While having its share of problems, the Metro East is a wonderful place to live. You're part of and have easy access to a major American city while each town still maintains its own character and purpose. In many ways it's still small town Midwest.
However, the state of Illinois is a dumpster fire, ruled by corrupt and incompetent politicians from Chicago who don't realize or care about anything south of Kankakee. Outside of commuting to St. Louis, the employment prospects have been increasingly bleak. Historically the river bottom communities were industrial towns built around certain factories, and those continue to shut down (Granite City Steel, Olin Brass just recently). Otherwise, there's pockets of strong economy. Scott Air Force Base and the emerging corporate/logistics center in Edwardsville are bright spots. The bluff communities have done a better job of transitioning from their old economies (coal, agriculture) to bedroom communities, but many of them have built-in advantages: County seat and colleges in Edwardsville and Belleville, Collinsville offers easily the best access to St. Louis outside the struggling river bottom communities.
But outside of Edwardsville and O'Fallon, the other bluff communities have the vibe and feel of other communities of similar size in Illinois (thinking of Quincy, Mt. Vernon, Jacksonville, Carbondale): A truly suburban feel in the literal sense that merges urban conveniences with plenty of tractor supply stores. Also, like these other communities, there's a lot of old blood in the Metro East. My family, for example, has lived in Collinsville since my great great grandfather came over from Lithuania in 1890 to work in the coal mines. We've attended the same church and school for 100 years. You go to the local diner on any morning of the week and you'll see the same faces, and are guaranteed to run into an old classmate or family friend. Like I said, in many ways it's small town Midwest, and that's what I love about it. That's what makes the Metro East home to me. But that also poses a challenge because it makes these communities resistant to change or difficult to adapt to change when forced upon them. Residents are scared to embrace growth because they don't want to turn into another faceless suburban area like the county. But this also discourages smart growth.
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However, the state of Illinois is a dumpster fire, ruled by corrupt and incompetent politicians from Chicago who don't realize or care about anything south of Kankakee. Outside of commuting to St. Louis, the employment prospects have been increasingly bleak. Historically the river bottom communities were industrial towns built around certain factories, and those continue to shut down (Granite City Steel, Olin Brass just recently). Otherwise, there's pockets of strong economy. Scott Air Force Base and the emerging corporate/logistics center in Edwardsville are bright spots. The bluff communities have done a better job of transitioning from their old economies (coal, agriculture) to bedroom communities, but many of them have built-in advantages: County seat and colleges in Edwardsville and Belleville, Collinsville offers easily the best access to St. Louis outside the struggling river bottom communities.
But outside of Edwardsville and O'Fallon, the other bluff communities have the vibe and feel of other communities of similar size in Illinois (thinking of Quincy, Mt. Vernon, Jacksonville, Carbondale): A truly suburban feel in the literal sense that merges urban conveniences with plenty of tractor supply stores. Also, like these other communities, there's a lot of old blood in the Metro East. My family, for example, has lived in Collinsville since my great great grandfather came over from Lithuania in 1890 to work in the coal mines. We've attended the same church and school for 100 years. You go to the local diner on any morning of the week and you'll see the same faces, and are guaranteed to run into an old classmate or family friend. Like I said, in many ways it's small town Midwest, and that's what I love about it. That's what makes the Metro East home to me. But that also poses a challenge because it makes these communities resistant to change or difficult to adapt to change when forced upon them. Residents are scared to embrace growth because they don't want to turn into another faceless suburban area like the county. But this also discourages smart growth.
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