Is Danville a good place to live?

My husband and I may have to move to Danville for his job. I am 23 and have an 11 month old son. I am from a small southern town and TERRIFIED to move...just wondering what Danville and surrounding areas are like?

Welcome!! Moving is always scary, especially when you have a small child. My husband and I moved to Danville about this time last year. We have found the people very friendly, but have found you need to get out to places to meet people, they don't come to you. The town is a bit run down, but work is underway to improve that. I am a pediatrician, so I do a lot with the kids here and interact alot with the schools. There are some really good ones here but also some bad ones. I recommend you rent here for a short time to get to know the town and the different areas to live. It is really a beautiful area in general, and there are lots of fun parks including a park specially designed for special needs kids. Also lots of youth sports programs available, but again, you need to seek them out - they aren't heavily advertised. Health care varies - take your time and ask questions in finding good doctors for your family. Let me know if you have any specific questions.....

hmaes wrote:

Welcome!! Moving is always scary, especially when you have a small child. My husband and I moved to Danville about this time last year. We have found the people very friendly, but have found you need to get out to places to meet people, they don't come to you. The town is a bit run down, but work is underway to improve that. I am a pediatrician, so I do a lot with the kids here and interact alot with the schools. There are some really good ones here but also some bad ones. I recommend you rent here for a short time to get to know the town and the different areas to live. It is really a beautiful area in general, and there are lots of fun parks including a park specially designed for special needs kids. Also lots of youth sports programs available, but again, you need to seek them out - they aren't heavily advertised. Health care varies - take your time and ask questions in finding good doctors for your family. Let me know if you have any specific questions.....

Thanks for the advice! I've been trying to research the town a little, bit can't really tell a whole lot. Is it a small town? I don't think this will be a permanent move, so my husband's company will pay for a rental home...do you know anything about the rental properties?

The city of Danville itself is about 35,000, but there a bunch of little towns surrounding it, so the total in the area is closer to 50,000. There are a few apartment complexes, but I would advise renting a house. The housing sale market here has been slow as with the rest of the country, so a lot of the sellers are more than willing to rent out a home for 6-12 months. I would suggest contacting a real estate agent here about that - that's who helped us find a rental house when we first moved here, and they made sure we were in a good neighborhood. If you need some names, let me know and I can suggest a few. We have one medium size mall here, several good grocery stores, a nice variety of inexpensive restaurants. There is a Walmart and Big-K for discount stores (no Target), we have a Sears, Elder-Beerman (which is knid of like Macy's), and a few other nice stores. The other really nice thing is that Champaign Illinois, where the University of Illinois is, is jsut a quick 30 minute trip down the interstate, and they have just about everything you could want there. We also have a Lowe's and Menard's (which is a big home improvement store up here) if you are into do it yourself home stuff!!

Wow! 50000 people is a HUGE town to me...my town only has around 3500 people in it so this might be a little overwhelming to me lol...we have been told it should only be about 6 months, so if you could give me the names of some good realtors that would be great. Thanks!

Hello newcomer! Yes, it's a good place to live. If you've not Google-searched for general info, try http://www.vermilionadvantage.com/portal/inde...

Danville IL is a beautiful area with many outstanding parks, fine people, and good opportunities if you look. It is widespread but has a small-town feel. Not Southern hospitality but Midwestern, just as friendly and helpful.

There should be Realtor and Yellow Pages links right on your Topix page but if not, try http://www.topix.com/yp/danville-il/search...

Good luck in your move and don't be afraid!:o)

i dont live in danville, i reside in a small community outside of danville but i assure you your move shouldnt be "scary". though we dont necessarily have alot to offer as far as some towns do, it is small town living. plus if your looking places to go or things to see outside our general vicinity we are in a perfect location! resting an 1 1/2 hr from Indy, 2 hrs from Chicago, Peoria and St Louis all within reasonable driving distance. Its nice to have options if you get bored with our natural scenery and things we offer here. There are some wonderful people in our town, but like all communities there are some areas/people that are less desireable! i agree with the previous poster...get in touch with a real estate agent to help you find what your looking for as far as rentals. you may also want to explore some of the smaller towns on the outskirts of Danville, may make you feel more at home! its good to see people coming into town for work rather then leaving for it!

Haydensmom4610 wrote:

My husband and I may have to move to Danville for his job. I am 23 and have an 11 month old son. I am from a small southern town and TERRIFIED to move...just wondering what Danville and surrounding areas are like?

http://www.city-data.com/city/Danville-Illino...

It's nice that all of these people are trying to be up-beat, but I grew up in Danville, and it is one of the worst towns I've ever encountered. But don't take it from me..the crime rate is over double the national average, every year the high school graduates kids that can barely read, the police here are just as bad as the criminals and won't show up when you call them, and we have some of the lowest housing prices in the country (for good reason). At least half to 2/3 of this town is a GHETTO, and most everyone is on government assistance. People are robbed at gas stations and the grocery store, when they're not trying to sell you their food stamps.

I'm warning you, Danville is a horrible town and the people posting this crap to you are doing it because they can't admit they live in a sh*thole. IF you move here, move to Catlin, Georgetown, Oakwood, Bismarck, Rossville, or even Hoopeston.(see city-data for info in these towns..much better, especially for someone moving from a small town). They are close enough for your husband to drive to work, but get you away from all of the street thugs, and you won't be taxed to death for living in a trashy town.

If you REALLY want to know about Danville, Google "Danville IL church bombing", or "Danville IL triple homicide". These give a clearer view of Danville then middle-aged people that will tell you "crime is up everywhere, not just Danville" and sugarcoat the facts. Come visit, stay at the hotels on Lynch road and drive down Main street in the middle of the day...see all those people walking? They're not at work because they're on welfare! Drive around streets like Lake, Cronkhite, and Virginia....see all those kids walking around openly smoking weed when they should be in school.. see the cops drive by without even a second look? That's the REAL Danville.

I'm only telling you this because you have an eleven month child, and it's not fair for these people to tell you b.s. to make themselves feel better about their crappy town. You will NOT be happy here. Your child WILL end up being exposed to drugs and guns in our schools. Heck, even our STDs occur at an epidemic rate.

If you decide to move to the area, we'd be happy to have you....but NEVER buy a house or live in the immediate vicinity of Danville, Illinois unless you want to guarantee being robbed or worse, and the police doing nothing to help you. You WILL be dissapointed!

hmaes wrote:

Welcome!! Moving is always scary, especially when you have a small child. My husband and I moved to Danville about this time last year. We have found the people very friendly, but have found you need to get out to places to meet people, they don't come to you. The town is a bit run down, but work is underway to improve that. I am a pediatrician, so I do a lot with the kids here and interact alot with the schools. There are some really good ones here but also some bad ones. I recommend you rent here for a short time to get to know the town and the different areas to live. It is really a beautiful area in general, and there are lots of fun parks including a park specially designed for special needs kids. Also lots of youth sports programs available, but again, you need to seek them out - they aren't heavily advertised. Health care varies - take your time and ask questions in finding good doctors for your family. Let me know if you have any specific questions.....

You've lived here for what? 1 or 2 years? In Chateau Estates or Denvale West? I could say alot of good things about any place if I could live in one of the only good neighborhoods left. Most people don't have doctorate degrees and the freedom to live anywhere we want in town.

Tell her about the graduation rate at the high school, or the shootings out east every week, or the cop that put a gun to a kids head when he was off-duty, or all of the heroin that came into town with all of the Chicago transplants.

Denying Danville is a crappy and dying town is equivalent to denying the Holocaust.

Dave, I can't say that Danville is the best place to live, but it isn't quite as bad as you portray it. Yes, there are parts of town that are run down and have higher crime, just as there are nice parts. If Danville has any hope of improving the quality of life of its residents, it is by growth in its working population. The more businesses there are and the larger those businesses get, the more jobs, more employed (vs. unemployed) residents, and more discretionary income to support the businesses, stores, etc... I haven't lived in Danville all my life, but I have been here long enough to know that Danville is not a dead city. When I buy stuff, I buy it in town rather than driving to Champaign or Indy. There are a lot of hard working people here that should take your words as a slap in the face. We are not all on drugs, welfare, etc...

Holy crap wrote:

Dave, I can't say that Danville is the best place to live, but it isn't quite as bad as you portray it. Yes, there are parts of town that are run down and have higher crime, just as there are nice parts. If Danville has any hope of improving the quality of life of its residents, it is by growth in its working population. The more businesses there are and the larger those businesses get, the more jobs, more employed (vs. unemployed) residents, and more discretionary income to support the businesses, stores, etc... I haven't lived in Danville all my life, but I have been here long enough to know that Danville is not a dead city. When I buy stuff, I buy it in town rather than driving to Champaign or Indy. There are a lot of hard working people here that should take your words as a slap in the face. We are not all on drugs, welfare, etc...

And where are these people going to work? Give me one example of the city fathers bringing a major employer to this town in the last 5 years.

I DID live in Danville for 28 of my 31 years, and yes, you're right...obviously, EVERYONE isn't on welfare or drugs...only a solid 65-75% from what I see.

Were any of you going to tell this woman that we absorbed 800 former residents of Cabrini Greens.Were you going to tell her how low are schools rate nationally? Was anyone going to tell her about property taxes, or the fact that the entire Danville city government is a big joke? That all they've accomplished in the past 5 years is painting pretty pictures on a few brick walls downtown (so you don't notice the broken windows and abandoned buildings)?

This is my hometown and I have fond memories of when a kid COULD ride their bike or leave the house at night without getting beat up. You think I don't WANT to say my hometown's awesome? Do you think I don't WANT to say it's a beautiful town with people that care? THAT ALL ENDED YEARS AGO!!!

So now I'm supposed to smile, bite my tongue, and ignore the fact that Danville is NOT a good place to live or, for that matter, raise children. Screw That! I'm not going to roll a dog turd in sugar and say it's candy so that the FEW decent people left can pretend they live in Shangri-La.

Those people in rose colored glasses ARE the problem, because they keep denying the truth, and in turn keep voting in the people that caused this mess, because in their minds, their is no mess...everything's hunky dorey right?

There's no crime...those gunshots on the east-end every night are fireworks right? Those young men are smoking tobacco in rolling papers? That guy standing on the corner isn't selling crack, he's a member of the neighborhood watch, huh? The police do a GREAT job fighting crime...that's why we're at double the national average.

Let's see, we had a child running naked down the street because her mother said she's drown her, the three people murdered on Main at 6 AM (no arrests..SURPRISE), the church bomber, the sex offender that broke in a house on the east-end and was caught raping a woman at knifepoint (go police!..1 arrest out of 500 crimes, definitely an improvement). How about the gang in the white van that were robbing houses up north, were they ever caught? I don't think they were.

Great freakin town guys...I would definitely want to raise my eleven month old child here.

You're all selfish, for wanting to drag someone else into this town so you can go to bed thinking there's one more nice family in Danville, when all you did was lure more victims.

Don't forget he kid that was shot on Chandler because they broke in the wrong house.

Or the guy that shot that woman to death with a shotgun after he chased her through the neighborhood....that was up north wasn't it? In the "nice" neighborhood?

Oh, and the round of bribes surrounding the mayoral race is just more of the same....goes to show that a criminal town is run by criminals.

Thank you everyone soooo much for your honesty!!!!!!! I actually found out this evening that my husband and will actually be staying in WV after all :)

Good for you. I wish you all of the best. I've always thought West Virginia was a beautiful place.

Holy crap wrote:

Dave, I can't say that Danville is the best place to live, but it isn't quite as bad as you portray it. Yes, there are parts of town that are run down and have higher crime, just as there are nice parts. If Danville has any hope of improving the quality of life of its residents, it is by growth in its working population. The more businesses there are and the larger those businesses get, the more jobs, more employed (vs. unemployed) residents, and more discretionary income to support the businesses, stores, etc... I haven't lived in Danville all my life, but I have been here long enough to know that Danville is not a dead city. When I buy stuff, I buy it in town rather than driving to Champaign or Indy. There are a lot of hard working people here that should take your words as a slap in the face. We are not all on drugs, welfare, etc...

Welcome to the club....I feel like I've been slapped in the face everytime I drive through Danville, or read the commercial news, or here about another OD, or I'm offered food stamps for sale, or go to traffic court and see EVERY charge dropped on EVERY person (but the county needs cash), etc. etc.

I'm sorry if I offended all of you, but this is my opinion and this is still the USA. The fact is, if everyone complained about the way things were instead of throwing there hands up and saying "oh well" or just denying anything's wrong altogether, the elected officials would see that they have to do something and they WOULD. Otherwise, they'll just continue doing the bare minimum to stay in charge.

Now you can all call me a jerk and a liar.....but not ONE of you can refute one thing I've posted about this town because it's all true.

I think that begs the question, is Danville really a nice place to live? Or have you just been living here long enough that the crime, the blight, and the crooked officials seem normal.

I used to think they called us "little Chicago" because of the crime. Now I see that our police and elected officials are also very similiar.

How quaint.

The only real difference is that Chicago actually has wealth, jobs, and people that want to go there, and Danville has...?

Thank you Dave for your honesty. Not one thing was a misrepresentation or exaggeration. You are merely stating what we all know, but, sadly, most are too afraid or apathetic to admit. You left out the pedophiles. There has been talk for years about certain officials, business owners, etc. "liking boys or little girls." But it is ignored or covered up. Very infrequently, one is exposed but soon it disappears from the news. And the corruption is rampant--both city and county. And if the pattern continues in this election I am afraid to say there will be more of the same. Where are the informed, intelligent and indignant residents willing to stand up and demand a change? Look at the statistics for voting. People either do not care or have given up. That means the downward cycle will continue. There are a couple of honest individuals willing to try to make a difference in the city's operation, but will either one of them be given the chance?

well pedophiles dont just reside, live and lurk in danville. small tight knit communities harbored one, trusted one, and supported one! it doesnt matter the size of the community....every one has a dark side! danville unfortunately has struggled, yes it has more than its share of crime. but it is a place many have chosen to call home. there are many people that try to make a difference to turn this place around....it may not work but at least they are trying. sitting back badmouthing or condemning the town isnt helping to make it a little better. i font live in danville, i live in a small town on the outskirts. i thought it was a safe place to raise my children, little did i know i just exposed them to a monster who ripped our world apart. however, my child chose to make a difference....and put a stop to a monster! all this to make a community safer!!

Well, Dave, you must've made someone feel mighty relieved and happy about not being doomed to disintegrate in "Damnville" for a mere six months!

Sure, I've always heard "Danville is a good place to be FROM" -- even before the factories closed and lowlifes ballooned. Just one look at the dismal downtown shows undeniable decline.(Sorry, but it really IS a national if not world-wide decline, so poor old Danville really shouldn't be singled out so fiercely. Of course, that fact doesn't help!)

I hate the decay too, and certainly agree that those who refuse even to acknowledge problems only increase them. But I don't think any poster here has claimed the place is Paradise. Still, I'm glad you were moved to refute any purely rosy image.

Putting aside both blinders and blame though, I believe more in SELF-RELIANCE and PERSONAL EFFORT, than in expecting much "help" from a locality's politicians, authorities, or even parents, schools and churches. Every able-bodied and clear-minded person is ultimately responsible for creating the condition of his/her own life and immediate surroundings, no one and nothing else should be. Yes, demoralization can be justified and is "catching," but adversity CAN also build strength, character and determination NOT to be a down-and-outer or a victim. Hard times and mean places do not solely produce griping, giving up, handout-grabbing, crime and all else you denounce. As "victim's mom" just pointed out, some (granted, never enough!) choose actively to try to improve upon a bad scene than to let it fester or worsen.

So I still think "good" is to be found in and around Danville (or anywhere, for that matter), as others here have stated, IF A PERSON SEEKS IT,(especially starting WITHIN). After all, perhaps you'd not have the courage and clarity to speak up about the ugliness, had you not experienced and rebelled from it in your own hometown. So THAT's a good thing, isn't it?

I am sorry Dave is so disillusioned. I think life is what you make out of it. I have lived in many different cities over the years, some larger, some smaller than Danville. And in each one of those communities, there were always problems. Some people just like to dwell on those things, and refuse to see the other side of the coin. Yes, there are drop-outs at DHS. There are also bright, wonderful kids there that have made it and have gone on to great things and professions, and there are still kids there like that - I see them in my office daily. It just takes extra effort. They don't dwell on what they don't have, they make the most of what they do have available to them. The people who just sit back and complain about the evils of any city need to seek out the good and take responsibility for their pleasure or displeasure, instead of using that time to disillusion others.