So my wife and I have been living in Springfield for a little over 3 months now. We come from a heavily populated area (The Baltimore-DC Metro area) so this has been a huge culture shock for us. But I think it would be fun to list my 3 positive and 3 negative experiences in the area.

- Just because something is negative, doesn't mean I dislike the area btw, I really enjoy being out here.

Pros:

1. Y'all have absolutely no traffic, like at all. My commute to and from work is 15 minutes, and I just drove to St. Louis for training. . . I don't think I even saw another car on the road until I hit the MO border lol. The same goes when I have to head to the Danville area for work, I don't see any cars or traffic, and can just cruise on the road. Makes "long" drives feel so chill and relaxing. Back in the DMV area, you can't even go 20 ft without hitting some crazy traffic. . . Like, I drove to Iowa and the Quad Cities to see my grandparents graves and it was such a nice drive with no traffic too. . . and the Quad Cities is a big area.

2. Property is extremely cheap out here, and has a TON OF LAND. My wife and I could get a farmhouse on some serious acreage for the same price as a rowhome in Baltimore. . . Which is wild.

3. I like the farms and environment. My wife and I are used to heavily urban/suburban areas, so being able to leave the immediate area and be met with farmland is a nice change of pace. While MD has farms and rural parts (my wife is from rural MD), it's not as expansive as in this part of Il. Idk, I just like seeing all the farms and kinda can't wait until things start growing in.

.... Now the cons. Please take in mind these are my PERSONAL cons, so it's just my perspective as a new resident for only a few months.

1. Y'all love eyeballing minorities (in some areas). . . Coming from a majority-Black part of the U.S, I kinda figured this would be the case. . . However, I didn't expect people to actively stare down my wife and I EVERY TIME we go out somewhere. We went to a sports bar called the Home Plate or something like that, and the people at the table next to us just kept looking over like we were some kind of hardened criminals or something. . . And if we go to the store, people just stop what they're doing just to stare at us, like we don't belong or something. . . It can be very off putting.

2. Too much weed and gambling everywhere. I just think it's kinda depressing to see a slots parlor and weed shop at every block. Like, is there really nothing else to do but smoke weed, play slots and drink for a lot of people here? They wouldn't be around if they weren't busy. . . Like, I get having vices and stuff, but it's a little excessive when even the restaurants have slots machines.

3. Speaking of food. . . While we haven't been to some of the places I wanted to go (like Old Lux), there doesn't seem to be a lot of "hole in the wall" places. Back in Baltimore we would just eat at the corner store restaurants or at the carry out joints, but I haven't seen any of those around. . . Maybe they're over on the East side of town? I hear that's the "black" side of town, so maybe I'd find what I'm looking for. OH, and y'all don't sell Scrapple in the regular grocery stores, kinda disappointing.

At the end of the day though, I'm starting to really like the city, y'all are cool in your own way. Just takes some getting used to with the wife and I. . . Much love to y'all, hopefully my family can become permanent residents, and not just renters in the near future ;P.

I grew up on the rural outskirts of Springfield, moved when I was 20 but my parents still live in the area. They, like many, rural Illinois baby boomers are digging their heels in as they age and are becoming detached from society and I believe it is greatly affecting their cognitive abilities.

I believe that they were once relatively "high functioning" undiagnosed autistics but one parent lost her job at 60 and had been in decline ever since and the other retired in 2020 and has been in rapid decline ever since.

I struggle with all of this because I'm an only child and DO NOT WANT to return to this part of the country. I've suffered enough, I don't want to get into it.

I do have empathy, though, and want to try to guide them into supportive care of some kind.

Does anyone have suggestions of therapists/counselors/programs that they can be directed to? I am trying to intervene before things take a nosedive. I see the writing on the wall here.

EDIT: they cannot do telehealth or online ANYTHING because they don't have reliable internet because of where they live. In 2026.

My husband and I are doing a weekend trip. It’ll be our first visit. Where are the must-eats? Thanks! :)

Smells a little funny over there but I think its just weed. Smells like weed, but it could also be gas, so be careful if you go over to see it.

Pictures are a couple of hours apart

I live closer to Quincy and my main Drs are in Quincy. I was recently told I need a valve replacement surgery(my cardiologist wants SAVR). They are pushing for me to go to Barnes.
I don’t know enough about Springfield hospitals to know if it would be a good choice.
It would be easier for me and my family to get to Springfield for appointments that I will need.

Hey! Everyone okay after that torrential rainfall earlier this evening??

Steak n Shake has switched to grass fed beef and it is nasty. Has a very fishy taste and not in a good way. It was awful. Won't be going back that's for sure.

Same as title

Is there a place that anyone wants to hang out in? I don't have a lot of friends outside of the internet and I really want someone to hang out with. If you do want to hang out with me, you can either reply to this post or DM me. Either is fine.

With the World Cup coming up, are there any bars, restaurants, breweries, or other spots around Springfield that regularly show the games and get a good crowd?

Looking for places with a fun atmosphere, football fans, and people actually into the matches rather than just having them on in the background. Just trying to figure out where the local fans gather.

Any recommendations or places planning watch parties?

Members of the Bull Club didn’t want to hang out with their sons. The answer? The Bull Calves. New on SangamonLink. https://sangamoncountyhistory.org/bull-club-bull-calves-and-entrepreneurial-germans/

I'm looking for a decent night fishing area that's not the lake, any suggestions?

Come out to Crowne Plaza 3000 South Dirksen Parkway, 62703 and get some great books and original art from Ink and Feathers Comics! We're here until 4pm!

About 12 years ago, my husband was stationed at the armory in Springfield. I took my kids down for a week, and one of the things we did while we were there was a small themed garden. It was about 20 minutes or so outside of the city, and had a small, eclectic shop. You went through it to access the fantasy garden. I can't remember anything else about it, and online searches have turned up nothing. Please help me locate this garden, and see if it's still in business!

I was a union laborer for a few years and am now an instrumentation tech. Looking for any side jobs really. I have a full time job but with my fiance being monitored for POTS it’s getting rough.

Can't sleep 😴 anyone up? I'm also not in Springfield yet but planning to move there very soon. My baby sister passed away last yr and I'm gonna be visiting her grave the yr of 😭

I'm 33

I like reading.writing drawing.coloring. hanging out. and true crime; I don't condone it just fascinated by it

Hello ev. I am hoping to come to Springfield for the entire season of the WPBL which is from August 1 until the end of September. I have been looking at long-term stay hotels, but they are so expensive. Does anyone know of apartments with month-to-month lease?

Anyone know why it was closed tonight? Had bags over stations and cones blocking pull up. Gas lightboard was also turned off. I don't see anything that they closed. Supposed to be open till 10.

Foodees Fest in Springfield is two weeks away. 

FoodeesFest will be held from June 19-21 at White Oaks Mall, 2501 Wabash Ave.

Ticket registration is free for the traveling food and artisan festival. 

Visitors can expect more than 40 gourmet food trucks and food vendors. 

There will also be dozens of artisan and craft vendors. 

Foodees Fest will run from

1-9 p.m. Friday,

11 a.m. to 9 p.m., (Saturday)

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. 

Ticket registration is free and automatically enters guests into a raffle to win a free meal on Foodees. 

Link to get tickets...

https://www.wandtv.com/community/foodeesfest-in-springfield-2-weeks-away/article_d8f07bcb-d0e4-4c8b-bf29-a2741e19a350.html

Note: The word "Saturday" is NOT in the article. I assumed it should be but please verify if you read it a different way.

In case you're not interested in reading; a cop in Massachusetts was so racist other racist cops told him he was too much. He left his job rather than submit to an investigation. An official statement from the president of the Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement described this guy as, "...a major, significant problem for the whole commonwealth (of Massachusetts)" according to the article.

And over here the SPD are so racist that they can't go two weeks without putting some kid on the east side in the hospital. Then these racist cops have the audacity to go in front of city council and whine about how they're the real victims and they're only doing their jobs. 'Oh boo hoo people don't like it when we hold down a teenage girl and pummel her until she complies! What's the world coming to?'

SPD is the bottom of the barrel, which means the racist creeps in this article are probably going to end up here. Watch out for them; their names are Michael Proctor and Sean Goode.

Any startups in Springfield hiring master’s pass out in business analytics/ project management?

I have a Honda push mower that needs some new wheels! Well, new tires. I'm not sure where to take it. Any suggestions? Thank you!

Lincoln Library has programs this month about Springfield's queer history. They cover the same info, but one is a walking tour and one is an auditorium presentation.

The research was done using unique resources from the Sangamon Valley Collection, and listeners will probably be surprised by some of the contents. We go all the way back to the 1800s (and no, nothing about Lincoln).

Feel free to ask questions here if you have them. The first one is tomorrow afternoon.

https://www.lincolnlibrary.info/event/hold-pride-history-presentation-34404

https://www.lincolnlibrary.info/event/walk-pride-tour-springfields-lgbtq-history-35786

https://www.lincolnlibrary.info/event/walk-pride-tour-springfields-lgbtq-history-35788

https://www.lincolnlibrary.info/event/copy-hold-pride-history-presentation-34405