Champaign Urbana are often mashed up together, but they offer different living options. Which city is right for you? (Feature Image is of downtown Urbana during a summer festival)
Champaign-Urbana … Urbana-Champaign … Chambana….
Campustown….
While Champaign-Urbana are often used together or even sometimes interchangeably, they have a few differences that can be important for where you choose to live. Let’s go over the details and some comparisons
Urbana: The Original City
Urbana is officially the location of the University of Illinois. If you are a liberal arts major, music major, veterinarian, many U of I buildings are on the Urbana side of campus.
Urbana is smaller than Champaign, which means there’s less traffic and a much smaller downtown. While both Champaign and Urbana have great arts communities, Urbana has Gallery Art Bar, Urbana Dance Company, and the Rose Bowl, which are all local favorites for music, dance, art, and culture. If you like to ride your bike, want to shop for local produce at the Common Ground Food Coop or the Urbana Farmer’s Market, or get involved with independent grassroots organizations like the CU Bike Project at the IMC, Urbana is the place for you. If you like trees, prairie, and parks, more quiet than night life, then Urbana is the place for you.
If you are a college student or want to spend a lot of time in Campustown, Campustown is the spot for you. There are obviously tons of options.
Now on to Champaign…Champaign actually used to be called West Urbana, but then it grew large enough to become its own city. The dividing line between Champaign and Urbana is Wright Street, and it cuts right through campus.
Also, Urbana means urban, i.e. city; and Champaign means open level countryside. Pretty interesting names.
Well, back to Champaign. Champaign is significantly larger that Urbana. Just as an example, Champaign has 2 high schools, 3 middle schools, and numerous elementary schools compared to Urbana with just 1 high school and 1 middle school (and a 6th grade center, but that’s another story).
Champaign has many more housing options and has seen most of the growth over the past 20 years. Champaign’s downtown boasts some of the best restaurants around such as Black Dog, Maize, and Watson’s Shack and Rail, Farren’s, and 7 Saints. Champaign’s downtown has a lot to offer including more local music venues such as The Space and Firedoll Studio.
Champaign tends to have more traffic but more nightlife.
So the choice is up to you!