driving to peoria from pekin

Hello all, well, as a single person I really do not want a big house or yard and I prefer something newer to buy versus older. I have found Pekin to be much cheaper than Peoria. I am not from the area, and from what I hear, Pekin is not desirable, but I found a nice house in a decent neighborhood in my price range. I am wondering if the commute to downtown Peoria is crazy? Google maps says it will take approx 19 minutes, so I am thinking 30 minutes with traffic. I also LOVE the twin towers which means my commute would be zero. I know the HOA is high, but i wont need to repair the roof or worry about a basement leaking. I wish it were an easier decision. The condo at twin towers is completely updated AND THE HVAC/AC are only 5 years old, whereas the house is not updated and the roof/HVAC are 25 years.