Dekalb? Rochelle? (Chicago, Elgin, Sycamore: environment, student loans, real estate)

[Lucas Streit]

Have you looked for employment in the area? Rochelle has multiple warehouses that many people don't know about including Con agra, Sara Lee (Which is adding 135,000 sq feet on as we write!), as well as one of the USA's largest railports the intermodal III. Rochelle employs many workers that commute from Dekalb and Rockford. When I say employment I mean something you could support a family on not minimum wage.

In all fairness I guess I am forgetting about Nestle and Panduit and the likes in Dekalb. Maybe they are pretty even but I personally couldn't care less about a barnes and nobles or panera bread. When I see those stores I see traffic, concrete, overpopulation and urban sprawl. I'll take corn fields and good employment any day.

I'm not saying Dekalb is a bad town I just see many small towns written off in these forums because they aren't yuppyville and it's sad. Rochelle has it's drawbacks but it can be a great place to raise a family and I don't think should be discounted.

[jdsrsears]

Ya gotta drive,if you want a better education, Rochelle.
They don't call it the hubb for nothing, you are a hundred miles from everywhere.

[dubuqueaskme]

I did not even recognize DeKalb/Sycamore 10 years after I left for the south.

THe number of Hispanics is HUGE. I think they'd almost outnumber the whites in some areas of both cities.

I'd pick DeKalb any day over RocHELLe.

[GoHogsGo]

Union Pacific is still finishing the Global III Intermodal Yard. Del Monte has a large operation just to the east of that yard. King Foods, Sara Lee, and a large amount of other warehouses have been hiring/expanding/building in Rochelle, not to mention that BNSF has laid out plans for a warehousing operation along its line to the east of Rochelle. And another Ethanol Plant Project is under construction to the south of Rochelle. About 20 miles south of Rockford. The town is growing, and isn't the dump it was in the 90s.

For Jobs, I pick Rochelle. Plus if you go down IL Highway 38, you'll find some nice small towns (Ashton-8 miles, Franklin Grove-15 Miles) if you think living in the town is too harsh.

DeKalb is not far from Rochelle at all. Plus between the 2 towns are the small communities of Creston and Malta.

[M TYPE X]

Rochelle is a cute town ... it has gas stations for the traveler who has the 'lucky chance' to stop through. Nuff said.

In terms of regional university towns, I would rank De Kalb above Ypsilanti, Michigan (Eastern Michigan U) but below Kalamazoo (Western Michigan U).
The bad news is that Kalamazoo isn't as close to Chicago. In DeKalb, you can pay to drive on a toll road to get into Chicago, and you can watch them kill Mr Ed. Rumors persist that the horse slaughtering facility will shut down, but I have unable to confirm this report by relying on such quality media establishments such as the Rockford Register Star.

I drove through DeKalb last month on my way up to Wisconsin, but did not stay there. TripAdvisor tells me that I missed out on an exciting night of car vandalism and drug dealing. How did I learn that? You need to type "De Kalb" (with a space) in order to book hotels on that website. (Everywhere else, I see it written with a space.)

To its credit, the NIU library is well stocked, and liberally loans its extensive collection of volumes to needy grad students down here in Champaign-Urbana. I'm glad it's just not me that has to drive the truck between NIU and UIUC.

The next time I am wandering around in Northern Illinois and need to stop at a Barnes & Noble, or need to buy drugs (lol), I'll be sure to stop in DeKalb. That probably won't occur unless there is an exciting employment opportunity open at NIU. Hey, it's not "Purdue University Calumet (Hammond!)," so I can't beat on it.

[Kalysa19]

Does NIU's library carpet still cause seizures? Or have they finally gotten rid of it?

[hisPANIC]

[quote=Steve-o;245965]Rochelle and DeKalb are mediocre at best. DeKalb is home to NIU and a notorious party town. Schools are ok as are Rochelle's, but Rochelle is kinda dumpy IMO. There is a new high school and new subdivisions springing up in a few spots, but thats about it. Most of the homes are old and affordable, so there are plenty of hispanics (some illegals) who snatch them up and cram 20 people to a house. DeKalb's east side (east of downtown) is the same way.QUOTE]



WHY ARE YOU SO SCARED OF HISPANICS???Like theres not Hillbilies too around here man... Theres a whole bunch of Hillbillies in Rochelle and we dont discriminate .If you read the statistics and go to the Rochelle Police Department Website, there are more whites that are Sex Offenders and that Commit Bad,Bad Crimes...Read the NEWS section In the Rochelle Police Department Website....Come On...End Discrmination man... Don't be another ignorant in the Bunch!! Just because theres Hispanics or Latinos in the area doesn't mean Rochelle is a bad Town....Better Yet! It's about time this town got a lil flavor !! I think this town is just Right...Hey, its got really good sweet corn... LOL ... And nice lakes to fish in .But Dont hate, theres alot of people here that are just awesome...And it doesnt matter if they're Black,White,Latino,Hispanic,Chinese,Green,Blue.... .maan...U MAKE THE TOWN THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO BE... PEACE! ^_^

[Steve-o]

Just tellin it like it is, my man. Thats all. Im hardly anti-Hispanic, but Im definitely anti-illegal.

[treeg26]

I was just in Rochelle, DeKalb and Sycamore last week looking at houses. I can't believe how big DeKalb and Sycamore have gotten!!!! Wow. Rochelle is a cute town. Lots of corn! I like that, though, being farther from the big city. More land, less houses, bigger yards. Definately more to do in DeKalb and Sycamore, though!

[XtremeBiker278]

DeKalb is your best bet. As stated before, it has a lot to do compared to other towns, and they are offering some nice houses, especially in the newer communities. When I first went out there to see a friend, I thought there wouldn't be much to do, however I was surprised at the decent amount of things to do there, without it being overwhelming. However as DeKalb grows more, it began to lose its small town feel to it. Between all of the new housing and new businesses being built, it will be as expansive and as crowded as the city and numerous suburbs.