. In some ways that I do missed Gurnee, Illinois. I preferred to lived in Wisconsin. I lived in a small town. It gets busy during the summer but, quite in late fall towards late spring.

I wouldn’t move to Illinois under any circumstance. That state is a dumpster fire.

I'm sitting here, working up the genealogy of my family, much of it comprised of people who helped settle Illinois. IMO, that state needs to go back to its roots and promote the source of its original riches: farmland. It's a farm state and not much else (except for Chicago). Towns rose because services were needed by the farmers. Towns came into existence along the routes of railroads. Now that farms are consolidated under the ownership of fewer people and have become less labor-driven, the need for those small towns has decreased. I read the comments on Facebook from people who live in these decaying towns: "it's Mayberry! It's a small town with wonderful, generous people! Our small town is a place where everyone knows one another!" Yeah, well, what is the reason for the existence of the town? What purpose does it serve? Does it have the jobs and services to support the population? I was pragmatic about a future in Illinois and moved away. My cousins who stayed? Well, they brag about how wonderful Kane is, or Jerseyville, or Alton but what kind of viable, upwardly mobile future did they make for their selves? One of the ways I have kept track of the newest generation is to keep an eye on the police blotter. I'm constantly coming across surnames connected to me who are picked up on small drug offenses or DWI. They stayed and feel hopeless. Illinois is wonderful bread and grain basket country, but it's not that great a place to support a large population.

Only 9 places? Family moved from IL. in the 50's luckily and only place livable is on the farm...state is sad

For everyone not from Illinois asking about Chicago... yeah that's a no go guys. Just stay the hell away from everywhere listed on this video and everything north of I-80

Vacation Chicago, come for the food stay because you got murdered.

The number one place you should DEFINITELY never move to is Illinois. The whole thing ....

Ive lived in IL for 24 years and it's gone from bad to horrid,luckily I'm leaving next year my advice don't move ANYWHERE in IL it's high property taxes high crime high corruption the worst Governor's & Mayor's that usually wind up going to prison,and the weather is horrible year round humid hot summers and cold snowy winters rainy humid spring and fall is cold & rainy

Average property tax bill in Cook County in 2011 was $3,700. Average property tax bill in Crook County in 2021 is $8,200. The biggest tax breaks go to wealthy land lords who 'provide housing' to others while single family home owners carry the entire county. Avoid Chicago and all of its surrounding suburbs connected to Crook County.

I would move out of here, but I got my conceal carry, my CDL, and I don't want to do those things over again

You need to check out the alto pass/pamona/Cobden area.. pine hills, trail of tears area.. Jackson/union county though some of the roads up in pine hills area are closed above oakwood bottoms. Because it's the only place in the world where Copperhead and timber rattler snakes den together. They are normally mortal enemies everywhere else. And they close those roads down during winter to keep from running over snakes

No joke, I am a trucker and I recently did a 34 hour restart at the Love's in Channahon. During that time, someone stole my landing gear handle...?! Seriously, who does that? Laredo, TX has a problem with semitrailer scavenging but they only take small things like glad hand seals and valve caps. I've never heard of it happening to another driver, I didn't draw attention to myself, and it's on the outskirts of Channahon. I figured it was rural enough to be safe.

LOVE your Illinois videos..

Don't ask me why, but I've been going to RU-vid for entertainment and occasional bits of information for years, and in the last three days I have seen at least a dozen "Anti-Illinois" videos. As a born and bred Illinois boy I found this particularly amusing. I am from a "clearing in a cornfield, across the street from a cattle trucking company", in a village that still to this day nearly 70 years later doesn't even rate being called a Town called Malta, 60 miles due west of the Windy City. Take whatever you consider to be "boredom" and magnify that a million times, and you have described growing up there perfectly. Cold and snow-bound in the winter, hot and rainy in the summer, and as a kid I couldn't wait to get out of there. The only thing about it that was good was most of my friends were musicians, and we jammed our blues away to maintain our sanity. Bicycling was also something we did a lot of, which prepared me for many cross country rides over the past six decades. Probably to the tune of 40,000 miles or more, considering I rode 30,000 miles just going in circles in Eureka over an eight year period. When I turned 16, I was gone like a shot. Never to return. So for that reason I think you're wrong. You aren't stuck there. I had zero money and I left by "alternate transportation", I hopped a freight train and rode it to Denver, Colorado. I found a job and stayed there for a year or so, and when I got tired of the snow there I hit the road with my band and we ended up doing 17 years of one nighters before settling into a nice, cushy job of doing multiple week contracts at casino cabarets in Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe. I'm retired now, and spent the last 25 years living in Arcata and Eureka, California. Unfortunately, my health went south and I had to move somewhere with a little better health care and let my daughter talk me into moving to Kern County, and now I'm the one "stuck in the kernfield", in Bakersfield, California. I've been here six months now and once again I have that "can't wait to get out of here" feeling...

I grew up in Illinois in a very small farm town of 550. My graduating class was 22, our High School was out in the country where 4 small towns sent there children. It was an amazing place to grow up. Illinois is now the worst state in the Country. I am bound to Illinois with Family and a very good Veterans Administration, where I live. The second I am able to move though, Im gone.

I'm happy right here in the Hoosier state of Indiana

I moved out of Rockford to a city that isn't on this list - yay! Still no garden spot 🙄

How bout 9 places in Illinois you could consider moving to, if you had to cause let's face it no one wants to move to Illinois.

in the peoria category, you used pictures of east peoria’s levee district. west peoria is considered a neighborhood in peoria while east peoria is considered a different city separated by a river

Was down in Springfield recently, my God, what a dump!

Always use the Salton Sea area as a comparison to where you live- not so bad, is it? 😃

Trust me, there is no place in Illinois you should move to. The taxes are unbelievable and the government is ridiculous. If you're thinking about moving to Illinois, think again

I'd avoid any mid-size city in Illinois which is reasonably close to Chicago : Rockford , Waukegan , Aurora , Elgin , Peoria , Decatur , etc. Chicago has been leveling the housing projects in the city recently. The displaced criminal element settled in these cities and just brought the lifestyle with them. These cities also have high illegal alien populations as well Once these cities were blue collar but nice , now they are crime-filled dumps.

Anything in Illinois happens in Chicago. Rockford is okay, but as you said, it has a manufacturing economy in a country that runs on a service economy. Unfortunately, that's not unique to Illinois; small towns in America are declining. America runs on a service economy; the money is in service, and service jobs are not in rural America. Also, all the entertainment and events happen in cities. Cities have diverse cultures, people, food, and experiences; small towns don't; they are boring. Getting out of these small towns would be easier if people could get an affordable education and an acceptable social safety net.

Why didn't Belleville make the list?