Beating Rockford a little more... (Chicago, Aurora: high crime, houses, buying)

[rocky12345]

Okay, there are plenty of discussions bashing rockford. I would like to chime in. I moved to Rockford 1 year ago. I am a highly paid professional religious minority. Want to let out some steam. Dont want someone else to make the same mistake. This is obviously only my opinion. Here is my take:

- High property taxes
- bad public schools
- high crime in most parts
- Relatively little cultural diversity. Many rednecks. Many pickup trucks.
- Few professionals.
- The highest concentration of churches I have ever seen in my life. Cant go a block without finding several.
- Almost no high end retailers. Few fine dining options. Gap could not survive in this town!
- Tons of open fields, corn fields, rural surroundings. Not good for a city person.
- Few fine housing options. > 300k puts you in the top 2% of Rockford houses!! Sure you get cheap housing for a very good reason (see above and below).
- Not so close to Chicago as you would think- at least 1.5 hrs to Chicago loop. Not a reasonable daily commute.
- The art museum is horrible.
- 3 hospitals in the area without much choice for specialist physicians.
- Downtown is abandoned and decaying
- Their "business district" is a collection of big box stores and fast food chains. The only white collar business jobs are in banks if you can find them.

[Havasu]

I think it has been beat up enough and time for a new fresh start. Its summer there and the best time of the year.
I am more worried about my Home

[rocky12345]

"Its summer there and best time of the year"

It is still a rockford summer, unfortunately

[Havasu]

Originally Posted by rocky12345

"Its summer there and best time of the year"

It is still a rockford summer, unfortunately

What I think you need to do is what I did. You make a plan to leave Rockford it takes some serious planning and it can be done. It might take 6 months or longer to do but if you really do not like where you are now you can change it. There is an entire USA out there some nice area some not so nice areas. Then once you are gone will ask why in the world did I stay there? The answer is this.
Its all part of living your life.

[Caligirl4u2]

Unfortunately, I must agree that Rockford is stuck in some sort of time loop with bad schools, decaying roads, and a severe lack of any type of improvements. Everytime an improvement is put up for discussion, it is shot down faster than you can say lickity split. I made the mistake of coming back to Rockford in 2002 and boy do I wish I had just stayed in California. I wouldn't wish Rockford on my enemies, let alone my friends and family. There is nothing to do here, shopping or entertainment wise. Nascar wanted to come here, that was strongly discouraged, riverboat gambling, shot out of the water. Anything that would make people either come here or want to stay is not what the older community (believe in status quo) or the politicians are allowing. I guess they feel if it ain't broke, don't fix it and if it is just ignore it and it will go away.

[Steve-o]

Seriously... who moves to Rockford and then complains? Thats like buying a Chevy Aveo and then complaining that its slow and cramped.

In this fantastic, technological modern age, I cant find any sympathy to those who move to Rockford w/o knowing what theyre getting themselves into. Sounds like someone didnt do any research before they moved. lol

With that being said, there are areas of Rockford that are pretty decent, but overall, the town/city as a whole is a letdown. No surprise there!

[Granny Sue]

I understand most of what your saying....but what's wrong with pickups? If I remember right Rockford is surrounded by farming isn't it?

I guess I don't understand why pickups are bad.

[BUalumni]

I personally find Rockford, and the majority of big cities in northern Illinois, (excluding Chicago proper because it is just simply put, a different world, from the rest) to be major let downs with little to do, nothing unique, and offer very little to their residents, let alone in helping create a better image for Illinois. Joliet, Aurora, Elgin, Gary, and several smaller 'burbs, are not, IMO! and the majority of the state!, good places to live, and likewise, suffer from the exact same problems that Rockford does. The difference though is that cities like Aurora can mask their problems more, since Chicago has sprawled out to them, and as such, many can live a decent suburban life within pockets of them. Not to mention huge cities like Naperville help out in generating more jobs and better schools. Although, with that said, Bolingbrook is far from fantastic, and it is fairly large in its own right. Rockford takes a beating from both downtstaters, and suburbanites alike, because it doesn't fall into either category (well at least not suburbia as of today), and yet still has problems. Most people in Peoria/B-N/C-U/ and Springfield, may find Decatur to be a very undesirable location, but when confronted about it by those in Shaumburg, will more than likely defend it more than not, just because it is closer to home, and does represent a significant area in the greater central Illinois area. Of course I have seen it work both ways as downstaters snicker at Chicagoland's slums, and yet those same areas are defended by residents that live nearby (think relative). But for poor Rockford this is not the case. It is only that citizens that live in and around it, that might find it decent, and even then, most still do not enjoy living there. I personally believe that until Chicagoland extends that far out, (which would be sad beyond believe) Rockford will continue to be just another struggling, large, northern Illinois city.

[gardener34]

"Few fine dining options. " I find there are good restaurants. Maybe not diverse ethnic ones though.

I like the children's museum there. And the "on the waterfront" festival. And the Klehm arboretum is beautiful. And the sinissippi gardens. And the anderson japanese gardens.

They need to do some p.r. work to get more tourists there to these things. As well as improve the situations mentioned above.

There is lots of really neat old housing stock in the downtown area.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by BUalumni

downstaters snicker at Chicagoland's slums

While they ignore the ever-so-wonderful Danville, piece-of-junk Cairo, and the fantabulous, sexy East St. Louis, right?