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Old 04-27-2009, 06:07 AM
 
8 posts, read 33,617 times
Reputation: 12

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The problem is the majority of people who live in Rockford are uneducated low-paying factory workers who don't have the job skills other cities required so they cannot leave the town, much of them are not happy and feel like they are stuck with all the Mexican and Laotian immigrants and blacks. People who graduated with higher education would leave Rockford and never come back to help built the city. The gangs influences is high here also. As someone in the Urban Dictionary web site wrote that in Rockford if you are not a gangster or a wh*re then you are making fun of, someone might not agree with that but the statement is much summerized it for me. I finally got out of Rockford on my many attempted. It was not easy. The secret to escape from this town is you have to keep it a secret otherwise your friends (who you think) will cell phone and broadcast your attempt to everybody in town and the bus won't run on time after that, or the taxi won't pick you up to the airport and if you got to the airport your freight would be cancelled and if you take your own car it would all of the sudden broke down in front of you. Sound like a fiction? Would someone mess with your car? Nevertheless after I got out of the town my life seem to get better, with better job and higher pay. Now I'm driving a heated leather seat brand new car wih navigation on good paved road. When I was in Rockford a girl called my car a "ghetto car." My rear end now are sored from sitting on my asset too long at my new job instead of standing up all day working in Rockford and came home with a foot problem in which a doctor or Newbalance cannot help. I even have more time to enjoy new and old hobbies now. Yes the grass is greener on this side. Too bad the bus/train don't even stop in Rockford as I wanted to get out and use the bathroom on my way to Chicago. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about constructive but there are just too many bad things there. It's the people not the city.
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Old 05-02-2009, 08:50 AM
 
90 posts, read 354,616 times
Reputation: 91
Had to register to chime in on this... As my name say im a Born and Raised Native of Rockford Illinois but I left the City for good in 2000 and haven't been back since.

A little about my experience growing up on the big bad west End of Rockford Illinois aka the West Side for those who don’t know. I’m a young 34 year old guy and was there from the worst to the good times. I lived through the Mob and Karl Forts Drug Takeover of the city and whole shebang.

Rockford had 2 Projects with about Two Thousand people on the west side and as kids we would complain about the dam projects, now most of the people who lived in there didn't have common sense. Some had no respect for human life; I was up in there as a kid with a friend going to the candy lady's apt when a gun fight with the FBI broke out in the 80's. The projects were dangerous period and were made up of Rockford Natives born in the 60's at that time, mostly young mothers with no man around to handle business.

Speed forward 20years and now they have torn them down from what I understand, they were taking down Ashley Court when I moved for good.

Now I haven't been in Rockford for 9years now even though all my family lives there still to this day. A little about myself I was in St Patrick’s Private School from K-6 I went to public school for middle and high school and the Rockford School's were bad back then, but im going from private to middle so my experience and shock was taken hard. In high School after my freshman year I had enough and transferred myself to Guilford High School, it was that bad IMHO.

Rockford is a Retirement Town, I have considered buying the house next door to my Mother’s home and Rebuilding a Second Home to maybe go back there and live out my golden years but that prbly the only way I will be setting foot back in that city or a Funeral.

It lack's Job's I mean good paying jobs, unless you were in the good ole boy's network back in the late 90's and 2000 or want to go to Chrysler. I live in Seattle and with only a High School diploma and Military Experience have managed to carve out a 4plex that I own and live in one of the units and a 60K Plus yearly job as an Account Executive for a Major Telecommunication Company.

Every Town has problems, took me a long time to adjust to some of what I consider weird here, women from Africa and the Middle Easter’s. Seattle is the next capital of Illegal’s, I’m not talking Just Mexicans either you got Russians, Africans, Indians, Afghans, and thanks to Gush Iraq's.. Talk about Culture Shock, in Rockford I had Europeans to deal with and everyone spoke English.. Here you don’t know what these people are talking about, with all the different languages its Super Multi Cultural up here.
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Old 05-10-2009, 11:06 AM
 
13 posts, read 65,484 times
Reputation: 13
I find it a bit difficult to beleive that either of you have any type of advanced education at all. After all, you can't spell or put a sentence together properly. You can't really blame that on Rockford Public schooling either, I was educated there and I have the ability to express myself in writing without looking like a complete Moron.
The problem with Rockford is the leadership here. It always has been, and it likely always will be.
The reason the train doesn't stop in Rockford is there isn't a train. That's pretty much a no brainer even for someone without an education. Educate yourself please.
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Old 05-23-2009, 04:12 AM
 
8 posts, read 33,617 times
Reputation: 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by rockfordsbest View Post
I find it a bit difficult to beleive that either of you have any type of advanced education at all. After all, you can't spell or put a sentence together properly. You can't really blame that on Rockford Public schooling either, I was educated there and I have the ability to express myself in writing without looking like a complete Moron.
Wouldn't you be a person who is notably stupid when you commented on someone inability to correctly spell properly and you misspelled yourself?
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Old 05-23-2009, 04:27 AM
 
8 posts, read 33,617 times
Reputation: 12
Default don't start personal attack now!

Quote:
Originally Posted by rockfordsbest View Post
The reason the train doesn't stop in Rockford is there isn't a train. That's pretty much a no brainer even for someone without an education. Educate yourself please.
Explanation to Mr. educated: there is a whole bunch of trains going through IL from East and West coast and from the South but none of them would stop in Rockford on its way to Chicago.

Yes, you are the exactly the kind of people I'm talking about, the one that starts personal attacks. I'm actually not surprised and I shouldn't talk about a brand new car and good paying job and better life after I left Rkfd.

I don't expect you to say hey " good for you and congratulation!" It must also difficult for you to believe that a person with no edmacation and poor English could achieve so much.
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Old 05-23-2009, 06:41 AM
 
90 posts, read 354,616 times
Reputation: 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by rockfordsbest View Post
I find it a bit difficult to beleive that either of you have any type of advanced education at all. After all, you can't spell or put a sentence together properly. You can't really blame that on Rockford Public schooling either, I was educated there and I have the ability to express myself in writing without looking like a complete Moron.
The problem with Rockford is the leadership here. It always has been, and it likely always will be.
The reason the train doesn't stop in Rockford is there isn't a train. That's pretty much a no brainer even for someone without an education. Educate yourself please.

This is to good to simply pass up, so I will comment. Your right you need a Adv Degree ie masters degree to do complete sentences after going to rockford public schools b/c they dont teach anything to anybody.

I will go one step further since we are talking about the same school system that in 90's were "desegregated".

We are talking about the same school system that for years issued people west of the river 80's material in the early 90's and people east of the river 87ish material. I know I transfered myself out to Guilford High School to see if the education was better.

Ohh yeah Leadership is a mirror image of attitude, and that is obvious of most of the post here for the city of rockford those that have moved and those that stayed.


Like the study material that was issued 10years old so goes the city itself 10years behind most. Now Rockford is my home town and I do miss the town, but post like your makes me say I ain't really missing much.

Same ole same people with there attitudes about others.
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Old 05-23-2009, 09:37 PM
 
Location: Southwest Suburbs
4,593 posts, read 9,148,401 times
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Why is Rockford's population growing if its so bad?
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Old 05-23-2009, 09:56 PM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,737,620 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicagoland60426 View Post
Why is Rockford's population growing if its so bad?
Because land is dirt-cheap and it's within commute striking distance to western suburban employment centers like Elgin. Notice where all the growth is happening: on the east side of town. That's no coincidence. The east side of Rockford is becoming a de facto exurb.
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Old 05-24-2009, 02:39 PM
 
90 posts, read 354,616 times
Reputation: 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drover View Post
Because land is dirt-cheap and it's within commute striking distance to western suburban employment centers like Elgin. Notice where all the growth is happening: on the east side of town. That's no coincidence. The east side of Rockford is becoming a de facto exurb.
Your 100% right about that, it's cheap and within a resaonable commute to those jobs in Elgin and others. My friend has a home on the eastside and commutes to Elgin daily most of the people who Live in the nicer homes and area in Rockford Do Just that communte to better job areas.
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Old 05-27-2009, 09:54 PM
 
975 posts, read 1,749,053 times
Reputation: 524
This thread cracks me up.

I grew up in Rockford and now live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I left Rockford in 1992 so I've been down here for quite a while.

The talk of crime, for example. LOL! People who've lived in Rockford all their life don't know what crime is and have no earthly idea what a gang problem means. I remember hearing from my sister how bad crime and gangs were in Rockford. About 6-7 years ago she was down here and one night we're out to eat. As we go to pull out of the parking lot a high speed chase goes past us(no biggie, happens all the time). So, we leave and get about 2 blocks away and get stuck as about 10 Pinellas County deputy cars have the street blocked, they've pitted the car and it's rolled over, the cops all have their guns drawn, the dogs out and police helicopter is hovering overhead. So the cops are screaming at the guys who are out of the car to "show me your f'ing hands or I'll cap your ass right now". More cops cars are flying in, etc. My sister is freaking out, ducking down in the car, screaming at me to get out here!!! LOL!

Believe me to anyone who's lived here for any length of time this in nothing all that special. But, to someone from Rockford it's a story they won't soon forget..haha.

Then there's that wicked west side of Rockford..LOL! Oooh! Come take a drive through South St Pete and then tell me how bad west Rockford is, assuming you make it out alive. I'll bet there's more murder's in South St Pete in month than all of Rockford in a year.

Actually most of the crime in Rockford is property related. Down here it's against people. How many kids get abucted every year in Rockford?

And blacks and Latino's? Hahaha! Gimmie a break! Half of Tampa is either balck or Hispanic not that there's anything wrong with that.

High taxes? LOL! My homeowners insurance is more than your taxes and that no lie. And schools? Oh my god!

It's a big world out there folks and the grass is always greener somewhere else. Is Tampa better than Rockford? In some ways yes and in some ways no. There's a lot more to do here and it doesn't snow, but Rockford is far more safe with a lot smaller criminal element. If I had to chose between the 2 I'd think Rockford is a much better place to raise a family though. I worry about my kids everyday down here and wouldn't live here for a second if my wife had to work and couldn't watch over them.
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