We like Rockford - 10/25/2010

We've lived in Rockford for just over 10 years now. Yes, the town has problems; every place has problems. but Rockford has an incredible amount to offer, particularly for a town that most people consider "dead". Most other "dead" towns should have so much! Theater, music, art, colleges, restaurants (both local and chain), extracurricular stuff for kids, pubs and taverns, solid theology churches, wacky theology churches, great parks, and a huge number of people working to fight the "dead: reputation we have. Yes, we've chosen to home school our children, and there's lots of support for that as well. We've been able to buy a great house in a transitional neighborhood that we wouldn't have been able to touch in most other markets, with more of a yard than most contemporary houses. We're glad we're here.

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This is a horrible place to live - 9/30/2010

Do not live here unless you need a handout. there are food pantries, free clothing,cheap; housing. a packed food stamp office. There are no real jobs here. The schools are terrible. the gangs are horrible. the police are lazy. There is fast food all over town. so you may get fat from smelling all the Taco Bell, Mc Donalds. there are a lot of fat people here. Most of the homes here flood. the taxes are high. There are a lot of thugs here. 3 teenage girls on Fridays and Saturdays key cars at the Cherry Vally Mall in the Macy's parking lot. Teenage thug girls walk up and down 23ave and shout at people "What are you looking at." just to start an altercation. It is a power struggle with these thugs they try to bully people.. I may let my dog lose so he can chase them. The Gem suburban trailor court has trash living there. the parents do not watch the kids.

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Rockford IL - 7/5/2010

As a previous poster stated, Rockford Park District is great, but with winter conditions lasting 5-6 months a year, and lots of rain, wind and humidity the rest of the year, it's not easy to plan on outside activities. For every good weather day we get, we pay for it with 3 days of bad. And Burpee Museum and Discovery Center are nice, but do you want to spend every weekend there? Unless you are into religion or the bar scene, there's not much to do without lots of cash. The crime rate here is sky high, comparable to Chicago, which has 2.6 million more people than Rockford. As for being close to Chicago, count on a 90 minute drive. And don't forget unemployment, recently at 18%. On the plus side, real estate is cheap, probably because no one wants to live here.

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Culture - 3/21/2010

You may be very surprised to find that Rockford, Illinois has plenty of cultural things to do and see. The Discovery Center Museum, Burpee Museum of Natural History, Midway Village Museum, and Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum are among the most prominent of sites to visit. There is also an abundance of theaters in the Rockford area, including, the New American Theater, the recently restored to its original state theater, the Coronado, and the outdoor Starlight Theater at Rock Valley Community College. There is plenty to do and see while visiting Rockford, Illinois!

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Things to do near and not so far! - 2/7/2010

Rockford offers a varied palette of entertainment and recreation. A phenomenal park district with extensive parks, golf course and a fabulous waterpark. We also enjoy an extensive forest preserve system. There are many miles of bike/walking paths as well. Entertainment opportunities range from community theatre, museums, art galleries, traditional and not-so-traditional bars, annual snow sculpture competition, several youth and adult sports competitions. Our local sports teams include professional baseball, soccer and the wildly popular Blackhawks farm team the Rockford Ice Hogs. There is lots to do right here but you're 90 minutes from Chicago and an untold number of opportunties. Not only is there lot's to do but our four seasons are wonderful to enjoy. We don't have hurricans, mudslides, wildfires, or earthquakes. We have beautiful Springs as the areas come alive with flora and fauna. Summers that are hot but not too much roll into colorful, crisp falls. Winters require a snowblower but nothing beats the crunch of new fallen snow under your boots.

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housing - 1/31/2010

House prices are really reasonable, but our real estate taxes are VERY high - over 3% of the home value.

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Rockford is not a good place to live - 10/23/2009

Police brutality; High crime rate; the highest unemploment in the wholoe state Drugs and gangs are everwhere. And loads of discrimation! And of course the new million dollar prison, and they've been talking about building another one. What does that tell you?

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stay out of Rockford,IL. - 10/23/2009

Rockford is truely a living breathing nightmare. Recently, a young bi-racial man was gunned down inside of a chuch slash daycare. He'd had a dispute with his girlfriend; police were called;the young man ran across the street to avoid the police. He was shot in the back by two white officers. The same officers that had priors of shooting other victims. There were children and adult witness that saw the terrible incident. This is not the only racially sparked evil that has lingered throughout this town. Unemployment in this town is the highest in the whole state. Drugs, crime and police brutality laces this den of doom!

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the parks - 10/18/2009

Rockford has many parks in the city and surrounding area. They are well cared for and really quite beautiful. I know a couple have swimming in them at a lake, some have many shelters, and some have different programs through the year. It seems there is always something going on at Rockford parks.

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What to do? - 10/3/2009

I used to think there wasn't much to do around the Rockford area. I still feel that way in a lot of respects, however there are a lot of towns around the area that are not that far away and have much more to do like Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago. Still there are plenty of local sports teams that are reasonablly priced to watch and they are fairly succesful which is nice.

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Moved back to be closer to family and lasted about - 9/2/2009

My wife, kids, and I moved back to Rockford to be closer to family last about two years ago. We tried our best to stay open minded but Rockford just had way too many problems. Schools with very poor ratings, high crime, high unemployment, crumbling infrastructure...huge potholes on many of it's streets. My brother who lives in Rockford sends his kids to a Keith Country day private school because he feels the Rockford Public Schools are so bad. With all these problems we kept asking ourselves why where our property taxes so high. It just seemed like we where getting very little in return for the HIGH taxes we where paying in Rockford. Anyway, as much as we wanted to stay, so that we could be closer to family, we just could not see our kids growing up in a city with so many problems. So we moved back to Matthews, North Carolina, a city with good schools, good roads, low crime, friendly people and good bang for your tax dollar buck. I will end my post by saying that many (but not all) of Rockford's "key" stats are very poor to say the least! Now I realize that my opinions are just that...opinions. You should never just take mine or anyone else's opinions as fact. Check out the stats for yourself. Check out the stats on Rockford public schools, unemployment rate, crime rate, etc. And check them out using more than one source. I must say that I wish I had used my noggin to research Rockford's stats prior to moving there. My choice would have been to not move to Rockford had I done my homework first. Was there anything that we did like about Rockford. Sure there was! The public park system was WAY above average. Rockford and it's suburbs have some really beautiful parks, gardens and walking paths. And Rockford was selected “best mid-sized golf city” in the US for three years running by "Golf Diges"t magazine...and the course rates are very affordable. The Rock River is a very pretty River with a vibrant boating comunity. And last but not least, the cost of housing in Rockford is awesome. You get a lot of house for your buck in Rockford.

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this town sucks - 8/22/2009

apparently this city was once real prominent. but it is just a shell now. the west side of town has just been going under for years. no renovation. no motivation. no love. the roads are horrible and crime is high. this city is like a island all to itself. instead of renovating the train system that will give people the option to work in chicago which is 1 1/2 hrs away, which will create jobs, or building universities here and attracting companies that will allow you to make use of a good education, they just rather build jails and throw people away. thats the cities idea of building the economy. i believe almost every person in this city has had their name ran through this system. instead of creating situations to help the people of this city, the city just banks off of people by silly traffic stops. road blocks every week. the city has no hopes of building futures for people. just taking their money. The downtown is a hole in the wall. no night life, just jails. a metro center that was built in the heart of the downtown with no true parking and is not utilize to its potential. With no major acts being booked, they cant afford to continue renovation on it. Now it just sits. This city turns away every major attraction and business proposition that comes its way, its no wonder why people are so mad and walk with a chip on their shoulder. no opportunities. The old folks keep electing this idiot they call a mayor because they are old and happy with just being at home and having no excitement. I know this sounds like a grip, you are right. I hate this town. I am leaving next month.

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Property taxes - 3/3/2009

Property taxes in this town are outrageous. The city lost a lawsuit years ago related to busing of school kids and the residents have been paying for it ever since in the form of high property taxes. My annual property tax bill is almost equal to six months worth of mortgage payments (principle & interest).

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Rockford - 2/20/2009

The cost of living is pretty good, in that housing costs are low. Land is plentiful for development and labor costs are moderate. At the same time, the proximity of Chicago and the western suburbs pulls wages up somewhat, at least for white color workers. The amenities of other cities like Chicago, Madison, WI. and Milwaukee, WI. are within easy driving distance for any thing that one should desire from them.

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Rockford, IL - 2/11/2009

Rockford is a nice drive to Chicago, Madison or Milwaukee. It has a local airport (with a few destinations) and close to MAJOR AIRPORTS LIKE: ORD or MKE. The downtown/river district area is alright. DISCOVERY CENTER AND BURPEE HISTORY MUSEUMS MAKE IT GREAT FOR FAMILIES. THE ROCKFORD PARK DISTRICT IS GREAT AND OFFERS MANY PROGRAMS FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES. THIS IS A GREAT AREA TO RAISE A FAMILY.

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Rockford, IL - 2/8/2009

Low cost of living, (79% of national average), affordable housing, Swedish/German roots, sports, theater, hotels, airport, public bus service, 8.25% sales tax, good restaurants, sports bars, mid-western culture (considerate of others), Rock River w/boating, annual waterfront festival. Cold in winter -25F this year. light-heavy snow (8-12").

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rockford cold - 1/25/2009

cold, cold, cold mostly cold some summer more snow than i care to have. Un friendly people, i think it is because it is so cold

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Property Values Exceptional - 12/2/2008

The Rockford area--including neighboring Boone County to the east--is a real bargain when it comes to residential properties. You get much more home and much more land for the dollar than in many similarly sized communities. And the proximity to Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison makes the Rockford area ideal for easy commutes, access to outstanding arts and cultural venues, and shopping. The small-town feel is an added bonus.

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Illinois Second City - 6/28/2008

Rockford is a depressed, former manufacturing town that has given way to strip malls and fast-food joints. Cheap housing, yes, but also cheaply built. There really isn't anything special about Rockford that I can think of other than the great Gyros you can get at Uncle Nick's and the pizza at Lino's. If you don't mind flipping burgers or working at the mall for minimum wage, it is pretty hard to find a "grown up" job to support a family. The overall Rockford "metro" area is the same. Lots of "bedroom" communities with no jobs so you have to drive into Rockford to work if you aren't a local farmer. There is a definite ghetto area on the West Side, with lots of drugs and high crime as well as huge white collar drug trade. Public schools are horrible. Other than MOVIE theaters, live theather is non-existant. Nothing socially stimulating other than going to the local sports bar to kick down domestic beer and buffalo wings. I grew up around the Rockford area until I came to my senses and moved to the East Coast, where there are high paying jobs, better schools, lower crime, etc.

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Southern Transplant - 2/17/2008

We moved here from Charlotte, NC to be closer to relatives. We have lived in the south for over twenty years before moving back to Rockford. Have not been here long, about six months, but my first impressions are as follows: Brutal Winters. You can go an entire week without seeing the sun...lots of grey dreary days...not for depressive types. The snow is pretty, however and Rockford has really nice parks and Golf courses. Housing prices are great... a lot of bang for your buck for a city so close to Chicago. Rockford is definitely a factory town in transition. As a struggling rust belt town you will find lots of folks who have gone from good paying factory jobs to low paying service jobs. Keep in mind that these are now the people who are now going to be waiting on you at the local Target, or Home Depot etc. In other words there are a lot of really angry folks currently living in Rockford. That's not to say that things wont change in time, but as of 2008 folks here are very unfriendly compared to the folks in Charlotte, NC. Don't expect good service if you are moving to Rockford...you are not going to get it. The Crime here in the city overall is still the worst in the state, but if you live in the suburbs of Roscoe or Rockton you really won't be touched by the VERY high crime rate of Rockford. The Public streets are the worst I have ever seen in my life...potholes...potholes...potholes. With property taxes so high where is the money to fix these streets. Not good tax bang for your buck here. The public schools are improving, but still have a long way to go. If you have kids make sure you live in Roscoe or Rockton. As a person who grew up in Rockford, I find myself rooting for it's comeback. Rockford has a lot of potential and a fair amount of really smart people... especially the engineers who are in abundance in Rockford. However, Rockford has always had a prevailing "can't do attitude" that it will have to overcome if it is ever going to make a comeback. This is, remember, the town that said no to Northern Illinois University when NIU was looking to Rockford for a new home. If you do decide to move to Rockford you need to be honest with yourself and realize that if Rockford is going to make a comeback, it is not going to happen inside of ten years. There is a lot of work to be done here. But with it's beautiful natural recourses and it's close proximity to Chicago the potential is definitely here. But that's the Rub...how many folks are going to be willing to take a ten year gamble on a city that could go either way. As for us, we are just not sure yet. We want the kids to be close to relatives, but are not sure we can justify bringing them up in a city that has such an uncertain future.

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