Urbana-Champaign, IL

[bigjumps]

I'm moving to Urbana in August, and as I'm moving from overseas I'll need to set up a new bank account, find a cell phone company to use, and many other things like that. I'd appreciate some recommendations on good banks for grad students (handy to campus and helpful with queries/problems), cell phone companies with the best rates and coverage, the best wireless internet etc. I'm also moving into an unfurnished 1 bedroom apartment, so recommendations on where to buy cheap furniture and kitchen things when I arrive would be incredibly useful as well! I'll definitely try craigslist, but I won't have a car, so won't be able to pick up any furniture I buy second-hand. Are there people or companies who do pick-ups and transportation for that sort of thing?

[Ludwig von Dracula]

Please let me know if this is an improper use of this forum, but I am moving out of my apartment in Urbana in May to go have a baby back home, and it is available for sublet starting then (and still available for next year, for what it's worth).  PM me if you are interested in a sublet, or feel free to ask any questions about the city.

[PoliSwede]

Making a friendly bump in this thread.

 

Since I might be attending UofI, I am interested in good neighborhoods in CU and good landlords in the area. I am more interested in renting a house than an apartment, so any help on where to look is greatly appreciated! I did get a long list of landlords from the tenant union, but it'd be nice to hear from people who actually have been forced to live with some of the landlords.

 

Thanks!

[evolution786]

Any input on public transportation in the cities? Also, I'm curious about parking near residential areas. Is street parking fairly prominent or will I have to pay for parking every month? I'll be near the engineering campus if that helps.

[khaled]

Any ideas about one-north apartments? 

[nackteziege]

Any input on public transportation in the cities? Also, I'm curious about parking near residential areas. Is street parking fairly prominent or will I have to pay for parking every month? I'll be near the engineering campus if that helps.

 

I visited and the bus system is great; everyone loves it and everyone seems to utilize it to get around town.  I know that often you have to pay for parking with your apartment, and some apartments give you the option of buying a spot or not (which is nice if you won't have a car but it doesn't seem that's the case).

[civil]

hii everyone, i m joining UIUC as a graduate student for fall 2013 and i m considering all the housing options both on campus and off campus. 

Could anyone review the following housing options. 

 

Dorms (daniels and sherman), on campus apartments (goodwin-green, ashton woods and orchad downs) or places nearby.

 

[khaled]

hii everyone, i m joining UIUC as a graduate student for fall 2013 and i m considering all the housing options both on campus and off campus. 

Could anyone review the following housing options. 

 

Dorms (daniels and sherman), on campus apartments (goodwin-green, ashton woods and orchad downs) or places nearby.

 

If you contact the tenant union they will provide you with complaint records of landlords : ) 

[civil]

If you contact the tenant union they will provide you with complaint records of landlords : ) 

I dont have the university account ID yet, its better to have others opinion

[PoliSwede]

I dont have the university account ID yet, its better to have others opinion

You don't need a University account/ID in order to receive a list from the tenant union.

[civil]

campus property management and university groups have very nice cheap apartments to stay but there rating isn't gud. What sort of trouble one should be expecting from them. 

 

Also does any have idea about 610 east stoughton urbana apartments.

[sweetpearl16]

campus property management and university groups have very nice cheap apartments to stay but there rating isn't gud. What sort of trouble one should be expecting from them. 

 

Also does any have idea about 610 east stoughton urbana apartments.

 

 

I sent you a PM

[SensLu]

I can say from live and working at UofI last summer it was a big change being from a big city and liking a big city atmosphere.  The place is really boring and everyone seems to care about their sports team.  However, if you love the college town atmosphere then it's great.  I really like the infrastructure they had in place.  I loved working for the university, they are very organized and everyone is humble and nice. 

 

I live in a sublet but from apartment searching the prices range from the $400s to the $600s if you're staying off campus and living in a house with others.  You can find single person apartments starting at a little over $600.  I prefer a quite atmosphere and you don't want to live within 3 blocks of campus.

 

Don't let the area fool you, crime is an issue.  They actually had an increase of crimes by campus the summer I lived there.  The crimes in my opinion are typical of public campuses but some people I talked too seemed to make a big deal about it.  But I do find it trouble within blocks of campus someone bashed in a bunch of car windows in one street.  While I was looking at apartments, I asked the guy I lived with that I heard it on the radio and he seemed to brush it off as no big.  I ended up working longer at the university and moving further away from campus, the area that's considered "worse". The area was actually nicer and quiet.  No crime reports in that area in a year.  So I guess it's prospective on what people consider to be safe.  Looks aren't everything.

 

The other parts are Champaign-Urbana are nice too.  They have really nice houses.  If you want to live in a quiet place I recommend staying a little further from campus, don't live too close to Lincoln street. Too much noise and partying for me.  I'm young, but I never digged that party in college all the time thing.

 

The area is really what you make it, I just personally prefer to live somewhere, where I have the option to do a lot of activities other than go to the same bars or interpretive dance concerts.

 

With that said, the actual university is top-notch in my opinion as far as quality, organization, services and community. OMG and an orchard in a neighboring city sells the best apple cider slushee I've ever had

Edited May 2, 2013 by SensLu

[yysqhjrbu]

how is it living in the area near the armory? i saw there is a new residential area there. is it to loud and to much noise there?

I can say from live and working at UofI last summer it was a big change being from a big city and liking a big city atmosphere.  The place is really boring and everyone seems to care about their sports team.  However, if you love the college town atmosphere then it's great.  I really like the infrastructure they had in place.  I loved working for the university, they are very organized and everyone is humble and nice. 

 

I live in a sublet but from apartment searching the prices range from the $400s to the $600s if you're staying off campus and living in a house with others.  You can find single person apartments starting at a little over $600.  I prefer a quite atmosphere and you don't want to live within 3 blocks of campus.

 

Don't let the area fool you, crime is an issue.  They actually had an increase of crimes by campus the summer I lived there.  The crimes in my opinion are typical of public campuses but some people I talked too seemed to make a big deal about it.  But I do find it trouble within blocks of campus someone bashed in a bunch of car windows in one street.  While I was looking at apartments, I asked the guy I lived with that I heard it on the radio and he seemed to brush it off as no big.  I ended up working longer at the university and moving further away from campus, the area that's considered "worse". The area was actually nicer and quiet.  No crime reports in that area in a year.  So I guess it's prospective on what people consider to be safe.  Looks aren't everything.

 

The other parts are Champaign-Urbana are nice too.  They have really nice houses.  If you want to live in a quiet place I recommend staying a little further from campus, don't live too close to Lincoln street. Too much noise and partying for me.  I'm young, but I never digged that party in college all the time thing.

 

The area is really what you make it, I just personally prefer to live somewhere, where I have the option to do a lot of activities other than go to the same bars or interpretive dance concerts.

 

With that said, the actual university is top-notch in my opinion as far as quality, organization, services and community. OMG and an orchard in a neighboring city sells the best apple cider slushee I've ever had

[SensLu]

I sent you a message.  The building was still under construction and it's a lot of student housing over there, so it depends on your preference.  I believe many of the graduate students live in other areas, like over in Urbana.

[emusareposh]

I come from places with hills, and the flatness of Illinois is terrifying to me. How far do I have to go to find some legitimate topography?

[TeaOverCoffee]

So out of curiosity, if a Muslim woman were to walk around the city with a scarf on her head, how would the people react? Obviously there will be stares anywhere she goes, but would they treat her like an outcast or actually speak to her like any other woman would be treated? 

[sqxz]

I've only visited Champaign-Urbana once, but my sense is that she would be treated like any other woman. The undergraduate and graduate student bodies as well as the faculty at Illinois are extremely diverse. (I don't have any data on religion, but, according to CollegeBoard, only 53% of the undergraduate student body is white, and the rest is international students and ethnic minorities.) So, if nothing else, the non-university-affiliated people of Champaign-Urbana will be used to seeing a diverse variety of people around town. However, I also suspect that, if she were to come across someone from the immediate surrounding rural area, she may have more problems with being treated differently.

 

I know @sweetpearl16 is currently a graduate student at UIUC and is still active on this site, so perhaps she can give a more complete and less speculative answer to your question.

 

 

So out of curiosity, if a Muslim woman were to walk around the city with a scarf on her head, how would the people react? Obviously there will be stares anywhere she goes, but would they treat her like an outcast or actually speak to her like any other woman would be treated? 

 

 

I sent you a PM

[davet73]

I come from places with hills, and the flatness of Illinois is terrifying to me. How far do I have to go to find some legitimate topography?

 

Sorry to say, but you are going to be out of luck on this one. Most elevation changes happen south of Effingham. Any place that has a river does have some changes, but only right next to the river. But, yeah, it is farmland for as far as the eye can see (and as far as the car can drive on a tank of gas).

[domarps123]

Sorry, if this post is digressing. Anyone headed to UIUC this Fall?

[macmurfy]

Sorry, if this post is digressing. Anyone headed to UIUC this Fall?

Yes,I am.I will be moving from out of state,so I'm trying to find current housing information. Need quiet safe area, I can afford to live alone. Distance from campus is fine if it means better accommodation.

[TXInstrument11]

I'm probably going to accept UIUC's offer. I would prefer to live with someone though, so it may be a bit harder for me to find a room. Thankfully, I already know some current grad students that may be able to provide me with some more direction. 

[truek]

I'm from the Southeast and I hate the cold. How in trouble am I?

[sqxz]

You should only be in trouble for about 3 months out of the year. I come from Minneapolis, and this past winter was much shorter and more mild than what I'm used to. However, coming from the Southeast, you should prepare yourself for a real winter with sub-freezing and occasional sub-zero temperatures and several inches of snow.

 

 

I'm from the Southeast and I hate the cold. How in trouble am I?

[matsciisawesome]

Sorry, if this post is digressing. Anyone headed to UIUC this Fall?

yeppp....i am gng....material science program