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So I am curious, I lived in Macomb a few years, but, I was young and dumb, and didn't get around. Maybe I should do a poll ...... My guess would be for the quick "get out of town" to possibly get something Macomb doesn't offer Galelsburg and Quincy would seem atractive.
However, for the bigger city "feel" what is the break down between Quad Cities, Peoria, and Springfield?
If the freeway 336 ever gets built between Macomb and Peoria.....that will reduce drive time to just 60 minutes, give or take. I live in Peoria Metro, and really don't love any of my options for routes to take to Macomb.
Do you mean, like...for the people who live in Macomb, when they go out of town for like a "shopping day" or whatever...where do they go?
For my family lately, of the "smaller" communities, we'll most often go to Burlington, although if Quincy ever got a Target, we'd probably go there more often.
Of the larger cities, we usually end up going to Springfield. We actually go once a month anyway for allergy shots or whatever, but even if we are going for a shopping trip, that's usually where we'll end up going. It's still just 2-lane highway all the way down to Springfield, but it's pretty much a straight shot, rather than having to take a crazy zig-zag across to Peoria. I think that Peoria does end up being a little bit of a faster drive, but my wife likes the stores in Springfield better than Peoria for the most part. Plus I have family that lives just outside of Springfield, so if something were ever to happen...we're in an accident, or some other emergency...I've got family that is close.
We have occasionally gone to the Quad Cities, but usually it's for us being up there for something else (like QC Marathon Weekend), and we happen to do some shopping or whatever while we're there. Although we have occasionally gone up to the QC for the Zoo or the Putnam Museum.
So, essentially:
"Medium-ish towns" - Burlington
"Cities" - Springfield
Scott Lawson - Board Admin
Western Illinois University Alum/Fan/Employee
Member of the Marching Leathernecks - 1996-2000
For me Quincy is medical and some shopping. I much prefer QC to Springfield or Peoria for shopping. Quincy is 4-lane all the way from Macomb. QC depends on how you go once you get to Monmouth, but at least that far is 4-lane except for the joke of having to drive thru Good Hope.
Last edited by Tere North on Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cool, thanks for the perspective. I should have included Burlington. That Pzazz place is pretty awesome. I also usually get to one Bee's game a year and one River Bandits game. Been to seven Midwest League Stadiums so far.
The Levee District is the Newest shopping/retail/restaurant area in the Peoria Metro (actually it is in East Peoria). Might be worth checking out for a change of pace.
wiu712 wrote:Both Galesburg and Quincy are easy drives on the 4-lane.
Peoria and Springfield are about the same distance. And both are 2-lane all the way.
The Springfield route much more interesting. Where else in this great country of ours can you get from Virginia to Philadelphia in less than 10 minutes. Certainly not where I live. As for Burlington, back in my day, did not need to go there. Gulfport was far enough.
Springfield's major retail area is on the west side of town. That makes it very convenient for people coming into Springfield from the west.
Gulfport was a very wide-open town back in the day when the liquor laws were more strict in Burlington. But advancing times in Iowa and several devastating floods have wiped out much of Gulfport.
The first few years I lived in Macomb I opted for the Quad Cities because I grew up closer to the QC and that was the quickest larger city option. After a few trips to Peoria and getting a lay of the land, that was my go-to option. Even with the zig-zag trip from Macomb to Peoria, it seems slightly quicker (1 hour, 15 minutes on average) than the QC (about 10-15 minutes longer, at least on my trips). Only went to Springfield if I was covering a high school game there, as I never had any connection there and since there's only about 10-15 minutes difference between Peoria and Quincy I'll gladly spend the extra few minutes of travel time for many more options that Peoria offers.
Were you guys talking about the scenery Gulfport offers? I'm talking about that Mississippi River scenery, of course.
...... My guess would be for the quick "get out of town" to possibly get something Macomb doesn't offer Galelsburg and Quincy would seem atractive. 
Scott Lawson - Board Admin
