Beating Rockford a little more... (Chicago, DeKalb: neighborhood, incomes, to live)

[rocky12345]

traderx, you can think anything you want about me. That is not the issue. Rockford remains the absolute worst place for its size in America.

[Havasu]

Originally Posted by rocky12345

traderx, you can think anything you want about me. That is not the issue. Rockford remains the absolute worst place for its size in America.

I would not say the worst. I will give a ONE of the worst, im sure there are plenty that are worse.

[Traderx]

Originally Posted by rocky12345

traderx, you can think anything you want about me. That is not the issue. Rockford remains the absolute worst place for its size in America.

Rocky you act as though my thoughts are but an opinion. It is a fact your own posting history proves you to be a liar.

[Havasu]

TraderX
I am a bit tough on Rockford and I understand you are moving there. This is very rare for me to say but by reading your posts you will be fine in Rockford and I have a feeling you will be living outside the city limits like maybe Roscoe or Rockton. Its not all bad there,its the little things that drove me nuts like all of the red lights at every intersection, and when you move to a new place its kind of fun. So I wish the best in your move and keep us updated on your thoughts of the area.

[Traderx]

Originally Posted by Havasu

TraderX
I am a bit tough on Rockford and I understand you are moving there. This is very rare for me to say but by reading your posts you will be fine in Rockford and I have a feeling you will be living outside the city limits like maybe Roscoe or Rockton. Its not all bad there,its the little things that drove me nuts like all of the red lights at every intersection, and when you move to a new place its kind of fun. So I wish the best in your move and keep us updated on your thoughts of the area.

Thanks for the kind words and good wishes.

We are here now. Only took 4 1/2 days driving. Oh the joys of traveling with 2 small kids..LOL! Actually we had alot of fun of the way up and did a lot of cool things.

As for living, you might be right about Rockton, Roscoe. I sort of like WInnebago and rural areas out to the west. I'm used to traveling 30-60 minutes to go to St Pete or Tampa so being out that way doesn't bother me. Plus there's no traffic here to speak of anyway. I will work a lot from home so it's not like I need to be at an office a certain time each day.

My first observation is the pizza is a helluva a lot better here than Florida

[Havasu]

I myself would shy away from the WInnebago area and west of town and here is why. I think in the long run the value of real estate will go up more in the Northern areas,the west has not been the best place to buy for investment reasons. You do say your ok traveling 30-60 minutes but in the winter and you want to go somewhere it could be a hassle. I myself did most of my shopping in Wisconsin it was easy to jump on the 39 at Rockton rd and avoid and the red lights on the 251. You say you have kids, the schools are better in the Rockton-Roscoe districts. The advantages of WInnebago would be you might get more for your money when it comes to housing. The crime rate there is very low due to less people living there. There is one grocery store in town I think its sullivans not sure about that though. One more thing if you buy a newer or new home be sure to ask who the builder is if it is Maplecrest or Contry I would look elsewhere or have a building inspector check it out before buying. There houses look very nice but are not built good. I bought one feel free to PM me for more info

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Havasu

I myself would shy away from the WInnebago area and west of town and here is why. I think in the long run the value of real estate will go up more in the Northern areas,the west has not been the best place to buy for investment reasons. . .

If anything the east is the place to invest, because Chicago suburbia is gradually making its way there. The east is booming in good measure because it's within commute striking distance of the western suburbs.

[Traderx]

I agree about the investment angle you guys both point out.

My situation is a little different in that my wife grew up out near Pecatonica and I actually lived near Winnebago before I moved to Florida back in 1992 so we sort of know the turf. Plus, resale value isn't really a top concern of ours. But, hey, we just got here and haven't even settled in so all this is a ways off for sure. First we have to make certian this is going to work for us.

Btw, when it does come to buying a house, my FIL is a very successful contractor in the area and I would never buy a house anywhere without his okay on the quality. I've owned two houses in Florida and he flew down to inspect both for me.

[rocky12345]

"If anything the east is the place to invest, because Chicago suburbia is gradually making its way there. The east is booming in good measure because it's within commute striking distance of the western suburbs."


If and when Chicago suburbia reaches Rockford, we will all be dead. There are 60 miles of corn fields separating Rockford from the nearest suburb.

Going from Rockford to West suburbs is not something you can do for the long term. You will become very depressed.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by rocky12345

"If anything the east is the place to invest, because Chicago suburbia is gradually making its way there. The east is booming in good measure because it's within commute striking distance of the western suburbs."


If and when Chicago suburbia reaches Rockford, we will all be dead. There are 60 miles of corn fields separating Rockford from the nearest suburb.

Going from Rockford to West suburbs is not something you can do for the long term. You will become very depressed.

Actually it's more like 30 miles. I expect the Rockford and Chicago metropolitan areas to merge in my lifetime. The Chicago and Milwaukee metros already have, and Milwaukee is about the same distance from Chicago as Rockford is.

As for the Rockford-to-suburbs commute, a lot of people do it. I used to live in St. Charles. I could make it from there to east Rockford in less than an hour, and that was without using the interstate. From east Rockford to Elgin is about 40 minutes. For a lot of people, that's a perfectly manageable commute -- it's less time than trying to commute from the west suburbs into downtown Chicago or vice-versa.