Illinois Second City
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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.
victoria | Rumson, NJ