Moving to Effingham: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Effingham means moving to a city built around its real, literal highway-crossroads identity -- Effingham County's seat, sitting directly at the I-70/I-57 interchange, with a genuinely comparative property tax advantage relative to Illinois's own high statewide average.
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Learn moreA real, physical crossroads landmark
Effingham's crossroads identity has a genuine physical landmark: the Cross at the Crossroads, a 198-foot-tall, 113-foot-wide illuminated cross completed in 2001 at a cost of more than $1 million, visible from both interstates. It held the title of largest cross in the Western Hemisphere for 17 years, until a taller cross was completed in Missouri in late 2018; it is now cited as America's second-largest cross (base record).
A genuinely diversified economy tied to the crossroads
Effingham's economy spans healthcare (~1,006 employed locally, the largest sector), manufacturing (~842), and retail (~829), anchored by Heartland Dental (headquartered locally), Patterson Companies, Stevens Industries, Quad Graphics, FedEx, and Sherwin-Williams Paints -- FedEx's presence a direct reflection of Effingham's real interstate-crossroads logistics position (base record).
A real, disclosed property tax advantage
Effingham city's own effective property tax rate (~1.91%) and Effingham County's broader rate (~1.69%) both run at or below Illinois's own already highest-in-the-nation statewide average -- a real, disclosed rarity among this project's Illinois Tier C markets, several of which run meaningfully above the statewide figure (base record).
Real, current Illinois tornado risk
Effingham shares Illinois's real, current, and escalating 2026 severe-weather risk -- a record-breaking statewide tornado season (202+ confirmed tornadoes) as part of the broader Midwest tornado corridor, worth budgeting into any homeowners-insurance decision (base record; see illinois.js).
Key takeaways
- The Cross at the Crossroads is a real, distinctive 198-foot landmark unmatched among this project's Illinois Tier C markets.
- Effingham's economy is genuinely diversified across healthcare, manufacturing, and retail, tied directly to its interstate-crossroads logistics position.
- Effingham's property tax rate runs at or below Illinois's own already-high statewide average -- a real, disclosed rarity in this project's Illinois Tier C set.
- Effingham shares Illinois's real, current, record-breaking 2026 tornado risk as part of the broader Midwest tornado corridor.
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