of Elections, also located in Springfield (217-782-4141). Additional information may be found on the Web site of the State Board of Elections: www.elections.state.il.us.

Area communities Springfield may be the largest, but it certainly isn’t the only city in Sangamon County. About two dozen distinct communities are located here, ranging from tiny towns, such as New Berlin and Cantrall, to rapidly growing towns, such as Chatham, Rochester, Riverton, and Sherman. Several communities, such as Leland Grove and Jerome, even appear to be in the middle of Springfield, but each has a unique personality and appealing reasons for you to call it home.

Finding a home If you’re visiting the sites in downtown Springfield, you don’t have to go far to connect with (almost) everything you want to know about housing in Springfield.

The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, located at 3 Old State Capitol Plaza, on the south side of the Old State Capitol Mall, has a free homebuyer’s packet waiting for you. Inside are a large street map of Springfield and the surrounding area

and guides to homes to buy and apartments to rent. Real-estate professionals consider Springfield a buyer’s market.

Nancy Long is president of the Capital Area Association of Realtors, comprising about 700 members. The median home sale price in 2008 was $104,000, nearly unchanged from 2007’s median sale price of $104,500. The association does not recommend particular neighborhoods.

Visit the association’s Web site, www.seehouses.com, to find everything you want to know about buying or building a house.

You may want to find an apartment where you can get to know the lay of the land before buying a home. If that’s true, Apartment Mart of Springfield is for you. Visit www.apartmentmartofspringfield.com

to learn more. There are homes for lease and contract for deed, as well as homes for sale at RealEstateBook.com. Many neighborhood associations have Web sites you may want to visit to get a feel for the houses and people in specific parts of the city. Visit www.springfield.il.us/oped/neighborhoods.htm to learn more. Perhaps living in Springfield’s metro area, famous for its 10-minute rush hours, is not for you. If so, visit

GSCC’s guide to relocating countywide at www.gscc.org/relocation.htm.

There you will find a veritable cornucopia of facts and figures about Sangamon County communities beyond the capital city.

Getting utility service The task of setting up local utilities is a relatively painless procedure. All you need are a few forms of identification, the right contact information and a little patience.

• For water and electric: To initiate service, you must appear in person at the customer-service office of City Water, Light and Power, located in Room 101 of the Municipal Center West, at the corner of Seventh and Monroe streets. Known locally as CWLP, Springfield’s municipally owned and operated utility company supplies the urban area and nine surrounding communities and public water districts with water from Lake Springfield, a 6.6-square-mile manmade lake. Springfield’s water rates are among the lowest in Illinois.

When you go to the office, you must provide two forms of identification, including a state-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license. A $50 service deposit may be required of resi dential

and business applicants who are renting property and have not had at least 12 consecutive months of CWLP service. If you are renting, a signed copy of your lease is required.

If you have proof that you own the home, or if you are renting and have a letter of credit from another utility company showing that you’ve been a good customer for a least a year, CWLP will waive the $50 deposit. The office is open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.- Fri. For more information, call 217- 789-2030 or visit the utility company’s Web site, www.cwlp.com. To save time when you come to the customerservice office to apply for new service, download and print a copy of an application for new service, fill it out and bring it with you. • For natural gas: If your new residence is located inside the Springfield city limits, the application process begins with a call to Ameren at 888-672- 5252 (toll-free) or 217-753-5513. If you have no bad credit with the company, service may be started as early as the next day. You will receive an application form in the mail that you can sign and return along with copies of your driver’s license and Social Security card. If your credit is bad or nonexistent, you will have to provide an extra ID, such as a voter registration.