Obviously you are looking at only the negatives. Peoria is actually very clean for a city and Peoria is ranked yearly as one of the Top 5 friendliest cities in the nation consistently. So not sure what people you are meeting. Although Peoria has conservative people, there are plenty of liberals to be found as well making this city relatively moderate and leaning more to democratic philosophy. The river, although not the cleanest in the world, is due mostly to silt from farmland. the views of the lake and river are wonderful from the many bluffs where the best residences are found. I am from Peoria and have never known anyone to be an ACDC fan. Join themany clubs and meet of your similat interests. Living in a larger city is not all what it is cracked up to be. Have you seen the chicago River??