Used to live in Rockford - How's it like now? (Madison: real estate, high crime)

[mhs2012]

When I was 4 my parents made the decision to move from Rockford, since the entire school situation scared them away. Now we have a good life in suburban St. Louis, but a part of me wonders how Rockford is doing and how I would've turned out had we stayed in Rockford. From what I read a while back, Winnebago County and Rockford has some of the highest unemployements in the state of Illinois. I'm not too sure where we lived, but it was close to Brookview Park and Guilford High School. Any quick comments about the area and the city as a whole would be appreciated.

[ochoa]

Originally Posted by mhs2012

When I was 4 my parents made the decision to move from Rockford, since the entire school situation scared them away. Now we have a good life in suburban St. Louis, but a part of me wonders how Rockford is doing and how I would've turned out had we stayed in Rockford. From what I read a while back, Winnebago County and Rockford has some of the highest unemployements in the state of Illinois. I'm not too sure where we lived, but it was close to Brookview Park and Guilford High School. Any quick comments about the area and the city as a whole would be appreciated.

That area is still very nice. The whole northeast is the best area to live in Rockford. Rockford does have the highest unemployment in the state, and recently it was ranked the 9th worst i city with violent crime.

What needs to change is the mentality of the youth. Many think crime and gangs are cool. I used to be like that in middle school and beginning of high school but I started doing good and now I am working on graduating from college.

Too many kids are growing up to be disrespectful and undisciplined. This is that leads to the high crime rate, what is good for the rest of Rockford is that it is mostly concentrated in the west and inner east side. Rockford wold be great if it was just everything east of 20th st.

[socaldream]

I have to admit, there is a lot of truth to this. There is still a lot of poverty and urban decay on the West Side and also downtown and just east of the river. Way too much violent crime for the size of the city. However, there are some very nice neighborhoods, great people, and excellent shopping too. The north east side, far south east side of Rockford are generally quiet, comfortable places to live and very convenient. I work 6 miles from home, which is the closest I have been in years. There are some good young people here, but as mentioned many get pulled into gangs and drugs. The high unemployment rate doesn't help.

I don't know how it compares to years ago, but some things I would guess are better and some are worse. Unfortunately, I don't feel Rockford is getting better, in fact I believe it is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. The model for me for Rockford is Detroit, and day in and day out that seems to be the way Rockford is going. Sorry this isn't more positive. I do currently live in Rockford, but we are looking to move in a year or so.

Originally Posted by ochoa

That area is still very nice. The whole northeast is the best area to live in Rockford. Rockford does have the highest unemployment in the state, and recently it was ranked the 9th worst i city with violent crime.

What needs to change is the mentality of the youth. Many think crime and gangs are cool. I used to be like that in middle school and beginning of high school but I started doing good and now I am working on graduating from college.

Too many kids are growing up to be disrespectful and undisciplined. This is that leads to the high crime rate, what is good for the rest of Rockford is that it is mostly concentrated in the west and inner east side. Rockford wold be great if it was just everything east of 20th st.

[Bluw]

I've lived there for 12 years , it is taking a big downhill slide. The mayor seems to think you can keep ripping old homes down and just leaving the vacant lots like so many open sores. We lived in a wonderful neighbor hood that is nothing like it was when we first came. Crime, vandalism, drugs are definitely on the increase. I will say that some neighborhoods have held up better than others. I originally came from St. Louis. Can't say I care much for either of the cities.
I really feel how you turn out is more likely formed by your family dynamics. And by the company you keep. Don't waste too much thought on what could have been, better to think of where you're going from here.
Your future lies ahead. Good luck!

[mhs2012]

Of course, I'm just concerned on where I'm going and what could've happened if we stayed in Rockford. In the Iowa and Wisconsin-Madison forums I'm trying to get tips for college visits I'm taking this week, I'm happy where I am in St. Louis, I love this city.

Family is definitely what shapes you, along with moral strength. You can find stories of rich kids living the high life getting into all kinds of trouble since everything has been handed to them, and poor kids living in the slums of a big city who are able to escape poverty with hard work.

After asking my parents about Rockford a little, it appears that gang presence is penetrating what's considered to be still a good area where we used to live. A family that lived in the exact same home at sometime after we moved had a son who's currently serving time for assisting in a murder - he got involved in gang activity and helped set a man on fire. Yet, my memories of Rockford are good and we still have friends from there.

[ochoa]

Originally Posted by mhs2012

After asking my parents about Rockford a little, it appears that gang presence is penetrating what's considered to be still a good area where we used to live. A family that lived in the exact same home at sometime after we moved had a son who's currently serving time for assisting in a murder - he got involved in gang activity and helped set a man on fire. Yet, my memories of Rockford are good and we still have friends from there.

You know what's funny about this, I know that kid. Went to high school with him, he wasn't a good friend of mine but he was in the group of kids I would hang out with in gym class. Actually went to his/ your house once We went to Guilford High School and we skipped one day and since his house was close we went there. Small world huh?

There is not really a gang presence in that area though. I would walk by myself at night anytime, wouldn't do that anywhere on the west side though.

[mhs2012]

Originally Posted by ochoa

You know what's funny about this, I know that kid. Went to high school with him, he wasn't a good friend of mine but he was in the group of kids I would hang out with in gym class. Actually went to his/ your house once We went to Guilford High School and we skipped one day and since his house was close we went there. Small world huh?

There is not really a gang presence in that area though. I would walk by myself at night anytime, wouldn't do that anywhere on the west side though.

No kidding! What a small world. I recall my old room on the top of the stairs at my house having a large, race car mural in it, though the first thing the new people did after we moved out was paint over it. How incredible.

[AnnaNomus]

Originally Posted by mhs2012

When I was 4 my parents made the decision to move from Rockford, since the entire school situation scared them away. Now we have a good life in suburban St. Louis, but a part of me wonders how Rockford is doing and how I would've turned out had we stayed in Rockford. From what I read a while back, Winnebago County and Rockford has some of the highest unemployements in the state of Illinois. I'm not too sure where we lived, but it was close to Brookview Park and Guilford High School. Any quick comments about the area and the city as a whole would be appreciated.

I currently live in Rockford, have a 4 year old daughter, and am looking to move for the same reason your parents did. Rockford is on a steady decline, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Real estate is incredibly cheap, which is one of the only good things about it, but probably because nobody wants to live here. There are some very lovely homes, especially on the west side, but many of them are falling apart. Unemployment and crime are out of control. They are trying to bring a casino here, but I don't see it happening. It seems like anything that may improve Rockford never happens. The way I see it, NOTHING could make this place any worse, so why not? But the worst thing is the schools. Most of my family lives here, and I would stay and deal with all Rockford's other problems if only I knew my child could get a decent education here. If I had to think of SOMETHING good to say about Rockford, I'd have to say the parks and public library. I think that's about it.

[LittleCanary]

Wow--this is an interesting thread. We lived in Rockford from 1979-1983 and hated it. The unemployment during the recession got up to about 23%. We lived in a lovely older home on the west side. It was great until we had a serial killer in our neighborhood, Raymond Lee Stewart. That was scary until he was caught--every day or so another person getting murdered. The thing that really made me want to get out of there, though, was that it was a very clannish, ingrown place. It was a terribly racist place as well. I figured it would have gotten better by now. It makes me wonder if that place has bad spirits or something.

[ChicagoMeO]

I went to the Adam Lambert concert about a few years ago, and it was down by the Riverfront. Wow that was a great place to be .. very pretty. One of the guys I passed by there walking downtown said that the east side is being improved, and a great place to live. When I went home, I got turned around and I saw the other side of town and now i know why people say parts of Rockford are not nice. Those looked like they could have been nice homes, i wish Rockford would spend some money fixing up the west side. It could be very very pretty too. And affordable.