Could It Be This Illinois City is Really the Most Underrated?

Excuse me while I roll my eyes just a little bit. A national site is claiming that a certain Illinois city is the most underrated in the state and I'm in a moderate condition of disbelief. Let's see if you agree.

Get our free mobile app

World Atlas (sounds important) just shared what they believe are the 7 most underrated cities in Illinois. What metro sits at the top of the underrated list? (*Drum Roll*) It's good ole Champaign minus the "good ole" part.

Why exactly is Champaign so dang underrated?

Instead of providing my preferred answer of "I have no freaking idea", I'll defer to part of what they said which is the following:

The city is home to a galore of family-friendly pastimes, along with many beautiful parks to explore. The lively downtown scene boasts great shopping opportunities and varied cuisine options

I'll admit that World Atlas does recognize one good feature that surrounds Champaign and that's all the great farms and agriculture. True be that.

This is just me talking, but I don't really think I'd take my family through downtown Champaign as an entertainment option unless I'd like to show them how hard it is to find a parking place in a city with a university.

I will come to the defense of Champaign in one aspect. There are many parks in the city which really aren't bad at all. I could even go so far as to call them nice, but I won't.

A bright spot on the prairie? Perhaps. Most underrated in the state? I'll leave that for you to decide.