Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

In many college towns, the schools utterly dominate and everything you can do in town is driven by the school. The schools may offer a lot of sports/cultural activities but if you don’t want to hang out on campus or are tired of the college/student scene then you’re out of luck. Champaign-Urbana is big enough to offer you both worlds. The school has all the energy, sports, culture, and education amenities a local could want or have access to but the towns of Champaign and Urbana each offer interesting downtowns with theaters, music venues, and excellent restaurants, bars, and cafes. For singles, couples, and families who are not students this dual opportunity for social and cultural experiences is a big bonus.

The airport at Champaign-Urbana is pretty tiny, which means you’re going to have to drive a couple of hours to Chicago or Indianapolis for bigger airport route options or a puddle jump to a bigger airport before taking your direct flight. Big travelers will find this a pain. Also, if you want the best outdoor experiences locals will note you need to take a drive – at least 20-30 minutes to smaller local options and an hour plus to the state parks etc..

As noted there is a lot of cultural activity around town, both on and off campus. The Krannert Center is the big performing arts event space on campus and offers free concerts, theater performances, and speaking events. Classes are available for audit on campus and the library systems in both towns are excellent. Both downtowns have excellent traditional American and ethnic food choices. There are theaters and music venues in each town, farmer’s markets, and plenty of parks and city and neighborhood association activities throughout the year. Families enjoy those park systems, ball fields, and excellent school systems that so frequently are found in college towns where professors and locals insist on great public schools for their kiddos.

Check out the calendar of events for CU (Champaign-Urbana) to see what locals do for fun.

We highly recommend visiting Champaign-Urbana and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for living among the locals. You can also receive discounted travel fares via our partnership with Expedia.

Like a lot of college towns, the largest employer here is the university in particular and the education system in general. Healthcare is also very typically #2. Champaign-Urbana, like some of the more robust economic college towns, particularly in the midwest, has some manufacturing, tech, and finance employers and jobs. All of this means you’ll find a more robust economy here than other smaller options. One note of caution – you’re a couple hours from the larger cities of Chicago and Indianapolis so if working remotely is not an option then commuting won’t work if you move here and find yourself needing a job you can’t get in town.