Residential Living

Collinsville boasts a vibrant diversity of new and established residential areas that offer homes to fit almost every Midwestern lifestyle. This is attracting a growing number of homebuyers interested in living in the Metro East area. A total of 497 residential homes were sold in 2005, a nearly 10 percent increase over the 453 homes sold in 2003.

Hundreds of new home lots have been platted throughout the city, and new home construction is underway or recently completed in many areas. New home communities underway in Collinsville currently offer a wide range of styles and prices. Among these new home communities are Reindeer Forest, Wheat Ridge, Cherry Hills, Knightsbridge, Grandbrook, California Timbers, and Summit Trails.

Collinsville’s established neighborhoods offer the widest array of housing and lifestyle opportunities. All of these areas are also experiencing new or rehabbed home development.

• Downtown area: This established area of wide, tree-lined streets and sidewalks is ideal for the homeowner desiring a more urban environment for walking to the stores, restaurants, services, public library, art galleries and museum of nearby and historic downtown Collinsville. The middle class homes in this convenient area feature well-maintained yards and pleasant streetscapes, with close-knit neighbors of all ages and backgrounds. Many homes have historic value, and many have been restored. Downtown is also the scene of several large community-wide festivals each year, bringing this neighborhood close to the heart and soul of Collinsville.
• Anderson Acres: A mixture of new and established homes on larger, wooded lots can be found throughout this hilly area near the bluffs of Collinsville.
• Sugarloaf: This semi-rural hilltop area features multiple-acre lots and large homes interspersed among farmlands and narrow country roads.
• Collinwood: This quiet, established neighborhood of ranch homes is located near Woodland Park, one of Collinsville’s premier public recreational areas.
• North End: Located adjacent to Woodland Park, this hilly and wooded area features a mix of new and older houses and apartments, as well as an area of exclusive homes built around a private lake.
• Camelot: A combination of upscale and middle income homes, this neighborhood boasts a middle school and a park, and is located near a variety of retail and other service businesses.
• Vandalia Street: This picturesque neighborhood of historic Victorian homes is well-suited for the homeowner with an interest in preserving and living amidst history. Built in the 1800s for the city’s early merchants and mining company executives, today these homes are a well-preserved part of Collinsville’s colorful history.
• Knights Bridge: New executive homes can be found in this upscale neighborhood overlooking a large lake.
• Bluffs: Many homes take advantage of Collinsville’s beautiful bluff views to the west of pastoral farmland and the downtown St. Louis skyline.
• West Country Lane features many newer homes with very contemporary architectural designs.

Rehab Market Thriving
With Collinsville’s strong real estate market as a catalyst, rehabilitating existing homes has become popular throughout the community, particularly in well-established areas near downtown. A growing number of rehabbers are investing in problematic properties and revitalizing them into beautifully restored homes. To encourage this trend, the City recently changed its zoning ordinances to make the area more developer-friendly.

Homebuyers Get More in Collinsville!
Collinsville has a lower average housing cost compared to the other fast-growing areas in Southwestern Illinois. In the past three years, however, home prices have begun to rise at a faster rate than at any time in Collinsville’s history. With up to 3,500 new homes and hundreds of rehabbed homes expected to hit the Collinsville market over the next 20 years, this trend in property value appreciation should continue steadily. Buyers get more for their money in a Collinsville home!

Infrastructure Expanding for Future Growth
A $20 million plan to upgrade and expand the community’s water treatment and sewage system was approved in early 2006. Plans call for adding capacity and extending service lines into undeveloped areas of the community in an effort to meet anticipated growth over the next 20 years and to encourage new residential and development. The system is designed to accommodate more than 3,500 new homes throughout the Collinsville area.

Multi-million dollar street improvements are planned by the city to accommodate anticipated new residential development on the city’s east side, while a major program of redevelopment of curbs, gutters and roads in the city’s old heart is now underway.