Friends Morgan Mullen, Per Ellingson, Angelica Ostaszewski, Eric Masters, and Karli Johnson gather at Cyd's in the Park restaurant in Peoria. Angelica Ostaszewski is a strong supporter of the Peoria community and the affordability of moving there.got to live the Chicago experience for eight years. Johnson, whose pronouns are she/they, lived downtown with Buckingham Fountain in view. She lived in Lakeview. She even set up residence in Aurora.
Ostaszewski, aka Angie, has been an outspoken cheerleader about Peoria’s greatness since the fall of 2020. On her channel, she shares residential listings , clues viewers into inclusive Peoria events, and is a host like no other when it comes to bringing new Peoria transplants to her new hometown. And no, she’s not a real estate agent. Her day job consists of running diversity, equity and inclusion and energy-efficiency programs for the utility Ameren Illinois.
What started as three videos she posted during her COVID-honeymoon turned into thousands of TikTok followers. She took the hint and used her love of looking at Peoria homes on real estate sites for the betterment of her community by trying to woo more people to the city to live. That means helping people plan weekend itineraries, talking to first-time homebuyers and serving as a resource for others in the LGBTQ community. According to Ostaszewski, her efforts have garnered relocations.
“People say, ‘I’m scared of being lonely and I’d like to connect.’ It’s powerful to find that space and to share that together. My entire community here is queer, and I’ve never had that before I lived in Peoria. I don’t think people expect that here,” she said.Angelica Ostaszewski walks with her friend Morgan Mullen near the corner of Sheridan and Main in Peoria on June 9.
Among the transplants, Ostaszewski said two-thirds come from major cities and a third are people coming from the South who are scared about the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She said many are increasing the speed of their move because of Illinois’ progressive policies, such as abortion rights protections, legal marijuana, no bail bond and safeguards for LGBTQ+ people.
Peoria is still in Illinois.. DUH!
Why not Cedar Rapids?
Aurora is a great place to live as well.