Carbondale is a small city in Southern Illinois with a population of ca. 26,000 people. The region is quite affordable and graduate students can afford to live alone (if they wish)--- something that is more difficult to achieve in most college towns. Further, students can also live in a rural forested areas while being less than 10 minutes from Carbondale. The regional landscapes varies from bottomlands to uplands with rolling hills, bluffs, and rugged topography. This makes it perfect home for outdoor lovers (when they are not in the rainforest’s of S. America). For more info on the city of Carbondale go to http://explorecarbondale.com
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Though somewhat isolated, when in need of big city amenities, St. Louis is about 2 hrs away. Other nearby cities included: Memphis, TN (3hrs); Chicago, IL (5 hrs); Louisville, KY (3 hrs); Nashville, TN (3hrs). Regarding transit services, Carbondale has direct Amtrak routes to Chicago and Memphis (to New Orleans). The Veterans Airport (MWA) is 20 min from Carbondale and serviced by Contour and connects daily to to Chicago O’Hare (ORD). There also exist several shuttles to St. Louis. Alternatively, there are many daily flights from United Airlines at Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah Kentucky, which is about 1 hr away.
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As follows are a few of my favorite things in the Carbondale area (in no particular order):
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Eating and Drinking
Scratch Brewery
Farmers Markets
Alto Vineyards
Owl Creek Vineyard
Pomona Winery
Outdoors
Giant City State Park
Kayaking or Canoeing the Cache River
Kayaking or Canoeing Cedar Lake
Biking Tunnel Hill Trail (recommend starting at Vienna and heading north)
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