Champaign

Located 4 miles southwest of downtown Champaign and west of the University of Illinois, the West Haven neighborhood is near the intersection of Duncan and Windsor Roads. This area has developed over the last 30 years and consists of the Robeson Meadows subdivision, which includes two lakes and walking trails that connect all parts of the neighborhood, along with Robeson Park to the north. “It’s a well-laid-out neighborhood with nice landscaping,” says Tim Hoss Jr., a broker with RE/MAX Choice with over 20 years of experience. “Years ago, the lakes in this neighborhood froze in the winter and it was thick enough for ice skating, but that hasn’t happened in many years.” <br><br>The Robeson Meadows Homeowners Association says on its website that it encourages people living in the neighborhood to fish. Largemouth bass, bluegill and crappie can end up at the end of a line. Fishing is only allowed for residents and their guests. Walking trails connect different parts of the neighborhood and both lakes. There’s even a bridge that leads to a small island on one of the lakes. In addition to the trails, sidewalks are plentiful, even around the small Meadow Square Park, a green space with some benches and picnic tables. “Kids go there to play touch or tackle football and other neighborhood pick-up games,” Hoss Jr. says. The walking trails in the northern part of the neighborhood connect to the larger Robeson Park, with ballfields and a playground among the 24 acres. More fishing opportunities can happen along Phinney Branch, a small stream on the park's northern edge. “During warm weather, kids will go in the water, but not when it gets too high,” he says. The park is higher than the creek, so no flooding concerns exist. Phinney Branch also flows through Lincolnshire Fields Country Club on both sides of nearby Interstate 57. A walking path under the highway connects golfers to holes on either side. Members of the club also enjoy tennis courts and a swimming pool. <br><br>Meadows Square Park is a meeting place and the site for many activities organized by the Robeson Meadows Homeowners Association. The annual Halloween parade starts at the park and ends at the Robeson Park playground. It’s also the starting point for a 1-mile fun run/walk on Thanksgiving morning. The course goes by both lakes. In August, there’s a neighborhood garage sale where many homeowners participate for a four-hour block on a Saturday morning. The sale is advertised in the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, the local paper, and signs direct visitors near neighborhood entrances off Duncan and Windsor Roads. <br><br>Contemporary traditional, ranch-style and Colonial Revival houses have an average of 4,000 square feet of living space and are priced between $300,000 and $625,000. Most have three to four bedrooms and attached garages. Large lots in this neighborhood are a quarter of an acre. Homeowners’ association fees are assessed annually, usually between $200 and $250. Condos and townhouses with up to five bedrooms and around 2,000 square feet are priced between $275,000 and $400,000 and have a $60 monthly fee for a maintenance-free lifestyle. The oldest homes are from the late 1980s, with most of the homes built in the ‘90s. The neighborhood is safe according to the CAP crime index, which gives it an overall 2 score, below the national average of 4. <br><br>A small business park comprising mainly medical offices, such as dentists, orthodontists, hearing specialists and eye doctors, is just off Duncan Road on Crossing Court. On the south side of Windsor Road are dining options in the Village at the Green Shopping Center, including Jupiter’s At The Crossing, a two-level restaurant and arcade. The lower level has a room that can be rented out for private parties and a large arcade and billiards area. Upstairs, the restaurant has plenty of seating and access to the open-air patio. Thin-crust pizza and wings are the specialty, and there are plenty of TVs to catch a sporting event. Espresso Royale has been brewing in the neighborhood since the late 1980s and has indoor and outdoor seating. County Market is a large grocery store about a mile north on Duncan Road. <br><br>The Unit 4 District has a school choice system where families rank their favorite options, and a decision is based on capacity, location and socioeconomic status. Robeson Elementary is the closest school and is next to Robeson Park. Some neighborhood walking trails may allow the option to walk to classes. The school is rated a B-plus on Niche. A mile to the north is Jefferson Middle School, where sixth graders can join organizations like Jazz Band, Scholastic Bowl for trivia lovers and Science Olympiad, where members work on various science and technology projects. Centennial High School gets an A-minus overall grade on Niche, and it’s rated the second-best college prep public high school in Champaign County. <br><br>Those living on the south side of Champaign have a more convenient drive to get to Willard Airport, a modestly sized facility owned by the University of Illinois. American Airlines has flights to Chicago and Dallas. Gamedays for University of Illinois football and basketball are about 3 miles to the east to get to Memorial Stadium or State Farm Center. Getting around the Champaign-Urbana area can be done through the Mass Transit District bus lines. There are stops on Windsor and Duncan Roads.

Sawgrass is a subdivision on the western side of Champaign, situated along the cloverleaves and intersections of two interstates. With Champaign just 4.5 miles away and Urbana about 7 miles away, Sawgrass residents are still close to Champaign’s restaurants and The Fighting Illini’s football and basketball games at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Sawgrass itself only has two entrances and is next to one other subdivision, so residents can enjoy a private life where they can get to know their neighbors. <br><br>“Sawgrass is a relatively new subdivision,” says broker Russ Taylor with Russ Taylor Associates. “It has multi-family, rentals, condos, and single-family homes.” Even with the collection of housing types, one developer made the entire neighborhood, so the New Traditional style with vinyl siding adds consistency throughout Sawgrass’s tree-lined streets. However, people add some individuality with the flowers they plant along the front pathways and porches. New residents can meet their neighbors by walking along the well-maintained sidewalks, which run along one side of all the streets here. “Homes range in price from $150,000 to $400,000, depending on whether it’s a condo,” Taylor says. <br><br>Champaign and Urbana’s public school system offers a parent choice system for its elementary schools, requiring registering parents to rank all the schools. The district then considers factors like availability before assigning each student a school. The closest elementary school to Sawgrass is Kenwood Elementary, which earns a B from Niche. Jefferson Middle receives a C-plus from Niche. Niche grants Centennial High School an A-minus from Niche and lists it as the 19th most diverse public high school in Illinois. It also offers Advanced Placement (AP) classes to students. <br><br>Bradley Avenue runs along the north side of Sawgrass, running east to west and connecting residents to downtown Champaign’s restaurants and events. Buses stop throughout the neighborhood for those who don’t want to drive, connecting to amenities like Sunset Ridge Park. Staley Road goes north to south along the western side of the community, connecting it the 12 miles to the Willard Airport, which offers daily flights to Chicago O’Hare and Dallas-Fort Worth. Carle Hospital Urbana is the closest hospital, about 6 miles away and accessible along Bradley or University Avenues. While Sawgrass sits between I-57 and I-72, residents only need to take these when traveling outside of town.<br><br>While Sawgrass doesn’t have any neighborhood parks, Boulder Ridge next door offers Sunset Ridge Park. This neighborhood park offers a playground and tennis and basketball courts. True to its name, Sunset Ridge Park is great for watching the sunset because of its open space on the edge of town. Over by Parkland College, Dodds Park welcomes athletes with several baseball diamonds and soccer fields, making it popular with local leagues. People can also walk through the Eddie Albert Community Garden to admire the flowers. <br><br>Because Sawgrass is residential, people will have to travel beyond the subdivision for shopping and dining. Close to Parkland College, The Original Pancake House offers breakfast classics, but their specialty is Dutch babies, a baked pancake topped with fruit and powdered sugar. In downtown Champaign, Big Grove Tavern offers everything from tacos and burgers to shrimp and grits. Black Dog Smoke and Ale House serves classic barbeque and features a sunroom filled with plants and painted with orange accents for a warm atmosphere. Schnucks Champaign is the closest grocery store, about 2.5 miles from Sawgrass in the Champaign Commons shopping center. County Market is 3 miles south, accessible along Staley Road. <br><br>Ebertfest calls all cinephiles to downtown Champaign. The film festival has occurred every April for 25 years at the historic 1920s Virginia Theatre, highlighting films that didn’t receive critical acclaim and recognition at their initial release. From May to August, Hessel Park Concerts happen once a month in the evenings, featuring a different local performer and food vendor each time. “Urbana has a farmers’ market that’s been there probably over 30 years on Saturdays that’s really well attended,” Taylor says. However, what really brings the Champaign-Urbana community together are the basketball and football games at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where the towns cheer on The Fighting Illini.

Residents of Bolten Field enjoy a small-town, know-your-neighbor atmosphere and an immediate array of dining opportunities lining South Neil Street along its eastern border. Those living in the community have plenty of spots to keep busy and can expect run-ins with neighbors. “The people here are pretty friendly,” says Susan Gorton, resident and owner of FluteKeys Studio, a local business offering music lessons for kids and adults. “It’s always fun bumping into people I know regularly, and I’ve always felt good about raising my boys here.”<br><br>Drives around the neighborhood reveal green islands filled with flowers and many blooming redbud and crabapple trees. Many of these trees adorn residential front yards that typically span about half an acre. Shrubbery and front yard landscaping are tight, presenting a sense of home pride for those making morning strolls along the community’s sidewalks. Most homes here come in ranch, bi-level and split-level styles built in the mid-to-late 20th century. These range in price from $170,000 up to $500,000.There are also several condos throughout the neighborhood, with prices ranging from $100,000 to $175,000 depending on size and condition. <br><br>The Champaign Unit 4 School District gives families the flexibility to choose where their kids attend elementary school. Under the School of Choice program, the district considers family’s enrollment requests while also factoring proximity, capacity and specialty programs students may require. According to the district, 84% of students are assigned to their first-choice school. Bottenfield Elementary School is the nearest and maintains a B-plus rating on Niche. Meanwhile, older students will head to Edison Middle School, which has a B rating, before attending Central High School, which has an A-minus. In 2023, The Maroons completed a $104 million renovation to its school and athletic facilities, which had remained the same since the 1960s. <br><br>Mattis Park, a 24-acre green space, is within walking distance of the neighborhood’s homes. Visitors often see tons of geese in the springtime and families fishing on the lake. It’s mainly enjoyed for leisurely walks along its paved trails but is home to benches and picnic tables for lunches in the sun. Less than a mile east is State Farm Center, making for easy trips to Fighting Illini basketball games and concerts from big-name musicians. <br><br>“We have so many restaurants,” Garten shares. “You wonder how we can keep all of them open.” Many of these eateries, like Jarling’s Custard Cup, a walk-up dessert spot, sit along South Neil Street. The community staple was once a long-time family-owned business. After being sold, a few businessmen joined to keep it open and continue the tradition. Another frequented spot along this stretch is Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano, an upscale chain establishment that’s become the place for date nights and special occasions. Residents head 3 miles northeast to Lincoln Square Mall to complete their retail shopping and peruse The Urbana Square Market, held on-site every Saturday in summer. For day-to-day groceries, a Harvest Market also sits along South Neil Road. <br><br>Trips into Downtown Champaign are convenient, just a 1.5-mile drive north along South Neil Street. Both Interstates 57, to the west, and 74, to the east, sit within 5 miles of the community. Those heading into Chicago can reach the city in a 135-mile drive north via I-57. The connector flights at Willard Regional Airport are closer to home, a 4-mile trip south on US Route 45, alongside Carle Foundation Hospital, 3 miles northeast off West University Drive. Similarly, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign sits less than a mile in the same direction. Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit also provides over 40 bus stops throughout the neighborhood, carrying riders throughout the Champaign and Urbana areas.

In the northwest part of Champaign, close to Interstate 74, Garden Hills is an established neighborhood that has seen much stability over the years. "It's an area where people stay long-term," says Deb Spalding, a Garden Hills resident who lives in a house where her husband grew up in the 1950s. "We've known people who have lived here until they died. Some move away, but a lot of them stay." The neighborhood is split in half by railroad tracks, and city officials are working to fix a flood-prone area just south of the tracks. The flooding issue is expected to be solved by constructing a detention basin in that area, which is being worked on as of the summer of 2024. When Garden Hills was first built in the 1950s, it wasn't part of Champaign, and the ability to handle stormwater in that section needed to be improved.<br><br>Additional construction is happening in the area where the detention basin will be. Hedge Park is expected to open in late 2025 or early 2026. Amenities will include a splash play area, exercise stations, playground equipment and a plaza gathering space. Current recreation opportunities in and near the neighborhood include Garden Hills Park behind the Garden Hills Elementary School. Among the four-and-a-half acres is a walking trail that’s a little over a quarter mile, a baseball diamond and playground equipment. Across Mattis Avenue is Dodds Park, with seven lighted baseball fields and 12 soccer fields. Also at the park is the Tribute to Olympic Athletes monument that recognizes local athletes who have competed at the Olympics, including five-time gold medal speedskater Bonnie Blair, who competed in the Winter Games in the 1980s and ‘90s. Bowling lovers can choose two alleys close to each other: Arrowhead Lanes and Western Bowl. <br><br>The age of the houses in Garden Hills is indicative of when it started to develop. The neighborhood developers began building in the 1950s and named some streets after their daughters. Split-level and ranch-style homes ranging from $60,000 to $150,000 are consistent with other homes around the neighborhood. Two to three bedrooms and between 1,000 and 2,000 square feet are standard. Investors are attracted to the neighborhood—some houses have been renovated and may be closer to $200,000.<br><br>Dos Reales Mexican Restaurant is one of the options on Prospect Avenue. It’s colorful and festive inside and is a favorite for the atmosphere, outdoor seating and margaritas. Thara Thai combines cuisine from various Asian regions. While the dominant style is Thai, there are stir-fry dishes and Pho, a Vietnamese soup dish. To the north of I-74 on Prospect are retail and grocery store options like Target, Sam’s Club and Meijer. <br><br>Kraft Heinz, a large industrial facility at Bradley and Mattis Avenues, was built in the early 1960s and employs about 1,000 people. The facility produces Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, A-1 steak sauce, mayonnaise and salad dressings. In 2023, a problem connected with the wastewater treatment plant at Kraft Heinz produced unpleasant odors. While local officials acknowledged the public discomfort, they said it was not a health hazard. Another industrial site around the edges of the community includes a water treatment plant.<br><br>The Champaign Unit 4 School District offers families an elementary school choice option. At the time of registration, families will rank elementary schools by preference, and the district will choose based on location, capacity and socioeconomic status. The closest elementary school is Garden Hills Elementary, rated a C on Niche. Franklin STEAM Academy is the nearest middle school, and it gets a B-minus on Niche and has a 13-to-1 student-teacher ratio. Centennial High School students can participate in various clubs and help organize the annual Dance Marathon, which teaches event planning skills. The school gets an A-minus from Niche. Parkland College is on a 255-acre campus on Bradley Avenue. The two-year community college enrolls about 9,000 students every year. <br><br>Bloomington Road, which runs parallel to Interstate 74, is the northern border of the Garden Hills neighborhood. The highway's interchange is at Prospect Avenue. Heading west on I-74 will also lead to I-57. The Garden Hills neighborhood is a 10 to 15-minute drive from the University of Illinois campus and athletic facilities like Memorial Stadium and the State Farm Center, the home of the U of I football and basketball teams, respectively.

On the north side of Champaign, close to downtown, Stratton is an established neighborhood where some housing is close to or over 100 years old. While the city has focused its resources on rehabilitating older neighborhoods elsewhere around the city center, some property owners are still taking a chance on Stratton. “This is an area that’s going to attract investors and some first-time homebuyers who don’t mind a project,” says Bill Craig, a broker with RE/MAX Realty Associates with over 40 years of real estate experience. “No city revitalization program targets this neighborhood as most are east of Market Street,” which forms Stratton’s eastern boundary. <br><br>The neighborhood is in what is considered a food desert. A neighborhood grocer and a Dollar General are nearby, but something with a wide selection is needed. That’s where the Randolph Street Community Garden comes in. “It started as a project created by a graduate student at the University of Illinois 25 years ago,” says Dawn Blackman, a member of the Church of the Brethren on Neil Street who helps manage the garden. “In 2006, it took off, and we provide fresh produce for the community from noon to 3 every Saturday.” They conduct garden classes for several age groups, from toddlers to adults. It’s proven to be a community gathering place. “I’ve heard seven different languages spoken here at one time,” Blackman says. “It’s a place where people come together.” Another urban farm called Prosperity Gardens is on North Street. It’s a program that employs the homeless to do work that’s needed on the small farm. <br><br>Bungalows, Craftsman, and cottages, some as old as the 1900s, are part of the neighborhood. The prices range between $80,000 and $150,000, with the renovated houses on the higher end of that scale. A Habitat for Humanity house built in the past 15 years has also gotten a touch-up. Because of the age of the houses, most in the neighborhood have detached garages and between 800 and 1,800 square feet of living space. The neighborhood streets are narrow, with mature trees shading sidewalks for the most part. <br><br>Public school students in the Unit 4 school district in Champaign have a choice regarding elementary schools. When the child is registered, families make their preferred selections from all the elementary schools in the district. A decision is made based on location, capacity and socioeconomic factors. The closest elementary school to the neighborhood is Stratton Academy of the Arts, a k-5 school focusing on visual art, music, drama and dance. They also offer a French dual-language program. The school receives a C-plus grade on Niche and has a 12-to-1 student-teacher ratio. Franklin STEAM Academy is the closest middle school and gets a B-minus overall grade. Central High School receives an A-minus grade on Niche. The school has been in the same location on University Avenue since 1956.<br><br>Land was donated for a park in the Stratton neighborhood in 1874. It is over 2 acres and situated in the center of the neighborhood. It contains a diagonal walking path that passes by a playground and a full basketball court. The park's northern end has a grill, and picnic tables are scattered throughout the park. Hazel Park is home to a unique sculpture near the entrance at the corner of Neil Street and Bradley Avenue. It looks like it could be a rendering of a leaning piece of cheese being propped up by cinder blocks, but it’s known as the Stanchion sculpture. Otherwise, there’s a large playground, soccer pitch and a basketball court. Bristol Park is on the neighborhood’s eastern edge, on Market Street. It’s a new park with a paved trail and a splash pad. Martens Center is a newly opened indoor recreation facility with a track, weight room and cardio equipment. There are also opportunities to take fitness classes. <br><br>Near the Neil Street and Columbia Avenue intersection, next to the post office, is a small building serving Indian food. Kohinoor Indian Restaurant & Lounge is a family-owned eatery specializing in chicken and shrimp dishes but also has various vegetarian options. Columbia Street Roastery is a locally owned business that provides coffee for area restaurants, and it has clients all over the world. North on Neil Street, across I-74, is Market Place Shopping Center has over 100 stores, including Macy’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Costco. <br><br>The Stratton neighborhood is near the intersection of two train tracks. The north and south tracks carry freight trains and the occasional Amtrak passenger train. More freight train rumble east to west, which can be loud and distracting for neighborhood residents. People who live in this neighborhood may experience a heightened noise factor. In addition, those in the neighborhood’s northern part may hear traffic on I-74. Mass Transit District buses are active on streets around Stratton, stopping at Neil and Market Streets and Bradley Avenue.

On the west side of Champaign, off Bradley Avenue, with close access to three interstates, the Parkland Ridge neighborhood gets its name from the large community college across the street. “People love this area because of the proximity to Parkland College and Staley Road to get to areas of northwest Champaign,” says Brian Hannon, a Realtor with the Brian Hannon Team at Taylor Realty Associates with about ten years of experience. Parkland College is a community college with about 250 acres and 130 degree and certificate programs. <br><br>Enrollment at Parkland College is not required to enjoy the Staerkel Planetarium on campus. It’s the second largest in the state, behind the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. The planetarium is on the west side of the property, and it holds public shows on Friday evenings at 7 and 8 and Saturday afternoons at 1 and 2. The night shows depend on the weather and consist of what stars and constellations can be viewed. They also hold a lecture series on the first Friday of every month. <br><br>Heritage Park is on the south side of Bradley Avenue and has a large lake with a walking path that goes around it. Part of the path is the Greenbelt Bikeway, which runs for a few miles north and south of the park. The trail is used by bikers, walkers, joggers and inline skaters. It follows a small waterway called Copper Slough. A small parking area is off Bradley Avenue, and a few benches are beside the lake. On the north side of Bradley is the larger Dodds Park. This park has over 100 acres with seven softball diamonds, an 18-hole disc golf course, a portion of the Greenbelt Bikeway Trail and the Eddie Albert Community Gardens, which has over 100 rentable plots, where vegetables, fruits and flowers are grown. There are also baseball diamonds and a soccer field on the park’s northside.<br><br>Though there was one primary builder of the homes in Parkland Ridge, there are various styles of homes there. They were constructed in the 1980s and are bi-level, split-level and ranch-style. “The builder did a good job making these homes very basic and affordable,” Hannon says. “They’re very good starter homes.” The price range runs from $150,000 to $350,000. In addition to single-family homes, some condos are part of the Parkland Ridge South Condo Association, where homeowners have a monthly maintenance fee. The price range for the one to two-bedroom units is between $100,000 and $200,000. <br><br>The Champaign Unit 4 School District offers elementary school families a choice. Families rank their choices during registration, and a decision is based on proximity, capacity and socioeconomic status. For elementary school students, the closest school is Kenwood Elementary, which is 2 miles away. Kenwood is rated a B on Niche, while Westview gets a C-plus. Jefferson Middle School is rated a C-plus with a 14-to-1 student-teacher ratio. Students at the school can keep their fellow student body up to date while writing for the school newspaper, the Jefferson Post. Centennial High School has a student-teacher ratio of 14-to-1 and an A-minus overall grade. ExcelPrep is a private K-8 school providing specialized education services for students with special needs.<br><br>It’s a short drive east from the neighborhood on Bradley to find eating-out options. Sammy’s Pancake House is north of the intersection of Bradley and Mattis and is open for breakfast, brunch and lunch. The sauce station is one of The Park Bar & Grill's features, a restaurant specializing in chicken wings and the sauce to liven it up. There’s a nightclub vibe on the weekends. It’s open until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday night. Schnucks is the place for various grocery items, while Bombay Market specializes in Indian food.<br><br>The Champaign Urbana Mass Transit District, known to the locals as MTD, has stops on Bradley Avenue and bus lines that go into the Parkland Ridge neighborhood with stops on Pomona Drive. It’s also not far from a Kraft Heinz factory on the corner of Bradley and Mattis. About 1,000 people work there. The neighborhood is close to Interstates 57, 72 and 74 access points. The tower at the neighborhood’s northern edge is connected to the Illini Radio Group offices, housing seven radio stations.