Macomb, IL

[yumangous]

Hello everyone! I'm looking into Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. I would appreciate any information about the area, especially points on safety, cost of living (e.g. accommodations, food), student life, and weather (I come from a topical country!).

 

Thanks!   

[gsc]

I'm not from Illinois, but I live very close! This part of the country gets shafted weather-wise - expect cold winters with plenty of snow and ice. It's not undoable as long as you invest in good winter clothing, like a coat and boots and hats and gloves. My favorite company is Patagonia; their stuff really holds up and there's a lifetime warranty on everything you get, so you get a lot of life out of it. I'm not sure if you can order Patagonia internationally, but you probably can once you get to the US.

 

The summers, though, are hot and humid, so what you're used to already!

 

Macomb isn't very big and the Midwest as a whole is pretty tame, so I can't imagine safety being a huge issue.

 

If you got bored of Macomb, you would have Peoria (75 miles away) and the Quad Cities (another 75 miles), and of course Chicago (4 hours). Unfortunately, you'd need a car for all of these things. 

[csibaldwin]

I lived in Macomb for 3 years with my wife for undergrad. I thought it was very safe - we lived a couple blocks from campus in the Turnberry Village Apartments, within walking distance. Let me know any specific questions you have. Very small town, 20,000 including dorms. Cost of living is average, our apts were nice, like 735 for a 2 bed 2 bath. Mostly fast food restaurants and ma and pa restaurants. They do have a BWW. Weather is snowy in the winter and pretty hot in the summer - like 80-90's. Fall snd spring are nice 50-70.

Edited October 12, 2013 by csibaldwin