Perhaps it's my own personality flaw, but I really don't like being told what to do or not to do. That's one reason why I tend to want to rebel against experts who are now warning to stay away from 4 Illinois places for the next 5 years. I have so many questions.

This is no small potatoes blogger issuing this Illinois warning either. I saw Yahoo Finance share a study that seems to have originated from Go Banking Rates. They've declared 4 Illinois cities as bad destinations for home buying. They apparently looked at "crime rates, property taxes, poverty levels and appreciation potential".

Here are the 4 places in Illinois they advise avoiding:

Cahokia Heights, Illinois

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Peoria, Illinois

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Springfield, Illinois

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Decatur, Illinois

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I'm certainly no property or economical expert, but here's my problem with "warnings" like this. First of all, when you use a broad brush to say that a place in Illinois is a bad idea for everyone, you're inevitably going to exclude someone who's life would be a great fit there. Depending on what your profession is and your life preferences are, any of these 4 Illinois cities might be your best option.

I would also argue that saying these 4 Illinois cities will be a bad idea for 5 years is really trying to look too far into the future. Any number of variables could change that might completely change the outlook for any or all of them.

I find outlooks like this interesting, but no way I would advise using it as a deciding factor about whether or not you might enjoy living and working in these Illinois cities. Your mileage may vary.

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