Relocating from Los Angeles to Illinois (where do we move to?)

[Martlueb]

School district 301 in Burlington is really good. Also 303 St Charles. U46 in South Elgin is also good. There are plenty of good private schools too.

[Mike Denali]

Originally Posted by thePR

Shenanigans! Northeastern Illinois has plenty of good schools!

Guess that depends on your definition of what makes a school good (safety, grades, potential for college placement, scholarships at high level schools, assistance with career goals, contacts, etc) . No idea about the private schools, I'm just talking about publics. And I wouldn't call Rockford and the immediate area NE IL either.

[cruz2009]

Thank you all for your words of wisdom, we will be visiting Rockford in a few weeks. While my husband is working I'll be visiting areas.

Can you all provide of must sees that I should visit. (not attraction wise) For example local grocery stores, cities nearby. Also besides mapquest, is there an easy map I can follow to get from one place to another? In LA we're used to jumping on the freeway or driving through streets, but someone mentioned that it is very different in Illinois.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[cruz2009]

anyone up for a response to last question?

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by cruz2009

anyone up for a response to last question?

I don't think it's much different in IL unless you live in the Chicago or St. Louis metro areas because there you can hop on a bus or rail (much moreso in Chicago) to get around. There are plenty of freeways, tollways, and highways to get around on. I'm not sure how the bus situation is in Rockford, but the more people that use it, the better the system will get!

[phl76]

I'm not aware of any maps that would be helpful. You can probably pick up a map of the area at any local gas station here. I generally use google maps for my navigation in new areas.

I'm relatively new to the area myself. I live on the East side of Rockford. The major roads you should familiarize yourself with (at least on the East Side) would be State Street, and Perryville, Riverside, and Alpine. They seem to be the major roads I use most often.

East State Street probably has all the stores and shops you would need. The big names are here (Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, etc), plus all the chain restaurants you could ever want.

The CherryVale mall is south of State St and you can get there by going south on Perryville. You will probably see more businesses along the way to the mall. Go north on Perryville, you find more strip malls with banks, restaurants, and a variety of stores.

Riverside runs parallel to State St and is also a busy road with lots of businesses.

The grocery stores we use most often are Woodman's (3155 McFarland Road right off Perryville) located and Valli Produce (Riverside and Alpine). We like Woodman's because it's 24 hours, clean, and prices are reasonable. Valli Produce has good prices and better selection on fruits and vegetables. They also cater to a more ethnic clientele so if we are doing any ethnic cooking, that's where we shop.

There are people here that have more experience than me and can probably provide more information.

What else are you looking for?

[cruz2009]

I will be pretending that I live there and shop as a typical mom would. Will be driving around just to be familiar with areas and cities around. There have been several suggestions for schools, so we'll be driving and visiting as many close by cities as I can. I imagine we should bundle up as the weather has been pretty chilly there

All suggestions are welcome, thank you so much!

[GolfLover2]

Cruz: As in any other area, Rockford has it pros and cons, better areas and ones to avoid. The suggestion made for Cherry Valley (a suburb/area of Rockford), was a reliable one. It boasts handy conveniences such as mall, restaurants, churches, and connections to main highways and arteries in and out of the city. Hospitals and medical centers are close by. The city of Chicago and its suburbs are not that far of a drive and easily reached for additional attractions and entertainment. Rockford has a growing airport that serves the northern most tip of the state. In Rockford you are sandwiched between Chicago and Milwaukee, another great option for weekend entertainment and such. To the west lies small, more quaint and rural towns, notably Galena. Very historic and offers some great options for weekend getaways for everyone, young and old. The Eagle Ridge Resort is located just outside Galena and offers everything from great golf to horseback riding, hot air ballooning and fantastic spa services. That area is about a one hour drive back to Rockford.
So, if you decide to accept the position in Rockford, you have a large choice of living options from which to choose. As you probably know, you just need to do the homework before making a decision. If you have any questions, write me. Best of luck!

[czakaras]

I love Cherry Valley... look into Penfield crossing, best subdivision in that area! We just love it here! Very safe community!

[czakaras]

Originally Posted by soulful

If you are willing to drive one hour, 61 miles per mapquest, you could live in Barrington, IL. Barrington is a beautiful wealthyish suburb of Chicago (but pretty far out so you wouldn't hit too much traffic between Barrington and Rockford). Great charming downtown, etc.

Why would you live there and spend 10X the price on the same house to drive to Rockford, that would be stupid! There are beautiful areas and homes in Rockford and in the nearby towns..