When I moved to Savoy, I thought it would just be a "quiet neighborhood next to the university," but I discovered there is an airport here.

Many people are not aware that there is an airport in the Champaign-Urbana area.

But there is actually a small airport right in Savoy.

It's called the University of Illinois Willard Airport. The code is CMI. The address is simply Airport Road.

The name gives off a bit of a "local airport" vibe.

Honestly, I was a bit surprised the first time I visited.

It has that quiet atmosphere typical of small-town airports in the U.S.

There's none of the chaotic feeling you get at places like Chicago O'Hare.

People aren't rushing around, and the check-in counters are small and not crowded.

But it has everything you need. There's a TSA checkpoint, a baggage claim area, a rental car counter, and long-term parking.

The best part is that there's almost no parking stress.

At O'Hare, parking is a battle, but here you can just pull up and walk a few minutes to the terminal.

This is one reason why people living in this area like CMI.

Driving to Chicago airports can be quite exhausting.

A round trip can take almost a whole day. Especially in winter, driving on I-57 when it's snowing or raining is really tiring.

But with Willard Airport, you can get there quickly from home and board right away, which is much more convenient.

Of course, there are downsides. The number of flights isn't very high.

Currently, it's mostly centered around American Airlines. It's almost an AA monopoly, haha.

Still, having this option is better than nothing.

The main routes connect to O'Hare International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

But surprisingly, this is quite useful. Just getting into O'Hare connects you to the world. The Dallas hub is the same.

Professors and researchers who travel a lot, as well as retired seniors, often use CMI.

Especially not having to drive to Chicago in the early morning is a huge plus.

I once used this airport for an early morning flight, and even arriving an hour before departure was sufficient. If it had been O'Hare, I would have been anxious at least three hours in advance.

And the atmosphere around this airport really feels like the American Midwest. It's completely flat land. So, a lot of small aircraft training takes place here.

You can often see students from Parkland College's aviation program doing training flights.

When I hear the sound of propeller planes, I think, "Oh, the students are flying again." The runway is surprisingly long for a small airport, giving it a sense of scale.

Train enthusiasts also use Amtrak a lot. The route from Champaign-Urbana Station to Chicago Union Station is quite good.

It's nice when you want to travel comfortably without driving. It takes about two and a half hours, so it's quicker than you might think.

Especially in winter, taking the train can be more convenient than driving. Many people work on their laptops on the train, and there are a lot of students on board.

Living in Savoy, I feel that this area doesn't have the "isolated college town" vibe I expected. There's an airport, Amtrak, and decent connections to Chicago.

Of course, it doesn't have the infrastructure of a big city like LA or Dallas, but it has a structure that allows for relatively easy long-distance travel while enjoying a quiet Midwestern lifestyle.

At first, I thought it was just a small town next to a university, but living here, I realize it's actually a pretty convenient place to live.