University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

Corn. Farms. Open space. Well, it's a big of an exaggeration, because that's only when you leave the city of Champaign and Urbana and start to head elsewhere. But for the most part, Champaign and Urbana are small towns with small houses. Outside of there, it's cornfields. Like I said.

There's a lot going on past campus boundaries; most of it is for the "grown up" college kids. For one, it's not the most accessible place to get to. You have to take a decent bus ride to get there, as if you weren't far enough away from the action! A few highlights are the vintage mom and pop businesses in the surrounding community. It's nothing lavish, but it can be pretty entertaining to walk into an instrument store, a vacuum cleaner emporium or a lamp repair shop. In addition to the old locales, there are some pretty unique restaurants to visit, some in downtown Champaign, others on Prospect- that street is your one stop shop to strip-mall heaven (you've got your Best Buy, Target, Home Depot, etc.).

Many of your needs can be satisfied on campus, however, you may occasionally need to go off campus. Whether it's Walmart or finer dining, the surrounding area has it. There's a great strip of shopping malls off campus with Walmart, Target, and Meijer. On this strip are also movie theaters and good chain restaurants like Chili's and Buffalo Wild Wings. It isn't too far from campus. There's also downtown Champaign, which is home to some great off-campus bars and high end restaurants. Exchanges usually take place at off-campus bars such as Chester Street and High Dive. If you want to take a break from meals at Noodles and Chipotle on campus, you can enjoy restaurants in downtown Champaign. There's a great steakhouse, Jim Gould's, as well as some of the best sushi I've ever had at Ko Fusion. Several miles in any direction, you'll find a bunch of boring cornfields. There is also the town of Urbana that can satisfy a lot of the needs of students.

The University is conveniently located between two small cities. The cities are a great place to go on a friday night. But there is little there other than a few pubs.

Champaign-Urbana is a great place to live and work. That sounds like some kind of cheesy tourism bureau line, but it really is true! C-U not only has the U of I, but it also has plenty of fun stuff for students and ordinary community members alike. The U of I campus is located in Urbana, for the most part, but many of the buildings are in Champaign too. Urbana is the smaller of the two cities, and it extends to the east. There are some really nice old houses and neighborhoods over there, as well as a cute downtown and many parks. There's also the Philo Road shopping area on the far side of town. Champaign is to the west, and it is quite a bit bigger than Urbana, and a bit more commercial. Downtown Champaign has awesome restaurants and shops where many of the older students like to go to get away from the Green Street/Campustown area for a while. Prospect Avenue, on the northwestern side of Champaign, is where you'll find a lot of the big-box stores and chain restaurants. It's near Marketplace Mall, which is where I've been shopping for as long as I can remember. There's also a movie theater and Walmart up on Prospect. Savoy, which is to the south, has basically become a part of C-U. It's grown a lot in recent years and has tons of subdivisions,plus another movie theater (where I usually go) and another Walmart. South of that is Willard Airport. Really easy to get flights out of there to Chicago or wherever you want to go. South of that is Tolono, which is becoming the new Savoy, and by that I mean a bedroom community for all the people who work in Champaign. South of that is more cornfields and basically my ancestral homeland. I consider myself lucky living in Champaign-Urbana. It is not the biggest city in the world, sure, and it has its share of problems, but there are far more great things to say about it than not. Here, there's jobs, culture, housing, entertainment, great schools, and more money and influence than many surrounding cities can claim on account of the U of I and all the important work going on here. If you never want to stray into the community while you're a student here, then you can do that. Never leave campus. If, on the other hand, you want to see what C-U has to offer, definitely do! You won't be disappointed.

When you step off campus, it depends which way you're going. If you go east, you'll start wandering into Urbana, which is a lot quieter and more liberal (and has a higher tax rate) than Champaign, with a very vibrant arts scene. It has about 40,000 people and has most things a small city has- banks, basketball courts, a little mall. The people all live in cozy homes and are really friendly. If you head west from campus, you'll go into Champaign, which is a bit noisier and more conservative. Champaign is the larger of the two cities at about 80,000 people. As a result, it has more of the bars and businesses of the twin city area, including the main mall (Marketplace mall). If you go south or southwest you'll find yourself in the "residential zone" where most people of the city live. If you go north you'll eventually run into the "commercial zone" most cities have where the Wal-Mart, Target, Menards, Petsmart, Best BUy, and so on are. Overall, it's what you'd expect of a Midwestern city of about 80,000- people just going about their business and living life.

Until you step off campus for the first time, many students think that campus is all that there is. Champaign-Urbana has a wonderful downtown with great food and atmosphere. There is also a good sized mall (With "The Limited") that is a 20 minute FREE bus ride, so no big deal whatsoever. Ever since last year when I really experience what "Chambana" (what students call Champaign-Urbana) had to offer, I love venturing out with my friends to experience everything. Whether it be the Sweet Corn Festival or cupcakes, I love the community and it's a nice change from campus!

If you go too far north you run into a highway. If you go too far south you end up in cornfields. If you go too far east you're in Urbana, a quiet suburban town. If you go too far west you end up in champaign, parts of which can be quiet and suburban and parts that are a little shadier...

The University of Illinois is one of those college towns that actually has a lot to do off campus. The cities of Champaign and Urbana are each known for their numerous festivals throughout the year and also a diversity of shops and restaurants. Many shops and restaurants right off campus are original to the area and there is always somewhere new to try out on the weekends or if your parents visit.

The University of Illinois is one of those college towns that actually has a lot to do off campus. The cities of Champaign and Urbana are each known for their numerous festivals throughout the year and also a diversity of shops and restaurants. Many shops and restaurants right off campus are original to the area and there is always somewhere new to try out.

When I step off campus, I see beautiful and historical downtown areas. A common misconception about the University of Illinois is that it's in the middle of a cornfield. In reality, Champaign-Urbana offers a plethora of opportunities for students to become a part of the community. Parks, farmer's markets, boutiques, independent restaurants, and festivals are just a few of the activities that happen around here. Check out the Illinois Admissions website for more information!

Cruising through the streets of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Go Illini! Music taken from: Joi - "Cravin'