IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Watson, IL
Watson is a tiny town of 620 people in Effingham County, Illinois. It's about 61 miles from Decatur, IL and 94 miles from St. Louis, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 88°F and winter highs 37°F, with about 15 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $100k and rent runs about $742 a month.
620people
$100kTypical home
$742/moRent
88° / 37°Summer / winter
15"Snow
231Sunny days
116Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 620
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 568 people per sq mi
- 94 mi to St. Louis, MO
- 61 mi to Decatur, IL
- 7 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $100k (≈$631/mo)
- Median rent $742/mo
- Median household income $74k
- Property tax about 1.6% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 88°F
- Winter highs around 37°F
- Muggy summers (dew point 66°F)
- 231 sunny days a year (90 totally clear)
- 134 cloudy days a year
- 46 of 90 winter days are gray
- 116 days a year with rain or snow
- 15" of snow a year
- 6 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- 1 day a year over 100°F
- 15 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (136 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (768 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 41
- 31% of households have kids
- 15% are 65 or older
- 20% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 20 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 58 mi to DEC airport
- 99 mi to STL (major hub)
- 6 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 81% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1981
- 91% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 564 ft
- 573 mi to the ocean
- 138 mi to a big lake
- 61 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 115 mi to the nearest ski area
- 9 mi to the nearest campground
- 3 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 31 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 18 bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 5 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 60 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 44% of Illinois districts (reading)
- 7 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 51 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 7 mi to the nearest vet
- 8 mi to the nearest dog park
- 10 congregations per 10k people
- 33 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Effingham County: R+60 in 2024
- Illinois: D+11 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Moderate earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Low winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk