For example, in 1998, Newsweek included the Champaign–Urbana Metropolitan Area in its list of the top ten tech cities outside of Silicon Valley.

[5] Champaign–Urbana also ranked as tenth out of the top twenty-five green cities in the United States, in a 2007 survey made by Country Home magazine.

[10] The M2 includes not just condos for residential occupation, but also retail and office space in its lower floors, a common trend in new developments in the urban core.

[14] The Burnham 310 Project, at 18 stories, which is also taller (in overall height), was finished in the fall of 2008 and includes student luxury apartments and a County Market grocery store.

On the University of Illinois campus, Memorial Stadium has gone under major renovation, with construction of new stands, clubs, and luxury suites.

But, as the willingness of professionals to commute longer distances has increased in recent decades, new residential developments have arisen on their edges, dotting the surrounding landscape.

Most of these outlying communities, such as Savoy, Mahomet, St. Joseph, Tolono, and arguably Rantoul and Monticello as well, are dependent on Champaign and Urbana for economic and infrastructure support.

Because higher paid professors, doctors and technology professionals who work for the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, the many clinics and hospitals in town, or in the Research Park, are more likely to maintain cars for commuting longer distances and to afford owner-occupied single-family housing, these areas lacking in mass transit and high-density rental projects often have a higher median household income than Champaign or Urbana.

On the eastern side of the city of Urbana, new business developments such as a Meijer, a planned Menards, and a commercial center with many restaurants and services have broken ground, as well as more suburban housing.

The Virginia also features a variety of performances from community theatre with the Champaign Urbana Theatre Company, to post box office showings of popular films, current artistic films, live musical performances (both orchestral and popular), and other types of shows.

GKC Corporation closed the Virginia as a movie house on February 13, 1992, with the final regular film being Steve Martin's "Father of the Bride".

The theatre once again began holding regular live performances when it was leased to local gospel singer David Wyper in 1992.

[25] The Virginia, which hosts Roger Ebert's Annual Overlooked Film Festival, is also single-screen, but only opens for special showings and events.

The area has originated a great deal of musical talent, including REO Speedwagon, Head East, Dan Fogelberg, and Alison Krauss, as well as HUM, Starcastle, Poster Children, Hardvark, The Moon Seven Times, Braid, AMASONG, Castor, National Skyline, Love Cup, Absinthe Blind, Headlights, American Football, and The Beauty Shop.

Some lesser known artists like Alma Afrobeat Ensemble, Zirafa and Spinnerty, d-Lo, Bozak, Melodic Scribes, DJ Librarian, UC Hiphop, and Zmick are also worthy of note on simply a local scale.

The cities now host Pygmalion Music Festival on an annual basis, presented by the Nicodemus Agency and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

The twin cities have a large number and variety of restaurants from long-standing breakfast and pizza traditions to newer, high-end dinner spots with "Chicago-style" aspirations.

[27] This has led to state-wide, mentioned on "Best of Illinois" lists,[28] and regional recognition, receiving the Midwest Living magazine's 'Greatest Food Town' award in 2017[29][30] In 2009, the Champaign-Urbana metropolitan statistical area (MSA) ranked as the fourth highest in the United States for percentage of commuters who walked to work (9 percent).

[33] In 2013, the Champaign-Urbana MSA ranked as the eleventh lowest in the United States for percentage of workers who commuted by private automobile (78.4 percent).

Illinois Terminal also provides service by Greyhound Lines, Burlington Trailways, and the Amtrak City of New Orleans, Illini and Saluki routes, making it a regional transportation hub.

The University of Illinois Willard Airport in Savoy on the south side of Champaign provides air service through American Eagle.