Since Angie Ostaszewski started her TikTok account on September 13, 2020, she has already convinced at least six people to move to Peoria… and counting. During this short period of time, her infectious enthusiasm has garnered over 15,000 followers and hundreds of thousands of views on the video-sharing social networking service. And it’s all due to the great things she shares about Peoria—from hiking trails to arts events to jobs that pay a decent salary. “I love researching and comparing things, and then providing people with the best option—whether it’s a house, vacation or jobs,” she explains.

Her most viral content centers around Peoria’s rich bounty of real estate offerings and begins with her signature tagline: “Hi, my name is Angie, and I’m not a real estate agent—but I live in super-affordable Peoria, Illinois, and I think you should live here, too!” One of her videos, about a home for sale on Columbia Terrace, has been viewed nearly 400,000 times so far. “I love looking at homes in the West Bluff or Peoria Heights,” she states, “because there are a lot of historic or mid-century modern homes.” 

Scouring hundreds of listings, she focuses on affordability and quality, asking herself: “If someone was on a fixed income—like me when I moved to Peoria, living paycheck to paycheck—and if I realized that I could actually own a home that nice, would it turn my head?” 

The answer for numerous people has been a resounding yes, from Austin, Texas to Seattle, Washington. Many residents of these expensive urban areas, Ostaszewski explains, find Peoria incredibly appealing. “You’re living in a one-bedroom apartment that costs $1,500 a month and making less than $40,000 a year,” she notes. “If you moved to Peoria and found comparable pay, you could be living in a home that’s twice as big, paying half as much. It’s just amazing!” 

Ultimately, Ostaszewski finds both joy and hope when people connect with her content. “I want other people to be able to find financial stability in the way that I was able to,” she explains, “and I want people to live here who have a passion for contributing to their community and want to help it be a better place.

“That is my agenda,” she adds with a chuckle, “and I’m not hiding it!” Find her on TikTok @angieslistings. PM