Resource & Relocation Guide. County - Illinois

Transcription

1 Resource & Relocation Guide County - Illinois

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3 2 Table Of Contents Newcomer Information 18 Home Buyer Information 6 Help Hotlines 21 Buyer Mistakes 7 Health & Hospitals 23 How Much Can You Afford 8 Local Education 11 Things To Do 12 State Information 13 County History Champaign County Map Champaign City Map 25 Tips to Selling Your Home 26 Packing Tips 27 Moving Checklist 28 Homefinder Notepad Skyline Publishing Project Coordinator: Dustin Doerr Ad Designer: Teri Burkitt Book Designer: Asha Bohannon

4 Newcomer Information Post Offices US Post Office 202 S. Broadway Ave. (217) US Post Office 600 N. Neil St. (217) Courthouse Utilities Illinois American Water (217) US Post Office 3100 Tatman Ct. (217) US Post Office 302 E. Green St. (217) Ameren (800) US Post Office 2001 N. Mattis Ave. (217) US Post Office 2401 N. Prospect Ave. (217) Champaign County Courthouse 101 E. Main St. (217) AT&T (217) Champaign County Sheriff E. Main St. - (217) Police Fire Champaign Police 82 E. University Ave. (217) Fisher Police 108 Front St. Fisher, IL (217) Gibson City Police 109 E. 8th St. Gibson City, IL (217) Mahomet Police 303 E. Oak St. Mahomet, IL (217) Rantoul Police 109 E. Grove Ave. Rantoul, IL (217) Carroll Fire 1811 Brownfield Rd. (217) Champaign Fire 307 S. Randolph St. (217) Champaign Fire 3911 Windsor Rd. (217) Champaign Fire 702 W. Bradley Ave. (217) Champaign Fire 1810 N. Mattis Ave. (217) Champaign Fire 1901 S. Prospect Ave. (217) Paxton Fire 310 N. Market St. Paxton, IL (217) Savoy Village Fire 106 W. Tomaras Ave. Savoy, IL (217) Urbana Fire 400 S. Vine St. (217) Rantoul Utilities (217) Sangamon Valley Public Wate (217) Nicor Gas (888) Sprint (217) Verizon (217) Urbana Police 400 S. Vine St. (217) Champaign Fire 2315 W. John St. (217)

5 Health & Hospitals Champaign-Urbana Public Health District 201 W. Kenyon Rd. (217) Dial 911for Emergencies Carle Foundation Hospital 611 W. Park St. (217) Christie Clinic 1710 E. Windsor Rd. (217) Presence Covenant Medical Center 1400 W. Park St. (217) The Pavilion Behavioral Health System 809 W. Church St. (217)

6 Local School Districts Regional Office of Education # 9 Champaign-Ford Counties (217) Champaign CSD #4 (217) Fisher CUSD #1 (217) Gifford Community CGSD #188 (217) Heritage CUSD #8 (217) Ludlow CCSD #142 (217) Rantoul Township High School #193 (217) St. Joseph CCSD #169 (217) St. Joseph-Ogden CHSD #305 (217) Thomasboro CCGS #130 (217) Tolono CUSD #7 (217) Urbana School District #116 (217) Mahomet-Seymour CSD #3 (217) Rantoul City Schools #137 (217) When Registering Your Children For School, Please Remember To Bring Current Immunization Record & Birth Certificate Name & Address Of Last School Attended Last Report Card & Any Scores Obtained From Standardized Tests Colleges & Universities Beckman Institute For Advanced Science & Technology 405 N. Mathews M/C 251 (217) College of Business at Illinois 515 E. Gregory Dr. (217) Parkland College 2400 W. Bradley Ave. (217) University of Illinois 901 W. Illinois St. (217) College of Medicine at Illinois 506 S. Mathews Ave. (217)

7 Champaign County Curtis Orchard 3902 S. Duncan Rd. (217) Joe s Brewery 706 S. 5th St. (217) John Philip Sousa Library & Museum 1103 S. 6th St. (217) Krannert Art Museum 500 E. Peabody Dr. (217) Krannert Center for the Performing Arts 500 S. Goodwin Ave. (217) Marketplace Shopping Center 2000 N. Neil St. (217) Museum of Natural History 1301 W. Green St. (217) Orpheum Children's Science Museum 346 N. Neil St. (217) Parkland Art Gallery 2400 W. Bradley Ave. (217) Prairie Farm 2202 W. Kirby Ave. (217) Station Theatre 223 N. Broadway Ave. (217) The Canopy Club Concert Venue 708 S. Goodwin Ave. (217) U of I Arboretum 2001 S. Lincoln Ave. (217) U of I Assembly Hall 1800 S. 1st St. (217) Urbana Civic Center 108 E. Water St. (217) Virginia Theatre 203 W. Park Ave. (217) William M. Staerkel Planetarium 2400 W. Bradley Ave. (217) and so much more! 10 Meadowbrook Park 2808 S. Race St. Memorial Stadium 1402 S. 1st St. (217) The Urbana Free Library 210 W. Green St. (217) U of I Spurlock Museum 600 S. Gregory St. (217)

8 12 Illinois I llinois, the Prairie State, gets its popular name from having a broad, level landscape. Located in the heart of the Midwest, the fertile soil and long growing season make it an important agricultural state. Its the leading producer of soybeans and corn. Also grown in large quantities are wheat, oats, barley, rye and sorghum. Important to Illinois economy are hogs, pigs and cattle. Because manufacturing is more important than farming to the state, Illinois is also a major industrial state, and their products include electronic equipment and chemicals. Chicago, the largest city in Illinois, is a major center for rail and truck transportation, as well as for the Great Lakes shipping traffic. It is also home of O Hare Airport. During the 1800 s and early 1900 s Illinois factories and stockyards were the workplaces where many of America s labor unions were first formed. The Mississippi forms the western border of the state from Galena to Cairo in the south. Prehistoric inhabitants have left evidence that there have been dwellers on the plains since 4000 B.C. A period of burial mound buildings were formed after 1000 B.C. One of the largest Native American mounds in the country, Monk s Mound, is located in the southwest near St. Louis. The name Illinois comes from the tribe that called themselves Illiniwek or superior men, which once resided in the area. In the early 1600 s, French fur traders were the first Europeans. Springfield, which is located near the center of the state, was the home of a young lawyer, congressman and finally president, Abraham Lincoln. His remains lay in a tomb in the town cemetery. A state park in the village of New Salem honors FUN FACTS Capital Springfield Area 57,914 sq. mi. (149,986 sq. km) Population 12,653,554 (2004) Largest Cities Chicago (9,333,511) Peoria (365,995) Statehood December 3, 1818 Rank: 21st Principal Rivers Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois, Wabash Highest Point Charles Mound Motto State Sovereignty, National Union his time there as a storekeeper, law student and surveyor. he Chicago skyline is a sight to see, as its skyscrapers give Tdimension to the vast night sky. Birthplace of the skyscrapers, Chicago is the third-largest city in the United States. This city is widely known for having some of the tallest buildings, which include The Willis Tower, as well as The John Hancock Building, The Ion Tower, and the The Trump International Hotel and Tower, all of which rank in the top 10 in the world. State Symbols White Oak Cardinal Illinois Native Violet Champaign County History 1826 In 1822, the first settlers came through the tall prairie grasses. Runnel and Mary Fielder followed a Native American trail to the area and built a cabin in a grove of trees that would become the first settlement. They were joined by others, like the Busey family, who farmed the rich land by the trees in an area which they would call Big Grove. The pioneers worked hard to raise crops, make their own clothing and raise livestock. They endured many hardships, like prairie fires, floods, and disease from mosquitoes that lived on the swampy lands. Still, they helped each other raise cabins and barns, had picnics together, and celebrated life with fiddle music and dancing. As Big Grove got bigger, some of the settlers decided that they wanted to form their own county. This would save them long trips to Danville, which was the current county seat. State Senator Vance agreed with the settlers and Champaign County was formed, named after Champaign County, Ohio, where Senator Vance grew up. A place was picked for the county seat, and it was named Urbana, after the senator s hometown in Ohio. The settlers celebrated the formation of their new town in a ceremony on July 4, Urbana would soon have a store, a jail and a courthouse, and then a blacksmith shop, a schoolhouse, and its own newspaper. Though Urbana grew, there was something slowing it down. The farmers in Urbana had to travel too far to sell their produce to other towns, and the roads were bad, sometimes too muddy to travel at all. That is why everyone in Urbana was excited when they learned that the railroad was coming their way. It would run from Chicago to Mobile, Alabama and would pass right through Urbana, or at least that is what the people of Urbana thought. The railroad, after studying the land, decided to run the railroad tracks two miles west of Urbana, instead. The land was flatter there, they said. The people of Urbana were upset, and some suggested that they move their homes to the railroad tracks. The land there was swampy, though, and the settlers decided to keep the town where it was. The area around the tracks began to be settled by others. In 1854, a train depot was built, then a steam mill, stores, a church, and a post office. The little town that began to grow was named West Urbana, after the name given to the post office there. West Urbana grew like wildfire, until it was much bigger than Urbana. In 1861 they voted to make their town into a city, and to name it Champaign. This worried the people of Urbana. What if the city of Champaign tried to take over the county seat? Urbana, to assure that this would not happen, tore down its ten year old courthouse, and built another one so big and fancy they would be sure to keep the county seat! Both cities grew, with a mile and a half of open land between them. Planks had been laid to make a road across the swampy land and a horse drawn streetcar took people back and forth between the cities. It wouldn t be long, though, before something important would fill this land. It began when a reverend from Champaign decided to build training school for ministers there. After finishing one huge five-story building, though, the Civil War interrupted their work, and the school was never finished. The huge building, which was nicknamed the Elephant, sat empty for a time, until another idea came along for its use. The people of Champaign-Urbana learned that the state of Illinois was looking for a place to build the downstate branch of a college to teach agriculture. They decided that the area between the towns would be just right for a college. The people elected Clark Griggs to the State Legislature, his main task to convince the government to select Champaign-Urbana as the site for this college. It was lucky when Mr. Griggs was named the head of the committee that selected the city for this branch! He was able to convince the committee to select Champaign-Urbana over the many other cities who wanted the college. The new college was called Illinois Industrial University, and it opened in 1868 with 77 students. They lived in and took classes in the Elephant building, which the University named Old Main Hall. The University added many subjects to those it taught. It would later change its name to the University of Illinois and would grow to become one of the best universities in the nation. As the University grew, Champaign tried to extend its borders to claim all of the University as its own. The people of Urbana, of course, put a stop to it. Both cities were having troubles of their own. They both battled big fires. Old wooden buildings burned down and were replaced with new brick ones. In the meantime, both cities added businesses. Urbana added a new railroad line and the Big Four Shops, where trains were repaired. Champaign built a library, and both cities began to enjoy electric power and water. Streetcars took people through town, and steam dredges plowed out drainage ditches outside of town to help farmers grow more crops on the swampy land. Champaign and Urbana moved into the 1900s with spirit. There were parades and celebrations. A steam dredge dug a lake in Crystal Lake Park and a steamboat took people for rides in the new lake. Amusement parks were built. When World War I and World War II broke out farmers grew extra crops, and everyone pitched in to help. The cities kept on growing. They tried to combine again, both in 1953 and in 1980, but both times voters said no. More businesses were built, along with the assembly hall and Parkland College. By the year 2000, Champaign measured 17 square miles and had a population of 67,518 people. Urbana was ten miles square with a population of 36,395. Both cities have wonderful schools, great parks, and great libraries. We can be proud of our history and of the many people who have built our cities!

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13 How much House Can You Afford? How much you can afford is determined by a relatively simple formula. Lenders generally figure that no more than 28 percent of your income should be for total housing costs. In addition, they require that your total monthly debt be less than 36 percent of your income. (Note: These are general numbers. Other loan programs may allow higher percentages.) For example, if you make $48,000 a year, divided by 12 months, your monthly income is $4,000. (Remember, that s $48,000 in gross pay, before federal and state taxes are removed.) Twenty-eight percent of $4,000 is $1,120. That is the most you can make in a monthly mortgage, taxes, and insurance payments. Generally, to qualify, the self-employed buyer must have been self-employed in the same line of work for at least 24 months before applying for a loan. Lenders use your net income, the figure at the bottom of schedule C of your federal income tax form, to decide how large a mortgage you can carry. But they don t look at what you earn now or what you made last year. Rather lenders figure the monthly average of your income over the past 24 months. Also, overtime pay & bonuses sometimes may not be figured into your average income. Don t forget that points, closing costs & other out-of-the-pocket expenses probably will come out to about one percent of the mortgage amount

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15 26 27 Packing Strategies Supplies: Preparing to move: A strategy for packing: Packing for efficiency: - -

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