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Settling In

Urbana City staff have developed the Quick Reference and Resource Guide to assist you in locating those telephone numbers that are sometimes difficult to find in the regular telephone book.  This listing, in alphabetical order by subject, is not limited to City of Urbana offices; it includes frequently called County, State and Township facilities, bus service, and many other helpful numbers.

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Utilities

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Frequently Asked Questions About Urbana

  • What is the community like?

With a population of 38,468 residents, Urbana is known as a “micro-urban” community. Micro-urban refers to population centers of 250,000 or less that possess a highly uncommon set of desirable attributes normally exclusively associated with much larger metropolitan centers.

 

Our community offers the best of both worlds: small town living with big city amenities. Living in Urbana means you can interact with a richly diverse population, benefit from the excitement and stimulation of the world-class University of Illinois, and enjoy a vibrant arts, cultural and entertainment scene. 

 

The locale offers also excellent transportation infrastructure: if you choose to drive,  you can get to just about anywhere in the Urbana metro complex within 15 minutes and access to three interstates is just minutes away.

 

Excellent schools, outstanding parks, a mosaic of diverse and engaged neighborhoods, a robust array of businesses located throughout the city and reliable city services focused on delivering the best possible quality of life for residents make Urbana a great place to live.

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  • What is the weather like?

Living in Urbana means you can experience the beauty of four distinct seasons. Typically, January is the coldest month with an average high of 32.9F and low of 16.9F; July is usually our warmest month with an average high of 85F  and low of 64.9F. During a usual winter, we will see around two feet of snow and just over 41" of rain throughout the year. (Data courtesy of the State Climatologist Office for Illinois)

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  • Are there any outdoor recreation activities?

The geography of East Central Illinois may be on the flat side, but this feature offers some of the best outdoor recreation terrain around. The Champaign County Forest Preserve boasts five nature preserves and a sixth in development. Neighboring Vermilion County also offers a number of natural areas, including Kickapoo State Recreation Area, where you can go running or hiking, canoeing, fishing, camping, hunting or scuba diving.

     Within a day's drive are destinations like Turkey Run State Park that offers rugged sandstone cliffs and ravines perfect for hiking and horseback riding;  Starved Rock State Park, recently voted the #1 attraction in Illinois; and the Shawnee National Forest, which offers 403 miles of equestrian and hiking trails as well as the stunning Garden of the Gods.

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  • What is the job market like in Urbana?

The unemployment rate in the Champaign-Urbana area is typically lower than the statewide rate. The region's largest employment sectors include government, education, health services, and logistics.  The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation has put together a list of the largest employers in Champaign County.

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